cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19161825
title: Phylogenetic relationships of the European trilophosaurids <i>Tricuspisaurus thomasi</i> and <i>Variodens inopinatus</i>

description: Trilophosauridae are an extinct group of archosauromorphs from the Upper Triassic of western North America and Nova Scotia. Possible trilophosaurids <i>Tricuspisaurus thomasi</i> and <i>Variodens inopinatus</i> have also been reported from Upper Triassic fissure fills in the southwest of the United Kingdom, based on their multi-cuspid dentitions. Here, we provide an updated description of <i>V. inopinatus</i> and add to the description of <i>T. thomasi</i>, including re-examining CT scans of its holotype dentary. We confirm that the apparent gap on the dentary of <i>T. thomasi</i> is pathological, with the dentine of the teeth on either side of the gap asymmetrically thick, and that heavy vascularization of the anterior part of the dentary confirms it likely had a keratinous rhamphotheca. Our cladistic analyses, to which we add nine new characters, confirm that <i>T. thomasi</i> and <i>V. inopinatus</i> are closely related taxa and the youngest known trilophosaurids. Further, we support a previous suggestion that the relatively small size of these two European trilophosaurids results from insular dwarfism.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16989428
title: A new ornithuromorph bird from the Lower Cretaceous of South America

description: The fossil record of Early Cretaceous birds in South America has been restricted to members of Enantiornithes from the Crato Formation (Aptian) of Brazil. Here we describe a new genus and species of bird discovered at Pedra Branca Mine, Nova Olinda County, Ceará State, Brazil, which adds to the avian fossil record from the Crato Formation. The specimen is represented by an isolated foot that is exposed in plantar view. A plantarly displaced metatarsal III with a well-developed hypotarsus supports its referral to Ornithuromorpha, representing the oldest member of the clade reported for Gondwana. Its unique foot conformation indicates that it may belong to an unknown ornithuromorph clade with some cursory similarities to extant flightless ratites. The presence of Early Cretaceous ornithuromorphs in Brazil indicates that the clade was widespread in Gondwana during the Mesozoic. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:08333BA3-F231-4E61-9E89-105C7478AE31
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.17306445
title: The youngest pangolin (Mammalia, Pholidota) from Europe

description: The fossil record for pangolins is sparse. Current biogeographic data suggest this clade originated in Europe, though pangolins seem to have disappeared from the European paleontological record during the middle Miocene, when they were hypothesized to have been pushed toward more tropical and sub-tropical equatorial environments due to global cooling trends. Here we report on a nearly complete humerus of a pangolin from the early Pleistocene (∼2.2–1.9 Ma) site of Grăunceanu, Romania. This fossil revises this previous understanding of pangolin evolution and biogeography and represents both the youngest fossil pangolin from Europe and the only fossil from Pleistocene Europe. The new species described here, <i>Smutsia olteniensis</i>, sp. nov., shares several synapomorphic traits with other <i>Smutsia</i> species, which are currently found only in Africa. However, relative to extant <i>Smutsia</i>, it has several unique traits that set it apart, including a longer and narrower entepicondyle, an enlarged supinator crest, and an enlarged greater tubercle. Together this unique suite of features justifies the description of a new species. This specimen definitively demonstrates that pangolins were present in Europe during the Pleistocene. Further, <i>Smutsia</i> has previously been thought to be an African taxon, with the oldest specimen from South Africa at ∼5 Ma and living species found across Africa. This specimen now demonstrates that <i>Smutsia</i> previously had a far larger biogeographic range. Finally, Grăunceanu has been reconstructed to have consisted of relatively open grasslands and woodlands, which is an unusual habitat for most pangolins.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.17306445.v1
title: The youngest pangolin (Mammalia, Pholidota) from Europe

