[dinosaur] Branchierpeton saberi (temnospondyl) from Africa + dissorophid diversity from Oklahoma Permian + limbless vertebrates

Ben Creisler
[email protected]


New papers:


Branchierpeton saberi sp. nov.

Ralf Werneburg, Joerg W. Schneider, Sebastian Voigt & Abouchouaib Belahmira
(2019)
First African record of micromelerpetid amphibians (Temnospondyli,
Dissorophoidea).
Journal of African Earth Sciences (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.jafrearsci.2019.103573&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=dnRWVDBY8essU_c5lPTYSaY_B8DjedzhqQgw_a2GvHA&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sciencedirect.com_science_article_pii_S1464343X19302262&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=72-QDpNY0ukB2O1SxhXoCtAn0H29L6bTBoDaw6jxV8U&e= 

Highlights

First record of this European temnospondyl family Micromelerpetidae in
Africa
Stratigraphically oldest record of tetrapods in the Maghreb
Moroccan micromelerpetid skeletons assigned to new species Branchierpeton
saberi
Long-distance migration of aquatic temnospondyls in Variscan mountain belt

Abstract

Recent fieldwork in late Carboniferous (Kasimovian) continental sediments
of the Souss Basin, south-central Morocco, yielded two skeletons of small
branchiosaur-like micromelerpetids. It is the first record of this European
dissorophoid temnospondyl family in Africa and the stratigraphically oldest
record of tetrapods in the Maghreb. The Moroccan micromelerpetid skeletons
are assigned to the new species Branchierpeton saberi which is specifically
unique by five cranial characters combined with a distinct shape of humerus
and interclavicle. The new African micromelerpetid suggests that
long-distance migration in the late Paleozoic Variscan mountain belt was
possible even for small, mainly aquatic temnospondyls. The new
Branchierpeton species might be of biostratigraphic value as a Kasimovian
index fossil.



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Free pdf:

Bryan M. Gee, Joseph J. Bevitt, and Robert R. Reisz (2019)
Dissorophid diversity at the early Permian cave system near Richards Spur,
Oklahoma, USA.
Palaeontologia Electronica 22.2.46A: 1-32
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.26879_976&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=8QR1dBAvfT_xbgJp9HpyuvWeVX_bq666mHquv4COa-E&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__palaeo-2Delectronica.org_content_2019_2623-2Drichards-2Dspur-2Ddissorophids&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=AZsUICfSVBwSmXenEPM6kVCD5T1xgiSLQZqw_sTgHGY&e= 

Free pdf:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__palaeo-2Delectronica.org_content_pdfs_976.pdf&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=WIMBgLoTpIZUdRJrUDxxA5YpFJXwhDTaJeGL4YrA0wo&e= 


The early Permian karst deposits near Richards Spur, Oklahoma, preserve a
diverse assemblage of terrestrial dissorophoid temnospondyls in an upland
environment. The dissorophids, an armored dissorophoid clade, were
previously represented only by two species of the eucacopine Cacops, Cacops
morrisi and Cacops woehri, a genus also known from the lowland floodplains
of the Texas red beds by the genotype C. aspidephorus. Here we report the
first documented occurrences of two other dissorophid taxa at Richards
Spur, Aspidosaurus and Dissorophus, identified on the basis of their
distinctive osteoderms. Similar to Cacops, both taxa are also known from
the Texas red beds and other lowland Permo-Carboniferous localities. Their
documentation increases both the dissorophoid diversity at Richards Spur
and the faunal overlap between the tetrapod assemblage at Richards Spur and
the classic early Permian localities of North America. Additional cranial
and postcranial material is referred to C. morrisi, to a previously
reported indeterminate dissorophine, and to C. woehri, the knowledge of
which is greatly expanded through this report. Analysis of several
osteoderm morphotypes using neutron tomography reveals information that
both strengthens taxonomic referrals (e.g., bifurcated ventral flange in
Dissorophus) and reveals unexpected new insights into dissorophid osteoderm
variation (ventral flange of the internal series in Cacops; presence of an
internal series in Aspidosaurus). The extensive diversity of terrestrial
dissorophoids at this site is unparalleled and furthers the interpretation
of the assemblage as a unique early Permian paleocommunity produced by
distinct environmental conditions.


====

Loredana Macaluso,  Giorgio Carnevale,  Raffaello Casu,  Daniel
Pietrocola,  Andrea Villa &  Massimo Delfino (2019)
Structural and environmental constraints on reduction of paired appendages
among vertebrates.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, blz097 (advance online
publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1093_biolinnean_blz097&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=WjU2ZQBJfaxZ0IolFXaKxemi-ZFQznGKvGcEztSrD8Q&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__academic.oup.com_biolinnean_advance-2Darticle-2Dabstract_doi_10.1093_biolinnean_blz097_5540011&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=GjmlXREHf2j-1xBiD84XOOLKXg0EQlpMe6t8wky10ps&s=DUVGfTo_jHyxlsZjMbZrfdj5weySz8PrSF1QSkMhmqE&e= 


Burrowing habits or complex environments have generally been considered as
potential drivers acting on reduction and loss of the appendicular skeleton
among vertebrates. Herein, we suggest that this might be the case for
lissamphibians and squamates, but that fin loss in fishes is usually
prevented by important structural constraints, because pectoral fins are
commonly used to control rolling and pitching. We provide an overview of
the distribution of paired appendage reduction across vertebrates while
examining the ecological affinities of finless and limbless clades. We
analysed the correlation between lifestyle and fin or limb loss using the
discrete comparative analysis. The resulting Bayesian factors indicate
strong evidence of correlation between: (1) pectoral-fin loss and
coexistence of anguilliform elongation and burrowing habits or complex
habitat in teleost fishes; and (2) limb loss and a burrowing or
grass-swimming lifestyle in squamate reptiles and lissamphibians. These
correlations suggest that a complex environment or a fossorial habit is a
driving force leading to appendage loss. The only style of locomotion that
is functional even in the absence of paired appendages is the undulatory
one, which is typical of all elongated reptiles and lissamphibians, but
certainly less common in teleost fishes.




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