cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184992
title: Taxonomic overview of Neogene crocodylians in Myanmar

description: Although Neogene crocodylians were well documented from Indo-Pakistan, few fossils were known from Southeast Asia, precluding the understanding of their evolutionary and biogeographic history. Here, we describe crocodylians from the Neogene Irrawaddy Formation of central Myanmar and evaluate their taxonomic status. Tebingan, SE of Magway (lower Upper Miocene) yields <i>Gavialis</i> and <i>Crocodylus</i> that differ from the previously known species of each genus, and the Gwebin area, SW of Bagan (Upper Pliocene) produces <i>Crocodylus</i> cf. <i>palaeindicus</i>. Taking into account the materials without provenance data, Neogene crocodylians from Myanmar include at least three gavialids and two <i>Crocodylus</i> that are characterized by different craniomandibular and postcranial features. The body length estimates for the gavialines from Tebingan and an unknown locality in central Myanmar are 7.5 m and 8.6 m, respectively, which exceed the maximum size limit of extant <i>Gavialis gangeticus</i>. Together with the previously reported large taxa, gavialids repeatedly evolved large body sizes in the Neogene of Asia. <i>Gavialis</i> from the Miocene of Myanmar is one of the oldest records of the genus, and its unraised orbital rim suggests that the “telescoped” eyes derived later during the genus evolution. <i>Crocodylus</i> cf. <i>palaeindicus</i> from the Pliocene of Myanmar indicates the species range was extended from western India to Myanmar during the Neogene. The absence of <i>Crocodylus siamensis</i> in the Neogene of India and central Myanmar implies the species originated east of central Myanmar.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184992.v1
title: Taxonomic overview of Neogene crocodylians in Myanmar

description: Although Neogene crocodylians were well documented from Indo-Pakistan, few fossils were known from Southeast Asia, precluding the understanding of their evolutionary and biogeographic history. Here, we describe crocodylians from the Neogene Irrawaddy Formation of central Myanmar and evaluate their taxonomic status. Tebingan, SE of Magway (lower Upper Miocene) yields <i>Gavialis</i> and <i>Crocodylus</i> that differ from the previously known species of each genus, and the Gwebin area, SW of Bagan (Upper Pliocene) produces <i>Crocodylus</i> cf. <i>palaeindicus</i>. Taking into account the materials without provenance data, Neogene crocodylians from Myanmar include at least three gavialids and two <i>Crocodylus</i> that are characterized by different craniomandibular and postcranial features. The body length estimates for the gavialines from Tebingan and an unknown locality in central Myanmar are 7.5 m and 8.6 m, respectively, which exceed the maximum size limit of extant <i>Gavialis gangeticus</i>. Together with the previously reported large taxa, gavialids repeatedly evolved large body sizes in the Neogene of Asia. <i>Gavialis</i> from the Miocene of Myanmar is one of the oldest records of the genus, and its unraised orbital rim suggests that the “telescoped” eyes derived later during the genus evolution. <i>Crocodylus</i> cf. <i>palaeindicus</i> from the Pliocene of Myanmar indicates the species range was extended from western India to Myanmar during the Neogene. The absence of <i>Crocodylus siamensis</i> in the Neogene of India and central Myanmar implies the species originated east of central Myanmar.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12994232.v1
title: Skeletal Anatomy, Phylogenetic Relationships, and Paleoecology of the Eocene Urolophid Stingray <i>Arechia Crassicaudata</i> (Blainville, 1818) from Monte Postale (Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy)

description: In this paper we re-examine the taxonomy and systematic position of the Eocene stingrays from Bolca Lagerstätte which are traditionally assigned to <i>Urolophus crassicaudatus</i> (Blainville). The analysis of their tooth morphology supports an assignment to the Eocene stingray genus <i>Arechia</i> Cappetta, a taxon known from isolated teeth from the Ypresian-Lutetian of northern and western Africa. The teeth of the Bolca specimens differ from the type species <i>A. arambourgi</i> in some characters (i.e., labial face with concave profile just below the crest, convex lower down; lingual face slightly more developed than the labial, with convex profile in its upper part and a concave profile in its mid-lower region) that justify the recognition of a second species within the genus, i.e., <i>A. crassicaudata</i>. This taxon also shows a unique combination of features (e.g., pectoral disc large and rhomboid; tail short, 44–52% of total length; ca. 238 vertebral centra; distal segment of propterygia located between mouth and antorbital cartilage; mesopterygium single, not fused to radials; 100–117 pectoral radials; 15–17 pelvic-fin radials; elongated caudal fin of aplesodic type) that supports its sister-group relationship with the living urolophids <i>Urolophus</i> and <i>Trygonoptera</i>. <i>Arechia</i> was a typical inhabitant of the near coastal and warm habitats that characterize the Monte Postale paleoenvironment. SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVP
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14124273.v2
title: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China

