The first fossil avian egg from Brazil

Marsola, J.C.A., Grellet-Tinner, G., Montefeltro, F.C., Sayão, J.M., Hsiou, A.S. & Langer, M.C., 2014. The first fossil avian egg from Brazil. Alcheringa 38, 563–567. ISSN 0311-5518.

In contrast to the rich record of eggs from non-avian dinosaurs, complete eggs attributable to Mesozoic birds are relatively scarce. Nevertheless, several well-preserved specimens have been discovered over the last three decades revealing functional and phylogenetic characters that shed light on the breeding strategies of extinct birds. Here we report the first fossil avian egg from Brazil, which was discovered in Upper Cretaceous strata of São Paulo in the southeastern part of the country. The taxonomic identity and structural features of the biomineralized tissues were determined using a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Wave Dispersion Energy analyses and Computed Tomography. These show that the 125.5-μm-thick shell of the 31.4?×?19.5?mm egg incorporates three structural layers of similar thickness with both prismatic and aprismatic boundaries. Close similarity between the Brazilian bird egg and those of enantiornithines from the Upper Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Río Colorado Subgroup) of Argentina advocates affinity with basal Ornithothoraces. Furthermore, coherency of their depositional contexts might imply a compatible preference for breeding and nesting environments.

Júlio Cesar de A. Marsola [juliomarsola@gmail.com], Annie Schmaltz Hsiou [anniehsiou@ffclrp.usp.br] and Max C. Langer [mclanger@ffclrp.usp.br], Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, 14040-901, Brazil. Gerald Grellet-Tinner [locarnolugano@gmail.com], Centro Regional de Investigaciones La Rioja—Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, 5301 Anillaco, Argentina; Orcas Island Museum, PO Box 134, 181 North Beach Road, Eastsound, WA 98245. Felipe C. Montefeltro [felipecmontefeltro@gmail.com], Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Avenida 24A 1515, Rio Claro, São Paulo State, 13506-900, Brazil. Juliana M. Sayão [jmsayao@gmail.com], Laboratório de Diversidade do Nordeste, Núcleo de Biologia, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Rua do Alto do Reservatório s/n, Bela Vista, Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco state, 52050-480, Brazil. Received 18.12.2013; revised 30.4.2014; accepted 18.5.2014.     

New specimens of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea,Caimaninae) from the Miocene of Brazil and Bolivia and their taxonomic and morphological implications

Cidade, G.M., Souza-Filho, J.P., Hsiou, A.S., Brochu, C.A., & Riff, D., 18 March 2019. New specimens of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the Miocene of Brazil and Bolivia and their taxonomic and anatomic implications. Alcheringa 43, 261–278. ISSN 0311-5518.

Mourasuchus is one of the most peculiar crocodylians of all time, showing an unusual ‘duck-faced’ rostrum with thin, gracile mandibles. It includes four species restricted to the South American Miocene. Here, we describe ten late Miocene specimens of Mourasuchus, nine from the Solimões Formation of Brazil and one from Bolivia. All specimens are assigned to M. arendsi, but this assignment may change as the diversity and relationships within Mourasuchus are better understood. We also discuss several issues pertinent to the morphology of Mourasuchus: the presence of a braincase neomorph (the laterocaudal bridge), hypotheses about sexual dimorphism, the function of the squamosal ‘horns’ the presence of possible thermoregulatory functions in the genus. Additionally, the paleogeographic distribution of Mourasuchus in the Miocene of South America is also discussed.

Giovanne M. Cidade* [giovannecidade@hotmail.com], Universidade de São Paulo Campus de Ribeirao Preto, Biologia, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirao Preto, 14040-900, Brazil; Jonas P. Souza-filho [jpdesouzafilho@hotmail.com], Universidade Federal do Acre, Departamento de Ciências da Natureza, Campus Universitário, UFAC, BR 364, Km 4, Distrito industrial, CEP 69915-900, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil; Annie Schmaltz Hsiou [anniehsiou@ffclrp.usp.br], Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Biologia, Avenida dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, Brazil; Christopher A. Brochu [chris-brochu@uiowa.edu], University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA; Douglas Riff [driff2@gmail.com], Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, 38400902, Brazil.     