description: The fossil record for pangolins is sparse. Current biogeographic data suggest this clade originated in Europe, though pangolins seem to have disappeared from the European paleontological record during the middle Miocene, when they were hypothesized to have been pushed toward more tropical and sub-tropical equatorial environments due to global cooling trends. Here we report on a nearly complete humerus of a pangolin from the early Pleistocene (∼2.2–1.9 Ma) site of Grăunceanu, Romania. This fossil revises this previous understanding of pangolin evolution and biogeography and represents both the youngest fossil pangolin from Europe and the only fossil from Pleistocene Europe. The new species described here, <i>Smutsia olteniensis</i>, sp. nov., shares several synapomorphic traits with other <i>Smutsia</i> species, which are currently found only in Africa. However, relative to extant <i>Smutsia</i>, it has several unique traits that set it apart, including a longer and narrower entepicondyle, an enlarged supinator crest, and an enlarged greater tubercle. Together this unique suite of features justifies the description of a new species. This specimen definitively demonstrates that pangolins were present in Europe during the Pleistocene. Further, <i>Smutsia</i> has previously been thought to be an African taxon, with the oldest specimen from South Africa at ∼5 Ma and living species found across Africa. This specimen now demonstrates that <i>Smutsia</i> previously had a far larger biogeographic range. Finally, Grăunceanu has been reconstructed to have consisted of relatively open grasslands and woodlands, which is an unusual habitat for most pangolins.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.18743673.v2
title: <i>Lophionotus parnaibensis</i>, sp. nov. (Semionotiformes, Semionotidae) in the Upper Jurassic of the Parnaíba Basin, northeastern Brazil

description: Semionotiformes is a diverse extinct group in Neopterygii. It is well represented in the Mesozoic, occurring in marine and continental strata worldwide. However, some diagnostic characters of Semionotiformes and, in particular, of Semionotidae, have been under debate, due to the description of new taxa or revision of previously known ones. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of the first unequivocal record of Semionotidae from Gondwana, i.e., <i>Lophionotus parnaibensis</i>, sp. nov. from the Pastos Bons Formation, Upper Jurassic, in the Parnaíba Basin, northeastern Brazil. It was included in the genus <i>Lophionotus</i> mainly due to the presence of smooth cranial bones, triangular lateral expansion of antorbital portion of frontal, and ratio length/width of frontals lower than three times. It was recovered as a new species due to a unique combination of characters. This discovery represents the most recent occurrence of the genus, which was previously recorded only in the U.S.A. up to the Early Jurassic.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19160782
title: The cranial anatomy of the long-snouted tyrannosaurid dinosaur <i>Qianzhousaurus sinensis</i> from the Upper Cretaceous of China

description: Tyrannosaurid theropods topped the terrestrial food chain in North America and Asia during the latest Cretaceous. Most tyrannosaurids, exemplified by <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>, had deep snouts, thick teeth, and large jaw muscles that could generate high bite forces. They coexisted in Asia with a morphologically divergent group of long-snouted relatives, called alioramins. <i>Qianzhousaurus sinensis</i>, from the Maastrichtian of Ganzhou, China, is the largest alioramin yet discovered, but has only been briefly described. Here we present a detailed osteological description of the holotype cranium and mandible of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i>. We identify several new autapomorphic features of the genus, and new synapomorphies that unite alioramins (<i>Qianzhousaurus</i>, <i>Alioramus altai</i>, <i>Alioramus remotus</i>) as a clade, including a laterally projecting rugosity on the jugal. We clarify that the elongate skull of alioramins involves lengthening of the anterior palate but not the premaxilla, and is reflected by lengthening of the posterior bones of the lower jaw, even though the posterior cranium (orbit and lateral temporal fenestra) are proportionally similar to deep-skulled tyrannosaurids. We show that much of the variation among the alioramin species is consistent with growth trends in other tyrannosaurids, and that <i>A</i>. <i>altai</i>, <i>A</i>. <i>remotus</i>, and <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> represent different ontogenetic stages of progressive maturity, across which the signature nasal rugosites of alioramins became less prominent. We predict that the holotype skull of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> represents the adult level of maturity for alioramins, and propose that the skull morphology of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> indicates a much weaker bite than deep-skulled tyrannosaurids, suggestive of differences in prey choice and feeding style.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16989428.v2
title: A new ornithuromorph bird from the Lower Cretaceous of South America

