| 1. |
- Bajdek, Piotr, et al.
(författare)
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Microbiota and food residues including possible evidence of pre-mammalian hair in Upper Permian coprolites from Russia
- 2016
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Ingår i: Lethaia. - : Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget AS. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 49:4, s. 455-477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coprolites (fossil faeces) provide direct evidence on the diet of its producer and unique insights on ancient food webs and ecosystems. We describe the contents of seven coprolites, collected from the Late Permian Vyazniki site of the European part of Russia. Two coprolite morphotypes (A, B) contain remains of putative bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, protists, invertebrate eggs, arthropod elements, undigested bone and tooth fragments, fish scales and elongated hair-like structures with hollow interiors. Content, size and shape of the coprolites together with the associated body fossil record suggest that the most probable scat-producers were carnivorous tetrapods; the bone-rich morphotype A reveals short food retention time and a fast metabolism and is therefore assigned to therapsid carnivores whereas morphotype B with rarer and degraded bones are assigned to archosauromorphs or other non-therapsid carnivores. The general coprolite matrix contains abundant micron-sized spheres and thin-walled vesicles which are interpreted as oxide and phosphatic pseudomorphs after microbial cells. From analyses of the undigested bones, we infer that they represent remains of actinopterygian fish, a therapsid and unrecognizable parts of amphibians and/or reptiles. Additionally, hair-like structures found in one coprolite specimen occur as diagenetically altered (oxide-replaced) structures and moulds (or partly as pseudomorphs) in a microcrystalline carbonate-fluoride-bearing calcium phosphate. This suggests that the latest Permian therapsids probably were equipped with hair-like integument or hairsuit. If true, this is by far the oldest evidence of this mammalian character in the stem group of mammals.
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| 2. |
- Brusatte, Stephen L., et al.
(författare)
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First record of Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates from Lithuania : phytosaurs (Diapsida: Archosauriformes) of probable Late Triassic age, with a review of phytosaur biogeography
- 2013
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Ingår i: Geological Magazine. - 0016-7568 .- 1469-5081. ; 150:1, s. 110-122
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fossils of Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates from Lithuania and the wider East Baltic region of Europe have previously been unknown. We here report the first Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate fossils from Lithuania: two premaxillary specimens and three teeth that belong to Phytosauria, a common clade of semiaquatic Triassic archosauriforms. These specimens represent an uncrested phytosaur, similar to several species within the genera Paleorhinus, Parasuchus, Rutiodon and Nicrosaurus. Because phytosaurs are currently only known from the Upper Triassic, their discovery in northwestern Lithuania (the Saltiskiai clay-pit) suggests that at least part of the Triassic succession in this region is Late Triassic in age, and is not solely Early Triassic as has been previously considered. The new specimens are among the most northerly occurrences of phytosaurs in the Late Triassic, as Lithuania was approximately 7-10. further north than classic phytosaur-bearing localities in nearby Germany and Poland, and as much as 40. further north than the best-sampled phytosaur localities in North America. The far northerly occurrence of the Lithuanian fossils prompts a review of phytosaur biogeography and distribution, which suggests that these predators were widely distributed in the Triassic monsoonal belt but rarer in more arid regions.
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| 3. |
- Niedzwiedzki, Grzegorz, et al.
(författare)
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A large predatory archosaur from the Late Triassic of Poland
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. - : Polska Akademia Nauk Instytut Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences). - 0567-7920 .- 1732-2421. ; 57:2, s. 267-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe a new large predatory archosaur, Smok wawelski gen. et sp. nov., from the latest Triassic (latest Norian–early Rhaetian; approximately 205–200 Ma) of Lisowice (Lipie Śląskie clay−pit) in southern Poland. The length of the reconstructed skeleton is 5–6 m and that of the skull 50–60 cm, making S. wawelski larger than any other known predatory archosaur from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of central Europe (including theropod dinosaurs and “rauisuchian” crurotarsans). The holotype braincase is associated with skull, pelvic and isolated limb−bones found in close proximity (within 30 m), and we regard them as belonging to the same individual. Large, apparently tridactyl tracks that occur in the same rock unit may have been left by animals of the same species. The highly autapomorphic braincase shows large attachment areas for hypertrophied protractor pterygoideus muscles on the lateral surface and a wide, funnel−like region between the basal tubera and basipterygoid processes on the ventral surface. The skeleton (cranial and postcranial) possesses some features similar to those in theropod dinosaurs and others to those in large crocodile−line archosaurs (“rauisuchians”), rendering phylogenetic placement of S. wawelski difficult at this time.