The northernmost South American fossil record of Boa constrictor (Boidae,Boinae) from the Plio–Pleistocene of El Breal de Orocual (Venezuela)

Onary-Alves, S.Y., Hsiou, A.S. & Rincón, A.D., July 2016. The northernmost South American fossil record of Boa constrictor (Boidae, Boinae) from the Plio–Pleistocene of El Breal de Orocual (Venezuela). Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Boa constrictor is an extant boid widely distributed through the neotropical region, from the north of Central America to central Argentina. The fossil record of the species includes examples from several localities across the Americas that extend beyond the current distribution of the species. Here we report the first Plio–Pleistocene fossils of Boa from Monagas state, Venezuela. The material comes from El Breal de Orocual (Maturín municipality), which is an inactive tar seep deposit emplaced within the Mesa Formation. The specimens consist of two isolated anterior trunk vertebrae, an articulated sequence of six mid-trunk vertebrae and two posterior trunk vertebrae. The vertebrae are attributed to B. constrictor based on the following features: robust and high vertebrae; thick zygosphene with a notched or concave anterior edge; presence of a paracotylar, subcentral and lateral foramina; marked parasagittal ridges; epizygapophyseal process evident on the dorsal surface of the postzygapophyseal articular facets and high blade-like neural spine. The presence of B. constrictor in northern of Venezuela indicates a palaeoenvironment probably like savanna crossed by rivers with riparian forests, and suggests the predominance of a mesothermal climate with a moderate rainfall.

Silvio Y. Onary-Alves [silvioyuji@gmail.com], Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Comparada, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Annie S. Hsiou [anniehsiou@ffclrp.usp.br], Laboratório de Paleontologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Ascanio D. Rincón [paleosur1974@gmail.com], Laboratorio de Paleontología, Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Carretera Panamericana Km 11, 1020-A Caracas, Venezuela.     

New dinosaur remains from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil (Candelária Sequence,Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone)

Pretto, F.A., Schultz, C.L., Langer, M.C. 4.02.2015. New dinosaur remains from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil (Candelária Sequence, Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone). Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

The oldest unequivocal dinosaurian records come from Upper Triassic strata, mostly from Argentina and Brazil. Recent fieldwork in the Brazilian deposits of Ischigualastian age (late Carnian–earliest Norian) have resulted in the collection of a new specimen (UFRGS-PV-1240-T) identified as dinosaurian by the presence of a concave emargination on the ventral surface of the femoral head and a well-developed deltopectoral crest on the humerus, which extends for ca 40% of its estimated proximodistal length. Although fragmentary, the material increases the dinosaurian record from the Late Triassic of Brazil, which is still modest when compared with coeval Argentine strata. Additionally, UFRGS-PV-1240-T augments the dinosaurian diversity at the ‘Sítio Janner’ site, which was until now restricted to the sauropodomorph Pampadromaeus barberenai. The new specimen is larger than most early dinosaurians (except for herrerasaurids), implying that members of the group were already occupying niches otherwise explored by other larger-bodied taxa in the ‘Sítio Janner’ palaeofauna, and Late Triassic palaeoenvironments in general.

Flávio A. Pretto [flavio_pretto@yahoo.com.br] and Cesar L. Schultz [cesar.schultz@ufrgs.br] Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Geociências, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500—Bloco J, Prédio 43127, Campus do Vale, Agronomia?Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, CEP 91540-000; Max C. Langer [mclanger@ffclrp.usp.br] Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Biologia, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.     

Morphology,palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Devonian mitrate Placocystella langei from Paraná Basin,Brazil

Sandro Marcelo Scheffler, Rodrigo Scalise, Horodyski & Elvio Pinto, Bosetti, 2018. Morphology, palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Devonian mitrate Placocystella langei from Paraná Basin, Brazil. Alcheringa 43, 228–240. ISSN 0311-5518.

The original holotype and paratypes of the stylophoran mitrate Placocystella langei (Echinodermata) are definitively lost. A neotype is designated here, based on new material collected in the marine Devonian strata of the Apucarana Sub-basin, Paraná, Brazil. Placocystella langei was the first species of Stylophora to be identified in Devonian basins from Brazil. Its range extends from the late Emsian to early Givetian. Taphonomic data indicate that P. langei specimens were preserved in a storm-influenced, transitional offshore environment, and that skeletal remains were few exposed at the water–sediment surface. Considering that the specimens do not exhibit evidence of reworking, it is possible that their final burial was rapid and definitive, which facilitated their almost complete preservation. Finally, taphonomic, diagenetic and sedimentologic data all suggest a shallow infaunal habit for Placocystella langei.

