cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.30204023.v1
title: New U-Pb zircon dates reveal a late Norian age for the upper part of the Red Cliff Coal Measures, New South Wales, Australia—implications for biostratigraphy

description: The upper part of the Red Cliff Coal Measures in northern New South Wales hosts a well-preserved Late Triassic flora that, previously, has not been dated precisely. New high-precision U-Pb zircon dating (U-Pb CA-ID-TIMS) from a bentonite immediately overlying the fossiliferous beds yields a maximum depositional age of 208.66 ± 0.33 Ma. This new chronological constraint demonstrates that at least the upper Red Cliff Coal Measures, and the correlative Blackstone Formation of the Ipswich Basin, are Norian in age rather than Carnian, as suggested previously. Palynological assemblages, although thermally altered and dominated by degraded phytoclasts, include spores and pollen assignable to the <i>Craterisporites rotundus</i> Oppel Zone of de Jersey (1975) and are representative of the high-latitude ‘Ipswich microflora’ phytoprovince. The macroflora is well preserved in the upper part of the Red Cliff Coal Measures and is dominated by the umkomasialean ‘seed fern’ <i>Dicroidium odontopteroides</i> but incorporates at least 11 other gymnosperm and two fern taxa typical of the well-documented Late Triassic <i>Dicroidium</i>-dominated floras of southeastern Gondwana. The fossil foliage is typically preserved in dense accumulations reminiscent of modern autumnal leaf mats. These leaves host a moderate array of herbivory and oviposition damage attesting to the presence of a varied insect fauna that is not represented by body fossils. The sedimentary facies associations, ranging from coarse-grained alluvial fan and fluvial channel deposits to finer lacustrine and peat-mire successions, together with numerous scour surfaces and lateral interdigitation of bedforms indicate deposition in a dynamic landscape typical of a small fault-bound continental basin. Collectively, these data refine the stratigraphic framework of the Red Cliff area and correlative components of the Ipswich Basin, and clarify the composition of the Late Triassic palaeovegetation and palaeoenvironments along the eastern margin of Gondwana. <i>Stephen McLoughlin* [steve.mcloughlin@nrm.se] and Vivi Vajda [vivi.vajda@nrm.se], Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden; James L. Crowley [jimcrowley@boisestate.edu] Isotope Geology Laboratory, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA</i>.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29661728
title: Triassic ostracods from the southeastern Tethys: the Timor-Leste record

description: Marine ostracods are reported for the first time from Triassic lithostratigraphic units exposed in Timor-Leste that accumulated in northeastern Gondwana basins along the proto-Australian plate sector. Seventy-two species distributed across 22 genera and 10 families are recognized, including four new species. Though of limited biostratigraphical significance, the implications of the recovered taxa are discussed to further improve the previously proposed integrated microfossil database. As a whole, ostracod communities spanning the studied Triassic deposits are indicative of outer neritic settings, likely associated with peculiar palaeoenvironmental conditions. Whilst the Babulu Formation (mid-Anisian to lower Norian) community comprises some taxa typical of bathyal settings, an outer neritic setting is favoured. Carnian Aitutu Formation (lower Carnian to lower Rhaetian) strata accumulated within a neritic setting, likely shallower than that of the Babulu Formation. The Wai Luli Formation (mid-Rhaetian to Lower Jurassic) assemblage also suggests an outer neritic setting, yet likely shallower than the Babulu Formation. The palaeobiogeographical affinities of the studied communities are analysed for the Carnian and Rhaetian, indicating that ostracods from southeastern peri-Tethys were integrally part of the wider peri-Tethyan realm. Our study considerably increases knowledge of southeastern peri-Tethyan marine ostracod diversity in the Outer Banda Arc, but new data are needed to resolve faunal links with the northwestern margin of the Australian shelf. <i>Marie-Béatrice Forel* [marie-beatrice.forel@mnhn.fr], Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CR2P, MNHN-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, 8 rue Buffon (CP38), 75005 Paris, France; Eujay McCartain [eujay.mccartain@uwa.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; David W. Haig [david.haig@uwa.edu.au], Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29661728.v1
title: Triassic ostracods from the southeastern Tethys: the Timor-Leste record