description: The fossil record of Early Cretaceous birds in South America has been restricted to members of Enantiornithes from the Crato Formation (Aptian) of Brazil. Here we describe a new genus and species of bird discovered at Pedra Branca Mine, Nova Olinda County, Ceará State, Brazil, which adds to the avian fossil record from the Crato Formation. The specimen is represented by an isolated foot that is exposed in plantar view. A plantarly displaced metatarsal III with a well-developed hypotarsus supports its referral to Ornithuromorpha, representing the oldest member of the clade reported for Gondwana. Its unique foot conformation indicates that it may belong to an unknown ornithuromorph clade with some cursory similarities to extant flightless ratites. The presence of Early Cretaceous ornithuromorphs in Brazil indicates that the clade was widespread in Gondwana during the Mesozoic. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:08333BA3-F231-4E61-9E89-105C7478AE31
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19160782.v2
title: The cranial anatomy of the long-snouted tyrannosaurid dinosaur <i>Qianzhousaurus sinensis</i> from the Upper Cretaceous of China

description: Tyrannosaurid theropods topped the terrestrial food chain in North America and Asia during the latest Cretaceous. Most tyrannosaurids, exemplified by <i>Tyrannosaurus rex</i>, had deep snouts, thick teeth, and large jaw muscles that could generate high bite forces. They coexisted in Asia with a morphologically divergent group of long-snouted relatives, called alioramins. <i>Qianzhousaurus sinensis</i>, from the Maastrichtian of Ganzhou, China, is the largest alioramin yet discovered, but has only been briefly described. Here we present a detailed osteological description of the holotype cranium and mandible of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i>. We identify several new autapomorphic features of the genus, and new synapomorphies that unite alioramins (<i>Qianzhousaurus</i>, <i>Alioramus altai</i>, <i>Alioramus remotus</i>) as a clade, including a laterally projecting rugosity on the jugal. We clarify that the elongate skull of alioramins involves lengthening of the anterior palate but not the premaxilla, and is reflected by lengthening of the posterior bones of the lower jaw, even though the posterior cranium (orbit and lateral temporal fenestra) are proportionally similar to deep-skulled tyrannosaurids. We show that much of the variation among the alioramin species is consistent with growth trends in other tyrannosaurids, and that <i>A</i>. <i>altai</i>, <i>A</i>. <i>remotus</i>, and <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> represent different ontogenetic stages of progressive maturity, across which the signature nasal rugosites of alioramins became less prominent. We predict that the holotype skull of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> represents the adult level of maturity for alioramins, and propose that the skull morphology of <i>Qianzhousaurus</i> indicates a much weaker bite than deep-skulled tyrannosaurids, suggestive of differences in prey choice and feeding style.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.17175371
title: Re-assessment of the Late Jurassic eusauropod dinosaur <i>Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum</i> Dong, 1997, from the Turpan Basin, China, and the evolution of hyper-robust antebrachia in sauropods

description: <i>Hudiesaurus sinojapanorum</i> is a Late Jurassic sauropod from northwestern China that was erected on the basis of a cervicodorsal vertebra, four teeth, and a nearly complete forelimb. However, re-evaluation of this material, and comparisons with other taxa, indicate that there are few grounds for regarding these specimens as congeneric. Consequently, although we retain the vertebra as the holotype specimen of <i>Hudiesaurus</i>, the forelimb is assigned to a new taxon—<i>Rhomaleopakhus turpanensis</i>, gen. et sp. nov. The teeth previously referred to <i>Hudiesaurus</i> are poorly preserved but resemble those of several other ‘core <i>Mamenchisaurus</i>-like taxa’ (CMTs) from East Asia, such as <i>Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum</i>. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that <i>Hudiesaurus</i> is a CMT and the sister taxon of <i>Xinjiangtitan</i>. Despite some uniquely shared features, their large size, and close geographic provenance, <i>Hudiesaurus</i> and <i>Xinjiangtitan</i> are retained as distinct genera based on their stratigraphic separation and numerous anatomical differences. <i>Rhomaleopakhus</i> is also shown to be a CMT in all analyses, being most closely related to <i>Chuanjiesaurus</i> and <i>Analong</i>. We link the convergent evolution of robust antebrachia and an enlarged olecranon in CMTs, titanosaurs, and some ornithischians (e.g., ceratopsids) to a more flexed orientation of the forearm, an enhanced role for the forelimb in locomotion, and an anterior shift in the whole-body center of mass. CMTs and titanosaurs potentially converged on a feeding strategy in which the ability to increase browse height via bipedal rearing was sacrificed in return for more efficient locomotion that improved travel between patchily distributed food sources.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.18743673.v1
title: <i>Lophionotus parnaibensis</i>, sp. nov. (Semionotiformes, Semionotidae) in the Upper Jurassic of the Parnaíba Basin, Northeastern Brazil

