Two new cowries (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) from the middle Miocene of South Australia

Yates, A.M., December, 2008. Two new cowries (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) from the middle Miocene of South Australia. Alcheringa 32, 353–364. ISSN 0311-5518.

The South Australian specimens of the cypraeids Umbilia leptorhyncha (McCoy, 1877) and Lyncina (Austrocypraea) contusa (McCoy, 1877) are re-examined. Umbilia caepa sp. nov. differs from U. leptorhyncha in its smaller size, more strongly pyriform shape, weaker and less extensive apertural dentition, plate-like columellar margin of the posterior canal and more extensive basal flanges. True U. leptorhyncha is also recorded from the Cadell Formation of South Australia, demonstrating that the two species were sympatric in the Murray Basin. The specimens originally referred to Cypraea contusa var. from the Cadell Formation have had a confusing taxonomic history and they are here named as a new species Lyncina (Austrocypraea) cadella sp. nov. The new species differs from true L. (A.) contusa in its smaller size, less extensive malleations of the dorsal surface, fewer apertural teeth and a projecting internal margin of the fossula. These two new species boost a small but growing list of species that were endemic to the Murray Basin during the middle Miocene.     

Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) conodonts from the Goldwyer Formation of the Canning Basin,Western Australia

Zhen, Y.Y., Normore, L.S., Dent, L.M. & Percival, I.G., 11 July 2019. Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) conodonts from the Goldwyer Formation of the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 44, 25–55. ISSN 0311-5518

Middle Ordovician conodonts attributed to 46 species were recovered from a stratigraphic interval spanning the Willara, Goldwyer and Nita formations in core sections from the Sally May-2 and Theia-1 petroleum exploration wells in the Canning Basin, Western Australia. The Histiodella serrata, Histiodella holodentata and Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus biozones are recognized in the lower and middle part of the Goldwyer Formation, indicative of an early–middle Darriwilian age. This revised conodont biostratigraphy enables more precise correlation with North America and North and South China. Several biogeographically distinctive conodont species, most likely of North Chinese origin, are recorded from the Goldwyer Formation. Their presence signals a strong palaeobiogeographic connection between the Sino-Korean Craton and the Canning Basin on the western margin of eastern Gondwana during the late Middle Ordovician.

Y.Y. Zhen* [yong-yi.zhen@planning.nsw.gov.au], W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of New South Wales, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia; L.S. Normore [leon.normore@dmirs.wa.gov.au]; L.M. Dent [louisa.dent@dmirs.wa.gov.au], Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Mineral House, Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, WA 6004, Australia; I.G. Percival [ian.percival@planning.nsw.gov.au], W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of New South Wales, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia;     

Sauropod (Saurischia: Dinosauria) material from the Early Cretaceous Griman Creek Formation of the Surat Basin,Queensland, Australia

An isolated ischium and possible neural arch recovered from the lower–middle Albian Griman Creek Formation near Surat, are the only sauropod postcranial elements from that unit in Queensland. This is the southernmost occurrence of sauropod post-cranial remains in eastern Australia. Comparison with other sauropod remains suggests that the ischium might represent an indeterminate titanosaur that is different from taxa previously named from Australia.     

Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) brachiopods from the Itaituba Formation of the Amazon Basin,Brazil

A new brachiopod fauna is described from the lower Itaituba Formation at the Caima Quarry 2 section in the Itaituba area, Amazon Basin, Brazil. The Amazonoproductus amazonensis-Anthracospirifer oliveirai Assemblage is proposed for this fauna, which is considered early Pennsylvanian (Morrowan) as constrained by associated conodont and fusulinacean faunas. Nine brachiopod taxa are described herein, including Amazonoproductus amazonensis gen. et sp. nov., and Buxtonioides itaitubensis sp. nov. and Linoproductus caima sp. nov. The new tribe Marginovatini of the Linoproductoidea (the Productida) is also proposed.     

Campanile (Mollusca: Gastropoda): a new record from the early Miocene of Victoria,Australia

Campanile rupicolum sp. nov. is described from the early Miocene Upper Maude Limestone Member of Maude, Victoria. The genus has not hitherto been recorded from Victoria, a part of the Southeast Australian biogeographic Province, and was thought to be characteristic of the Austral-Indopacific Province. This is the oldest occurrence of the genus so far recorded from Australia.     

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.     

First record of Procariama simplex Rovereto, 1914 (Phorusrhacidae,Psilopterinae) in the Cerro Azul Formation (upper Miocene) of La Pampa Province; remarks on its anatomy,palaeogeography and chronological range

Vezzosi, R.I., June 2012. First record of Procariama simplex Rovereto, 1914 (Phorusrhacidae, Psilopterinae) in the Cerro Azul Formation (upper Miocene) of La Pampa Province; remarks on its anatomy, palaeogeography and chronological range. Alcheringa, 157–169. ISSN 0311-5518.

