New holostean fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii) from the Middle Triassic of the Monte San Giorgio (Canton Ticino, Switzerland).
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lopez-Arbarello A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4957996 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Organic-rich laminated shales and limestones from the Monte San Giorgio (Lugano Prealps, Switzerland) are known as famous fossil lagerstätten for excellently preserved fossils from the Middle Triassic Period. The various bituminous shales from Monte San Giorgio are thermally immature and rich in diverse organic compounds, which provide unique substrates for active soil microbial communities. We selected the Cava superior beds of the Acqua del Ghiffo site for this study. To investigate its microbial structure and diversity, contig assembly, Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) clustering, and rarefaction analysis were performed for bacterial 16S rDNA preparations from bituminous and non-bituminous limestone strata with the MetaAmp pipeline. Principal coordinates analysis shows that the microbial communities from the bituminous strata differ significantly from limestone samples (P?<?0.05 Unifrac weighted). Moreover, metagenomic tools could also be used effectively to analyze the microbial communities shift during enrichment in specific growth media. In the nutrient-rich media, one or few taxa, mainly Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, were enriched which led to the drastic diversity loss while oligotrophic media could enrich many taxa simultaneously and sustain the richness and diversity of the inoculum. Piphillin, METAGENassist and MicrobiomeAnalyst pipeline also predicted that the Monte San Giorgio bituminous shales and oligotrophic enriched microbiomes degrade complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
| S-EPMC6938485 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Ginglymodi is one of the most common, though poorly understood groups of neopterygians, which includes gars, macrosemiiforms, and "semionotiforms." In particular, the phylogenetic relationships between the widely distributed "semionotiforms," and between them and other ginglymodians have been enigmatic. Here, the phylogenetic relationships between eight of the 11 "semionotiform" genera, five genera of living and fossil gars and three macrosemiid genera, are analysed through cladistic analysis, based on 90 morphological characters and 37 taxa, including 7 out-group taxa. The results of the analysis show that the Ginglymodi includes two main lineages: Lepisosteiformes and †Semionotiformes. The genera †Pliodetes, †Araripelepidotes, †Lepidotes, †Scheenstia, and †Isanichthys are lepisosteiforms, and not semionotiforms, as previously thought, and these taxa extend the stratigraphic range of the lineage leading to gars back up to the Early Jurassic. A monophyletic †Lepidotes is restricted to the Early Jurassic species, whereas the strongly tritoral species previously referred to †Lepidotes are referred to †Scheenstia. Other species previously referred to †Lepidotes represent other genera or new taxa. The macrosemiids are well nested within semionotiforms, together with †Semionotidae, here restricted to †Semionotus, and a new family including †Callipurbeckia n. gen. minor (previously referred to †Lepidotes), †Macrosemimimus, †Tlayuamichin, †Paralepidotus, and †Semiolepis. Due to the numerous taxonomic changes needed according to the phylogenetic analysis, this article also includes formal taxonomic definitions and diagnoses for all generic and higher taxa, which are new or modified. The study of Mesozoic ginglymodians led to confirm Patterson's observation that these fishes show morphological affinities with both halecomorphs and teleosts. Therefore, the compilation of large data sets including the Mesozoic ginglymodians and the re-evaluation of several hypotheses of homology are essential to test the hypotheses of the Halecostomi vs. the Holostei, which is one of the major topics in the evolution of Mesozoic vertebrates and the origin of modern fish faunas.
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Project description:Besanosaurus leptorhynchus Dal Sasso & Pinna, 1996 was described on the basis of a single fossil excavated near Besano (Italy) nearly three decades ago. Here, we re-examine its cranial osteology and assign five additional specimens to B. leptorhynchus, four of which were so far undescribed. All of the referred specimens were collected from the Middle Triassic outcrops of the Monte San Giorgio area (Italy/Switzerland) and are housed in various museum collections in Europe. The revised diagnosis of the taxon includes the following combination of cranial characters: extreme longirostry; an elongate frontal not participating in the supratemporal fenestra; a prominent 'triangular process' of the quadrate; a caudoventral exposure of the postorbital on the skull roof; a prominent coronoid (preglenoid) process of the surangular; tiny conical teeth with coarsely-striated crown surfaces and deeply-grooved roots; mesial maxillary teeth set in sockets; distal maxillary teeth set in a short groove. All these characters are shared with the holotype of Mikadocephalus gracilirostris Maisch & Matzke, 1997, which we consider as a junior synonym of B. leptorhynchus. An updated phylogenetic analysis, which includes revised scores for B. leptorhynchus and several other shastasaurids, recovers B. leptorhynchus as a basal merriamosaurian, but it is unclear if Shastasauridae form a clade, or represent a paraphyletic group. The inferred body length of the examined specimens ranges from 1 m to about 8 m. The extreme longirostry suggests that B. leptorhynchus primarily fed on small and elusive prey, feeding lower in the food web than an apex predator: a novel ecological specialisation never reported before the Anisian in a large diapsid. This specialization might have triggered an increase of body size and helped to maintain low competition among the diverse ichthyosaur fauna of the Besano Formation.