Sandro Marcelo Scheffler [schefflersm@mn.ufrj.br] Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Laborat orio de Paleoinvertebrados (LAPIN), Museu Nacional—UFRJ, Parque Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão 20940040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil; Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski* [rhorodyski@unisinos.br] Graduate Program in Geology, Vale do Rio dos Sinos University, Av. Unisinos, 950, Cristo Rei, 93022-000 São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil; Elvio Pinto Bosetti [elviobosetti@gmail.com] Departamento de Geociências, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti 9.500, Uvaranas, 84010-919, Ponta Grossa, Paran a, Brazil.     

Late Palaeozoic South American pectinids revised: biostratigraphical and palaeogeographical implications

Neves, J.P., Anelli, L.E., Pagani, M.A. & Simões, M.G., 2014. Late Palaeozoic South American pectinids revised: biostratigraphical and palaeogeographical implications. Alcheringa 38 ISSN 0311-5518.

A revision of the late Palaeozoic South American pectinid Heteropecten multiscalptus (Thomas) and the establishment of Heteropecten paranaensis sp. nov. have important implications for the relationship between faunal realms within South America. Late Palaeozoic bivalve faunas occur in three distinct realms in South America: a Central Gondwanic Realm with endemic taxa showing affinities to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Namibia, a cold Perigondwanic Realm, and a warm Extragondwanic Realm with tethyan-like affinities similar to faunas of the American Midcontinent. In South America, faunas east of the southern Andes belong to the first two realms and previous interpretations of bivalve faunas suggested biocorrelations with those of the Extragondwanic Realm because they shared the taxon Heteropecten multiscalptus (Thomas). A revision of the Peruvian and Brazilian material does not confirm this. Instead, a re-analysis suggests that two species are present, rather than one: Heteropecten multiscalptus in the Cerro Prieto Formation, Amotape Mountains (Peru; Extragondwanic Realm), and Heteropecten paranaensis sp. nov. in the upper part of the Itararé Group, Paraná Basin (Brazil; Central Gondwanic Realm). Thus, the correlation between the late Palaeozoic faunas of the Central Gondwanic and Extragondwanic Realms in South America can no longer be supported. Heteropecten paranaensis sp. nov. lived in a siliciclastic-dominated, cold, epeiric sea of Brazil and Argentina, and is morphologically similar to some Australian species, whereas the Peruvian H. multiscalptus thrived in the warm seas of the Extragondwanic Realm.

Jacqueline P. Neves [nevesjp.unesp@gmail.com], Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro campus, SP, Brazil, 13506-900; Luiz E. Anelli [anelli@usp.br], Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508–080, Brazil; M. Alejandra Pagani, [apagani@mef.org.ar], CONICET-Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (MEF), U9100GYO, Chubut, Argentina; Marcello, G. Simões [profmgsimoes@gmail.com], Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu campus, SP, 18618-970, Brazil. Received 19.7.2013; revised 12.11.2013; accepted 19.11.2013     

A new species of Scirrotherium Edmund & Theodor, 1997 (Xenarthra,Cingulata, Pampatheriidae) from the late Miocene of South America

Góis, F., Scillato-Yané, G.J., Carlini, A.A. & Guilherme, E. 2013. A new species of Scirrotherium Edmund & Theodor, 1997 (Xenarthra, Cingulata, Pampatheriidae) from the late Miocene of South America. Alcheringa 37, 175–186. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new species of Scirrotherium Edmund & Theodor (Pampatheriidae) is described: S. carinatum. This genus was previously represented by a single species, S. hondaensis Edmund & Theodor, 1997, recorded from the middle Miocene (Laventan) of Colombia. Pampathere remains are common in the ‘Conglomerado osífero’ (late Miocene) of the Ituzaingó Formation in the Paraná River cliffs of Entre Ríos, Chubut (Argentina) and Acre (Brazil). All of them were referred to Kraglievichia paranense, and they are mostly osteoderms. However, only a few of these specimens are strictly consistent with that species. The new species described herein differs from S. hondaensis in having very thin osteoderms with more elaborate ornamentation. The movable band (or imbricate) osteoderms have a sculptured exposed surface and a single transverse row of anterior foramina; the lateral margins are wider and also bear foramina, and the longitudinal central elevation is long and proximally wide, and forms a posteriorly raised crest. This elevation is delimited by a fairly broad and shallow depression on each side, separating the marginal elevation from the longitudinal central one. The exposed surfaces of fixed (or fused) osteoderms bear large and deep anterior foramina, the longitudinal central elevation and delimiting depressions are very pronounced. This new species increases the known diversity of the pampatheres from the ‘Conglomerado osífero’. Additionally, a new nomenclatural scheme for Pampatheriidae osteoderms is proposed.

