2022
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2022.12.21. PUBLICATION — Barbacka, M.,
Pacyna, G. & Halamski, Adam T., 2022.
Polish Palaeobotany: 750 Million Years of Plant
History as Revealed in a Century of Studies.
Mesozoic Macroflora. Acta Societatis Botanicorum
Poloniae, 91: e9126.
Fragment of
the reconstruction of Late Cretaceous plant
communities from Lower Silesia. See Barbacka et
al. (2022, fig. 11). Drawing by Bogusław
Waksmundzki.
Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, the
journal of the Polish Botanical Society, founded
in 1922, published a special collection of papers
entitled Polish Botany Centennial.
Among five palaeobotanical reports there is a
historical synthesis of research on Mesozoic macrofloras. It contains,
among others, three palaeovegetation
reconstructions (Early Jurassic of the environs of
Cracow and of the northern
margin of the Holy Cross Mountains, Late
Cretaceous of Lower Silesia). A short
interpretation of research on Cretaceous floras in
terms of philosophy of science is
also given, signalling the phenomena of paradigm shift and social
context of science.
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2022.12.20. PUBLICATION
— Surmik D., Słowiak-Morkovina J., Szczygielski T., Kamaszewski
M.,
Kalita S., Teschner E. M., Dróżdż D., Duda P., Rothschild
B. M., Konietzko-Meier D. 2022. An insight
into cancer palaeobiology: does the Mesozoic
neoplasm support tissue organization field theory of
tumorigenesis? BMC Ecology & Evolution
22: 143.
The oldest tumour
in a fossil amphibian. It is over 210 million
years old!
Figure:
Reconstruction of the tumor growth and
invasion stages. Illustrator: Jakub Zalewski.
Neoplasms are diseases
that develop when body cells divide
uncontrollably. They affect all vertebrates, and
as it turns out, they have been doing so for
more than 210 million years. Among a great
number of vertebrae of the Triassic amphibian Metoposaurus
krasiejowensis found in Krasiejów, one specimen
was identified with a case of a malignant
neoplasm: osteosarcoma.
Figure:
Metoposaurs, representatives of
temnospondyl amphibians in their habitat.
Illustrator: Jakub Zalewski.
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2022.12.13.
Protoceratops are hatching at the Museum of
Evolution IP PAS!
The author of
the diorama is Marta Szubert, a sculptor.
On December 6, a new exhibition was unveiled at
the Museum of Evolution of the Institute of
Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in
Warsaw showing a restoration of a protoceratops
nest. The protoceratops was a small herbivorous
dinosaur which lived in the Late Cretaceous (about
70–75 million years ago) of the present-day
Mongolia. The new exhibition includes a diorama
with reconstructions of a female with two
juveniles standing next to a nest with eggs and
tiny hatchlings. The dinosaurs and their eggs are
reconstructed based on the current paleontological
data. The showcases present original protoceratops
fossils, discovered and described by Polish
scientists from the Institute of Paleobiology PAS,
presented to the public for the first time. The
exhibition was created with the funds collected
during a public fundraising initiated by Dawid
Myśliwiec from the channel Uwaga! Naukowy Bełkot.
We invite you to visit the museum!
www.
muzeumewolucji.pl
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2022.12.13. PUBLICATION — Gooday A.J.,
Holzmann M., Majewski W. & Pawlowski J.
2022. New species of Gromia (Protista,
Rhizaria) from South Georgia and the Falkland
Islands. Polar Biology 45: 647–666.
Holzmann M., Gooday A.J., Majewski W. & Pawlowski J.
2022. Molecular and morphological diversity of
monothalamous foraminifera from South Georgia and
the Falkland Islands: Description of four new
species. European Journal of
Protistology 85: 125909.
Foraminifera and closely
related gromiids dominate meiobenthos communities
in polar regions. While foraminifera with hard
shells are relatively well known,
softly-shelled ones, just like gromiids, have
been largely ignored. Incorrectly, because as
evidenced by environmental DNA
research, they have great potential as bioindicators for
environmental and paleoenvironmental studies.
This potential remains largely unexploited due
to insufficient understanding of taxonomy and
distribution of these microorganisms.
The
“Eye of Sauron” - unusual foraminifer of
the genus Vanhoeffenella. Photo by
Jan Pawlowski.