| S-EPMC8106916 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Neopterygii is a taxonomically diverse clade of ray-finned fishes, including Teleostei, Holostei and closely related fossil taxa. The Colobodontidae is a stem group of large-sized neopterygians with a durophagous feeding adaption from the Middle to Late Triassic marine ecosystems in Europe and South China. Here, we report the discovery of a new colobodontid, Feroxichthys panzhouensis sp. nov., based on a well-preserved specimen from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Panzhou (formerly known as Panxian), Guizhou, China. The discovery extends the geographical distribution of Feroxichthys from eastern Yunnan into western Guizhou, and demonstrates a more rapid diversification of early colobodontids than previously thought. The new species possesses diagnostic features of Feroxichthys (e.g., a fused lacrimal-maxilla), but it is easily distinguished from the type species Feroxichthys yunnanensis and other colobodontids by some derived features on the skull and, especially, the relatively short and deep body with a prominent postcranial hump. This body form, previously unknown in colobodontids, implicates a morphological adaptation to structurally complex habitats in light of ecological studies of modern ray-finned fishes with a similar body form. In addition, the feeding apparatus suggests a more obligate durophagous diet for F. panzhouensis sp. nov. than other colobodontids. Results of a cladistic analysis recover the new species as a sister taxon of F. yunnanensis within the Colobodontidae, and suggest that a hump-backed body form has independently evolved multiple times in Triassic neopterygians. As such, the new finding provides an important addition for our understanding of the morphological and ecological diversity of neopterygian fishes from the Triassic marine ecosystems in South China.
| S-EPMC8035898 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Insects are a highly diverse group of organisms and constitute more than half of all known animal species. They have evolved an extraordinary range of traits, from flight and complete metamorphosis to complex polyphenisms and advanced eusociality. Although the rich insect fossil record has helped to chart the appearance of many phenotypic innovations, data are scarce for a number of key periods. One such period is that following the End-Permian Extinction, recognized as the most catastrophic of all extinction events. We recently discovered several 240-million-year-old insect fossils in the Mount San Giorgio Lagerstätte (Switzerland-Italy) that are remarkable for their state of preservation (including internal organs and soft tissues), and because they extend the records of their respective taxa by up to 200 million years. By using these fossils as calibrations in a phylogenomic dating analysis, we present a revised time scale for insect evolution. Our date estimates for several major lineages, including the hyperdiverse crown groups of Lepidoptera, Hemiptera: Heteroptera and Diptera, are substantially older than their currently accepted post-Permian origins. We found that major evolutionary innovations, including flight and metamorphosis, appeared considerably earlier than previously thought. These results have numerous implications for understanding the evolution of insects and their resilience in the face of extreme events such as the End-Permian Extinction.
| S-EPMC6790769 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundEquipped with an effective predatory feeding mechanism enhanced by large and sharp teeth, pointed snout and elongate body, saurichthyiform fishes are considered common fish-eaters in the early Mesozoic aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, because of the similar body plan across species, saurichthyiforms are also regarded evolutionally conservative, with few morphological and ecological changes during their long history. However, their phylogenetic affinity remains unclear as to whether they are chondrostean, neopterygian or stem-actinopteran, and likewise the intrarelationships of the group have rarely been explored.Methodology/principal findingsHere we report a new saurichthyiform from the Middle Triassic of Guizhou, China, based on the well-preserved specimens including a 3-D braincase. The new taxon, Yelangichthys macrocephalus gen. et sp. nov., is unique among saurichthyiforms in having a peculiar neurocranium with a broad orbital tectum, paired posterior myodomes, a deep, transverse fossa in the posterodorsal part of the orbit, and a feeding mechanism structured for durophagy. Phylogenetic analysis places Yelangichthys gen. nov. at the most basal position in the Saurichthyiformes as the sister to Saurichthyidae, and a new family Yelangichthyidae is erected to include only Y. macrocephalus gen. et sp. nov. The monophyly of the Chondrostei comprising [Saurichthyiformes + Acipenseriformes] Birgeriiformes is supported, but not the monophyly of Saurichthys, the type genus of Saurichthyidae. With its outstanding osteological details, Yelangichthys gen. nov. greatly increases the neurocranial variations in saurichthyiforms, and its novel feeding structure suggests the consumption of hard-preys instead of fishes.Conclusions/significanceOur findings highlight the detailed osteology of a saurichthyiform braincase and its feeding design. We suggest that saurichthyiforms are closely allied to the Acipenseriformes. Saurichthyiforms were very diverse in the cranial osteology and they might have undergone a rapid evolutionary radiation via, for the new material here, transforming the feeding mechanism and thus exploiting the food resources unsuitable for other saurichthyiforms.
