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Inproceedings Reference A new Carboniferous ‘ctenacanth’ chondrichthyan and the evolution of brain-pituitary gland communication modes
The ‘ctenacanths’ are Palaeozoic chondrichthyans known from the Upper Devonian to the Middle Permian. Their systematic status and relationships are still ambiguous, one of the reasons being the absence of clear diagnostic neurocranial characters. Here we report a new isolated 3D-preserved partial braincase from the Middle Pennsylvanian of the Excello shale from Oklahoma, USA. This study will provide putative neurocranial characters defining this group. The exceptional preservation of its pituitary region allows the reconstruction of the vascularization of the gland. The pituitary vascular system is involved in the hypothalamic-hypophysial communication and transport of hormones that regulate the major physiological functions in vertebrates. Comparisons of the vascularization of the pituitary of this fossil chondrichthyan to a new Devonian placoderm from Peru and to both embryos and juveniles from extant sharks and chimaeras provide data for future research on the evolution of the brain-hypophysis communication modes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Inproceedings Reference Upper Carboniferous - Lower Permian fishes and conodonts from Peru: biofacies and stratigraphy of the Madre de Dios Basin
The Late Palaeozoic Ice Age (LPIA) is characterized by glacioeustatic transgressive–regressive cycles, whose signatures are commonly recorded in stratigraphic sequences and associated environmental parameters. Although these glacioeustatic cycles have been documented in Late Carboniferous–Early Permian successions from the Amazonian basins of Brazil, equivalent deposits remain poorly known in the Andean region. This region, particularly Bolivia and Peru, preserves extensive carbonate outcrops from this interval that provide valuable insights into paleoenvironments and faunal assemblages. The Copacabana Formation is composed by warm-water carbonates, evaporites, and open-marine facies. Its broad distribution and cyclicity reflect pronounced climatic and eustatic fluctuations during the LPIA. Studies carry on Puerto Arturo section (Puno, Peru) have revealed abundant early chondrichthyans remains, including Protacrodus, Denaea, Stethacanthus, and Cooleyella amazonensis—preserved as teeth and scales. The relative abundance of these taxa suggests shallow-water conditions (Protacrodus biofacies). In addition, a diverse conodont assemblage, including Idiognathodus, Streptognathodus, Sweetognathodus, and Gondolella, has also been identified. Conodont biostratigraphy and biofacies distributions, based on taxonomic composition and relative abundance per bed, indicate mid-ramp environments characterized by Idiognathodus–Streptognathodus biofacies and outer-ramp settings dominated by Gondolella biofacies. This integrated approach combining sequence-stratigraphic, microfacies, and paleontological analyses provides the first robust paleoenvironmental reconstruction for this interval in Peru, significantly improving regional correlations and revealing new aspects of Palaeozoic diversity in western Gondwana.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Inproceedings Reference New fossils from the Devonian of Peru shed light on the unusual “dental” structure of the stem chondrichthyan Pucapampella
Pucapampella represents an enigmatic genus of non-acanthodian stem chondrichthyans known from the Lower to Middle Devonian (Emsian–Eifelian) of South America, particularly from Bolivia and Peru. Pucapampellids display a mosaic of primitive and derived traits. One of the most distinctive features concerns the structure of the dentition, which is unusual compared to other chondrichthyans. They possess “teeth” that are neither arranged into replacement tooth families (as in most crown chondrichthyans) nor part of dentigerous jaw bones or tooth whorls (as in acanthodians). Instead, their mandibular arches have been described as bearing a single series of sharp “teeth” supported directly by cartilage, without any intervening dermal bone. Paleontological fieldwork conducted in recent years in Devonian strata of the Puno region (southwestern Peru), near Lake Titicaca at an altitude of about 4,200 meters above sea level, has yielded a rich assemblage of new pucapampellid fossils, including exceptionally preserved mandibular remains. These specimens are preserved within phosphatic nodules embedded in grey shales from the upper part of the Chagrapi Formation, which records cyclic successions of dark and grey shales with fine sandstones deposited in a delta-influenced infralittoral marine setting. The upper member, rich in organic matter and phosphatic nodules, indicates episodes of deepening and anoxic conditions. Pucapampellid remains occur in Eifelian-aged levels containing a more diverse vertebrate fauna. Specimens were analyzed using synchrotron PPC-SRµCT, synchrotron μXRF elemental mapping, and paleohistological thin sections. Preliminary results reveal a unique dental architecture unlike any previously described in vertebrates. These findings suggest that the dental structures of pucapampellids represent tooth-like elements that are not homologous to the “true” teeth of other gnathostomes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Inproceedings Reference Brain evolution of early placental mammals: the impact of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction on the the neurosensory system of our distant relatives