Thanks to field work led by Prof. Wojciech
Majewski, during the NCN project "Response to
environmental changes and post-industrial
recovery of foraminiferafrom South Georgia
fjords, sub-Antarctic", it was possible to
describe three new to science genera and four
species of monothalamous
foraminifera, as well as six species of the
genus Gromia found in the fjords of South Georgia and off
the coast of the Falkland Islands.
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2022.11.17. PUBLICATION — Qiao, Y., Liu,
J., Wolniewicz, A. S., Iijima,
M., Shen, Y., Wintrich, T., Li, Q., and Sander, P.
M. A globally distributed durophagous marine
reptile clade supports the rapid recovery of
pelagic ecosystems after the Permo-Triassic mass
extinction. Communications Biology 5,
1242 (2022). doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04162-6
Reconstruction by
Nikolay Zverkov
Omphalosauridae are one of
the most enigmatic groups of Mesozoic marine reptiles.
They were hitherto known only from fragmentary
fossils from the Early and Middle Triassic, represented mainly
by jaw fragments with characteristic crushing
teeth and paleontologists have not been able to
determine exactly which group of reptiles omphalosaurids were
most closely related to. A new specimen of the
marine reptile Sclerocormus from the Early
Triassic of South China is identified as an
omphalosaurid and provides strong evidence for
their close phylogenetic relationship with ichthyosaurs. The new
discovery thus solves the over 100-year-old puzzle
surrounding the systematic affinity of
omphalosaurids.
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2022.10.28. PUBLICATION — Łukowiak, M., Van Soest, R.,
Klautau, M., Pérez, T., Pisera, A., & Tabachnick,
K. (2022). The terminology of sponge spicules. Journal of Morphology 283 (12): 1517-1545.
doi:10.1002/jmor.21520
Sponges (Porifera) are a
diverse and globally distributed group of benthic organisms, that
are subjects of intense studies in many
fields, including paleontology, evolutionary
biology, and even bioengineering and
pharmacology. Their skeletons are mostly
characterized by the presence of mineral
elements termed spicules. The
description of the spicules' shape and the
skeleton organization represents the
fundamental basis of sponge taxonomy and
systematics. Here, we provide an illustrated
catalogue of sponge spicules, which is based
on previous works on sponge spicules and
gathers and updates all terms that are
currently used in sponge descriptions. Each spicule type is further
illustrated through high quality scanning electron microscope
micrographs.
Figure:
Examples of morphological types sponge
needles.
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2022.10.20. PUBLICATION
— Pindakiewicz M. K., Hryniewicz K., Janiszewska K., Kaim A. 2022. First Cretaceous
cephalopod statoliths fill the gap between Jurassic
and Cenozoic forms. Comptes Rendus Palevol
21(36):801-813. doi:
10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a36
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2022.10.07. PUBLICATION — Kaim, A., Cochran J. K. &
Landman, N. H. (eds). 2022. Ancient Hydrocarbon
Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53: 1-687. Springer,
Cham. [Text-journal site]
 This
book summarizes hydrocarbon seep functioning, their
evolution over time, the most important seep
occurrences and the fauna present in ancient
hydrocarbon seeps. While several publications
exist that cover modern seeps and vents, fossil
seeps only constitute a small component of the
literature. Therefore the main aim in this
publication is to explain the geological and
evolutionary aspects of ancient chemoautotrophic
communities. Many geologists, stratigraphers and
paleontologists, as well as undergraduates and
graduate students, are not very familiar with
ancient hydrocarbon seep deposits and their
associated fauna. This text is the first to
comprehensively discuss the nature of such
animal groups and how to recognize them. In
addition to summarizing available knowledge on
these topics for specialists in the field, this
book offers the background needed to be of use
to students as well as the wider community of
geologists and paleontologists.
Chapters authored or co-authored by staff of the
Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy
of Sciences:
- Amano K., Kiel S., Hryniewicz K. &
Jenkins R.G. 2022. Bivalvia in Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
267-321. Springer, Cham.
- Baliński A., Bitner M. A. &
Jakubowicz M. 2022 Brachiopods at
Hydrocarbon Seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
223-251. Springer, Cham.
- Hryniewicz K. 2022.
Ancient Seep Carbonates: From Outcrop
Appearance to Microscopic Petrography. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: 79-110. Springer, Cham.
- Hryniewicz K. 2022.
Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps of the World. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: 571-647. Springer, Cham.