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| 4. |
- Niedzwiedzki, Grzegorz, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Basal dinosauriform and theropod dinosaurs from the middle-late Norian (Late Triassic) of Poland : implications for Triassic dinosaur evolution and distribution
- 2014
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Ingår i: Palaeontology. - : Wiley. - 0031-0239 .- 1475-4983. ; 57:6, s. 1121-1142
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rise of dinosaurs during the Triassic is a widely studied evolutionary radiation, but there are still many unanswered questions about early dinosaur evolution and biogeography that are hampered by an unevenly sampled Late Triassic fossil record. Although very common in western North America and parts of South America, dinosaur (and more basal dinosauriform) remains are relatively rare in the Upper Triassic deposits of Europe, making any new discoveries critically important. One of the most diverse dinosauriform assemblages from Europe comes from the Poreba site in Poland, a recently described locality with exposures of the Zbazszynek Beds, which have a palynomorph assemblage characteristic for the mid–late Norian in the biostratigraphic schemes of the Germanic Basin. Using a synapomorphy-based approach, we evaluate several isolated dinosauriform specimens from Porezba. This assemblage includes a silesaurid, a herrerasaurid and remains of another type of theropod (potentially a neotheropod). The Poreba herrerasaurid is the first record of this rare group of primitive dinosaurs from Europe and one of the youngest records worldwide, whereas the silesaurid is the youngest record of a silesaurid from Europe. These findings indicate that silesaurids persisted alongside true dinosaurs into the mid–late Norian of Europe and that silesaurid–herrerasaurid–neotheropod assemblages (which are also known from the Norian of North America, at low latitudes) were more widespread geographically and latitudinally than previously thought. Silesaurid–herrerasaurid–neotheropod assemblages may have been a common ecological structuring of dinosaurs during their early evolution, and their widespread distribution may indicate weak palaeolatitudinal controls on early dinosaur biogeography during the latest Triassic.
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| 5. |
- Niedzwiedzki, Grzegorz, et al.
(författare)
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Reduction of vertebrate coprolite diversity associated with the end-Permian extinction event in Vyazniki region, European Russia
- 2016
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Ingår i: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0031-0182 .- 1872-616X. ; 450, s. 77-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates the paleoecological significance of vertebrate coprolites collected from seven sections and three lithofacies of the uppermost Permian and lowermost Triassic succession from the Vyazniki site in the European part of Russia. The analyzed specimens (coprolites and possibly some cololites) were grouped into nine morphotypes (A-I). The coprolite morphotypes were characterized geochemically and compared to the record of other Permian and Triassic coprolites worldwide. Based on the stratigraphic position, shape, structure and composition, all morphotypes were linked to supposed producers. The phosphatic composition of most of the morphotypes and inclusions of arthropod remains, fish scales and bone fragments, suggest that they were produced by carnivores, but non-phosphatic, carbonate-rich, large and oval-shaped coprolites with impressions after plant remains have also been found. The extinction of terrestrial vertebrates around the Permian-Triassic boundary in Russia is interpreted to have occurred within a few thousands of years. Here, we show a pattern of coprolite morphotypes disappearing across this boundary that is consistent with a relatively sudden change in the vertebrate faunal composition across this interval.
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| 6. |
- Pawlak, Wojciech, et al.
(författare)
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Dipnoan from the Upper Triassic of East Greenland and remarks about palaeobiogeography of Ptychoceratodus
- 2020
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Ingår i: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. - : Polska Akademia Nauk Instytut Paleobiologii (Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences). - 0567-7920 .- 1732-2421. ; 65:3, s. 561-574
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we present a description of the dipnoan remains collected from the middle to upper Norian (Upper Triassic) of Jameson Land, East Greenland. The specimens consist of isolated tooth plates and skull bones of Ptychoceratodus, the most complete Late Triassic dipnoan material from Greenland. This genus is reported for the first time from the Upper Triassic of Greenland. The studied material belongs to Ptychoceratodus rectangulus previously known from the middle-upper Norian of Germany. It fills the biogeographical gap between the records of the Germanic and the Jameson Land basins. A reconstruction of the skull roof is provided, based on isolated bones collected from the same bone-bed. Their good preservation enables recognition of the sensory line pits, arranged similarly as in the extant Protopterus, suggesting a comparable mode of life. This finding has implications for our understanding of the disparity in Ptychoceratodus dipnoans, as well as the morphology between closely related dipnoans of the Late Triassic ecosystems.
