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| 2. |
- Ahlberg, Per, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Ventastega curonica and the origin of tetrapod morphology
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 453:7199, s. 1199-1204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gap in our understanding of the evolutionary transition from fish to tetrapod is beginning to close thanks to the discovery of new intermediate forms such as Tiktaalik roseae. Here we narrow it further by presenting the skull, exceptionally preserved braincase, shoulder girdle and partial pelvis of Ventastega curonica from the Late Devonian of Latvia, a transitional intermediate form between the 'elpistostegids' Panderichthys and Tiktaalik and the Devonian tetrapods (limbed vertebrates) Acanthostega and Ichthyostega. Ventastega is the most primitive Devonian tetrapod represented by extensive remains, and casts light on a part of the phylogeny otherwise only represented by fragmentary taxa: it illuminates the origin of principal tetrapod structures and the extent of morphological diversity among the transitional forms
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| 3. |
- Beznosov, Pavel A., et al.
(författare)
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Morphology of the earliest reconstructable tetrapod Parmastega aelidae
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 574:7779, s. 527-531
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The known diversity of tetrapods of the Devonian period has increased markedly in recent decades, but their fossil record consists mostly of tantalizing fragments(1-15). The framework for interpreting the morphology and palaeobiology of Devonian tetrapods is dominated by the near complete fossils of Ichthyostega and Acanthostega; the less complete, but partly reconstructable, Ventastega and Tulerpeton have supporting roles(2,4,16-34). All four of these genera date to the late Famennian age (about 365-359 million years ago)-they are 10 million years younger than the earliest known tetrapod fragments(5,10), and nearly 30 million years younger than the oldest known tetrapod footprints(35). Here we describe Parmastega aelidae gen. et sp. nov., a tetrapod from Russia dated to the earliest Famennian age (about 372 million years ago), represented by three-dimensional material that enables the reconstruction of the skull and shoulder girdle. The raised orbits, lateral line canals and weakly ossified postcranial skeleton of P. aelidae suggest a largely aquatic, surface-cruising animal. In Bayesian and parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses, the majority of trees place Parmastega as a sister group to all other tetrapods.
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| 4. |
- Blieck, Alain, et al.
(författare)
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The biostratigraphic and Palaeogeographic framework of the earliest diversification of tetrapods (Late Devonian) - a critical review
- 2007
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Ingår i: Terrestrialization influenses on the Palaeozoic geosphere-biospere (Workshop ECLIPSE II, Paris, 8-9 october).
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Konferensbidrag (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Ichthyostega was the first Devonian tetrapod to be subject to a whole-body reconstruction and remains, together with Acanthostega one of only two Devonian tetrapods for which near-complete postcranial material is available. It is thus crucially important for our understanding of the earliest stages of tetrapod evolution and terrestrialization. Based on extensive re-examination of original material, augmented by recently collected specimens, we present a new reconstruction of Ichthyostega that differs substantially from those previously published and reveals hitherto unrecognised regionalization in the vertebral column. Ichthyostega is the earliest vertebrate to show obvious adaptations for non-swimming locomotion. Uniquely among early tetrapods, the presacral vertebral column shows pronounced regionalization of neural arch morphology, suggesting that it was adapted for dorsoventral rather than lateral flexion.
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| 5. |
- Luksevics, Ervins, et al.
(författare)
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Frasnian vertebrate taphonomy and sedimentology of macrofossil concentrations from the Langsede Cliff, Latvia
- 2012
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Ingår i: Lethaia. - : Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget AS. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 45:3, s. 356-370
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The siliciclastic sequence of the Upper Devonian of Kurzeme, Western Latvia, is renowned for abundant vertebrate fossils, including the stem tetrapods Obruchevichthys gracilis and Ventastega curonica. During the first detailed taphonomic study of the vertebrate assemblage from the Ogre Formation cropping out at the Langsede Cliff, Imula River, abundant vertebrate remains have been examined and identified as belonging to one psammosteid, two acanthodian and three sarcopterygian genera; the placoderm Bothriolepis maxima dominates the assemblage. Besides fully disarticulated placoderm and psammosteid plates, separate sarcopterygian scales and teeth, and acanthodian spines, partly articulated specimens including complete distal segments of Bothriolepis pectoral fins, Bothriolepis head shields and sarcopterygian lower jaws have been found. The size distribution of the placoderm bones demonstrates that the individuals within the assemblage are of approximately uniform age. Distinct zones have been traced within the horizontal distribution of the bones. These linear zones are almost perpendicular to the dominant dip azimuth of the cross-beds and ripple-laminae and most probably correspond to the depressions between subaqueous dunes. Concavity ratio varies significantly within the excavation area. The degree of fragmentation of the bones and disarticulation of the skeletons suggest that the carcasses were reworked and slightly transported before burial. Sedimentological data suggest deposition in a shallow marine environment under the influence of rapid currents. The fossiliferous bed consists of a basal bone conglomerate covered by a cross-stratified sandstone with mud drapes, which is in turn overlain by ripple laminated sandstone, indicating the bones were buried by the gradual infilling of a tidal channel. All the MiddleUpper Devonian vertebrate bone-beds from Latvia are associated with sandy to clayey deposits and have been formed in a sea-coastal zone during rapid sedimentation episodes, but differ in fossil abundance and degree of preservation.
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