- Jakubowicz M., Berkowski B., Hryniewicz K.
& Belka Z. 2022. Middle Palaeozoic of
Morocco: The Earliest-Known Methane Seep
Metazoan Ecosystems. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
479-516. Springer, Cham.
- Kaim, A. 2022. A
review of gastropods at ancient hydrocarbon
seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N.
H. Landman (eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps.
Topics in Geobiology 53: 323-374. Springer,
Cham.
- Kaim, A., Cochran J.
K. & Landman, N. H. 2022. Preface. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: vii-x. Springer, Cham.
- Pisera A., Hryniewicz K., Bitner M. A. &
Kaim, A. 2022.
Extant and Fossil Sponges Associated with
Hydrothermal Vent and Cold Seep Communities.
In: A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H.
Landman (eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps.
Topics in Geobiology 53: 253–266. Springer,
Cham.
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2022.10.03. PUBLICATION — Machalski, M.,
Świerczewska-Gładysz, E & Olszewska-Nejbert,
D. 2022. The end of an era: A record of events
across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in
Poland. In: Walaszczyk, I. and Todes, J. (Eds)
2022. Cretaceous of Poland and of adjacent areas.
Field trip Guides, pp. 37-86. Faculty of Geology,
University of Warsaw; Warsaw. [text]
Opis figury:
Correlation between the Stevns Klint section
in Denmark and the key Cretaceous–Paleogene
sections in the Lublin Upland. CL? – a
possible counterpart of the Danish Cerithium
Limestone; mbs – main burrowed surface. Hiatus
= stratigraphic gap.
The record of environmental turmoil and biotic
turnover across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg)
boundary has been subject of hot debates.
Unraveling the K-Pg global patterns is possible
only by collecting data from regional successions.
The paper provides new data on facies development,
fossil assemblages, stratigraphic completness, and
depositional history of the
K-Pg boundary strata across the west-east trending
outcrop belt in the Lublin Upland, Poland. The
proposed interpretations will serve as a framework
for future research.
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2022.09.14. PUBLICATION — Szczygielski T., Słowiak J. 2022. Shell
histology of the Triassic turtle, Proterochersis
porebensis Szczygielski & Sulej, 2016,
provides novel insights about shell ankylosis. Comptes Rendus Palevol 21
(29): 619-679. doi:
10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a29
Figure description:
Vital reconstruction of the extinct turtle Proterochersis
porebensis (left). On the right,
cross-sections through the carapace of a
juvenile turtle with visible sutures (top),
and an individual with fading sutures (bottom).
Modern turtles grow mostly along shell sutures, in very old
individuals these sutures can obliterate ( ankylosis), stopping the
body growth. As it turns out, that was not always
the case. The ankylosis in the Triassic
turtle Proterochersis porebensis from Poręba (southern Poland)
occurred seemingly randomly in individuals of
variable size (even juveniles!) and completely
obscured the initial bony layout. We propose that
the ankylose of the carapace of the Triassic
turtle resulted from the physiological mechanisms
used in modern species solely in shell regeneration. Bone microstructural changes
imply that Proterochersis porebensis could change
habitat during ontogeny, small individuals
appearing more aquatic and larger more
terrestrial.
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2022.09.06.
Field Tours of the 11th International Cretaceous
Symposium
 On
August 22-26, 2022, the 11th International
Cretaceous Symposium was held in Warsaw to
discuss various aspects of geology and
palaeontology of the Cretaceous period. The main
organizer of the symposium was the Faculty of
Geology, University of Warsaw, and one of the
co-organizers was the Institute of Paleobiology
of Polish Academy of Sciences. During the
post-symposium trip "The end of an era: a record
of events across the Cretaceous-Paleogene
boundary in Poland" (August 27-28), prof. Marcin
Machalski from our institute guided the
participants around the most important exposures
of the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in Poland,
demonstrating the classic outcrops near
Kazimierz Dolny, the site with the last
ammonites at Mełgiew near Lublin, as well as the
Lechówka exposure - the only place in Poland
with the boundary clay layer, created as a
result of the global cataclysm that ended the
Mesozoic era. Great exposures, interesting
specimens and inspiring discussions provided a
lot of scientific fun for both the guide and
participants.
Photo authors: John Jagt and Aleksandra
Stachowska.
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2022.08.22.