New records of Procariama simplex in central and northwestern Argentina are reported. The fossil material includes mandibular bones, cervical vertebrae and several elements of the fore and hindlimbs. After an exhaustive comparison of anatomical characters and morphometric analysis, the fossil specimens are assigned to the psilopterine Procariama simplex. The specimen from La Pampa Province represents the first record of a psilopterine in this central region of Argentina and derives from upper Miocene sediments of the Cerro Azul Formation. Lithological features and biostratigraphical data allow the host bed to be assigned to the Huayquerian faunal stage (late Miocene). The La Pampa record broadens the geographical distribution of Procariama simplex, which was previously restricted to northwestern Argentina.

Raúl Ignacio Vezzosi [vezzosiraul@gmail.com], Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción CICYTTP-CONICET, Materi y España s/n (3105), Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina. Received 1.4.2011, revised 28.5.2011, accepted 14.6.2011.     

Ceramic Production in the Kur River Basin (Fars,Iran) During the Middle to Late Second Millennium bce: A Geochemical and Technological Characterization

A total of 119 middle to late second millennium bce pottery samples from six sites in the Kur River Basin (Fars, Iran) were examined to characterize these ceramics and reconstruct their manufacturing technology and the origin of the primary materials. For this, a combined study of handheld XRF and thin‐section petrography was performed. The geochemical signatures of these ceramics were defined and interpreted in their archaeological and geological framework, resulting in the determination of different production processes and clay types used for four ceramic wares (Middle Elamite, Qaleh, Shogha and Taimuran) and the identification of possible outcrops used for Shogha–Taimuran production.     

Evaluating Intensity in the Processing of Guanaco (Lama Guanicoe) at the Lower Basin of the Colorado River (Argentina): Fragmentation Levels and Fracture Patterns Analysis

This article explores the levels of fragmentation and fracture patterns in archaeofaunal assemblages from the lower basin of the Colorado River (Argentina) following Outram's methodology. Remains of ungulates (guanaco) have suffered, in these assemblages, a high degree of fragmentation probably caused during the processing of the carcasses. The presence of helical debris and shaft fragments indicates that fragmentation would respond to processing tasks for the consumption of marrow and possibly bone grease. The results of the application of this methodology that were obtained from the analysis of three late Holocene sites (La Primavera, Loma Ruiz 1 and El Tigre) are presented. These results provide new evidence not only for patterns of marrow and bone grease consumption but also for dealing with the subsistence model proposed for the study area. In this sense, the intensification processes already proposed during the final late Holocene (1000–250 bp ) are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A short-snouted trematosauroid (Tetrapoda,Temnospondyli) from the Early Triassic of Australia: the oldest known trematosaurine

The trematosauroid temnospondyl Tirraturhinus smisseni gen. et sp. nov. from the Arcadia Formation of central Queensland, Australia, is described on the basis of its rostrum. This is the first trematosaurine (short-snouted) trematosauroid from Australia, and is considered to be most closely related to Tertrema acuta from Spitzbergen. Tirraturhinus smisseni occurs alongside lonchorhynchine (long-snouted) trematosauroids in the Arcadia Formation; the co-occurrence of both trematosauroid morphotypes in that fauna is repeated in a number of non-marine Early Triassic faunas elsewhere in Pangaea. The Arcadia Formation is probably Griesbachian (earliest Triassic), so that T. smisseni is the oldest known trematosaurine.     

Revision of two phragmodontid species (Conodonta) from the Darriwilian (Ordovician) of the Canning Basin in Western Australia and phylogeny of the Cyrtoniodontidae

Zhen, Y.Y. 9 July 2019. Revision of two phragmodontid species (Conodonta) from the Darriwilian (Ordovician) of the Canning Basin in Western Australia and phylogeny of the Cyrtoniodontidae. Alcheringa XX, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

Based on re-examination of the material used in the original study from the subsurface Goldwyer and Nita Formations (middle Darriwilian, Middle Ordovician) of the Canning Basin, Western Australia, two phragmodontid species (Phragmodus polystrophos Watson and Ph. spicatus Watson) are revised as having a septimembrate apparatus including geniculate (Ph. polystrophos) or nongeniculate (Ph. spicatus) M, triform alate Sa, modified tertiopedate (Ph. polystrophos) or tripennate (Ph. spicatus) Sb, modified bipennate Sc, modified quadriramate Sd, carminate Pa and pastinate Pb elements. Characterized by a carminate Pa element in their respective species apparatuses, these two species demonstrate a close phylogenetic relationship with Phragmodus cognitus Stauffer from the Late Ordovician (Sandbian) of North America. These distinctive shared characters have allowed their accommodation within a new genus, Protophragmodus gen. nov., which represents an evolutionary lineage separated from species of Phragmodus Branson & Mehl (sensu stricto). In addition, it is postulated that the Cyrtoniodontidae might have originated in the early–middle Darriwilian from ‘Plectodina’ in shallow-water settings, with Phragmodus (sensu stricto), the most derived part of the family, perhaps directly evolving from Protophragmodus gen. nov. in the late Darriwilian and then becoming cosmopolitan, deeper-water dwellers in the Late Ordovician.