Flávio Góis [goisf@fcnym]unlp.edu.ar], Gustavo Juan Scillato-Yané [scillato@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar], Alfredo Armando Carlini [acarlini@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar], Departamento Científico Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, s/n, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina and CONICET; Edson Guilherme [guilherme@ufac.br], Universidade Federal do Acre, Laboratório de Pesquisas Paleontológicas (LPP), BR 364, Km 04, 69.915-900. Rio Branco, AC, Brazil. Received 11.5.2012; revised 31.7.2012; accepted 4.9.2012 .     

First fossil record of amiid fishes (Halecomorphi,Amiiformes, Amiidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Uberaba,Minas Gerais State,Brazil

Martinelli, A.G., Bogan, S., Agnolin, F.L., Ribeiro, L.C.B., Cavellani, C.L., Ferraz, M.L.F. & Teixeira, V.P.A., iFirst article. First fossil record of amiid fishes (Halecomorphi, Amiiformes, Amiidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Uberaba, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Alcheringa, 1–9. ISSN 0311-5518.

The first fossil amiid fishes (Halecomorphi, Amiiformes) from the Late Cretaceous Marília Formation (Bauru Group) at Uberaba County, Triângulo Mineiro region (Minas Gerais State, Brazil), are described. The material includes some partial maxillae, a dermopterotic, a cleithrum, several vertebral centra and teeth. Features such as the absence of a supramaxillary notch on the dorsal edge of the maxilla, a wide and deep pit on the maxilla for the articulation of the premaxilla, anterior portion of the maxilla with a sub-circular cross-section, teeth with acrodine cup with strong mesial and distal keels, among others, permit confident referral of the material to the Subfamily Vidalamiine (Amiidae), previously recognized in Lower Cretaceous strata of northeasthern Brazil. These specimens constitute the first Late Cretaceous record of this group in Brazil and one of the few in South America.

Agustín G. Martinelli [agustín_martinelli@yahoo.com.ar], Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas Llewellyn Ivor Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP/UFTM), BR-262, Km 784, Bairro Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Sergio Bogan [sergiobogan@yahoo.com.ar], Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, CEBBAD—Universidad Maimónides, Hidalgo 775 piso 7 (1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Federico Agnolín* [fedeagnolin@yahoo.com.ar], Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Luiz Carlos Borges Ribeiro [lcbrmg@terra.com.br], Camila Lourencini Cavellani [camila@patge.uftm.edu.br], Mara Lúcia da Fonseca Ferraz [mara@patge.uftm.edu.br] and Vicente de Paula Antunes Teixeira [vicente@patge.uftm.edu.br], Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas Llewellyn Ivor Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis (CCCP/UFTM), BR-262, Km 784, Bairro Peirópolis, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. *Also affiliated with: Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, CEBBAD—Universidad Maimónides, Valentín Virasoro 732 (C1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Received 15.4.2012; revised 11.6.2012; accepted 20.6.2012.     

First record of the ichthyodectiform fish Xiphactinus (Teleostei) from Patagonia,Argentina

Abstract

We report the first record of the genus Xiphactinus from southern South America. The recovered fossil material consists of an associated maxilla and abdominal vertebra, probably derived from latest Maastrichtian marine deposits of the Salamanca Formation in Chubut Province, Argentina. Xiphactinus has been widely reported from Late Cretaceous strata throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although to date, equivalent Southern Hemisphere occurrences include only a single specimen from Venezuela. Our new discovery thus indicates that Xiphactinus had a much more cosmopolitan distribution, encompassing the southern paleolatitudinal extremities of South America during the terminal Cretaceous.

Julieta J. De Pasqua [julietadepasqua@gmail.com], Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo, 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina;

Federico L. Agnolin [fedeagnolin@yahoo.com.ar], Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo, 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina. CONICET; Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides; Hidalgo 775 piso 7, C1405BDB, Buenos Aires, Argentina;

Sergio Bogan [sergiobogan@yahoo.com.ar], Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides; Hidalgo 775 piso 7, C1405BDB, Buenos Aires, Argentina.     

