[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View]
Monday, August 4th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 8:12a | [Paleontology • 2025] Tongnanlong zhimingi • A new mamenchisaurid from the Upper Jurassic Suining Formation of the Sichuan Basin in China and its implication on sauropod gigantism
Abstract The Sichuan Basin has yielded abundant sauropod dinosaurs from the Middle-Late Jurassic, and Mamenchisauridae had predominated the dinosaur faunae during the Late Jurassic in the Sichuan Basin. Here, we describe a new sauropod dinosaur, Tongnanlong zhimingi gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic Suining Formation in the Sichuan Basin, southwestern China. The holotype includes three dorsal and six caudal vertebrae, scapula, coracoid, and some hindlimb bones. It is diagnosed by the complex structures of the dorsal and anterior caudal vertebrae compared to other mamenchisaurids. Phylogenetic analysis shows that it is more closely related to Mamenchisaurus than to Omeisaurus. The huge-sized scapula and coracoid also indicate that the specimen belongs to an extremely gigantic individual with a body length approaching about 25 ~ 26 m. The new specimen enriches the diversity of Mamenchisauridae and provides additional information for understanding the evolution and diversity of eusauropod dinosaurs. Keywords: Sauropoda, Mamenchisauridae, Upper Jurassic, Suining Formation, Phylogeny
Systematic paleontology Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Eusauropoda Mamenchisauridae Tongnanlong zhimingi gen. et sp. nov. Etymology. The generic name Tongnan, Chinese Pinyin, refers to the Tongnan District, where the holotype was found; the word ‘long’ in Chinese Pinyin for dragon. The specific name is in honor of the world-famous dinosaur scientist Mr. Dong Zhiming for his great contributions to the dinosaur research in the Sichuan Basin. Holotype. An incomplete individual that includes three dorsal and six caudal vertebrae, left shoulder girdle (scapula and coracoid) and hindlimb elements (partial tibia, fibula, three metatarsals, and two unguals). The specimen is housed in Tongnan Museum, with the specimen number of TNM 0254. Type locality and horizon. The building site of Dafo Street (with GPS N30°10’44”, E105°48’17”), Tongnan District; Upper Jurassic, Suining Formation. Diagnosis. A huge-bodied mamenchisaurid dinosaur with the following unique combination of characters: dorsal centra opisthocoelous, camerate pneumatic structures of dorsal centra, well-deveolped spinopostzygapophysial lamina of dorsal vertebrae, anterior caudal centra procoelous, neural spine of anterior caudal vertebrae oriented posterodorsally, small lamina within the pleurocoels on dorsal centra, neural spine of the dorsal vertebrae and postozygapophyses forming laminae and fossae, fossa developed between the postzygapopaphysis and hyposphene on anterior caudal vertebra, S-shaped suture of scapula and coracoid, obtuse angle of the scapular and coracoid articular surfaces of glenoid, coracoid fossa much close to the scapular margin than to the glenoid margin, scapular acromion weakly developed and bearing no hook-like process. Xuefang Wei, Yuanjun Tan, Shan Jiang, Jun Ding, Lei Li, Xiaobing Wang, Yiyang Liu, Guangbiao Wei, Deliang Li, Yu Liu, Guangzhao Peng, Shizhen Zhang and Changling Lao. 2025. A new mamenchisaurid from the Upper Jurassic Suining Formation of the Sichuan Basin in China and its implication on sauropod gigantism. Scientific Reports. 15, 24808. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09796-0 [10 July 2025]  | ||||||
| 9:54a | [Ichthyology • 2025] Profundulus hectori • A New Species of Profundulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Profundulidae) from southeastern Mexico
Abstract A new species of Profundulus is described from several localities in the Grijalva river basin and rivers of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in southern Mexico, using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Genetically, it is separated from other Profundulus species analyzed by a minimum of 3.86% uncorrected p-distance for the nd2 mitochondrial gene. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of a set of large black spots on the scales on the sides of the body, a set of black spots whose size is equal to or greater than 50% of the diameter of the pupil in the new species, a larger number of scales on the lateral line and a larger number of predorsal scales. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of molecular sequence data, the new species is recovered close related to P. chimalapensis, supported by posterior probability of 0.96, and this clade was recovered close related to P. oaxacae, with a posterior probability of 1.0 and bootstrap support of 100. This is the twelfth member of the genus Profundulus. Keywords: Biodiversity; Freshwater fish; Phylogeny; Profundulids; Taxonomy
Profundulus hectori, new species Etymology. In recognition of his many contributions to the study and conservation of freshwater fishes in Mexico, this species is named after our friend and colleague, the Mexican ichthyologist Hector Espinosa Perez, recently deceased. A noun in a genitive case.  Sara Elizabeth Domínguez-Cisneros, Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez, Omar Domínguez-Domínguez and Rosa Gabriela Beltrán-López. 2025. A New Species of Profundulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Profundulidae) from southeastern Mexico. Neotrop Ichthyol. 23(2):e240096. DOI: doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-2024-0096 | ||||||
| 10:43a | [Paleontology • 2025] Plesionectes longicollum • An unusual early-diverging plesiosauroid from the Lower Jurassic Posidonia Shale of Holzmaden, Germany
Abstract The lower Toarcian Posidonia Shale at Holzmaden, Southwest Germany, has yielded some of the most remarkable Lower Jurassic marine tetrapod specimens, including five plesiosaur taxa identified from nearly complete skeletons. This study provides a comprehensive description of an osteologically immature plesiosauroid skeleton found in a Holzmaden quarry in 1978. Despite that the specimen has been researched in the past, previous studies have been either brief or targeted some specific aspects of the specimen, such as its soft tissue preservation. The anatomy and taxonomy of the specimen have never been explored in detail. We reinterpret several of its osteological features and evaluate their taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. Our findings reveal that the specimen possesses an unusual combination of character states, which are not markedly affected by ontogenetic development, warranting the designation of a new taxon, Plesionectes longicollum gen. et sp. nov., thereby increasing the known plesiosaur diversity of both the Toarcian age and the Posidonia Shale.
Plesiosauria De Blainville, 1835 Plesiosauroidea Gray, 1825 Plesionectes gen. nov. Etymology. The name Plesionectes derives from plēsíon (Greek), meaning “close”, “near”, referring to its plesiosaur affinities, and nēktēs (Greek), “swimmer”, common suffix in plesiosaur taxon names. Plesionectes longicollum sp. nov. Type locality and horizon. Holzmaden, Esslingen District, Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany; lower Toarcian (Lias ɛII1, ‘Koblenzer’, Dactylioceras tenuicostatum Zone, D. semicelatum Subzone; Hauff, 1921; Riegraf, Werner & Lörcher, 1984; Maisch, 2021), Lower Jurassic. Diagnosis. Plesiosauroid plesiosaur bearing following unique combination of characters states: paraoccipital process being considerably longer as the height of the exoccipital body; neck comprising ≥43 cervical vertebrae; V-shaped neurocentral suture in the cervical and pectoral vertebrae (potential local autapomorphy sensu Beeston et al., 2024); conjoined parapophysis and diapophysis in the anterior, middle, and the majority of the posterior cervicals, one rib facet formed in the posteriormost cervical vertebrae; cervical rib processes strap-shaped and pronounced in anterior and mid-neck region; posterior cervical and pectoral neural spines not considerably taller than long (mostly < 1:2), lacking constriction at base; dorsal vertebral series comprising 20–21 vertebrae. Etymology. The name longicollum derives from longus (Latin), meaning “long”, and collum (Latin), “neck”, in reference to its long neck, comprising at least 43 vertebrae.
Sven Sachs and Daniel Madzia. 2025. An unusual early-diverging plesiosauroid from the Lower Jurassic Posidonia Shale of Holzmaden, Germany. PeerJ. 13:e19665. DOI: doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19665 | ||||||
| 1:46p | [Mollusca • 2025] Grimpoteuthis feitiana • Flying in the Deep: the Description of A New Species of Grimpoteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata: Grimpoteuthidae) from the Caroline Seamount, with ecological adaptation of dumbo octopuses
Abstract The dumbo octopus is a deep-sea benthic macrofauna belonging to the Cirrata. It is considered a primitive taxon, displaying adaptive characteristics for deep-sea environments. In the course of a 2017 survey, a single specimen of Grimpoteuthis was captured at a depth of 1240.0 m on the Caroline Seamount in the Western Pacific Ocean. Through integrative taxonomy, this species was identified as new to science and named Grimpoteuthis feitiana sp. nov. In this study, the mitogenomes of the new species, together with another unidentified Grimpoteuthis sp. sampled from the Zhenbei Seamount, were fully sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the Grimpoteuthis and its close relationship with Luteuthis. Grimpoteuthidae was grouped with Opisthoteuthidae, Cirroctopodidae, and Cirroteuthidae in succession. Our analyses revealed that certain residues in the mitochondrial genes of deep-sea octopods have undergone positive selection, potentially contributing to their adaptations to energetic requirements. Our study emphasizes the importance of increasing sample size to offer further morphological and phylogenetic evidence and insights into octopus adaptations to the deep-sea environment in future studies. Keywords: New species, Cirrata, Deep-sea, Mitochondrial genome, Phylogenetics, Adaptive evolution
Class Cephalopoda Cuvier, 1797 Order Octopoda Leach, 1818. Suborder Cirrata Grimpe, 1916. Family Grimpoteuthidae O’Shea, 1999 Genus Grimpoteuthis Robson, 1932 Grimpoteuthis feitiana sp. nov. Etymology. The species epithet ‘feitiana’ is derived from ‘feitian’, a goddess known in Chinese Mogao Cave Culture for her graceful dancing in the air, resembling this dumbo octopus flying underwater. Yan Tang, Xiaodong Zheng and Junlong Zhang. 2025. Flying in the Deep: the Description of A New Species of Grimpoteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata: Grimpoteuthidae) from the Caroline Seamount, with ecological adaptation of dumbo octopuses. Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 25; 269–285. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s13127-025-00678-x [21 April 2025] Researchgate.net/publication/390979774_a  | ||||||
| 2:44p | [Ichthyology • 2025] Ictalurus nazas • A New Species of North American Catfish (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) from Mexico
Abstract Catfishes of the genus Ictalurus (Ictaluridae) range geographically from southern Canada to northern Guatemala and Belize. The systematics of this genus remain unresolved, with recent studies suggesting the presence of cryptic diversity. This is the case for a potentially undescribed catfish species distributed in the Nazas River basin, which has been recorded to date as a population of Ictalurus pricei. Recent phylogenetic studies suggest that it represents an independently evolving lineage that is distinct from I. pricei. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic characters that differentiate the Nazas River basin lineage and to describe this lineage as a new taxon. Morphological comparisons were made using meristic and morphometric characters. The study identified useful meristic and morphometric characters for diagnosing Ictalurus nazas sp. nov., which differentiate it from I. pricei. Key words: Ictalurus pricei, identification key, morphological comparison, Nazas basin, punctatus group, Siluriformes, taxonomy
Edith Avila-Treviño, Gabriel Fernando Cardoza-Martínez, Fernando Alonzo-Rojo and Rodolfo Pérez-Rodríguez. 2025. Ictalurus nazas sp. nov., A New Species of North American Catfish (Siluriformes, Ictaluridae) from Mexico. ZooKeys. 1248: 33-51. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1248.151641 | ||||||
| 3:04p | [Paleontology • 2025] Crocodylus sudani • A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals Hidden Diversity of Crocodylus in Africa
Abstract While Crocodylus fossils are common in late Cenozoic deposits of Africa, there is a lack of knowledge about species diversity within the genus, especially after the Early Pleistocene. Here we report on a complete skull of a new fossil Crocodylus from the Late Pleistocene of the Middle Atbara River, eastern Sudan. Cranial morphology resembles Plio-Pleistocene species of Crocodylus from Africa in having upturned squamosals, though not as prominently developed as in these species, whereas the skull differs from fossil and extant Crocodylus in having a vaulted sagittal boss on the dorsal surface of the rostrum, and in the absence of a supraoccipital exposure on the dorsal skull table. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the Atbara Crocodylus represents a separate species and is more closely related to the fossil African crocodiles than the extant forms. The new species represents the first fossil Crocodylus to be described from the Late Pleistocene of Africa, providing new information on the occurrences and diversification of the genus Crocodylus during the Late Pleistocene.
Eusuchia Huxley 1875 Crocodylia Gmelin 1789, sensu Benton and Clark 1988 Crocodylidae Gray 1825 Crocodylus Laurenti, 176921. Crocodylus sudani, sp. nov. Khalafallah Salih, Johannes Müller, Ali Eisawi and Faysal Bibi. 2025. A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals Hidden Diversity of Crocodylus in Africa. Scientific Reports. 15, 27433. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08980-6 [01 August 2025]  |
| << Previous Day |
2025/08/04 [Calendar] |
Next Day >> |