Y.Y. Zhen [yong-yi.zhen@planning.nsw.gov.au], Geological Survey of New South Wales, W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry, NSW 2753, Australia.     

Macrofossil evidence of early sporophyte stages of a new genus of water fern Tecaropteris (Ceratopteridoideae: Pteridaceae) from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation,southeast Queensland,Australia

Rozefelds, A.C., Dettmann, M.E., Clifford, H.T. & Lewis, D., August 2015. Macrofossil evidence of early sporophyte stages of a new genus of water fern Tecaropteris (Ceratopteridoideae: Pteridaceae) from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation, southeast Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa 39,. ISSN 0311-5518.

Water fern foliage is described from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation at Dinmore in southeast Queensland. The material, which is based upon leaf impressions, records early sporophyte growth stages. The specimens occur at discrete levels in clay pits at Dinmore, and the different leaf stages present suggest that they represent colonies of young submerged plants, mats of floating leaves, or a mixed assemblage of both. The leaf material closely matches the range of variation evident in young sporophytes of Ceratopteris Brongn., but in the complete absence of Cenozoic fossils of the spore genus Magnastriatites Germeraad, Hopping & Muller emend. Dettmann & Clifford from mainland Australia, which are the fossil spores of this genus, it is referred to a new genus, Tecaropteris. The record of ceratopterid-like ferns adds significantly to our limited knowledge of Cenozoic freshwater plants from Australia. The geoheritage significance of sites, such as Dinmore, is discussed briefly.

Andrew C. Rozefelds [andrew.rozefelds@qm.qld.gov.au], Queensland Museum GPO Box 3300, South Brisbane, 4101, Queensland, Australia and School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia; Mary Dettmann [mary.dettmann@qm.qld.gov.au], H. Trevor Clifford [trevor.clifford@qm.qld.gov.au] and Debra Lewis [debra.lewis@qm.qld.gov.au], Queensland Museum, GPO Box 3300, South Brisbane, 4101, Queensland, Australia.     

Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov., a new short-snouted,early Miocene bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) from the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (Wipajiri Formation) in South Australia

Chamberlain, P.M., Travouillon, K.J., Archer, M. & Hand, S.J., November 2015. Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov., a new short-snouted, early Miocene bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) from the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (Wipajiri Formation) in South Australia. Alcheringa 40, XX–XX. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new bandicoot species, Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov. (Peramelemorphia), is described here from the Leaf Locality, Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (LF), Wipajiri Formation (South Australia). The age of the fossil deposit is interpreted as early Miocene on the basis of biocorrelation between multiple species in the Kutjamarpu LF and local faunas from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area (WHA). Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum is represented by isolated teeth and three partial dentaries and appears to have been short-snouted with an estimated mass of 920 g. Phylogenetic analyses place K. brevirostrum in a clade with extant Australian bandicoots and the extinct Madju, but potentially exclude the extant New Guinean bandicoots. Morphometric analysis infers close similarity between K. brevirostrum and species of Galadi in both size and rostral length. They, thus, potentially occupied compatible ecological niches with competitive exclusion perhaps explaining geographical segregation between these broadly coeval lineages.

Philippa M. Chamberlain [philippa.chamberlain@uq.net.au], School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Kenny J. Travouillon [kenny.travouillon@museum.wa.gov.au; kennytravouillon@hotmail.com], Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986, and School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia; Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au] and Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales, 2052, Australia.     

Palaeolithic engravings and sedimentary environments in the Côa River Valley (Portugal): implications for the detection,interpretation and dating of open-air rock art

The pre-Magdalenian phase of the Côa River Valley open-air rock art is mostly distributed at the boundary between the rocky valley slopes and the floodplain that correspond to the most favourable geomorphological setting for the preservation of pecked and deeply superposed engravings of the most famous artistic phase of the area. The natural vertical panels of the engraved art located at this geomorphological interface have suffered weathering during two cold events of the Lateglacial. They were buried by several colluvial and alluvial deposits. The reconstruction of the sedimentary and archaeological context of the CôaRiver Valley engraving permits a better assessment of the preservation processes and interpretation of Palaeolithic open-air rock art.     

Emergence,collapse and continuity of the first political system in the Guadalquivir Basin from the fourth to the second millennium BC: The long-term sequence of Úbeda (Spain)

Over the last decade, a long-running archaeological project in the Guadalquivir Basin (Spain) has identified the emergence (c. 3000 BC) and collapse (between c. 2500 and c. 2300 BC) of a regional inter-settlement hierarchical system centred on the south-western Pyrite Belt and the Lower Guadalquivir Basin.