cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14769573.v1
title: <i>Catutosaurus gaspariniae</i>, gen. et sp. nov. (Ichthyosauria, Thunnosauria) of the Upper Jurassic of Patagonia and the evolution of the ophthalmosaurids

description: Thunnosaurian ichthyosaurs were one of the most successful lineages of Mesozoic tetrapods in terms of adaptation to a pelagic lifestyle. Among them, the ophthalmosaurids are of particular interest. Their fossils document an early widespread distribution, including high northern and southern latitudes soon after they appear at the Aalenian–Bajocian boundary, becoming almost the only surviving lineage of ichthyosaurs for approximately 76 million years until their extinction at the end of the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous). Evolutionary innovations that could have been involved in their remarkable evolutionary success are still poorly understood. Two regions of the skeleton, involved in two vital functions – breathing and swimming – depict notable variation among ophthalmosaurids: the narial region and the proximal forefin configuration (i.e., stylopodium-zeugopodium-mesopodium pattern). Here, we describe <i>Catutosaurus gaspariniae</i> gen. et sp. nov., a new Tithonian (Late Jurassic) ophthalmosaurid from the northwest of Patagonia, Argentina. The new taxon depicts a peculiar pattern of the narial opening and forefin. <i>Catutosaurus</i> has an ‘ophthalmosaurine-like’ skull with reduced cheek, triangular squamosal, slender and delicate snout and rounded tooth roots; and ‘platypterygiine-like’ forefin composed by the typical polygonal and tightly packed elements and a broad articulation between the stylopodium and zeugopodial row. Phylogenetic analysis retrieves <i>Catutosaurus</i> nested within basal ophthalmosaurids, at the base of a large clade named here as Panplatypterygiine. New information provided by <i>Catutosaurus</i> suggests that changes in the narial region and complexity of the stylopodium–zeugopodium articulation occurred independently among ophthalmosaurids and not in a stepwise manner along with the evolution of the clade. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FDB6C301-BAE5-4212-9310-BE09E24605F9
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14545937.v2
title: Brazilian Permian dvinosaurs (Amphibia, Temnospondyli): revised description and phylogeny

description: Recently collected temnospondyl fossils from the Cisuralian Pedra de Fogo Formation (north-eastern Brazil) indicate a diverse assemblage of aquatic tetrapods, including the dvinosaurs <i>Timonya anneae</i> and <i>Procuhy nazariensis</i>. Here we present revised diagnoses for these species and detailed descriptions of their holotypes. <i>Timonya anneae</i> is distinguished from all other dvinosaurs by several cranial characters including: combined width of both parietals less than interorbital width; presence of a groove-like internal carotid artery foramen; and presence of an ossified opisthotic. In the mandible, <i>T. anneae</i> presents two parasymphyseal fossae on each side of the mandibular symphysis to accommodate palatal fangs and a well-developed postglenoid area. <i>Procuhy nazariensis</i>, mostly preserved as a mold of the skull table and mandible, is diagnosed by the presence of the anteriormost extension of the squamosal posterior to parietal midlength; pineal foramen posterior to the midlength of the parietal; supratemporal exposed on the posterior border of the skull table; and presence of postglenoid process of the surangular separated from the retroarticular process of the articular by the mandibular sulcus. A new inclusive phylogeny of Temnospondyli indicates that Dvinosauria consists of the Trimerorhachidae (including <i>Procuhy</i> as the sister-taxon of <i>Trimerorhachis</i>) and the ‘short-snouted’ dvinosaurs, with <i>Timonya</i> as an early-diverging representative of the latter clade. The Pedra de Fogo dvinosaurs show close relationships with Cisuralian taxa from the North American southwest, reinforcing close paleogeographic connections between these regions in the late Paleozoic, but represent endemic taxa, corroborating the pattern suggested by the plant fossil record.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14511015.v2
title: Reassessment of the Early Triassic trematosaurid temnospondyl <i>Tertrema acuta</i> from the Arctic island of Spitsbergen