Reviews

The Book in the Americas: The Role of Books and Printing in the Development of Culture and Society in Colonial Latin America. By JULIE GREER JOHNSON. Providence: The John Carter Brown Library, 1988. Pp. xx, 142.

Emigrants and Society: Extremadura and Spanish America in the Sixteenth Century. IDA ALTMAN. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. Pp. viii, 372.

Migration in Colonial Spanish America. Edited by DAVID J. ROBINSON. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Pp. xvii, 399.

Trajinantes: caminos indígenas en la sociedad colonial, siglos XVI y XVII. By LUIS MIGUEL GLAVE. Lima: Instituto de Apoyo Agrario, 1989. Pp. 461.

Indigenous Migration and Social Change: The Forasteros of Cuzco, 1570–1720. By ANN WIGHTMAN. Durham: Duke University Press, 1990. Pp. 315.

Sátira hecha por Mateo Rosas de Oquendo a las cosas que pasan en el Pirú, año de 1598. Study and critical edition by PEDRO LASARTE. Madison: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, 1990. Pp. xci, 181.

A sátira e o engenho: Gregório de Matos e a Bahia do século XVII. JOAO ADOLFO HANSEN. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras: Secretaria do Estado e da Cultura, 1989.

Obras completas de Juan del Valle y Caviedes. Edición y estudios de MARÍA LETICIA CÁCERES A. C. I., LUIS JAIME CISNEROS y GUILLERMO LOHMANN VILLENA. Lima: Banco de Crédito, 1990. Pp. 962.

Historia de la revolución de la Nueva España de Fray Servando Teresa de Mier. Edición crítica de A. SAINT‐LU y M‐C. BÉNNASY‐BERLING (Coordinadores). J. CHENU, J‐P. CLÉMENT, A. PONS, M‐L. RIEU‐MELLAN y P. ROCHE. Prefacio de DAVID A. BRADING. Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 1990. Pp. 690     

Corondó: palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and palaeoethnobotanical considerations in a probable locus of early plant cultivation (south-eastern Brazil)

Abstract

The site of Corondó, situated in Campos Novos, in the São Pedro D'Aldeia municipe (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil), was dated between c. 4000 and 3000 years BP. The high prevalence of dental caries in its population suggests that it might have been a locus of plant cultivation, a hypothesis supported by the presence of diverse plant remains and by the high frequency of grinding artefacts at this site. Anthracological analysis aimed to identify the environment of the site. The charcoal spectrum suggests that it was situated in a restinga forest, near to the Atlantic forest and with the presence of mangrove and open restinga in the environment. Firewood supply was probably obtained by the random gathering of dead wood. The combination of anthracological results with data provided by archaeological and bioanthropological research indicated that the population which constructed this site (1) had a relatively stable sociocultural system; (2) carried out a range of individual activities that remained constant throughout the occupation period; (3) lived in a relatively stable environment.     

Millerocaulis tekelili sp. nov., a new species of osmundalean fern from the Aptian Cerro Negro Formation (Antarctica)

Vera, E.I. iFirstarticle. Millerocaulis tekelili sp. nov., a new species of osmundalean fern from the Aptian Cerro Negro Formation (Antarctica). Alcheringa, 1–10. ISSN 0311-5518.

Ezequiel Ignacio Vera [evera@macn.gov.ar] División Paleobotánica, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 'Bernardino Rivadavia', Av. Angel Gallardo 470, C1524DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also affiliated with Área de Paleontología, Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Received 29.10.2010, revised 14.3.2011; accepted 24.3.2011.

A new species of the osmundalean fossil morphogenus Millerocaulis Tidwell emend. Vera, Millerocaulis tekelili sp. nov. is defined, based on several permineralized stems recovered from exposures of the Lower Cretaceous Cerro Negro Formation on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. This new species is characterized by the presence of an ectophloic–dictyoxylic siphonostele, inner parenchymatic and outer sclerotic cortices, heterogeneous sclerotic ring in the petiole bases, absence of sclerenchyma associated with the petiolar xylem trace, petiolar inner cortex with sclerenchyma strands and stipular wings having a large sclerenchyma bundle and several smaller ones. The presence of non-homogeneous sclerotic rings in the petiole bases allows this new species to be clearly distinguished from other Antarctic Millerocaulis, and suggests that it may represent an intermediate form in the evolutionary lineage leading from Millerocaulis to subgenus Claytosmunda of Osmunda.     