200th Anniversary of the Cretaceous System
See website for details: https://www.cretaceous2022.com/
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2022.08.17. PUBLICATION — Paszcza, K.,
Salamon, M. A., Duda, P., Gorzelak, P. 2022. Morphologic
variation of the Middle Devonian crinoid genus
Haplocrinites from Poland. Neues Jahrbuch
für Geologie und Paläontologie,
doi.:10.1127/njgpa/2022/1078
A collection of
crinoid thecae of Haplocrinites
from the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains is
described. Morphometric analyses
revealed that these thecae likely represent
the same species displaying a wide range of
morphologic variation. It has been argued that
H. aremoricensis is a junior synonym of H.
boitardi. The study indicates that
traditional classifications of haplocrinitids
require substantial revision.
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 2022.08.11.
Miniseminar
18th
August 2022 r. (Thursday), 11:00 a.m., dr
Magdalena Łukowiak will give a miniseminar:
"Insights into the structure and morphogenesis
of the giant basal spicule of the glass sponge Monorhaphis
chuni".
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2022.07.26. PUBLICATION — Salamon, M. A.,
Jain, S., Brachaniec, T., Duda, P., Bartosz J.
Płachno, B.J., Gorzelak, P. 2022.
Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a
first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from
the Upper Jurassic of Africa. The Royal Society Publishing,
doi.:10.1098/rsos.220345
The paper
describes an extraordinary preserved new genus
and species of fossil feather star. It is
named after the sixth and current president of
Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his
courage and bravery in defending free Ukraine.
Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi had 10
massive arms and a ring of clawlike appendages
near the base to grip the substrate. It lived
150 million years ago and represents a new
species of fossil feather star (marine
invertebrates of the phylum Echinodermata). The
genus name is in recognition of the
substantial contributions that prof. William
Ausich made to the knowledge on fossil
crinoids. See also research highligts in Nature.
|
 2022.07.14.
Miniseminar
19th
July 2022 r. (Tuesday), 11:00 a.m., dr
Krzysztof Hryniewicz will give a
miniseminar: "The fossil record of deep-sea
chondrichthyan egg capsules".
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2022.07.13. PUBLICATION
— Brachaniec, T., Środek, D., Surmik, D.,
Niedźwiedzki, R., Georgalis, G.L., Płachno, B. J.,
Duda, P., Lukeneder, A., Gorzelak, P., Salamon, M.A.
2022. Comparative actualistic study hints at origins
of alleged Miocene coprolites of Poland. PeerJ 10:e13652,
doi: 10.7717/peerj.13652
The
paper presents the results of integrated
morphological and geochemical analyses of
excrement-shaped siderite masses from the
Miocene of Turów mine. These structures have
been the subject of much controversy, having
been interpreted either as being coprolites or pseudofossils created by
mechanical deformation of plastic sediment. The
paper presents arguments suggesting their
biological origin. Their characteristic shape
and the presence of inclusions in the form of
coalified debris or hair-like structures
indicate that they may be coprolites of turtles and
snakes.
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2022.07.07. PUBLICATION — Seiblitz, I. G.
L., Vaga, C. F., Capel, K. C. C., Cairns, S. D., Stolarski, J., Quattrini,
A.M., Kitahara, M. V. 2022. Caryophylliids
(Anthozoa, Scleractinia) and mitochondrial gene
order: Insights from mitochondrial and nuclear
phylogenomics. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution, doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107565
Unique
mitochondrial gene rearrangement in
caryophylliid scleractinian corals
Traditional Caryophylliidae has been known as the
most speciose scleractinian coral family.
Mito/nuclear phylogenomics point that some
caryophylliids that form a clade (“true”
Caryophylliidae) have unique mt gene rearrangement: a
transposition of the gene block containing cob,
nad2, and nad6, which is located
between nad5 5’ exon and trnW.
Such mitochondrial gene
rearrangement is proposed as a synapomorphy of “true”
Caryophylliidae. Skeletal microstructure provides
additional support for distinct position of
“caryophylliids” with or without the mitochondrial
gene rearrangement.