description: Trematosaurids were globally distributed Early Triassic temnospondyl amphibians characterized by elongate ‘crocodile-like’ skulls. Some of the most famous trematosaurid fossils were discovered on the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Among these, the short-snouted trematosaurine, <i>Tertrema acuta</i>, is one of the few taxa represented by virtually complete cranial remains. Unusually, however, the type specimens comprise only natural molds that were historically used to reconstruct three-dimensional casts. Here, we re-assess these restorations using the original impressions to phylogenetically analyze and re-diagnose the taxon. Unexpectedly, our first-hand scores differ markedly from previous literature-sourced interpretations and yield conflicting tree topologies that nest <i>T. acuta</i> with long-snouted lonchorhynchines, thus destabilizing the long-favored sub-division of trematosaurids based on their skull shape. We attribute this result to character state conflict and suggest that the traditional classification of trematosaurids may mask more complex evolutionary relationships, as well as possible trophic partitioning, and eco-morphological plasticity.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14748137
title: How many sabertooths? Reevaluating the number of carnivoran sabretooth lineages with total-evidence Bayesian techniques and a novel origin of the Miocene Nimravidae

description: Sabertooth craniodental adaptations have evolved numerous times amongst carnivorous mammals. Some of the most extreme sabertooth adaptations are found within the carnivoran subfamily Barbourofelinae. However, the evolutionary origins of this group have been uncertain for more than 170 years, with variable placement as an independent case of sabertooth acquisition, as a clade within the Nimravidae (Eocene to Oligocene ‘false sabertooth cats’), or as a member of the Machairodontinae (true sabertooth cats such as <i>Smilodon</i>). Here we present a novel approach to assessing the validity of three independent sabertooth clades within Carnivora. We performed a total-evidence Bayesian analysis in Beast2 across all major carnivoran families, using the fossilized birth-death (FBD) model and incorporating 223 morphological characters, nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences, and stratigraphic occurrence data. Our results place barbourofelines as terminal members of the Nimravidae, sister to the Nimravini (0.91 posterior probability), a relationship not found in prior cladistic studies. Ancestral area estimation performed in the R package BioGeoBEARS best supports a primarily European paleobiogeographic center for the barbourofelines with multiple dispersal events to other continents, a finding in direct opposition to past hypotheses for this group. Furthermore, new patterns in convergence between nimravids and machairodontines were revealed via Bayesian ancestral state estimation in BayesTraits. Results support a hypothesis of cats copying nimravids, and nimravids cats in certain aspects of sabertooth morphology, and not total evolutionary independence of these features as typically envisioned.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14376212
title: An Upper Triassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage from the forgotten Kocury locality (Poland) with a new aetosaur taxon

description: Since 1990, several localities within the Keuper (upper Middle to Upper Triassic) strata in southern Poland have yielded remains of numerous terrestrial vertebrate species. Here we report a new Upper Triassic vertebrate assemblage from the rediscovered Kocury locality. An incomplete theropod dinosaur fibula named <i>Velocipes guerichi</i> described in 1932 was found there. The site was then forgotten and not explored until our excavations began in 2012, that yielded material of a lungfish, a proterochersid turtle, and a new typothoracin aetosaur <i>Kocurypelta silvestris</i> gen. et sp. nov. The new taxon is characterized by autapomorphies of the maxilla: an elongated edentulous posterior portion longer than 80% of the posterior maxillary process, a short medial shelf restricted to the posterior portion of the bone, an anteriorly unroofed maxillary accessory cavity, and lack of a distinct groove for choanal recess on the anteromedial surface of the bone. These new finds improve our knowledge on the vertebrate diversity of the Germanic Basin in the Late Triassic, evidencing the presence of yet unrecognized taxa. Additionally, the partial cranial aetosaur material emphasizes the issues with the aetosaurian taxonomy that is focused mostly on the osteoderm morphology.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14723750.v1
title: Postcranial osteology of the basally branching hadrosauroid dinosaur <i>Tanius sinensis</i> from the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Shandong, China