description: Marine ostracods are reported for the first time from Triassic lithostratigraphic units exposed in Timor-Leste that accumulated in northeastern Gondwana basins along the proto-Australian plate sector. Seventy-two species distributed across 22 genera and 10 families are recognized, including four new species. Though of limited biostratigraphical significance, the implications of the recovered taxa are discussed to further improve the previously proposed integrated microfossil database. As a whole, ostracod communities spanning the studied Triassic deposits are indicative of outer neritic settings, likely associated with peculiar palaeoenvironmental conditions. Whilst the Babulu Formation (mid-Anisian to lower Norian) community comprises some taxa typical of bathyal settings, an outer neritic setting is favoured. Carnian Aitutu Formation (lower Carnian to lower Rhaetian) strata accumulated within a neritic setting, likely shallower than that of the Babulu Formation. The Wai Luli Formation (mid-Rhaetian to Lower Jurassic) assemblage also suggests an outer neritic setting, yet likely shallower than the Babulu Formation. The palaeobiogeographical affinities of the studied communities are analysed for the Carnian and Rhaetian, indicating that ostracods from southeastern peri-Tethys were integrally part of the wider peri-Tethyan realm. Our study considerably increases knowledge of southeastern peri-Tethyan marine ostracod diversity in the Outer Banda Arc, but new data are needed to resolve faunal links with the northwestern margin of the Australian shelf. <i>Marie-Béatrice Forel* [marie-beatrice.forel@mnhn.fr], Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CR2P, MNHN-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, 8 rue Buffon (CP38), 75005 Paris, France; Eujay McCartain [eujay.mccartain@uwa.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia; David W. Haig [david.haig@uwa.edu.au], Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.31321073
title: Distinctive citation dynamics in vertebrate palaeontology: Benchmarking regional field-normalized evaluation metrics

description: Bibliometric scrutiny of academic literature is today prevalent and widespread, and in a world of ‘big data’, it is likely here to stay. Benchmarking measures, such as citation counts, H-indices, and journal rankings are increasingly used in research evaluation, yet meaningful application requires field-specific baselines. Currently, no standard bibliometric framework exists for palaeontology, let alone vertebrate palaeontology in Australasia, creating challenges for researchers seeking to contextualize their academic outputs against fair and realistic standards. This study addresses that gap by producing comparative benchmarks for researchers and research publications within the Australasian region (Australia, New Zealand, and surrounds), offering tools that contemporary researchers can use to frame their own career narratives in funding, promotion, and evaluation contexts. Drawing on a manually vetted dataset comprising more than 5500 publications, 176 contemporary researchers, and 50 years of citation history, key metrics were established, including publication volume, citation accumulation, H-index progression, first/sole authorship rates, and publication patterns relative to journal quality ranking. Results show that vertebrate palaeontology in Australasia exhibits distinct bibliometric behaviours compared to broader fields, such as ecology and geosciences, notably a shorter citation lifespan plateauing around 15 years post-publication. These differences highlight how conventional benchmarks drawn from broader fields may misrepresent research performance in vertebrate palaeontology. The field-specific benchmarks developed here provide a more accurate and equitable foundation for assessing scholarly excellence. They offer practical tools for individual researchers framing their track records, for institutions developing fairer evaluation frameworks, and for broader efforts to promote field-sensitive research assessment. <i>Gilbert J. Price [g.price1@uq.edu.au], School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.31321073.v1
title: Distinctive citation dynamics in vertebrate palaeontology: Benchmarking regional field-normalized evaluation metrics

description: Bibliometric scrutiny of academic literature is today prevalent and widespread, and in a world of ‘big data’, it is likely here to stay. Benchmarking measures, such as citation counts, H-indices, and journal rankings are increasingly used in research evaluation, yet meaningful application requires field-specific baselines. Currently, no standard bibliometric framework exists for palaeontology, let alone vertebrate palaeontology in Australasia, creating challenges for researchers seeking to contextualize their academic outputs against fair and realistic standards. This study addresses that gap by producing comparative benchmarks for researchers and research publications within the Australasian region (Australia, New Zealand, and surrounds), offering tools that contemporary researchers can use to frame their own career narratives in funding, promotion, and evaluation contexts. Drawing on a manually vetted dataset comprising more than 5500 publications, 176 contemporary researchers, and 50 years of citation history, key metrics were established, including publication volume, citation accumulation, H-index progression, first/sole authorship rates, and publication patterns relative to journal quality ranking. Results show that vertebrate palaeontology in Australasia exhibits distinct bibliometric behaviours compared to broader fields, such as ecology and geosciences, notably a shorter citation lifespan plateauing around 15 years post-publication. These differences highlight how conventional benchmarks drawn from broader fields may misrepresent research performance in vertebrate palaeontology. The field-specific benchmarks developed here provide a more accurate and equitable foundation for assessing scholarly excellence. They offer practical tools for individual researchers framing their track records, for institutions developing fairer evaluation frameworks, and for broader efforts to promote field-sensitive research assessment. <i>Gilbert J. Price [g.price1@uq.edu.au], School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29310740
title: Implosion and maximum inhabitable depths throughout ontogeny in phragmocone-bearing cephalopods: the Punctuated Pfaff Model