The end-Cretaceous mass extinction, 66 million years ago, profoundly reshaped the biodiversity of our planet. After likely originating in the Cretaceous, placental mammals (species giving live birth to well-developed young) survived the extinction and quickly diversified in the ensuing Paleocene. Compared to Mesozoic species, extant placentals have advanced neurosensory abilities, enabled by a proportionally large brain with an expanded neocortex. This brain construction was acquired by the Eocene, but its origins, and how its evolution relates to extinction survivorship and recovery, are unclear, because little is known about the neurosensory systems of Paleocene species. We used high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning to build digital brain models in 29 extinct placentals (including 23 from the Paleocene). We added these to data from the literature to construct a database of 98 taxa, from the Jurassic to the Eocene, which we assessed in a phylogenetic context. We find that the Phylogenetic Encephalization Quotient (PEQ), a measure of relative brain size, increased in the Cretaceous along branches leading to Placentalia, but then decreased in Paleocene clades (taeniodonts, phenacodontids, pantodonts, periptychids, and arctocyonids). Later, during the Eocene, the PEQ increased independently in all crown groups (e.g., euarchontoglirans and laurasiatherians). The Paleocene decline in PEQ was driven by body mass increasing much more rapidly after the extinction than brain volume. The neocortex remained small, relative to the rest of the brain, in Paleocene taxa and expanded independently in Eocene crown groups. The relative size of the olfactory bulbs, however, remained relatively stable over time, except for a major decrease in Euarchontoglires and some Eocene artiodactyls, while the petrosal lobules (associated with eye movement coordination) decreased in size in Laurasiatheria but increased in Euarchontoglires. Our results indicate that an enlarged, modern-style brain was not instrumental to the survival of placental mammal ancestors at the end-Cretaceous, nor to their radiation in the Paleocene. Instead, opening of new ecological niches post-extinction promoted the diversification of larger body sizes, while brain and neocortex sizes lagged behind. The independent increase in PEQ in Eocene crown groups is related to the expansion of the neocortex, possibly a response to ecological specialization as environments changed, long after the extinction. Funding Sources Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, European Research Council Starting Grant, National Science Foundation, Belgian Science Policy Office, DMNS No Walls Community Initiative.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Inproceedings Reference Phylogenetic position of Olbitherium (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) based on new material from the early Eocene Wutu Formation
The genus Olbitherium was originally described in 2004 from the early Eocene of the Wutu Formation in China as a ‘perissodactyl-like’ archaic ungulate. Described material of Olbitherium consists of partial dentaries with lower cheek teeth, isolated upper molars, and an isolated upper premolar. Subsequent collaborative fieldwork by Belgian and Chinese researchers discovered new material including a partial skull, the anterior portion of the dentary, and associated postcrania. In their general form, the skull and postcrania are similar to those of early perissodactyls. The new material provides a more complete picture of the upper dentition, and the anterior dentary demonstrates the presence of three lower incisors and a large canine, both ancestral features for perissodactyls. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to test the affinities of Olbitherium, using a matrix of 321 characters and 72 taxa of placental mammals emphasizing perissodactyls and other ungulates. The results produced four shortest trees of 1981 steps. In all four trees, Olbitherium is the sister-taxon to all perissodactyls except Ghazijhippus. In contrast, when scoring was restricted to the originally described material, the results produced 16 shortest trees of 1970 steps, and Olbitherium nests well within Perissodactyla as sister-taxon to a clade including Lambdotherium and the brontotheriids Eotitanops and Palaeosyops. The new material not only supports the identification of Olbitherium as a perissodactyl, but it also suggests that it is significant for understanding the ancestral perissodactyl morphotype. Funding Sources U.S. National Science Foundation (DEB1456826), Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (2009DFA32210), and Belgian Science Policy Office (BL/36/C54).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Inproceedings Reference The influence of pile driving noise on harbour porpoises
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Inproceedings Reference . How to interpret the offset between marls and limestones of carbon isotopes on the bulk rocks in Zumaia GSSP (Spain)?
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference Latest Cretaceous hadrosaurid dinosaurs from Eastern Asia
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference A new basal neoceratopsian dinosaur from the ‘middle’ Cretaceous of Jilin Province, China
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Cranial endocasts of the two hadrosaurids from Blagoveschensk, Amur Region (Russia)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications