[dinosaur] Lapparentophis ragei, new Cretaceous snake species + Miocene skinks + more

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

Some recent non-dino papers:

Lapparentophis ragei sp. nov.

Romain Vullo (2019)
A new species of Lapparentophis from the mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem beds,
Morocco, with remarks on the distribution of lapparentophiid snakes.
Comptes Rendus Palevol (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1016_j.crpv.2019.08.004&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=iPdocqik8aDrrym-nOuaDAyzSI-tb7SNSsfQUL3AkLQ&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sciencedirect.com_science_article_abs_pii_S163106831930154X&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=kLGHjv211mgh35-QCOGejDV5c3BziEAX0LYu2p3ytW0&e= 


Two isolated trunk vertebrae from the ?uppermost Albian–lower Cenomanian
Kem Kem beds of Morocco are described and assigned to Lapparentophis, an
early snake genus known from coeval deposits in Algeria. The Moroccan
specimens represent a new species, Lapparentophis ragei, which can be
distinguished from the type and only known species, Lapparentophis
defrennei, by its smaller size, its more elongate vertebrae, the presence
of parazygosphenal foramina, and paradiapophyses extending anteroventrally
closer to the cotyle. The discovery of Lapparentophis in the Kem Kem beds
adds to the relatively diverse snake assemblage previously reported from
this formation and extends the geographical range of the genus. The
distribution of Lapparentophis and lapparentophiid-grade (?lapparentophiid)
snakes is discussed. This poorly known family of terrestrial snakes seems
to be restricted to the latest Albian–early Cenomanian of North Africa,
with the exception of Pouitella from the early–middle Cenomanian of France.
As for many other vertebrate taxa of this period, this distribution is
consistent with a dispersal event from Africa to the western part of the
European archipelago.
==

Andrej Čerňanský,  Elena V. Syromyatnikova,  Ekaterina S. Kovalenko,
Konstantin M. Podurets  & Alexander A. Kaloyan (2019)
The key to understanding the European Miocene Chalcides (Squamata,
Scincidae) comes from Asia: the lizards of the East Siberian Tagay locality
(Baikal Lake) in Russia.
The Anatomical Record (advance online publication)
doi:  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1002_ar.24289&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=V2Q698dcTq9W3Quu-ZSAS4phDsYtW8biewJzpo6NaeY&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com_doi_10.1002_ar.24289&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=JoEswi1w-cqgartwMPa1DFg40QoLwxBv5xaDlT9y3_w&e= 


The early middle Miocene (MN 5) lizards from the East Siberian Tagay
locality (Baikal Lake, Russia) in Asia are described here. The lizard fauna
consists of two clades, Lacertidae and Scincidae. The skink material is
allocated to Chalcides.While this taxon was previously reported from
Europe, it has rarely been observed in the Neogene record with only jaw
fragments and frontal bones described. Its taxonomy was therefore
enigmatic. The Tagay material is almost identical to the European fossils
of Chalcides from Austria and Hungary, but it also contains the parietal
bone. While the material is also similar to the extant Ch. ocellatus, it
exhibits several morphological differences. A new species is therefore
erected ‐ Chalcides augei sp. nov. These findings further support the
connection of the Baikal Lake area with central Europe during the first
half of the Miocene. The comparative anatomy of the frontals, parietals and
lower jaws was evaluated by micro‐CT in selected skink taxa. This
comparison highlights several important differences, e.g., paired frontals
are present in Broadleysaurus (an outgroup taxon), in Acontias and all
studied members of Scincidae herein. The character optimization in Mesquite
supports fused frontals as being the condition at the basal node of the
Ateuchosauridae + Sphenomorphidae + Eugongylidae+ Lygosomidae + Egerniidae
+ Mabuyidae clade. While the parapineal foramen is restricted to the
parietal in most taxa studied herein, it is absent (or vestigial) in
Acontias and Feylinia. In contrast to all other skinks, this foramen is
located on the frontal in Ateuchosaurus chinensis.

==


Lida Xing, Donghao Wang, Gang Li, Ryan C. McKellar, Ming Bai, Huarong Chen
& Susan E. Evans (2019)
Possible egg masses from amphibians, gastropods, and insects in
mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1080_08912963.2019.1677642&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=JfP_a1MQDFxmhmF2FKyvVLh6OPZTZhdN8PEcqTnA9-4&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.tandfonline.com_doi_full_10.1080_08912963.2019.1677642&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=pVI58WrP2-o6PXWYk8TKbH-yCRk7MYQCbQNt51GNz4E&s=mzMVMdBksQDAxquWhvL3gMmiTrK3LnkbsH_3AIJPsUE&e= 


The eggs of fish, amphibians, and many invertebrates are soft, delicate
structures that are only rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here we
report egg masses preserved as inclusions in mid-Cretaceous amber deposits
of Myanmar. Of five specimens recovered, three of the egg masses probably
pertain to insects, but the other two appear different. One mass is
composed of relatively stiff eggs that retain their shape throughout the
mass and may be linked by mucoid strands. This morphology resembles that of
some terrestrial molluscs. The second mass is composed of softer eggs that
have compressed one another so that their shapes are strongly distorted
within the mass. These eggs most closely resemble those of amphibians.
Given the forest environment reconstructed for the amber locality, the eggs
were presumably attached on or close to the resin producing tree.

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