description: The Pfaff model postulates that the final septum in the phragmocone of a cochleate cephalopod must always be adapted to resist the external pressure transmitted through the animal’s body onto its apertural surface at its maximum inhabitable depth. Stress-strain relationships developed for thin membranes predict that under that condition, septal thickness throughout ontogeny should increase in strict proportion to increased septal span, namely the minimum dimension over which the septum is unsupported. Equivalently, the septal thickness ratio <i>STR</i>, defined as the septal thickness divided by the septal span, should be a constant as long as there is a constant maximum pressure; migration to shallower or deeper habitats should cause a transition to a new ratio. The Punctuated Pfaff Model (PPM) analyses such transitions between multiple stages of stasis throughout ontogeny. All genera examined herein conform to the PPM, including <i>Nautilus</i>, <i>Spirula</i>, <i>Gaudryceras</i>, <i>Argonauticeras</i>, <i>Eogaudryceras</i>, <i>Cleoniceras</i> and <i>Desmoceras</i>. Multiple transitions to shallower or deeper depths are observed across ontogeny; some transitions are sharp, being completed between successive septa, while some are broad, requiring several septa for completion; many transitions are accompanied by septal approximation. The derived maximum inhabitable depths are consistent with the average precipitation depths estimated from stable oxygen analyses. <i>David L. Kennedy* [davelk1066@gmail.com], The Fossil Club of Australia, 73 Fullagar Road, Wentworthville, New South Wales 2145, Australia.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29877813
title: Articulated hindlimb of a small-bodied ornithopod dinosaur from the Cenomanian Griman Creek Formation of New South Wales, Australia

description: The mid-Cretaceous terrestrial deposits of southeastern Australia have yielded an unusual wealth of small-bodied ornithopod remains. Despite their numerical abundance, particularly from the Barremian–Cenomanian of New South Wales and Victoria, articulated remains are extremely rare. Here, we describe the first articulated remains of a small-bodied ornithopod, consisting of a partial hindlimb, from the Cenomanian Griman Creek Formation, which crops out in central-northern New South Wales. The hindlimb includes a number of unusual features not found in other small ornithopods, including a sharp supracondylar crest on the medial surface of the femur and a notched proximal margin of the ascending process of the astragalus. Although this combination of features appears to be unique, most known Australian taxa, including those from the Griman Creek Formation, are known only from isolated craniodental remains, making comparisons impossible. A phylogenetic analysis recovers the new specimen as an elasmarian with possible close affinities to the South American species <i>Isasicursor santacrucensis</i>. As the most complete small-bodied ornithopod yet recovered from the Griman Creek Formation, the new specimen reinforces the elasmarian affinities of at least some Australian ornithopods but also highlights the ongoing difficulties in attempting to resolve their diversity and relationships based on a highly incomplete fossil record. <i>Phil R. Bell* [pbell23@une.edu.au], Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia; Matthew C. Herne [mherne2@une.edu.au], Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia; Sienna Birch [sbirch8@une.edu.au], Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia; Ralph Molnar [ralph.molnar@gmail.com], University of California Museum of Palaeontology, Berkeley, California, USA; Elizabeth T. Smith [elizabethtsmith@exemail.com.au], Australian Opal Centre, Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia</i>
DOI: 10.15468/dl.cxzeuw
title: Occurrence Download

description: A dataset containing 19812769 species occurrences available in GBIF matching the query:
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 "PublishingOrg is aa569acf-991d-4467-b327-8442f30ddbd2",
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}

 The dataset includes 19812769 records from 6 constituent datasets; see https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/download/0009973-260208012135463/datasets/export for details.
 
Data from some individual datasets included in this download may be licensed under less restrictive terms.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28692749
title: <i>Wabanbara ringtailensis</i>—a new chelid turtle (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from mid-Miocene deposits of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Australia

description: The mid-Miocene Ringtail Site of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Waanyi country, northwestern Queensland, Australia is a particularly productive locality for chelid turtle fossils. Recently, an almost complete chelid skull was recovered from Ringtail Site. This skull is large and shows a combination of features not found in Australian short-necked chelids: an elongate basisphenoid; large orbits; narrow triturating surface; prominent lateral and posterior emarginations; posteriorly tilted <i>cavum tympani</i>; posteriorly extended squamosal; shallow palate; and a long, broad and ventrally flattened trochlear process. The Ringtail Site skull also differs from Australian long-necked chelids in lacking contact between the quadrate and basisphenoid, possessing unfused frontals, a moderately high temporal arch, and a flattened skull. Aspects of skull morphology suggest that the Ringtail Site chelid was an aquatic omnivore that actively searched for food in open water, and may have employed gape-suction feeding. We designate the Ringtail Site chelid as a new genus and species, and phylogenetically distinct from all modern Australian chelid genera as an early diverging member of the radiation. The Ringtail Site chelid could be closely related to the Australian Miocene taxon <i>Birlimarr gaffneyi—</i>the only other extinct Australian chelid species described from relatively complete skull material. <i>Arthur White [arfawhite@gmail.com], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052; Anna Gillespie* [a.gillespie@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052; Suzanne Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28692749.v1
title: <i>Wabanbara ringtailensis</i>—a new chelid turtle (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from mid-Miocene deposits of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Australia