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2022.06.07. PUBLICATION
— Saha A., Baca M., Popović D.,
Mohammadi Z., Olsson U., and
Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. 2022. The
first complete mitochondrial genome data of the
pygmy rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis, the
world’s smallest leporid. Data in Brief 42: 108314.
doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108314
We sequenced the
first complete mitochondrial genome of
the pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus
idahoensis (17,021 bp in length;
GenBank accession: OL436257). Brachylagus
is the world’s smallest leporid, endemic to the
USA and one of the seven monotypic genera in the
family. This true fossorial rabbit is adapted
to specialized sagebrush habitat. It is an
important taxon in lagomorph evolutionary
research, especially the phylogeny of North
American leporids as well as
climate dynamics and landscape genetics
studies, as this species is restricted to one
habitat type and can be treated as a model
small herbivore in vulnerable ecosystems. The
mitogenome was generated
from ethanol-preserved muscle tissue DNA
extract from a specimen at the Burke Museum, University
of Washington, WA, USA.
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|
 2022.06.06.
Seminar
13th
June 2022 (Monday) 11:00 a.m., Institute of
Paleobiology, PAS Warsaw, Twarda 51/55 conference
room - 6th floor
prof. Michał Kowalewski (Florida Museum of
Natural History) will give a seminar:
"Evolutionary history of prey: 600 million years
of predation in Earth’s oceans".
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2022.06.02. PUBLICATION
— Halamski, A.T. & Taylor,
P.D. 2022. Angiosperm tree leaf as a bryozoan
substrate: a case study from the Cretaceous and its
taphonomic consequences. Lethaia, 55 (1.9): 1–7.
doi:10.18261/let.55.1.9
Dewalquea?
sp., incompletely preserved angiosperm leaf
overgrown by colonies of cheilostome bryozoans.
Upper Cretaceous, Coniacian; Karczmisko hill
near Zbylutów, Lower Silesia, Poland. Specimen
MB.Pb.2008/336, collected by W. Zimmer, 1918.
Photograph and interpretive drawing (compare
Halamski & Taylor 2022, figs 2, 3).
The
subject of this paper is a single Cretaceous specimen
collected near Lwówek Śląski, now kept in
the Museum of Natural History in
Berlin. It is a very rare finding: a tree leaf
overgrown by marine bryozoans. This evidences
that the leaf was intact for a sufficiently long
time for the growth of a bryozoan colony, which is,
in turn, significant for deducing the length of
the transport of land plant remains from the place
where they grew to the place where they were
buried.
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 2022.05.30.
Miniseminar
3rd
June 2022 r. (Friday), 11:00 a.m., mgr Anwesha
Saha will give a miniseminar: "Towards
filling the gap: the evolutionary puzzle of
living lagomorphs".
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2022.05.20. PUBLICATION
— Kaźmierczak J. & Kremer B. 2022. Archaeocyaths:
alternatively explained as consortia of siphonous
algae and cyanobacteria-like microbes in shallow
Cambrian seas. Palaeoworld (Elsevier), 31,
p. 218–238. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2021.08.003
 The
paper presents an alternative explanation of the
systematic position of archaeocyaths, Cambrian
calcareous fossils interpreted for over 30 years
mostly as sponges (Porifera), herein
treated as closely related to modern siphonous green algae, especially
representatives of the genus Codium ( Bryopsidales,
Chlorophyta). The basis for this
conclusion was the demonstration, grounded on
samples from NE Siberia, that the skeleton of
archaeocyaths was not an indigenous product of
the siphonous algae, but the product of
calcified microorganisms, close to modern cyanobacteria ( Chroococcales),
that overgrew the algae during their lifetime.
The calcification of cyanobacterial epibiontic biofilms on siphonous
green algae thalli evidences high saturation of
the Cambrian sea with calcium carbonate
("calcium stress"), which should be considered
one of the main causes of the mass formation of
first calcareous skeletons at that time. This is
an aspect of the Cambrian explosion, one of
the major events in the history of life.
NCN 2015/17 / B / ST10 / 03340, leader prof. dr.
hab. Józef Kaźmierczak.
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2022.04.20. PUBLICATION —
Madzia, D., Sachs, S. & C.