description: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14124273
title: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China

description: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184916
title: Cranial Anatomy and Dentition of the Aetosaur <i>Typothorax Coccinarum</i> (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic (Revueltian–Mid Norian) Chinle Formation of Arizona

description: Our understanding of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> is primarily based on postcranial material, along with a few isolated cranial elements. Here we describe the first complete articulated skull of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> from the Owl Rock Member of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park. We assessed the relationships and defining synapomorphies for some of the major clades within Aetosauria by using a combination of morphological characters in the cranium of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i>. Based on the descriptions of skulls from a variety of aetosaur species including <i>Aetosaurus ferratus</i>, <i>Aetosauroides scagliai</i>, <i>Coahomasuchus chathamensis</i>, <i>Neoaetosauroides engaeus</i>, <i>Paratypothorax andressorum</i>, <i>Stagonolepis olenkae</i>, <i>Stenomyti huangae</i>, <i>Scutarx deltatylus</i>, and now <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i>, it is apparent that the two major aetosaurian clades vary in their overall skull morphologies. The stagonolepidoids share a more robust, elongate skull, with varying degrees in the lateral expansion of the premaxillary tips. On the other hand, aetosaurines share an overall shorter, more gracile skull with tapered premaxillae. These new characters are mapped onto a revised phylogenetic tree for the Aetosauria. Historically, aetosaurs were interpreted as being predominantly herbivorous. In recent years, the discovery of new aetosaur cranial material, like that of <i>Neoaetosauroides engaeus</i> and <i>Aetosauroides scagliai</i>, suggested an omnivorous diet for at least some aetosaur taxa. The dentition of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> possesses the most strongly developed heterodonty for an aetosaur, therefore challenging the historical interpretation by expanding the range of dentition types within Aetosauria. This supports the more recent hypothesis that aetosaurs exhibited diverse feeding strategies beyond just herbivory.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184916.v1
title: Cranial Anatomy and Dentition of the Aetosaur <i>Typothorax Coccinarum</i> (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic (Revueltian–Mid Norian) Chinle Formation of Arizona

description: Our understanding of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> is primarily based on postcranial material, along with a few isolated cranial elements. Here we describe the first complete articulated skull of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> from the Owl Rock Member of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park. We assessed the relationships and defining synapomorphies for some of the major clades within Aetosauria by using a combination of morphological characters in the cranium of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i>. Based on the descriptions of skulls from a variety of aetosaur species including <i>Aetosaurus ferratus</i>, <i>Aetosauroides scagliai</i>, <i>Coahomasuchus chathamensis</i>, <i>Neoaetosauroides engaeus</i>, <i>Paratypothorax andressorum</i>, <i>Stagonolepis olenkae</i>, <i>Stenomyti huangae</i>, <i>Scutarx deltatylus</i>, and now <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i>, it is apparent that the two major aetosaurian clades vary in their overall skull morphologies. The stagonolepidoids share a more robust, elongate skull, with varying degrees in the lateral expansion of the premaxillary tips. On the other hand, aetosaurines share an overall shorter, more gracile skull with tapered premaxillae. These new characters are mapped onto a revised phylogenetic tree for the Aetosauria. Historically, aetosaurs were interpreted as being predominantly herbivorous. In recent years, the discovery of new aetosaur cranial material, like that of <i>Neoaetosauroides engaeus</i> and <i>Aetosauroides scagliai</i>, suggested an omnivorous diet for at least some aetosaur taxa. The dentition of <i>Typothorax coccinarum</i> possesses the most strongly developed heterodonty for an aetosaur, therefore challenging the historical interpretation by expanding the range of dentition types within Aetosauria. This supports the more recent hypothesis that aetosaurs exhibited diverse feeding strategies beyond just herbivory.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14124273.v1
title: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China

description: A New Specimen of Thalattosauroidea (Reptilia, Thalattosauriformes) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Xingyi, Southernwestern China
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184953
title: New Information on the Dissorophid <i>Conjunctio</i> (Temnospondyli) Based on a Specimen from the Cutler Formation of Colorado, U.S.A.