description: The mid-Miocene Ringtail Site of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Waanyi country, northwestern Queensland, Australia is a particularly productive locality for chelid turtle fossils. Recently, an almost complete chelid skull was recovered from Ringtail Site. This skull is large and shows a combination of features not found in Australian short-necked chelids: an elongate basisphenoid; large orbits; narrow triturating surface; prominent lateral and posterior emarginations; posteriorly tilted <i>cavum tympani</i>; posteriorly extended squamosal; shallow palate; and a long, broad and ventrally flattened trochlear process. The Ringtail Site skull also differs from Australian long-necked chelids in lacking contact between the quadrate and basisphenoid, possessing unfused frontals, a moderately high temporal arch, and a flattened skull. Aspects of skull morphology suggest that the Ringtail Site chelid was an aquatic omnivore that actively searched for food in open water, and may have employed gape-suction feeding. We designate the Ringtail Site chelid as a new genus and species, and phylogenetically distinct from all modern Australian chelid genera as an early diverging member of the radiation. The Ringtail Site chelid could be closely related to the Australian Miocene taxon <i>Birlimarr gaffneyi—</i>the only other extinct Australian chelid species described from relatively complete skull material. <i>Arthur White [arfawhite@gmail.com], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052; Anna Gillespie* [a.gillespie@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052; Suzanne Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, 2052.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29310740.v1
title: Implosion and maximum inhabitable depths throughout ontogeny in phragmocone-bearing cephalopods: the Punctuated Pfaff Model

description: The Pfaff model postulates that the final septum in the phragmocone of a cochleate cephalopod must always be adapted to resist the external pressure transmitted through the animal’s body onto its apertural surface at its maximum inhabitable depth. Stress-strain relationships developed for thin membranes predict that under that condition, septal thickness throughout ontogeny should increase in strict proportion to increased septal span, namely the minimum dimension over which the septum is unsupported. Equivalently, the septal thickness ratio <i>STR</i>, defined as the septal thickness divided by the septal span, should be a constant as long as there is a constant maximum pressure; migration to shallower or deeper habitats should cause a transition to a new ratio. The Punctuated Pfaff Model (PPM) analyses such transitions between multiple stages of stasis throughout ontogeny. All genera examined herein conform to the PPM, including <i>Nautilus</i>, <i>Spirula</i>, <i>Gaudryceras</i>, <i>Argonauticeras</i>, <i>Eogaudryceras</i>, <i>Cleoniceras</i> and <i>Desmoceras</i>. Multiple transitions to shallower or deeper depths are observed across ontogeny; some transitions are sharp, being completed between successive septa, while some are broad, requiring several septa for completion; many transitions are accompanied by septal approximation. The derived maximum inhabitable depths are consistent with the average precipitation depths estimated from stable oxygen analyses. <i>David L. Kennedy* [davelk1066@gmail.com], The Fossil Club of Australia, 73 Fullagar Road, Wentworthville, New South Wales 2145, Australia.</i>
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.29704895
title: A new fossil kangaroo species of the genus <i>Dorcopsoides</i> (Marsupialia, Macropodinae) from the late Miocene Ongeva Local Fauna, central Australia

description: The kangaroo tribe Dorcopsini is represented today by six species of New Guinean forest-wallaby. However, the group has a patchy fossil record beginning on the Australian mainland in the upper Miocene. Two species of fossil dorcopsin have been described from Australia to date one from the lower Pliocene of southeastern Australia; and another from the upper Miocene Alcoota beds of the Waite Formation in the continental interior. Here we describe a third Australian species from the Ongeva deposit, which stratigraphically overlies the Alcoota beds. <i>Dorcopsoides cowpatensis</i> sp. nov. is smaller than its congeners, <i>Dorcopsoides fossilis</i> and <i>Dorcopsoides buloloensis</i>, and differs in a combination of dental and postcranial character states. While its molars are very similar to other dorcopsins, the short, straight premolar resembles that of more derived macropodines. Its hindlimbs appear to have been ‘lower geared’ than those of <i>D. fossilis</i>, and in overall functional morphology it is similar to species of <i>Dorcopsis</i> and to the Quokka, <i>Setonix brachyurus</i>. We infer that <i>D. cowpatensis</i> was adapted to a relatively closed habitat while still being capable of a powerful bipedal hop. <i>Isaac A. R. Kerr* [isaac.kerr@flinders.edu.au], College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia; Gavin J. Prideaux [gavin.prideaux@flinders.edu.au], College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.</i>