description: <i>Tanius sinensis</i> was one of the first dinosaur species to be named from China. It was established on a partial skeleton recovered by a joint Sino-Swedish expedition in 1923. The fossils were excavated from Upper Cretaceous strata of the Jiangjunding Formation (Wangshi Group) in Shandong Province, and although their discovery dates back almost 100 years, they have not been reassessed in detail since their initial description in 1929. This omission is critical because <i>T. sinensis</i> is now recognized as one of the stratigraphically youngest non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroid taxa. Here, we re-evaluate the postcranial osteology of <i>T. sinensis</i> as a prelude to an anatomical and phylogenetic revision of the species. We examined the holotype and all currently referred specimens of <i>T. sinensis</i> first-hand, and identified a unique postcranial character state combination incorporating tall dorsal neural spines, a reduced postacetabular ridge on the ilium, a fully enclosed flexor tunnel formed by the distal condyles of the femur, and a lunate proximal end on metatarsal III. Comparisons with other species of <i>Tanius</i> confirm that: (1) <i>T. chingkankouensis</i> is a nomen dubium erected on non-diagnostic composite material; (2) <i>T. laiyangensis</i> was established on indeterminate hadrosaurid remains that are not attributable to <i>Tanius</i>; and (3) the anecdotal assignments of <i>Bactrosaurus prynadai</i> and <i>Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus</i> to <i>Tanius</i> cannot be substantiated. Close inspection of the holotype caudal vertebra further reveals a possible healed bite trace consistent with a prey–predator interaction. Lastly, our calculated average body mass estimate for <i>T. sinensis</i> of between 2091–3533 kg suggests that it was one of the largest non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroids.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14545937.v1
title: Brazilian Permian Dvinosaurs (Amphibia, Temnospondyli): Revised Description and Phylogeny

description: Recently collected temnospondyl fossils from the Cisuralian Pedra de Fogo Formation (north-eastern Brazil) indicate a diverse assemblage of aquatic tetrapods, including the dvinosaurs <i>Timonya anneae</i> and <i>Procuhy nazariensis</i>. Here we present revised diagnoses for these species and detailed descriptions of their holotypes. <i>Timonya anneae</i> is distinguished from all other dvinosaurs by several cranial characters including: combined width of both parietals less than interorbital width; presence of a groove-like internal carotid artery foramen; and presence of an ossified opisthotic. In the mandible, <i>T. anneae</i> presents two parasymphyseal fossae on each side of the mandibular symphysis to accommodate palatal fangs and a well-developed postglenoid area. <i>Procuhy nazariensis</i>, mostly preserved as a mold of the skull table and mandible, is diagnosed by the presence of the anteriormost extension of the squamosal posterior to parietal midlength; pineal foramen posterior to the midlength of the parietal; supratemporal exposed on the posterior border of the skull table; and presence of postglenoid process of the surangular separated from the retroarticular process of the articular by the mandibular sulcus. A new inclusive phylogeny of Temnospondyli indicates that Dvinosauria consists of the Trimerorhachidae (including <i>Procuhy</i> as the sister-taxon of <i>Trimerorhachis</i>) and the ‘short-snouted’ dvinosaurs, with <i>Timonya</i> as an early-diverging representative of the latter clade. The Pedra de Fogo dvinosaurs show close relationships with Cisuralian taxa from the North American southwest, reinforcing close paleogeographic connections between these regions in the late Paleozoic, but represent endemic taxa, corroborating the pattern suggested by the plant fossil record.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14748134.v2
title: The braincase and inner ear of ‘<i>Metriorhynchus</i>’ cf. ‘<i>M</i>.’ <i>brachyrhynchus</i> – implications for aquatic sensory adaptations in crocodylomorphs