description: The dissorophid genus <i>Conjunctio</i> (Temnospondyli) is poorly characterized, known only from two incomplete specimens from the upper El Cobre Canyon Formation (lower Permian), Cutler Group, New Mexico, U.S.A. Nonetheless, the taxon’s conserved morphology and stratigraphic occurrence near the Carboniferous–Permian boundary (ca. 299 million years ago) make it an important datum to resolve the early diversification of dissorophids. We report the first occurrence of <i>Conjunctio</i> cf. <i>C. multidens</i> in the adjacent undivided Cutler Formation of San Miguel County, Colorado, which also represents only the second dissorophid from southwestern Colorado’s historic Placerville assemblage. The new specimen highlights the plesiomorphic anatomy of <i>Conjunctio</i>, with newly described mandibular and postcranial data, and provides further evidence for a relationship to the Eucacopinae. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of 34 temnospondyl taxa by modifying a previously published matrix of 102 craniodental and postcranial characters, scoring <i>Conjunctio</i> at the specimen-level, and found a monophyletic <i>Conjunctio</i> at the base of Eucacopinae. The clade also included the earliest Permian <i>Reiszerpeton</i> and <i>Scapanops</i> in relatively basal positions, and an unresolved polytomy among the later Permian <i>Cacops</i>, <i>Kamacops</i>, <i>Zygosaurus</i>, and <i>Anakamacops</i>. Geographically, the discovery of <i>Conjunctio</i> among the Placerville assemblage is consistent with a broader southwestern U.S. Wolfcampian fauna, correlative to that of the upper El Cobre Canyon Formation in northern New Mexico, and may underscore previously proposed regional provincialism among early Permian tetrapod assemblages.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14184953.v1
title: New Information on the Dissorophid <i>Conjunctio</i> (Temnospondyli) Based on a Specimen from the Cutler Formation of Colorado, U.S.A.

description: The dissorophid genus <i>Conjunctio</i> (Temnospondyli) is poorly characterized, known only from two incomplete specimens from the upper El Cobre Canyon Formation (lower Permian), Cutler Group, New Mexico, U.S.A. Nonetheless, the taxon’s conserved morphology and stratigraphic occurrence near the Carboniferous–Permian boundary (ca. 299 million years ago) make it an important datum to resolve the early diversification of dissorophids. We report the first occurrence of <i>Conjunctio</i> cf. <i>C. multidens</i> in the adjacent undivided Cutler Formation of San Miguel County, Colorado, which also represents only the second dissorophid from southwestern Colorado’s historic Placerville assemblage. The new specimen highlights the plesiomorphic anatomy of <i>Conjunctio</i>, with newly described mandibular and postcranial data, and provides further evidence for a relationship to the Eucacopinae. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of 34 temnospondyl taxa by modifying a previously published matrix of 102 craniodental and postcranial characters, scoring <i>Conjunctio</i> at the specimen-level, and found a monophyletic <i>Conjunctio</i> at the base of Eucacopinae. The clade also included the earliest Permian <i>Reiszerpeton</i> and <i>Scapanops</i> in relatively basal positions, and an unresolved polytomy among the later Permian <i>Cacops</i>, <i>Kamacops</i>, <i>Zygosaurus</i>, and <i>Anakamacops</i>. Geographically, the discovery of <i>Conjunctio</i> among the Placerville assemblage is consistent with a broader southwestern U.S. Wolfcampian fauna, correlative to that of the upper El Cobre Canyon Formation in northern New Mexico, and may underscore previously proposed regional provincialism among early Permian tetrapod assemblages.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13414757.v1
title: Dental morphology of <i>Adalatherium hui</i> (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the LATE Cretaceous of Madagascar

description: The dentition in the only known specimen of <i>Adalatherium hui</i>, a gondwanatherian mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, is markedly different from that of any previously known mammaliaform, extinct or extant. The two preserved upper incisors and single lower incisor of <i>Adalatherium</i> are each very large, open-rooted, and bear a restricted band of enamel. A shallow-rooted, rudimentary upper canine is present. The upper postcanine dentition is composed of a small, simple, two-rooted tooth mesially and four large, multiple-rooted (five roots or more) teeth distally. The latter are quadrangular in outline, each with four major cusps and three perimetric ridges bordering a central valley that opens buccally. There are four lower postcanines, also with four major cusps each. The first postcanine has two roots, but the following ones each have (or likely had) at least four. The two distal lower postcanines bear a prominent mesiobuccal basin. The cusps and other topographic features of the postcanines cannot be unambiguously homologized with those of other known mammaliaforms. Diastemata are present in the upper dentition between the incisors and canines and between the canines and postcanines, and in the lower dentition between the incisors and postcanines. <i>Adalatherium</i>, like several gondwanatherians from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene of Argentina, retains relatively plesiomorphic, ‘normal’ radial enamel (i.e., single-layered schmelzmuster, non-decussating small prisms, interprismatic matrix anastomosing around prisms). This stands in contrast to the modified radial enamel found in other gondwanatherians from the Late Cretaceous of India and Madagascar, which exhibit prominent interrow sheets of interprismatic matrix.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13414760
title: Craniofacial morphology of <i>Adalatherium hui</i> (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