Klug. 2022. Historical significance and taxonomic
status of Ischyrodon meriani (Pliosauridae)
from the Middle Jurassic of Switzerland. PeerJ 10: e13244.
doi:10.7717/peerj.13244
Ischyrodon
meriani is an obscure pliosaurid taxon from the
Middle Jurassic of Switzerland. Despite being
described in 1838, which likely makes it the
historically oldest-established pliosaurid,
the type specimen of Ischyrodon
remains poorly researched. The new study
presents a detailed redescription of I.
meriani and shows its close resemblance to
Liopleurodon ferox which originates from
strata of a similar age and provenance. While it
is likely that I. meriani represents a Liopleurodon-like
taxon, or is even conspecific with L.
ferox, which would make I. meriani
the proper name for the species, any such taxonomic considerations
are hindered by the fragmentary nature of the type specimens of both
these taxa. The new study highlights the need
for a detailed taxonomic reevaluation of
Liopleurodon ferox.
Reconstruction: Joschua Knüppe
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2022.04.05. PUBLICATION
— Łukowiak, M., Dieni, I.,
Dumitrica, P., Massari, F., 2022. Late Valanginian
sponge spicules from north-eastern Sardinia (Italy).
Cretaceous Research.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105205
We
describe very rare Early Cretaceous ( Valanginian) siliceous sponges from Sardinia, Italy. The
assemblage that consisted of skeletal elements ( spicules) of “soft” demosponges, lithistids, and
hexactinellids, links modern
sponge faunas with ancient (e.g., Triassic)
assemblages. The presence of spicules that belong to
shallow-water sponges as well as to forms that
today inhabit wide depth ranges, suggests that
this Early Cretaceous assemblage lived at depths
around 200 m.
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2022.04.05. PUBLICATION
— Calábková, G, Březina, J. & D. Madzia. 2022. Evidence of
large terrestrial seymouriamorphs in the lowermost
Permian of the Czech Republic. Papers in Palaeontology
8: e1428. doi:10.1002/spp2.1428
Reconstruction:
Petr Modlitba
Permian deposits of the Boskovice Basin in the
Czech Republic have yielded hundreds of seymouriamorph individuals
(a group of extinct tetrapods). Most are
referable to Discosauriscus and – with
possible exception of a single specimen –
represent larvae and juveniles tied to aquatic
environments. The new study describes seymouriamorph tracks from
the Boskovice Basin that belonged to adults tied
to terrestrial environments, documenting a habitat shift that occurred
relatively late in the ontogenetic development of
these seymouriamorphs. The largest
track is preserved with clear skin impressions,
making it one of the best preserved seymouriamorph tracks
described to date. One of the tracks originates
from the lowermost Asselian (ca. 299 mya) and is
therefore among the oldest known records of seymouriamorphs worldwide.
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2022.04.04. PUBLICATION —
Juszkiewicz, D. J., White, N.E., Stolarski, J., Benzoni, F.,
Arrigoni, R., Hoeksema, B., Wilson, N.G., Buncea,
M., Richards, Z.T. 2022. Phylogeography of recent Plesiastrea
(Scleractinia: Plesiastreidae) based on an
integrated taxonomic approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution 107469, doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107469.
Cryptic species pose a
great challenge for the traditional taxonomy and
estimates of the actual species diversity:
similar morphology of these species (a basis for
traditional taxonomic identification) exists
despite of different evolutionary history and
often reproductive separation. The published
work is the first such detailed phylogeographic analysis
of the scleractinian coral known
as Plesiastrea versipora widespread in
the Indo-Pacific. The analysis of molecular
data, as well as the macroscopic and microscopic
skeletal features of over 80 specimens from the
entire range of P. versipora, indicates
existence of two distinct groups of species:
forms belonging to the "temperate clade" (with the
characteristics of the type of Plesiastrea
versipora) and to the "tropical clade", represented by the
restored species Plesiastrea peroni. The
work exemplifies the utility of an integrated
skeletal and molecular approach to coral taxonomy.
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2022.03.11. PUBLICATION
— Bitner, M.A. & Müller, A.
2022. Early Oligocene brachiopods from the rocky
shore deposists at Mammendorf, central Germany. Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92(1): 87–107.
doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2022.02
The
Lower Oligocene rocky-shore deposits at
Mammendorf, central Germany yielded a surprisingly
rich brachiopod fauna, containing 13 species
belonging to 11 genera. The short-looped Pliothyrina
grandis, species restricted to the Oligocene
of North Sea Basin, is most common but the
predominant and most diverse group, constituting
nearly 50% of the material, is the family
Megathyrididae, represented by six species in the
Mammendorf assemblage. The Mammendorf brachiopod
fauna displays a great affinity to the Early
Oligocene fauna of the Mainz Basin.