description: During their long evolutionary history crocodylomorphs achieved a great diversity of body sizes, ecomorphotypes and inferred feeding ecologies. One unique group of crocodylomorphs are the thalattosuchians, which lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous (ca. 191–125 Ma). They transitioned from shallow marine species, like teleosauroids, into fully pelagic forms with paddle shaped limbs and a vertically orientated tail fluke, the metriorhynchids. The osteological adaptations that allowed metriorhynchids to live in the water are generally well understood, but less is known about their neurosensory and endocranial systems, such as the brain, inner ears, sinuses and cranial nerves and how they relate to their aquatic lifestyle. Based on micro-computed tomography (μCT) data and three-dimensional models, we here describe the braincase and endocranial anatomy of a fully marine metriorhynchid, ‘<i>Metriorhynchus</i>’ cf. ‘<i>M</i>.’ <i>brachyrhynchus</i> (NHMUK PV OR 32617). We found several neuroanatomical features that likely helped this species function in its marine environment. These include a unique flexure in the brain endocast not seen in other thalattosuchians. Other features that have previously been seen in thalattosuchians include enlarged cerebral hemispheres, a hypertrophied venous sinus system, enlarged internal carotid arteries and foramina, and closed/absent lateral pharyngotympanic foramina. The specimen also possesses a pelagic metriorhynchid bony labyrinth morphology, with a compact and dorsoventrally short shape, thick semicircular canals, an enlarged vestibule and potentially a short cochlear duct. A review of character distribution confirms that some of these features evolved at the base of Thalattosuchia in semiaquatic species, long before metriorhynchids became pelagic, suggesting that endocranial anatomy helped allow metriorhynchoids colonize the ocean realm.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14709784
title: A new plastomenid trionychid turtle,<i> Plastomenus joycei</i> , sp. nov., from the earliest Paleocene (Danian) Denver Formation of south-central Colorado, U.S.A.

description: North American soft-shelled turtles, including trionychines and plastomenids, are incredibly abundant in latest Cretaceous through earliest Paleocene sediments. Here we describe a new species of plastomenid turtle, <i>Plastomenus joycei</i>, based on a nearly complete early Danian skeleton from the Denver Formation in the Denver Basin, Colorado. <i>Plastomenus joycei</i> is differentiated from all other plastomenid turtles based on the presence of large eighth costals that are much longer than wide, sinusoidal raised ridges on the carapace, flat posterior edge of the carapace, spike-like epiplastra that lack callosities, a broad entoplastron that lacks a callosity, hyoplastra with two lateral processes, presence of metaplastically ossified hyoplastral shoulders (i.e., anteriorly protruding lappets), and a broad midline contact between the hypo- and xiphiplastra. <i>Plastomenus joycei</i> broadly resembles the Cretaceous <i>Gilmoremys</i> spp. and the Eocene <i>Plastomenus thomasii</i> and exhibits intermediate morphology between the two, most notably in the degree of ossification of the plastron. The increase in plastral ossification, as well as a decrease in overall size and an increase in the doming of the shell, co-occurs with the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction and these morphological changes may be in response to an increase in mammalian predators during the early Paleogene. <i>Plastomenus joycei</i> is most commonly found in riverine sandstone sediments and is hypothesized to be a riverine turtle. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F4FE56A9-3E63-4BF0-A5CB-0CF0F9B6B045
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14511015.v1
title: Reassessment of the Early Triassic trematosaurid temnospondyl <i>Tertrema acuta</i> from the Arctic island of Spitsbergen

description: Trematosaurids were globally distributed Early Triassic temnospondyl amphibians characterized by elongate ‘crocodile-like’ skulls. Some of the most famous trematosaurid fossils were discovered on the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Among these, the short-snouted trematosaurine, <i>Tertrema acuta</i>, is one of the few taxa represented by virtually complete cranial remains. Unusually, however, the type specimens comprise only natural molds that were historically used to reconstruct three-dimensional casts. Here, we re-assess these restorations using the original impressions to phylogenetically analyze and re-diagnose the taxon. Unexpectedly, our first-hand scores differ markedly from previous literature-sourced interpretations and yield conflicting tree topologies that nest <i>T. acuta</i> with long-snouted lonchorhynchines, thus destabilizing the long-favored sub-division of trematosaurids based on their skull shape. We attribute this result to character state conflict and suggest that the traditional classification of trematosaurids may mask more complex evolutionary relationships, as well as possible trophic partitioning, and eco-morphological plasticity.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14484526.v2
title: First record of a giant bird (Ornithuromorpha) from the uppermost Maastrichtian of the Southern Pyrenees, northeast Spain