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| 7. |
- Pindakiewicz, Maciej, et al.
(författare)
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Feeding convergence among ray-finned fishes : Teeth of the herbivorous actinopterygians from the latest Permian of East European Platform, Russia
- 2020
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Ingår i: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. - : INST PALEOBIOLOGII PAN. - 0567-7920 .- 1732-2421. ; 65:1, s. 71-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A unique functional adaptation to herbivory within early ray-finned fishes is exemplified by the late Permian actinopterygians within the family Etuynotoidiidae with policuspid teeth strongly modified with respect to the primitive actinopterygian conditions. Here we report additional finds of multidenticulated teeth from the fluvial latest Permian deposits of Russia. The teeth belong to the members of endemic Eurynotoidiidae and show rather high morphological diversity. We confirm that the Russian forms are the earliest known ray-finned fishes with substantial modifications of teeth adapted to the processing of food. These finds confirm some previous suggestions that the adaptation to herbivory first developed in freshwater fishes, not marine. We found very similar dental adaptations in some groups of Recent freshwater teleosts, especially in characifonns and cichlids. It suggests that sympatric species of Permian Eurynotoidiidae explored various herbivorous niches like modem fish in East African lakes. Apparently, this first pulse of adaptive radiation in ray-finned fishes was probably caused by diversification of Permian aquatic vertebrate community.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Soussi, Mohamed, et al.
(författare)
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Middle Triassic (Anisian-Ladinian) Tejra red beds and Late Triassic (Carnian) carbonate sedimentary records of southern Tunisia, Saharan Platform : Biostratigraphy, sedimentology and implication on regional stratigraphic correlations
- 2017
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Ingår i: MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-8172. ; 79, s. 222-256
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The "red beds" of the Triassic succession outcropping at Tejra-Medenine (southern Tunisia, Saharan Platform) have yielded rich fossil assemblages of both freshwater and brackish-marine invertebrates and vertebrates. The new discovered fauna indicates an Anisian-Lower Ladinian age for the Tejra section. Its lowermost part is considered as equivalent of Ouled Chebbi Formation, while the medium and upper parts are considered as equivalent of the Kirchaou Formation. Both sedimentological characteristics and fossil assemblages indicate the increasing marine influences within the middle part of the section and the migration of brackish and freshwater fauna into the lacustrine/playa environment at the top. The marine fauna-rich interval of the Tejra section correlates well with the well-known Myophoria-rich carbonate stratigraphic marker confirming the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) major transgression well recorded eastward in the Tunisian Jeffara basin and in Libya. The use of this Ladinian stratigraphic event in addition to the Carnian carbonate transgressive events of the Jeffara escarpment outcrops was of great help for regional lithostratigraphic correlations between the Triassic outcropping series and those currently buried in Ghadames and Berkine basins. The age of the sandstones of "Trias Argilo-Greseux Inferieur" (TAGI) which forms the main oil and gas reservoir in the Saharan domain is attributed to the Anisian-Carnian and considered as coeval of Ouled Chebbi and Kirchaou Formations of the Dahar escarpment. An updated synthetic stratigraphic chart is proposed for the Triassic of Saharan Platform domain on the basis of the compilation of the new obtained results and the subsurface data taken from published literature.
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| 10. |
- Sulej, Tomasz, et al.
(författare)
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A new early Late Triassic non-mammaliaform eucynodont from Poland
- 2020
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Ingår i: Historical Biology. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 0891-2963 .- 1029-2381. ; 32:1, s. 80-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bicuspid, tricuspid and tetracuspid postcanine teeth of a new non-mammaliaform eucynodont, Polonodon woznikiensis gen. et sp. nov. from the mid-late Carnian (early Late Triassic) of Wozniki clay-pit, Silesia (southern Poland) show incipient root division. They are similar to teeth of Dromatheriidae from the Carnian (early Late Triassic) to the Rhaetian (late Late Triassic) of Europe, India, and USA and the dentition of brasilodontids from the early Norian (mid Late Triassic) of Brazil. The P. woznikiensis teeth differ from those of the latter group mostly in the absence of cingulum. Some of the new fossils from Silesia provide the oldest Laurasian record of eucynodont teeth with the main cusp (a) anterior edge very long as the mesial cusp b is placed much lower than cusp c (distal). The contemporaneous Alemoatherium huebneri, from Gondwana, had similar postcanines. The findings from Poland indicate that this postcanine morphology was present in non-mammaliaform cynodonts from both hemispheres as early as the mid-late Carnian. The distal end of the humerus from the same locality is also described.
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