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New data on Barbatodon oardaensis Codrea, Solomon, Venczel & Smith, 2014, the smallest Late Cretaceous multituberculate mammal from Europe
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Surprisingly, after the Early Cretaceous taxonomic diversity recorded in Europe, which probably is largely an artifact of inadequate taxonomy and inflation of taxa, multituberculate mammals became extremely scarce in the Late Cretaceous in this continent, being reported exclusively from the uppermost Cretaceous continental deposits of the so-called “Haţeg Island” in Transylvania, Romania. Such mammals have been documented from the Haţeg and Rusca Montană sedimentary basins, as well as from the southwestern area of the Transylvanian Basin. All these records belong to the endemic family Kogaionidae. The present paper reports additional data related to the smallest Cretaceous kogaionid, Barbatodon oardaensis Codrea, Solomon, Venczel & Smith, 2014 based on a series of new isolated teeth recovered mainly from the type locality, Oarda de Jos (Oarda A). Furthermore, the fossil locali-ties Oarda B and Vălioara are other new occurrences for the species. Based on this new material, the intraspecific variability of B. oardaensis is confirmed and its presence is attested in the three basins. Details related to the diversity of the “Haţeg Island” kogaionids are also provided.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
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New deep-sea Atlantic and Antarctic species of Abyssorchomene De Broyer, 1984 (Amphipoda, Lysianassoidea, Uristidae) with a redescription of A. abyssorum (Stebbing, 1888)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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New evidence of the emergence of the East Asian monsoon in the early Palaeogene
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Previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have implied that East Asia was dominated by a zonal climate pattern during the Eocene, with an almost latitudinal arid/semiarid band at ~ 30° N. However, this long-standing model has recently been challenged by growing body of multidisciplinary evidence. Some studies indicated that central China was characterized by climatic fluctuations between humid and drier conditions during the Early Eocene, akin to the present East Asian monsoon (EAM) regime. Using palynological assemblages in the Tantou Basin, central China, we quantitatively reconstructed climate changes from the Late Palaeocene to Early Eocene to better understand climate change in central China. Palynological assemblages revealed that the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in this area received no less than 800 mm of annual precipitation and experienced a climate change from warm and wet to relatively cool and dry. According to palaeoclimate curves, a sudden climate change occurred in the Early Eocene, with the mean annual temperature and precipitation decreasing by 5.1 °C and 214.8 mm, respectively, and the climate became very similar to the present climate, which is controlled by the monsoon. Therefore, this significant climate change during the Early Eocene may signal the emergence of the EAM in East Asia.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
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New Holothuria species from Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuriidae), with comments on the origin of deep and cool holothuriids.
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Two aspidochirotid species, new to science, from the continental slope of southern Australia are described: Holothuria (Panningothuria) austrinabassa O’Loughlin sp. nov. and Holothuria (Halodeima) nigralutea O’Loughlin sp. nov. The first represents the southernmost documented holothuriid, and is the sister species of the northernmost holothuriid species Holothuria (Panningothuria) forskali Delle Chiaje. The second is a very recent offshoot of the wide-ranging Indo- west Pacific Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis Lesson. Morphological and molecular genetic differences between these species pairs are detailed. Holothuria (Halodeima) signata Ludwig is raised out of synonymy with H. edulis.A lectotype for Holothuria (Halodeima) signata Ludwig is designated, The status of the subgenera Panningothuria Rowe and Halodeima Pearson is discussed. The occurrence of multiple madreporites in Halodeima is discussed.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New insights into near-bed SPM concentration and sand/mud fraction in the use of Sediment Composition Index
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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New linguliformean brachiopods from the lower Tremadocian (Ordovician) of the Brabant Massif, Belgium, with comments on contemporaneous faunas from the Stavelot–Venn Massif.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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New mtDNA and Isotopic Evidence on Late Pleistocene Cave Bears in the Balkans: the Case-study of Magura Cave, NW Bulgaria
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Recent genetic studies have shed light on the phylogeography of cave bears; however, their paleoecology and their diet are still debated, and data from south-eastern Europe are still scarce. Magura Cave, in northwest Bulgaria, has delivered rich faunal assemblages from the Late Pleistocene. The chronology of the excavated area spans from ca. 35 kya to more than 50 kya; the oldest stratigraphic layers being associated with final Middle Palaeolithic tools. The fauna comprises herbivores and carnivores, and potentially different taxa of cave bears, the dental remains of which also showed different tooth morphotypes, suggesting the co-existence of different dietary adaptations. We investigated the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the cave bears from Magura Cave as well as the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of the faunal assemblage. Our data revealed that, regardless of the tooth morphotypes, only maternal lineages of Ursus ingressus were present in Magura Cave. Interestingly, one specimen with Ursus arctos mtDNA was also found, showing a clear carnivore diet. In contrast, the U. ingressus specimens had a predominantly herbivorous diet. The tooth morphotypes were associated with significantly different δ13C values, suggesting different dietary adaptations.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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New or noteable records of brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from South Africa.
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Ophiuroid research in South Africa has not kept pace with global taxonomic research with the last major taxonomic review of the group being published in 1976. This paper documents all new records of Ophiuroidea from South Africa since (and including) 1977. These records originate from specimens housed in five zoological collections, from photographic records and from reports published in the non-taxonomic literature. A short review of the history of ophiuroid taxonomy in South Africa is also given and for each new record, key references, distribution, ecology, additional notes and, where possible, photographs, are presented. This has resulted in an additional 24 species being recorded within the mainland Exclusive Economic Zone of South Africa, elevating the total known number of ophiuroid species reported in the region to 137.
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New postcranial elements of mesonychid mammals from the Ypresian of France: New hypotheses for the radiation and evolution of the mesonychids in Europe
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New postcranial elements of two mesonychids that lived during the Ypresian (early Eocene) in Europe are here described. The postcranial bones found at La Borie (France; ≈MP8 + 9) can be confidently ascribed to Hyaenodictis raslanloubatieri, while the astragalus found at Palette (France; ≈MP7) probably represents H. rougierae. Our study demonstrates that H. raslanloubatieri and H. rougierae were digitigrade in posture and relatively cursorial in locomotion. A single lumbar vertebra was recovered at La Borie and referred to H. raslanloubatieri; this element suggests this species was a moderately dorsostable predator. In addition, we illustrate the first maxillary fragment referable to H. raslanloubatieri, also discovered at La Borie. In comparison, we describe the postcranial elements of Pachyaena gigantea partially published in the early twentieth century, probably a plantigrade predator species. Morphological data derived from the La Borie specimens were included in phylogenetic analyses and support the reinstatement and monophyly of Hyaenodictis. Hyaenodictis was considered to be a junior synonym of Dissacus, but here we find that the Hyaenodictis clade includes almost all European mesonychids formerly referred to Dissacus along with the North American Wasatchian species H. willwoodensis.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
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New records of Palaearctic Dynastinae (3) : occurence of Eophileurus pectoralis Arrow, 1908 in China, and complement to its distribution in India
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA