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Thursday, February 9th, 2023
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 2:18a | [PaleoOrnithology • 2023] Kumimanu fordycei & Petradyptes stonehousei • Largest-known Fossil Penguin provides insight into the early Evolution of sphenisciform Body Size and Flipper Anatomy
Abstract Recent fossil discoveries from New Zealand have revealed a remarkably diverse assemblage of Paleocene stem group penguins. Here, we add to this growing record by describing nine new penguin specimens from the late Paleocene (upper Teurian local stage; 55.5–59.5 Ma) Moeraki Formation of the South Island, New Zealand. The largest specimen is assigned to a new species, Kumimanu fordycei n. sp., which may have been the largest penguin ever to have lived. Allometric regressions based on humerus length and humerus proximal width of extant penguins yield mean estimates of a live body mass in the range of 148.0 kg (95% CI: 132.5 kg–165.3 kg) and 159.7 kg (95% CI: 142.6 kg–178.8 kg), respectively, for Kumimanu fordycei. A second new species, Petradyptes stonehousei n. gen. n. sp., is represented by five specimens and was slightly larger than the extant emperor penguin Aptenodytes forsteri. Two small humeri represent an additional smaller unnamed penguin species. Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses recover Kumimanu and Petradyptes crownward of the early Paleocene mainland NZ taxa Waimanu and Muriwaimanu, but stemward of the Chatham Island taxon Kupoupou. These analyses differ, however, in the placement of these two taxa relative to Sequiwaimanu, Crossvallia, and Kaiika. The massive size and placement of Kumimanu fordycei close to the root of the penguin tree provide additional support for a scenario in which penguins reached the upper limit of sphenisciform body size very early in their evolutionary history, while still retaining numerous plesiomorphic features of the flipper.
Daniel T. Ksepka, Daniel J. Field, Tracy A. Heath, Walker Pett, Daniel B. Thomas, Simone Giovanardi and Alan J.D. Tennyson. 2023. Largest-known Fossil Penguin provides insight into the early Evolution of sphenisciform Body Size and Flipper Anatomy. Journal of Paleontology. First View , pp. 1 - 20 DOI: 10.1017/jpa.2022.88 UUID: zoobank.org/15b1d5b2-a5a0-4aa5-ba0a-8ef3 | ||||||
| 6:28a | [Botany • 2023] Epimedium longnanense (Berberidaceae) • A New Species from Gansu, China
Abstract Epimedium longnanense, a new species of Epimedium (Berberidaceae) from Longnan Prefecture, Gansu Province, China, is here proposed and illustrated. E. longnanense has large flowers with petals possessing long spur and obvious basal lamina, and thus should be grouped into series Davidianae. The species closely resembles E. flavum of ser. Davidianae in morphology. However, it can be easily distinguished by its elongated rhizome (vs. compact), trifoliolate leaves (vs. five leaflets, sometimes trifoliolate), pale pink or purplish-red inner sepals with 6–8 × 2–3 mm (vs. pale sulphur-yellow, ca. 11 × 4 mm). Keywords: Epimedium, IUCN Red List, morphology, taxonomy
Epimedium longnanense Y.J.Zhang, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Epimedium longnanense is closely similar to E. flavum Stearn in morphology, but can be easily distinguished by its elongated rhizome, trifoliolate leaves, and relatively smaller and pale pink or purplish-red inner sepals. Distribution and habit: At present, Epimedium longnanense is only known from its type locality, i.e. Kangnan Forest District, Kangxian County, Longnan Prefecture, Gansu Province, China. The new species mainly occurs in thickets at elevations of 1800–2300 m and is usually together with Fargesia nitida (Mitford) Keng f. ex Yi, Rubia cordifolia L., Smilax stans Maxim., Cardamine tangutorum O. E. Schulz and Veratrum nigrum L. It often grows in stone crevices with barren soil, and its elongated and slender rhizome might be an adaptive characteristic of its living environment. Except for E. longnanense, there are two other species of Epimedium, E. brevicornu Maxim. and E. pubescens Maxim., in Gansu Province, China. In the type locality of E. longnanense, we also found E. pubescens at elevations of 300–1500 m, but no sympatric distribution of these two species was found. Etymology: Longnan is located in the southeast of Gansu Province, the intersection of Qinba Mountain, Loess Plateau and Qinghai Tibet Plateau in China. Longnan is a biodiversity hotspot where many new species or new species records have been found (Liu et al. 2018; Qin et al. 2020; Zhang et al. 2022a). The new species, E. longnanense, is found in this region and is named after the geographic name. Chinese name: Long nan yin yang huo (陇南淫羊藿). Jianhang Jiang, Ying Ji, Jianqiang Li and Yanjun Zhang. 2023. Epimedium longnanense (Berberidaceae), A New Species from Gansu, China. PhytoKeys. 219: 97-106. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.219.94275 | ||||||
| 10:05a | [Herpetology • 2023] Liotyphlops palauophis • A New Species of the genus Liotyphlops Peters, 1881 (Serpentes: Anomalepididae) from Colombia and the Synonymization of Liotyphlops beui (Amaral, 1924) with Liotyphlops ternetzii (Boulenger, 1896)
Abstract A new species of Liotyphlops Peters, 1881, Liotyphlops palauophis sp. nov., is described from the neighborhoods of Bogota, Colombia from a previous syntype of L. anops, and a lectotype is designated for the latter species. The new species is readily distinguished from congeners by having the frontal scale divided (vs single), and a central foramen in the parabasisphenoid (vs foramen absent). High-resolution x-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) was used to study and present data on the skull of the holotype of the new species, the lectotype of L. anops, and the holotype of L. ternetzii. Additionally, extensive study of skull characters and external morphology failed to find diagnostic characters to differentiate L. beui and L. ternetzii, and the former is here considered a junior synonym of L. ternetzii, which is also redescribed. Keywords: Biodiversity, Liotyphlops palauophis sp. nov., neotropics, reptiles, Scolecophidia, taxonomy
Liotyphlops palauophis sp. nov. Diagnosis: Liotyphlops palauophis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other Liotyphlops by having the frontal scale divided (vs single) and a central foramen in the parabasisphenoid (vs foramen absent). It is further distinguished from L. albirostris, L. argaleus, L. bondensis, L. caissara, L. haadi, L. trefauti, and L. wilderi in having two scales (vs one scale) contacting the posterior edge of the nasal between the second supralabial and prefrontal. It is further distinguished from L. beui, L. schubarti, L. taylori, and L. ternetzii by having four (vs three) scales contacting the posterior edge of the prefrontal. It is distinguished from L. anops by having 28/26/26 scales around the body and 19 subcaudal scales (vs 26/24/24 scales around the body and 12–14 subcaudal scales), and from L. sousai in having 573 dorsal scales and 561 ventral scales (vs 439 dorsal scales and 427 ventral scales).
Etymology: The species name is in honor of Alfredo Palau Peña (June 10, 1969–August 8, 2020), a Brazilian herpetologist and my friend, who was killed by the COVID-19 virus. A combination of his name Palau and the Greek ophis, meaning snake. Fidélis Júnio Marra Santos. 2023. A New Species of the genus Liotyphlops Peters, 1881 (Serpentes, Anomalepididae) from Colombia and the Synonymization of Liotyphlops beui (Amaral, 1924) with Liotyphlops ternetzii (Boulenger, 1896). ZooKeys. 1146: 87-114. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1146.94607 |
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