-
Ammonite extinction and nautilid survival at the end of the Cretaceous
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications
-
A new species of Groenlandaspis Heintz, 1932 (Placodermi, Arthrodira) from the Famennian (Late Devonian) of Belgium
-
A new species of the phlyctaeniid arthrodire genus Groenlandaspis from the upper Famennian of Belgium is described. The remains of Groenlandaspis potyi sp. nov. consist of dissociated thoracic armor elements, but the specimen designed to be the holotype displays the median dorsal, anterior and posterior dorsolateral plates in connection. Though incomplete, the new species is characterized by an equilateral triangle-shaped median dorsal plate, a protruding posterodorsal apron of the posterior dorsolateral plate behind the overlap area for the median dorsal plate, and an overall lack of ornamentation. Groenlandaspis potyi sp. nov. constitutes the second occurrence of a Groenlandaspis species in continental Europe after the description of Groenlandaspis thorezi from upper Famennian quarries of Belgium. Another probable new species of Groenlandaspis is also described, though of unknown locality and horizon; it can however be deduced from the upper Famennian of Belgium without more precision. Together with some unpublished material of groenlandaspidids from the Famennian tetrapod-bearing locality of Strud, this material highlights the richness of the Groenlandaspididae diversity in Belgium. The discovery of Groenlandaspis potyi sp. nov. in Belgium reinforces the Famennian global distribution of this widespread genus during this period. Also, since those organisms have possibly been considered as non;marine indicators, this material is another argument pleading for close relationships between Euramerica and Gondwana around the Frasnian-Famennian boundary.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications
-
Typpe material of taxa described by Cousin and Jousseaume in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2020
-
Revision of the genus Archetypus Thomson , 1861 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae)
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
-
Three new Hymedesmia Bowerbank, 1864 (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Hymedesmiidae) from the Southeast Pacific (Peru and Chile)
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2022
-
De nachtvlinders (Lepidoptera) waargenomen tijdens het inventarisatieproject in de Botanische Tuin Jean Massart te Oudergem (Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest)
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2022
-
Evolutionary history of the calcareous sponge Clathrina aurea: genetic connectivity in the Western Atlantic and intriguing occurrence in the Eastern Pacific
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2021
-
Catlog of the Neotropical Trichoptera (Caddisflies)
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS collections by external author(s)
-
Regional differences in vertebral shape along the axial skeleton in caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)
-
Abstract Caecilians are elongate, limbless and annulated amphibians that, as far as is known, all have an at least partly fossorial lifestyle. It has been suggested that elongate limbless vertebrates show little morphological differentiation throughout the postcranial skeleton. However, relatively few studies have explored the axial skeleton in limbless tetrapods. In this study, we used ?CT data and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to explore regional differences in vertebral shape across a broad range of caecilian species. Our results highlight substantial differences in vertebral shape along the axial skeleton, with anterior vertebrae being short and bulky, whereas posterior vertebrae are more elongated. This study shows that despite being limbless, elongate tetrapods such as caecilians still show regional heterogeneity in the shape of individual vertebrae along the vertebral column. Further studies are needed, however, to understand the possible causes and functional consequences of the observed variation in vertebral shape in caecilians.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2022
-
The relationship between head shape, head musculature and bite force in caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)
-
Caecilians are enigmatic limbless amphibians that, with a few exceptions, all have an at least partly burrowing lifestyle. Although it has been suggested that caecilian evolution resulted in sturdy and compact skulls as an adaptation to their head-first burrowing habits, no relationship between skull shape and burrowing performance has been demonstrated to date. However, the unique dual jaw-closing mechanism and the osteological variability of their temporal region suggest a potential relationship between skull shape and feeding mechanics. Here, we explored the relationships between skull shape, head musculature and in vivo bite forces. Although there is a correlation between bite force and external head shape, no relationship between bite force and skull shape could be detected. Whereas our data suggest that muscles are the principal drivers of variation in bite force, the shape of the skull is constrained by factors other than demands for bite force generation. However, a strong covariation between the cranium and mandible exists. Moreover, both cranium and mandible shape covary with jaw muscle architecture. Caecilians show a gradient between species with a long retroarticular process associated with a large and pennate-fibered m. interhyoideus posterior and species with a short process but long and parallel-fibered jaw adductors. Our results demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between form and function of this jaw system. Further studies that focus on factors such as gape distance or jaw velocity will be needed in order to fully understand the evolution of feeding mechanics in caecilians.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2021
