Paleo News: March!

In the March edition of Paleo News, we'll look at what was discovered in the field of Paleontology:

Sektensaurus sanjuanboscoi, Pareisactus evrostus, Galleonosaurus dorisae, Convolosaurus marri, Iberodactylus andreui, Avimaia schweitzerae, Cratopipa novaolindensis, Globidens simplex and a juvenile enantiornithine bird!

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1- Sektensaurus sanjuanboscoi 

Sektensaurus sanjuanboscoi, a new species of ornithopod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Patagonia!

(Credit: Ibiricu et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:

"A new ornithopod dinosaur, the medium-sized Sektensaurus sanjuanboscoi, gen. et sp nov. from the Coniacian-Maastricthian strata of the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation, Golfo San Jorge Basin, Patagonia, is here described. The specimen consists of disarticulated cranial and postcranial bones belonging to a single individual. It is diagnosed by a unique association of five autapomorphies on the dorsal and sacral vertebrae and the humerus. A cladistics analysis indicates that Sektensauruswas an iguanodontian ornithopods which inhabited Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous. Likewise, Sektensaurus is the first non-hadrosaurid, probably elasmarian, ornithopod named by the Latest Cretaceous of central Patagonia. In a broad context, this discovery increases the anatomical knowledge of ornithopods and adds new data on the compositions of dinosaur faunas that lived in Patagonia close to the Antarctica, to the end of the Cretaceous." 

2-Pareisactus evrostus

Meet Pareisactus evrostus, a new  basal iguanodontian ornithopod from the Upper Cretaceous of northeastern Spain! Unfortunatly, this new species was described solely on one scapulla. I wonder, what are your opinions regarding erecting new species/genus of extinct animals, based on only a few bones? (I am looking at you, Thanos simonattoi!)

(Credit: Párraga & Pietro-Márquez, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:

"We describe a new genus and species of a basal iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur, Pareisactus evrostos, from lower Maastrichtian strata of the Conques Formation in the south-central Pyrenees of northeastern Spain. This animal is solely represented by a scapula characterized by having a dorsoventral extent of the proximal constriction as deep as it is thick; a lateral surface of the proximal region of the scapula under the acromion process forming a deep and thick roof over an extremely deep deltoid fossa; and a long apex of the glenoid that accounts for half of the maximum depth of the proximal region of scapula. Pareisactus is recovered as a member of Rhabdodontidae, sharing with Rhabdodon a well-demarcated deltoid ridge. P. evrostos represents the seventh species of rhabdodontid in Europe and third specimen of this endemic clade of European iguanodontians in the eastern Tremp Syncline of the southern Pyrenean region."


3- Galleonosaurus dorisae

Galleonosaurus dorisae, a new species of small-bodied ornithopod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia!

(Credit: Herne et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:
"The Flat Rocks locality in the Wonthaggi Formation (Strzelecki Group) of the Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia, hosts fossils of a late Barremian vertebrate fauna that inhabited the ancient rift between Australia and Antarctica. Known from its dentary, Qantassaurus intrepidus Rich and Vickers-Rich, 1999 has been the only dinosaur named from this locality. However, the plethora of vertebrate fossils collected from Flat Rocks suggests that further dinosaurs await discovery. From this locality, we name a new small-bodied ornithopod, Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. from craniodental remains. Five ornithopodan genera are now named from Victoria. Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is known from five maxillae, from which the first description of jaw growth in an Australian dinosaur is provided. The holotype of Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. is the most complete dinosaur maxilla known from Victoria. Micro-CT imagery of the holotype reveals the complex internal anatomy of the neurovascular tract and antorbital fossa. We confirm that Q. intrepidus is uniquely characterized by a deep foreshortened dentary. Two dentaries originally referred to Q. intrepidus are reassigned to Q. ?intrepidus and a further maxilla is referred to cf. Atlascopcosaurus loadsi Rich and Rich, 1989. A further ornithopod dentary morphotype is identified, more elongate than those of Q. intrepidus and Q. ?intrepidus and with three more tooth positions. This dentary might pertain to Galleonosaurus dorisae n. gen. n. sp. Phylogenetic analysis recovered Cretaceous Victorian and Argentinian nonstyracosternan ornithopods within the exclusively Gondwanan clade Elasmaria. However, the large-bodied taxon Muttaburrasaurus langdoni Bartholomai and Molnar, 1981 is hypothesised as a basal iguanodontian with closer affinities to dryomorphans than to rhabdodontids."


4- Convolosaurus marri

Convolosaurus marri, the forth species of ornithopod dinosaur described this month!! This new species was found in a locality where 29 (!!) individuals were found, making it possible to establish an ontogenetic series of this animal!

(Credit: Andrzejewski et al, 2019) 

Quoting from the abstract:
"Material from a minimum of twenty-nine individuals of a new ornithopod, represented by nearly every skeletal element, was recovered from the Proctor Lake locality in the Twin Mountains Formation (Aptian) of north-central Texas. This material includes various ontogenetic stages, providing insight into the growth patterns of this species. The new ornithopod, Convolosaurus marri gen. et sp. nov., is recovered outside of Iguanodontia, but forms a clade with Iguanodontia exclusive of Hypsilophodon foxii. The presence and morphology of four premaxillary teeth along with a combination of both basal and derived characters distinguish this taxon from all other ornithopods. Basal characters present in C. marri including the presence of premaxillary teeth, the shape of the dentary teeth, and position of the pterygoid wing on the quadrate, whereas the presence of opisthocoelous cervical vertebrae, large proximal caudal neural spines, and curved maxillary tooth roots suggest C. marri is more derived than 80% of the basal neornithischians included in this analysis."


5-Iberodactylus andreui

A new species of pterodactyloid pterosaur was described from lower Cretaceous rocks of Spain, which will shed more light to our knowledge of Iberian pterosaurs. Meet Iberodactylus andreui!

(Credit: Zhou et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:
"The pterosaur record from the Iberian Peninsula is mostly scarce and undefined, but in the last few years some new taxa have been described from different Lower Cretaceous sites of Spain. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula, Iberodactylus andreui gen. et sp. nov., that shows a close and rather unexpected relationship with Hamipterus tianshanensis from China. A review of the phylogenetic relationships of the Anhangueria reveals a new family of pterodactyloid pterosaurs, the Hamipteridae fam. nov. being recovered as sister-group of the Anhangueridae. This latter clade can be in turn divided into the new clades Anhanguerinae and Coloborhynchinae. The close relationships of Iberodactylus and Hamipterus shows an interesting palaeobiogeographical correlation between the Chinese and Iberian pterosaur faunas during the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous). The discovery of Iberodactylus strongly suggests that the clade Anhangueria has clear ancestral ties in eastern Laurasia."


6-Avimaia schweitzerae

A new species of enantiornithine bird from the lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation (China) with a STILL UNLAID EGG and probable medullary bone was just described: Avimaia schweitzerae!

(Credit: Bailleul et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:
"Understanding non-crown dinosaur reproduction is hindered by a paucity of directly associated adults with reproductive traces. Here we describe a new enantiornithine, Avimaia schweitzerae gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation with an unlaid egg two-dimensionally preserved within the abdominothoracic cavity. Ground-sections reveal abnormal eggshell proportions, and multiple eggshell layers best interpreted as a multi-layered egg resulting from prolonged oviductal retention. Fragments of the shell membrane and cuticle are both preserved. SEM reveals that the cuticle consists of nanostructures resembling those found in neornithine eggs adapted for infection-prone environments, which are hypothesized to represent the ancestral avian condition. The femur preserves small amounts of probable medullary bone, a tissue found today only in reproductively active female birds. To our knowledge, no other occurrence of Mesozoic medullary bone is associated with indications of reproductive activity, such as a preserved egg, making our identification unique, and strongly supported."


7- Cratopipa novaolindensis

Cratopipa novaolindensis is a new species of tongueless anuran from the Crato Formation of the early Cretaceous of Brazil!

(Credit: de Sousa Carvalho et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:
"Pipimorpha is a clade of tongueless anurans with a wide fossil record. Furthermore, the oldest South American fossils come from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Patagonia, Argentina. The aim of the present contribution is to describe a new genus and species of Pipimorpha from the Crato Formation (Aptian, Early Cretaceous), Araripe Basin, Brazil. The new specimen consists of a nearly complete skeleton that shows several anatomical similarities with other fossils from South America. Phylogenetic analysis resulted in the nesting of the new taxon within a previously unrecognized endemic South American clade. Further, some traditional groupings within Pipimorpha were not recognized. The new phylogenetic analysis reinforces previous biogeographical hypotheses sustaining dispersal of pipimorph between Africa and South America through an island chain or continental bridge across the Atlantic Ocean."


8- Globidens simplex

Globidens simplex is a new species of mosasaur from Morocco which reveals feeding adaptations for hard-bodied prey!

(Credit: Leblac et al, 2019)

Quoting from the abstract:
"Durophagous mosasaurs are rare members of Late Cretaceous marine faunal assemblages and new fossil discoveries can shed light on their anatomy, functional morphology and evolutionary history. Here we describe a new species in the durophagous genus Globidens from the Maastrichtian phosphate deposits of Morocco, based on a partial disarticulated skull and cervical vertebral series. This new species shares many anatomical similarities with the only other described Maastrichtian species, G. phosphaticus, but differs in several key features, including the absence of pronounced swellings and sulci on the crushing teeth and the absence of cervical zygosphenes and zygantra. Histological thin sections of a rib from the holotype show that this was not a juvenile individual and reveal osteosclerotic-like bone compactness for the first time in a paddle-bearing mosasaurine. We interpret the highly compact ribs, as well as several peculiarities of the temporal arcade and lower jaws, as adaptations to a diet of benthic, hard-bodied prey."


9- Juvenile enantiornithine bird

A specimen of a hatchling enantiornithine bird showing fully fledged feathering, which points to precociality as a nesting behavior in this clade, was described last week!

Quoting from the abstract:

(Credit: Kaye et al, 2019)

"Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF) is used to identify fully fledged feathering in the hatchling enantiornithine bird specimen MPCM-LH-26189, supporting precocial nesting behavior in this extinct group. The LSF results include the detection of a long pennaceous wing feather as well as cover feathers around the body. The LSF technique showed improved detection limits over and above synchrotron and UV imaging which had both been performed on this specimen. The findings underscore the value of using a wide range of analytical techniques."