Kukulkanus,a new genus of buxtoniin brachiopod from the Artinskian–Kungurian (Early Permian) of Mexico

Torres-Martínez, M.A., Sour-Tovar, F. & Barragán, R., November 2017. Kukulkanus, a new genus of buxtoniin brachiopod from the Artinskian–Kungurian (Early Permian) of Mexico. Alcheringa 42, 268–276. ISSN 0311–5518.

Kukulkanus is the first genus of the tribe Buxtoniini recorded from rocks of the late Cisuralian (Artinskian–Kungurian). The Early Permian (Cisuralian) outcrops of the Santa Rosa Group, from southeastern Chiapas, are one of the most important marine Palaeozoic successions of Mexico. The Artinskian–Kungurian Paso Hondo Formation is the youngest unit in the succession and is dominated by massive limestone. Different marine invertebrates deposited in massive calcareous rocks characterize this formation. The buxtoniin Kukulkanus spinosus gen. et sp. nov. is reported from a single bed within the unit. The outcrops are located in southeastern Chiapas, very near the Guatemala–Mexico border. The lithological features and the preservation of fossils indicate that the fossil-bearing rocks were deposited in a low-energy open-waters paleoenvironment over the continental platform. Fusulinids, cephalopods and brachiopods previously described for the Paso Hondo Formation have been correlated with faunas of different coeval localities from Texas, New Mexico, Coahuila, Chiapas and Venezuela, regions that form part of the biotic Grandian Palaeo-Province.

Miguel A. Torres-Martínez [miguelatm@geologia.unam.mx] Departamento de Paleontología, Instituto de Geología, Circuito de la Investigación Científica, Avenida Universidad No. 3000. Colonia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Delegación Coyoacán, Cd. Mx. C.P. 04510, Mexico. Francisco Sour-Tovar [fcosour@ciencias.unam.mx] Museo de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Av. Universidad No. 3000, Colonia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Delegación Coyoacán, Cd. Mx. C.P. 04510, Mexico. Ricardo Barragán [ricardor@geologia.unam.mx] Departamento de Paleontología, Instituto de Geología, Circuito de la Investigación Científica, Avenida Universidad No. 3000. Colonia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Delegación Coyoacán, Cd. Mx. C.P. 04510, Mexico.     

Unexpected diversity of ratites (Aves,Palaeognathae) in the early Cenozoic of South America: palaeobiogeographical implications

Agnolin, F.L., July 2016. Unexpected diversity of ratites (Aves, Palaeognathae) in the early Cenozoic of South America: palaeobiogeographical implications. Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Ratitae is represented in South America exclusively by Rheidae. Recently, the oldest purported fossil rheid, Diogenornis fragilis, was attributed by several authors to various other ratite clades. A new revision of museum fossil specimens from Argentina has resulted in the discovery of several ratite specimens that clearly do not belong to Rheidae, but resemble other clades. The newly identified specimens derive from Paleogene and Miocene strata. The great diversity of non-rheid Patagonian ratites ended via extinction of several groups by the late Miocene, probably owing to enhanced aridity that also favoured the dispersal of arid-adapted rheids. The new specimens described here reinforce the hypothesis that the traditional vicariant biogeographical model, which proposes ratite clades originated exclusively before the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent, is questionable owing to the unexpected diversity of various ratite clades in South America, and also in Europe and Africa. This might indicate that the history of Ratitae was more complex than previously envisioned.

Federico L. Agnolin* [fedeagnolin@yahoo.com.ar], Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo, 470 (1405), Buenos Aires, Argentina. *Also affiliated with: Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides, Hidalgo 775 (C1405BDB) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, República Argentina.     

O deslocamento de interesses da Índia para o Brasil durante a União Ibérica: mapas e relatos

This paper proposes the insertion of cartographic production about the Portuguese possessions into a wider context of interests and need for information experienced by the Hapsburgs during the Iberian Union (1580–1640). I focus on two documents, compiled as a result of two requests made by the monarchs who wished to learn about their domains in India and Brazil: the 1612 Livro que dá razão do Estado do Brasil, written by Captain Diogo Campos Moreno, with maps by João Teixeira Albernaz I, and the Livro das Plantas de todas as fortalezas, cidades e povoações do Estado da Índia oriental, dated 1635, by the official chronicler of the Estado da India, Antonio Bocarro, with city views usually attributed to Pedro Barreto de Resende.