description: Semionotiformes is a diverse extinct group in Neopterygii. It is well represented in the Mesozoic, occurring in marine and continental strata worldwide. However, some diagnostic characters of Semionotiformes and, in particular, of Semionotidae, have been under debate, due to the description of new taxa or revision of previously known ones. In this paper, we provide a detailed description of the first unequivocal record of Semionotidae from Gondwana, i.e., <i>Lophionotus parnaibensis</i>, sp. nov. from the Pastos Bons Formation, Upper Jurassic, in the Parnaíba Basin, northeastern Brazil. It was included in the genus <i>Lophionotus</i> mainly due to the presence of smooth cranial bones, triangular lateral expansion of antorbital portion of frontal, and ratio length/width of frontals lower than three times. It was recovered as a new species due to a unique combination of characters. This discovery represents the most recent occurrence of the genus, which was previously recorded only in the U.S.A. up to the Early Jurassic.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.19161854
title: A sauropodomorph (Dinosauria, Saurischia) specimen from the Upper Triassic of southern Brazil and the early increase in size in Sauropodomorpha

description: Whereas sauropod dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods were the largest land animals that ever lived, some of their early relatives evolved relatively large bodies during the Triassic Period. The evolutionary pathways followed by the earliest sauropodomorphs towards the acquisition of massive bodies are poorly understood. However, new finds from South America and Africa are reshaping our knowledge of this issue. Here, we describe a new early and relatively large sauropodomorph represented by a partial postcranial skeleton excavated from Carnian-aged beds (Upper Triassic) of southern Brazil. The new specimen is recovered as a sauropodomorph more closely related to bagualosaurians than saturnaliids or other early-diverging forms in two phylogenetic analyses. The new specimen is generically indeterminate but provides important evidence of an early increase in body size in Sauropodomorpha, being significantly larger than that of coeval or older forms (except <i>Bagualosaurus agudoensis</i>). Furthermore, the specimen is about 3.2 times heavier than <i>Buriolestes schultzi</i>, the earliest-branching sauropodomorph. The slender hind limbs and typical cursorial proportions present in the earliest sauropodomorphs are mostly maintained in the new specimen despite its larger body size.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16545916
title: A new genus of Interatheriinae (Interatheriidae, Notoungulata) from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and the revision of the genus <i>Cochilius</i> Ameghino, 1902

description: Interatheriinae is one of the most derived subfamilies of South American notoungulates. Several interatheriines have been described since the 19th century, but most of them have not been revised, or been formally re-examined, for more than a century. Most interatheriine taxa were erected based on materials collected from Argentinean Patagonia, particularly from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province. Within the framework of an exhaustive unpublished systematic revision of Interatheriinae (early Oligocene–late Miocene), we studied the holotype of Santacrucian <i>Icochilus undulatus</i>, leading to the recognition of a new monospecific genus, <i>Neoicochilus</i> gen. nov., and the new combination <i>N. undulatus</i>. In addition, we formalize the taxonomic revision of <i>Cochilius</i>, proposing the following: <i>Paracochilius</i> is the junior synonym of <i>Cochilius</i>; <i>Cochilius</i> consists of <i>C. volvens</i>, <i>C. fumensis</i>, and <i>C. brevirostrus</i>; <i>Paracochilius chubutensis</i> and <i>Protypotherium minor</i> are junior synonyms of <i>Cochilius brevirostrus</i>; <i>Cochilius pendens</i> is the junior synonym of <i>Cochilius columnifer</i>; and the holotype of <i>Cochilius columnifer</i> exhibits the diagnostic features of <i>Protypotherium</i>, so we propose the new combination <i>Protypotherium columnifer</i>, pending publication of our thorough taxonomic revision of <i>Protypotherium</i>. Our taxonomic scheme is supported by a cladistic analysis, which places <i>Neoicochilus undulatus</i> in a derived position within Interatheriinae, as the sister taxon of the monophyletic genus <i>Cochilius</i>, and the clade <i>Neoicochilus</i> plus <i>Cochilius</i> positioned as the sister taxon of <i>Interatherium</i>. Our phylogenetic results support the monophyly of Miocene interatheriines.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16545916.v2
title: A new genus of Interatheriinae (Interatheriidae, Notoungulata) from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and the revision of the genus <i>Cochilius</i> Ameghino, 1902

