Pipimorpha and its crown-group Pipidae possess one of the most extensive fossil records among anurans, known since the Early Cretaceous in both Laurasia and Gondwana. Pipimorph diversification may have been driven by the breakup of West Gondwana during the Cretaceous. Numerous fossils from South America have been unearthed in the last decade, documenting this event. Unfortunately, Cretaceous pipimorphs from Africa have been limited to a few wellpreserved taxa from sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, which hinders our comprehension of pipimorph diversification during this key period. The site of In Becetèn, in south-east Niger, is one of the few mid-Late Cretaceous (Coniacian–Santonian) sites from which a pipid, Pachycentrata taqueti, is known. Here, we describe and name a second pipid from the same locality. This taxon is known by a relatively complete braincase. Phylogenetic analyses confirm its position as a pipid, with pipinomorph affinities. This makes In Becetèn the oldest site with at least two pipids. Phylogenetic results are congruent with recent pipimorph relationships, with the presence of an endemic extinct clade in South America, Shelaniinae. The phylogenetic results also allow us to review the proposed definition for Pipimorpha and its subclades and propose new systematic definitions for them. Temporal calibration of the phylogenetic tree based on the fossil record suggests that pipimorphs diversified in a western Gondwana block and confirms that South America separated from Africa around the mid-Cretaceous. Between these two events, pipids diverged in Africa, giving rise to major extant clades. This study highlights the importance of Africa for early pipid diversification during the Cretaceous and of the opening of the Southern Atlantic Ocean for anuran dispersion and diversification.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Excavations, on-going since 1979, in the elite Predynastic cemetery HK6 at Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, have revealed the burials of more than 150 domestic and wild animals. These animals, buried whole, were interred in subsidiary graves surrounding the elaborate tombs of the highest elite, who were local or possibly regional rulers in the Naqada IC-IIB period (c. 3700-3500 BC). Among the wild fauna are elephants and baboons, species that were not part of Egypt’s native fauna during the Holocene and must have been obtained from elsewhere. Here we discuss all the finds of baboons made so far. These include 20 individuals, constituting the earliest evidence for the occurrence of these primates in Egypt. Conflicting species identification in previous publications (first as Papio hamadryas and later as Papio anubis) led us to re-evaluate the diagnostic features described to differentiate them by examining a large series of modern skulls from natural history collections. Using the criteria that we found to be valid, we show that both P. hamadryas and P. anubis were present at Hierakonpolis. At least six graves contained baboons, which were buried either in groups of up to 8 individuals or as single interments. These graves can be associated with five of the mortuary complexes identified so far, covering a time span of several generations. Rachitis, observed in one very young animal is the only evidence so far for metabolic disorders that might be related to local breeding. This suggests that the baboons were not routinely bred on site and may have been imported on several occasions into Hierakonpolis, indicating more complex trade interactions with the lands to the far south than previously assumed.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026