These texts and maps show a shift of interests from India to Brazil. They incorporate the various aspects that the authors considered relevant, interesting or representative of the Portuguese presence in these spaces. At the same time, the royal orders that gave rise to these surveys bring some elements that give specificity to each region, but emphasize the effort to standardize the information and to ensure a common administration over different areas of the empire.     

Los Memoriales de don Juan Ortiz de Cervantes y la cuestión de la perpetuidad de las encomiendas en el Perú (siglo XVII)

Mientras que generalmente las encomiendas han sido descritas como depredadoras de la realidad socio-económica del mundo andino, este artículo insiste en la necesidad de estudiarlas desde un ángulo socio-político y religioso. Para ello analizamos el Memorial (Madrid, 1619) que el licenciado Juan Ortiz de Cervantes escribió al Consejo de Indias por el que solicitaba que las dos terceras partes de las encomiendas se perpetuasen en los hijos y descendientes de los beneficiados, y la otra parte se encomendase por una sola vida. Se trataba del primero de una serie de tres Informes o Memoriales (Madrid, 1620; 1621) que se articulaban con las propuestas de los jesuitas peruanos para la reforma y conservación de los pueblos andinos del seiscientos. Pero además, dicha conservación pasaba por resituar al encomendero en un modelo de organización social que garantizara un ordenamiento político interno en defensa del bien común.     

A rediscovery of caddo heritage

El propósito de este artículo es mostrar la importancia de la colaboracción entre los gobiernos indígenas y los/as arqueólogos/as. Un aspecto de la colaboración es la investigación de las denuncias amparadas bajo el acto de la Protección de las Tumbas de los Indígenas Nativos Norteamericanos y la Repatriación (NAGPRA). Para los Caddo, el trabajar con la comunidad de arqueólogos/as puede fortalecer las denuncias que ellos pueden hacer sobre restos humanos y los objetos funerarios sean adjuntos o no, u objectos sagrados o artefactos de patrimonio cultural que han sido identificados por el NAGPRA.

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Résumé Notre objectif est de montrer l'importance de la collaboration entre les représentants tribaux et les archéologues dans l'étude des revendications du Native American Protection et du Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Dans le cas des Caddo, travailler ensemble avec la communauté archéologique peut seulement renforcer toute demande qu'ils peuvent formuler pour le rapatriement de restes humains et d'objects funéraires associés ou non, d'objets sacrés et tout objet faisant partie du patrimoine culturel défini par le NAGPRA.

     

Pornoprecariedad: crisis biopolítica,trabajo y régimen visual en Hermosa juventud (Jaime Rosales, 2014)

ABSTRACT

Entendiendo por “pornoprecariedad” el entramado visual que explota y consume como forma de entretenimiento la exhibición de las nuevas formas de miseria en las que se sostiene y que reproduce el neoliberalismo, en este artículo se analiza cómo el largometraje de ficción Hermosa juventud (2014), de Jaime Rosales, cuestiona constructos sobre los que se asienta dicho acercamiento mediático dominante a la precariedad. Relacionar críticamente precariedad con pornografía hace emerger problemáticas relacionadas con la representación visual, la recepción de esta y la dimensión ética de ambas, planteando interrogantes acerca de la responsabilidad, el mirar o las relaciones de género y poder. El film de Rosales dialoga con tradiciones artísticas y reflexivas que trabajan con desarrollos socioeconómicos de largo alcance que la crisis biopolítica patente especialmente desde 2008 en la Europa meridional ha sacado a la luz.     

El grutesco en el arte Novohispano: imágenes profanas en los muros conventuales

El propósito de este estudio, además de analizar la forma y significado de la decoración al grutesco en los conventos novohispanos del siglo XVI, es mostrar que hasta ahora en la iconografía conventual no se ha dado la debida importancia a este tipo de decoración para determinar su origen prehispánico o europeo. Los investigadores que han querido interpretar el simbolismo de esta decoración no han ahondado lo suficiente tanto en el estudio de los elementos europeos como en las aportaciones de los pintores indígenas.