description: The cranium of <i>Adalatherium hui</i>, as represented in the holotype and only specimen (UA 9030), is only the second known for any gondwanatherian mammal, the other being that of the sudamericid <i>Vintana sertichi</i>. Both <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i> were recovered from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Maevarano Formation of northwestern Madagascar. UA 9030 is the most complete specimen of a gondwanatherian yet known and includes, in addition to the cranium, both lower jaws and a complete postcranial skeleton. Aside from <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i>, gondwanatherians are otherwise represented only by isolated teeth and lower jaw fragments, belonging to eight monotypic genera from Late Cretaceous and Paleogene horizons of Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, Africa, South America, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Although the anterior part of the cranium is very well preserved in UA 9030, the posterior part is not. Nonetheless, comparable parts of the crania of <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i> indicate some level of common ancestry through possession of several synapomorphies, primarily related to the bony composition, articular relationships, and features of the snout region. Overprinted on this shared morphology are a host of autapomorphic features in each genus, some unique among mammaliaforms and some convergent upon therian mammals. The cranium of <i>Adalatherium</i> is compared with the crania of other mammaliamorphs, particularly those of allotherians or purported allotherians (i.e., haramiyidans, euharamiyidans, multituberculates, <i>Cifelliodon</i>, and <i>Megaconus</i>). Particular emphasis is placed on several recently described forms: the enigmatic <i>Cifelliodon</i> from the Early Cretaceous of Utah and several new taxa of euharamiyidans from the Late Jurassic of China.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13414760.v1
title: Craniofacial morphology of <i>Adalatherium hui</i> (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

description: The cranium of <i>Adalatherium hui</i>, as represented in the holotype and only specimen (UA 9030), is only the second known for any gondwanatherian mammal, the other being that of the sudamericid <i>Vintana sertichi</i>. Both <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i> were recovered from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Maevarano Formation of northwestern Madagascar. UA 9030 is the most complete specimen of a gondwanatherian yet known and includes, in addition to the cranium, both lower jaws and a complete postcranial skeleton. Aside from <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i>, gondwanatherians are otherwise represented only by isolated teeth and lower jaw fragments, belonging to eight monotypic genera from Late Cretaceous and Paleogene horizons of Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, Africa, South America, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Although the anterior part of the cranium is very well preserved in UA 9030, the posterior part is not. Nonetheless, comparable parts of the crania of <i>Adalatherium</i> and <i>Vintana</i> indicate some level of common ancestry through possession of several synapomorphies, primarily related to the bony composition, articular relationships, and features of the snout region. Overprinted on this shared morphology are a host of autapomorphic features in each genus, some unique among mammaliaforms and some convergent upon therian mammals. The cranium of <i>Adalatherium</i> is compared with the crania of other mammaliamorphs, particularly those of allotherians or purported allotherians (i.e., haramiyidans, euharamiyidans, multituberculates, <i>Cifelliodon</i>, and <i>Megaconus</i>). Particular emphasis is placed on several recently described forms: the enigmatic <i>Cifelliodon</i> from the Early Cretaceous of Utah and several new taxa of euharamiyidans from the Late Jurassic of China.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13414763.v1
title: Phylogenetic placement of <i>Adalatherium hui</i> (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar: implications for allotherian relationships

description: The phylogenetic position of Gondwanatheria within Mammaliaformes has historically been controversial. The well-preserved skeleton of <i>Adalatherium hui</i> from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar offers a unique opportunity to address this issue, based on morphological data from the whole skeleton. Gondwanatheria were, until recently, known only from fragmentary dental and mandibular material, as well as a single cranium. The holotype of <i>A. hui</i> provides the first postcranial skeleton for gondwanatherians and substantially increases the amount of character data available to score. We sampled 530 characters and 84 cynodonts (including 34 taxa historically affiliated with Allotheria) to test the phylogenetic relationships of Gondwanatheria and Allotheria using parsimony, undated Bayesian, and tip-dated Bayesian methods. We tested three lower dental formulae for <i>Adalatherium</i>, because its postcanines are distinctly different from those of other mammaliaforms and cannot readily be homologized with any known dental pattern. In all analyses, <i>Adalatherium</i> is recovered within Gondwanatheria, most frequently outside of Sudamericidae or Ferugliotheriidae, which is congruent with establishment of the family Adalatheriidae. The different dental coding schemes do not greatly impact the position of <i>Adalatherium</i>, although there are differences in character optimization. In all analyses, Gondwanatheria are placed within Allotheria, either as sister to Multituberculata, nested within Multituberculata, or as sister to <i>Cifelliodon</i> (and Euharamiyida), or in a polytomy with other allotherians. The composition of Allotheria varies in our analyses. The haramiyidans <i>Haramiyavia</i> and <i>Thomasia</i> are placed outside of Allotheria in the parsimony and tip-dated Bayesian analyses, but in a polytomy with other allotherians in the undated Bayesian analyses.