description: Throughout the evolutionary history of Avialae, several members of this clade have evolved into giant forms, in different time periods and ecological contexts. In Europe, the first birds that show this condition, the Gargantuaviidae, occur during the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian–early Maastrichtian), but it is during the Paleogene when more groups evolve large forms. However, until now, there was no record of any giant bird during the late Maastrichtian of Europe, close to the K/Pg boundary. Here we describe a cervical vertebra (MPZ 2019/264) from Beranuy (Huesca, NE Spain), which is the first fossil evidence of a giant bird from the late Maastrichtian of Europe, within Chron C29r. The vertebra displays some features, such as a well-marked heterocoelous articulation, lateral pneumatic foramina, ventral carotid processes, and a low neural spine, that support its inclusion within the clade Ornithuromorpha. This phylogenetic assignment is supported by two cladistic analyses. The vertebra is clearly different from the one assigned to <i>Gargantuavis</i>, meaning that it belonged to a distinct taxon. Although the kinship between these two taxa of giant birds is still unclear, this finding demonstrates that large-sized birds were part of the ecological communities of the Ibero-Armorican island from the late Campanian to the Late Maastrichtian, being present during the last hundreds of thousands of years prior to the K/Pg extinction event.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14748134.v1
title: The braincase and inner ear of ‘<i>Metriorhynchus</i>’ cf. ‘<i>M</i>.’ <i>brachyrhynchus</i> – implications for aquatic sensory adaptations in crocodylomorphs

description: During their long evolutionary history crocodylomorphs achieved a great diversity of body sizes, ecomorphotypes and inferred feeding ecologies. One unique group of crocodylomorphs are the thalattosuchians, which lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous (ca. 191–125 Ma). They transitioned from shallow marine species, like teleosauroids, into fully pelagic forms with paddle shaped limbs and a vertically orientated tail fluke, the metriorhynchids. The osteological adaptations that allowed metriorhynchids to live in the water are generally well understood, but less is known about their neurosensory and endocranial systems, such as the brain, inner ears, sinuses and cranial nerves and how they relate to their aquatic lifestyle. Based on micro-computed tomography (μCT) data and three-dimensional models, we here describe the braincase and endocranial anatomy of a fully marine metriorhynchid, ‘<i>Metriorhynchus</i>’ cf. ‘<i>M</i>.’ <i>brachyrhynchus</i> (NHMUK PV OR 32617). We found several neuroanatomical features that likely helped this species function in its marine environment. These include a unique flexure in the brain endocast not seen in other thalattosuchians. Other features that have previously been seen in thalattosuchians include enlarged cerebral hemispheres, a hypertrophied venous sinus system, enlarged internal carotid arteries and foramina, and closed/absent lateral pharyngotympanic foramina. The specimen also possesses a pelagic metriorhynchid bony labyrinth morphology, with a compact and dorsoventrally short shape, thick semicircular canals, an enlarged vestibule and potentially a short cochlear duct. A review of character distribution confirms that some of these features evolved at the base of Thalattosuchia in semiaquatic species, long before metriorhynchids became pelagic, suggesting that endocranial anatomy helped allow metriorhynchoids colonize the ocean realm.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14376212.v2
title: An Upper Triassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage from the forgotten Kocury locality (Poland) with a new aetosaur taxon

description: Since 1990, several localities within the Keuper (upper Middle to Upper Triassic) strata in southern Poland have yielded remains of numerous terrestrial vertebrate species. Here we report a new Upper Triassic vertebrate assemblage from the rediscovered Kocury locality. An incomplete theropod dinosaur fibula named <i>Velocipes guerichi</i> described in 1932 was found there. The site was then forgotten and not explored until our excavations began in 2012, that yielded material of a lungfish, a proterochersid turtle, and a new typothoracin aetosaur <i>Kocurypelta silvestris</i> gen. et sp. nov. The new taxon is characterized by autapomorphies of the maxilla: an elongated edentulous posterior portion longer than 80% of the posterior maxillary process, a short medial shelf restricted to the posterior portion of the bone, an anteriorly unroofed maxillary accessory cavity, and lack of a distinct groove for choanal recess on the anteromedial surface of the bone. These new finds improve our knowledge on the vertebrate diversity of the Germanic Basin in the Late Triassic, evidencing the presence of yet unrecognized taxa. Additionally, the partial cranial aetosaur material emphasizes the issues with the aetosaurian taxonomy that is focused mostly on the osteoderm morphology.