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Project description:The actinopterygian fish †Hemicalypterus weiri Schaeffer, 1967 is herein redescribed and rediagnosed based on new information collected from reexamination of museum specimens as well as examination of recently collected specimens from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of San Juan County, Utah, United States. †Hemicalypterus is distinguishable by its deep, disc-shaped compressed body; ganoid-scaled anterior half and scaleless posterior half; spinose, prominent dorsal and ventral ridge scales anterior to dorsal and anal fins; hem-like dorsal and anal fins with rounded distal margins; small mouth gape; and specialized, multicuspid dentition. This type of dentition, when observed in extant fishes, is often associated with herbivory, and †Hemicalypterus represents the oldest known ray-finned fish to have possibly exploited an herbivorous trophic feeding niche. A phylogenetic analysis infers a placement of †Hemicalypterus within †Dapediiformes, with †Dapediiformes being recovered as sister to Ginglymodi within holostean actinopterygians.
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Project description:Proganochelys quenstedtii represents the best-known stem turtle from the Late Triassic, with gross anatomical and internal descriptions of the shell, postcranial bones and skull based on several well-preserved specimens from Central European fossil locations. We here report on the first specimen of P. quenstedtii from the Late Triassic (Klettgau Formation) Frickberg near the town of Frick, Canton Aargau, Switzerland. Similar to other Late Triassic 'Plateosaurus-bearing bonebeds', Proganochelys is considered to be a rare faunal element in the Swiss locality of Frick as well. The specimen, which is largely complete but was found only partially articulated and mixed with large Plateosaurus bones, overall resembles the morphology of the classical specimens from Germany. Despite being disarticulated, most skull bones could be identified and micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning of the posterior skull region reveals new insights into the braincase and neurovascular anatomy, as well as the inner ear region. These include the presence of a fenestra perilymphatica, potentially elongated cochlear ducts, and intense vascularization of small tubercles on the posterior end of the skull roof, which we interpret as horn cores. Other aspects of the skull in the braincase region, such as the presence or absence of a supratemporal remain ambiguous due to the fusion of individual bones and thus lack of visible sutures (externally and internally). Based on the size of the shell and fusion of individual elements, the specimen is interpreted as a skeletally mature animal.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-022-00260-4.
| S-EPMC9613585 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Neopterygii is a large group of ray-finned fishes which underwent a rapid radiation in the Middle Triassic. Until recently, 11 stem neopterygians have been recovered from the early Middle Triassic Luoping Biota in eastern Yunnan, China, and they are small to medium-sized fishes. Here, I report the discovery of a new stem neopterygian, Feroxichthys yunnanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Luoping Biota, which represents the first evidence of large-sized stem neopteygians in this biota with a total length of ~340 mm (290 mm in standard length). The skull of the new taxon is exceptionally well-preserved, showing some peculiar features rarely known in other stem neopterygians, for example fusion of paired premaxillae, fusion of lacrimal with maxilla, and a fused parieto-dermopterotic with a strong posterior process. Phylogenetic studies recover Feroxichthys as a basal colobodontid, and a revised diagnosis of this family is presented. The feeding apparatus indicates that Feroxichthys might have been predominantly durophagous, resembling other colobodontids. However, the anterior peg-like teeth in the jaws of Feroxichthys are much longer and stronger than other colobodontids, enabling a more powerful initial prey capture before food was passed posteriorly to molariform teeth for crushing in the oral cavity. As a mysterious large durophagous predator previously unknown from the Luoping Biota, the new finding is important not only for understanding the early diversification of neopterygians during this age but also for investigating the trophic structure in this marine ecosystem.
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Project description:Gliding adaptations in thoracopterid flying fishes represent a remarkable case of convergent evolution of overwater gliding strategy with modern exocoetid flying fishes, but the evolutionary origin of this strategy was poorly known in the thoracopterids because of lack of transitional forms. Until recently, all thoracopterids, from the Late Triassic of Austria and Italy and the Middle Triassic of South China, were highly specialized 'four-winged' gliders in having wing-like paired fins and an asymmetrical caudal fin with the lower caudal lobe notably larger than the upper lobe. Here, we show that the new genus Wushaichthys and the previously alleged 'peltopleurid' Peripeltopleurus, from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian, 235-242 Ma) of South China and near the Ladinian/Anisian boundary of southern Switzerland and northern Italy, respectively, represent the most primitive and oldest known thoracopterids. Wushaichthys, the most basal thoracopterid, shows certain derived features of this group in the skull. Peripeltopleurus shows a condition intermediate between Wushaichthys and Thoracopterus in having a slightly asymmetrical caudal fin but still lacking wing-like paired fins. Phylogenetic studies suggest that the evolution of overwater gliding of thoracopterids was gradual in nature; a four-stage adaption following the 'cranial specialization-asymmetrical caudal fin-enlarged paired fins-scale reduction' sequence has been recognized in thoracopterid evolution. Moreover, Wushaichthys and Peripeltopleurus bear hooklets on the anal fin of supposed males, resembling those of modern viviparious teleosts. Early thoracopterids probably had evolved a live-bearing reproductive strategy.
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