description: Interatheriinae is one of the most derived subfamilies of South American notoungulates. Several interatheriines have been described since the 19th century, but most of them have not been revised, or been formally re-examined, for more than a century. Most interatheriine taxa were erected based on materials collected from Argentinean Patagonia, particularly from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province. Within the framework of an exhaustive unpublished systematic revision of Interatheriinae (early Oligocene–late Miocene), we studied the holotype of Santacrucian <i>Icochilus undulatus</i>, leading to the recognition of a new monospecific genus, <i>Neoicochilus</i> gen. nov., and the new combination <i>N. undulatus</i>. In addition, we formalize the taxonomic revision of <i>Cochilius</i>, proposing the following: <i>Paracochilius</i> is the junior synonym of <i>Cochilius</i>; <i>Cochilius</i> consists of <i>C. volvens</i>, <i>C. fumensis</i>, and <i>C. brevirostrus</i>; <i>Paracochilius chubutensis</i> and <i>Protypotherium minor</i> are junior synonyms of <i>Cochilius brevirostrus</i>; <i>Cochilius pendens</i> is the junior synonym of <i>Cochilius columnifer</i>; and the holotype of <i>Cochilius columnifer</i> exhibits the diagnostic features of <i>Protypotherium</i>, so we propose the new combination <i>Protypotherium columnifer</i>, pending publication of our thorough taxonomic revision of <i>Protypotherium</i>. Our taxonomic scheme is supported by a cladistic analysis, which places <i>Neoicochilus undulatus</i> in a derived position within Interatheriinae, as the sister taxon of the monophyletic genus <i>Cochilius</i>, and the clade <i>Neoicochilus</i> plus <i>Cochilius</i> positioned as the sister taxon of <i>Interatherium</i>. Our phylogenetic results support the monophyly of Miocene interatheriines.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16988549
title: On the alleged perissodactyl affinities of the “condylarth” <i>Escribania chubutensis</i> and other endemic South American ungulate-like placentals

description: Evolutionary relationships of the endemic South American ungulates (SANUs), both to each other and to other major placental clades, have been robustly debated for more than a century. Morphological evidence has not provided unambiguous resolution of these controversies, although recent paleoproteomic and paleogenomic analyses have supplied unequivocal evidence that at least Litopterna and Notoungulata are most closely related to each other and then to crown Perissodactyla. A recent study based on morphological characters has gone much further, claiming that litopterns and South American condylarths are stem to, or even nested within, Perissodactyla, but are not otherwise related to any North American clades of archaic ungulates. This study also concluded that the alleged shared presence of perissodactyls in Paleogene South America and India, along with several other biological groups, is evidence of a fluid biotic interchange early in the Cenozoic. Our assessment of this study revealed various conceptual and methodological errors, including misinterpretation of homologies, scoring errors, and failure to include relevant taxa such as Notoungulata. Our corrected phylogenetic analysis, performed with essentially the same taxon/character sampling and searching options, recovered all litopterns and their relatives in a single monophyletic clade, separate from the one representing Perissodactyla s.s. Both clades are clearly derived from Laurasian ungulate ancestors. In addition to the absence of true perissodactyls in Paleogene South America, most of the biological groups postulated as shared by both continents are not found in Paleogene strata of India. In sum, there is no meaningful evidence supporting the alleged multiclade, multiterrain biotic interchange.