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2022.03.09. PUBLICATION —
Halamski, A.T., Baliński, A. & Koppka, J.,
2022. Middle Devonian brachiopods from northern
Maïder (eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco). Annales Societatis Gologorum
Poloniae, 92(1): 1-86. doi:
https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2022.03
60
species of Middle Devonian brachiopods are described
from Jbel Issoumour ( Anti-Atlas, Morocco), an
area located in terms of palaeogeography on the
southern shore of the Rheic Ocean. Most of them
are the same as or similar to those known from
the Eifel (Germany) and the Holy Cross Mountains
(Poland), areas located in the Devonian on the
northern shore of the Rheic Ocean; this is a new
argument in the controversy about the width of
the Rheic Ocean: given the similarity of the
faunas, the Ocean is likely to have been rather
narrow. Two new brachiopod species are
described: one of them, Prodavidsonia
ebbighauseni is named in honour of Volker
Ebbighausen, the amateur palaeontologist who
assembled the described collection; the other
one, Spinatrypa ennigaldinannae, is
named in honour of Babylonian princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, curator
of the oldest known museum
(6th century B.C.).
Figure: Newly described Middle Devonian
brachiopods from Jbel Issoumour (single shells
in dorsal and lateral views, compare Halamski et
al. 2022, figs 25, 28).
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2022.02.18. PUBLICATION
— Ausich, W.I., Salamon, M.A., Płachno, B. J.,
Brachaniec, T., Krawczyński, W., Boczarowski, A.,
Paszcza, K., Łukowiak, M., Gorzelak, P. 2022. Unraveling
the hidden paleobiodiversity of the Middle Devonian
(Emsian) crinoids (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from
Poland. PeerJ 10:e12842
doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12842
Devonian crinoids from Holy Cross Mountains,
including a new species - Codiacrinus
sevastopuloi, were described. The species
name is in recognition of the paleontologist
working on fossil crinoids – prof. George
Sevastopulo who recently passed away. The fossils
found are preserved as fragments of stems and,
what is rare, cups and crowns. They indicate a
rich diversity of crinoids in the Devonian of Holy
Cross Mountains.
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2022.02.04. PUBLICATION — Gorzelak, P., Kołbuk, D., Dec, M., Oji, T.,
Oguri, K., Brom, K., Brachaniec, T., Paszcza, K.,
Salamon, M.A. 2022. Recent Advances in Ichnology of
Crawling Stalked Crinoids. Contributions from the
Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Vol. 34,
no. 5, pp. 54-62. doi:10.7302/3815
In Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology,
University of Michigan, a special volume to
celebrate the retirement of Prof. Tomasz Baumiller
was published. Among published articles is a paper
on ichnology of stalked crinoids. The paper presents
the results of analyses of time-lapse movies
recording a previously unknown mode of crinoid
locomotion. The traces produced by Recent crinoids
on the sediment surface were documented using 3D
digitization techniques (laser scanning and
photogrammetry). It was stressed that the moment of
key evolutionary changes in crinoids (transition
from sessile to mobile lifestyle) may be identified
in the fossil record with the aid of crinoid trace
fossils.
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2022.01.11. PUBLICATION
— Cisneros-Lazaro, D., Adams, A., Guo, J., Bernard,
S., Baumgartner, L.P., Daval, D., Baronnet, A.,
Grauby, O., Vennemann, T., Stolarski, J., Escrig. J.,
Meibom, A. 2022.
Fast and pervasive diagenetic isotope exchange in
foraminifera tests is species-dependent. Nature Communications 13:113.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27782-8
Paleoclimate reconstructions commonly use oxygen
isotope compositions from fossil foraminifera
tests as proxies. However, the isotopic
composition of these calcitic tests can be
substantially altered during diagenesis. In the
published paper the fluid-mediated isotopic
exchange was examined in pristine tests of three
modern benthic foraminifera species i.e., Ammonia
sp., Haynesina germanica, and
Amphistegina lessonii. Reacted tests
remained texturally ‘pristine’ but their bulk
oxygen isotope compositions revealed rapid and
species-dependent isotopic exchange with the
water; diagenetic alteration is correlated with
test ultra-structure and associated organic
matter. The result implies that the tests that are
considered texturally ‘pristine’ for
paleo-climatic reconstruction purposes may have
experienced substantial isotopic exchange;
critical paleo-temperature record re-examination
is warranted.
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