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Dysderina and Tridysderina.
No full text52 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm. Part of the oonopid PBI project. Cf. acknowledgments.The goblin spider genus Dysderina Simon is relimited to include only those members of the Dysderina complex that have three pairs of deep, steeply sided excavations extending from the sides of the sternum toward the midline; two species groups are recognized. The principalis group contains those species whose members have strong, transverse ridges connecting the posterior edges of each pair of sternal excavations, including the type species, D. principalis (Keyserling) from Colombia (the female of which is described for the first time), plus seven new species from Colombia (D. sasaima, D. cunday, D. amaca) and Ecuador (D. sacha, D. erwini, D. baehrae, D. excavata). The tiputini group contains species whose members lack transverse sternal ridges, and includes five new species from Ecuador (D. tiputini), Colombia (D. ayo, D. matamata, D. craigi), and Brazilian Amazonia (D. urucu). A new genus, Tridysderina, is established for a group of species whose members have a flat, smooth sternum with one or two transverse ridges at the level of coxae II and III, but without a transverse ridge at the level of coxa IV; the genus includes six new species from Ecuador (T. yasuni, T. jatun, T. galeras, T. archidona, T. tena, T. bellavista)
Proceedings of the Sixth Caldwell Conference, St. Catherines Island, Georgia, May 20-22, 2011.
No full text494 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 26 cm. Conference sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and the St. Catherines Island Foundation.Although this volume covers a broad range of temporal and methodological topics, the chapters are unified by a geographic focus on the archaeology of the Georgia Bight. The various research projects span multiple time periods (including Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and contact periods) and many incorporate specialized analyses (such as petrographic point counting, shallow geophysics, and so forth). The 26 contributors conducting this cutting-edge work represent the full spectrum of the archaeological community, including museum, academic, student, and contract archaeologists. Despite the diversity in professional and theoretical backgrounds, temporal periods examined, and methodological approaches pursued, the volume is unified by four distinct, yet interrelated, themes. Contributions in Part I discuss a range of analytical approaches for understanding time, exchange, and site layout. Chapters in Part II model coastal landscapes from both environmental and social perspectives. The third section addresses site-specific studies of late prehistoric architecture and village layout throughout the Georgia Bight. Part IV presents new and ongoing research into the Spanish mission period of this area. These papers were initially presented and discussed at the Sixth Caldwell Conference, cosponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and the St. Catherines Island Foundation, held on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, May 20-22, 2011. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Revising the ¹⁴C reservoir correction for St. Catherines Island, Georgia / David Hurst Thomas, Matthew C. Sanger, and Royce H. Hayes -- An assessment of coastal faunal data from Georgia and northeast Florida / Alexandra L. Parsons and Rochelle A. Marrinan -- Archaeological geophysics on St. Catherines Island : beyond prospection / Ginessa J. Mahar -- Paste variability and clay resource utilization at the Fountain of Youth site, St. Augustine, 8SJ31 / Ann S. Cordell and Kathleen A. Deagan -- Petrographic analysis of pottery and clay samples from the Georgia Bight : evidence of regional social interactions / Neill J. Wallis and Ann S. Cordell -- Past shorelines of the Georgia coast / Chester B. DePratter and Victor D. Thompson -- Coastal landscapes and their relationship to human settlement on the Georgia coast / John A. Turck and Clark R. Alexander -- The role of small islands in foraging economies of St. Catherines Island / Matthew F. Napolitano -- Ever-shifting landscapes : tracking changing spatial usage along coastal Georgia / Matthew C. Sanger -- A paleoeconomic model of the Georgia coast (4500-300 B.P.) / Thomas G. Whitley -- A survey of Irene phase architecture on the Georgia coast / Deborah A. Keene and Ervan G. Garrison -- Life and death on the Ogeechee : a view from the Redbird Creek village / Ryan O. Sipe -- Mission San Joseph de Sapala : mission-period archaeological research on Sapelo Island / Richard W. Jefferies and Christopher R. Moore -- The Guale landscape of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale : 30 years of geophysics at a Spanish colonial mission / Elliot H. Blair -- Missions San Buenaventura and Santa Cruz de Guadalquini : retreat from the Georgia coast / Keith H. Ashley, Vicki L. Rolland, and Robert L. Thunen -- Entangling events : the Guale coastal landscape and the Spanish missions / Victor D. Thompson, John A. Turck, Amanda D. Roberts Thompson, and Chester B. DePratter -- Island and coastal archaeology on the Georgia Bight / Scott M. Fitzpatrick
Systematics of the keyserlingii group of Diplocentrus Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones, Diplocentridae), with descriptions of three new species from Oaxaca, Mexico. (American Museum novitates, no. 3777)
No full text47 pages : illustrations (some color), map ; 26 cmThe scorpion genus Diplocentrus Peters, 1861, comprising more than 50 species, most of which are endemic to Mexico, is the most diverse in the family Diplocentridae Karsch, 1880 (Santibáñez-López et al., 2011). Hoffmann (1931) divided the Mexican species into two groups, the whitei group and the keyserlingi group, based largely on differences in size and coloration. Francke (1977) redefined these groups. The whitei group, renamed the mexicanus group because it included the type species of the genus, comprised species with short cheliceral fingers and the pedipalp femur wider than high. The keyserlingii group comprised species with long cheliceral fingers and the pedipalp femur higher than wide. Several new species of Diplocentrus were since described, but no attempt was made to synthesize the taxonomy of the species assigned to either group or further clarify the validity of the groups. In the present contribution, the species of Diplocentrus with the pedipalp femur higher than wide are reviewed. An operational diagnosis is provided for the keyserlingii group. Diplocentrus formosus Armas and Martín-Frías, 2003, previously synonymized with Diplocentrus tehuano Francke, 1977, is reinstated. Revised, updated diagnoses are provided for all previously described species and three new species, Diplocentrus kraepelini, n. sp., Diplocentrus sagittipalpus, n. sp., and Diplocentrus sissomi, n. sp., are described. The female of Diplocentrus mitlae Francke, 1977, is described for the first time. A dichotomous key is provided for identification of the 10 species in the keyserlingii group
Neotrops.
No full text150 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm. Part of the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory of the spider familay Oonopidae. (Acknowledgments)A new genus of soft-bodied oonopids, Neotrops, is established for a large assemblage of goblin spiders found in all tropical and subtropical areas of the Neotropical region, from Panama to Uruguay and central Argentina. Members of Neotrops have spinose forelegs, and share a general palpal morphology with those of Heteroonops Dalmas, but have a prolateral conductor connected with an internal bulbal vesicle that presumably discharges its secretion through a prolateral slit. Females lack a posterior receptacle in the internal genitalia, having only a posterodorsal plate serving for muscle attachment. Here we treat all the species except those from Brazil, which will be addressed in a subsequent paper. Twenty-three new species are described: N. darwini (type species), N. lorenae, and N. sciosciae (from Argentina and Uruguay); N. yunga, N. piacentinii, N. poguazu, and N. lopardoae (from Argentina); N. rubioi, N. pombero, and N. avalosi (from Argentina and Paraguay); N. labarquei (from Uruguay), N. yabare, N. izquierdoi, and N. kopuchianae (from Bolivia); N. pithecia, N. silvae, and N. pakitza (from Peru); N. platnicki, and N. waorani (from Ecuador); N. santamarta and N. caparu (from Colombia); and N. maracay and N. amacuro (from Venezuela). Four additional species, previously placed in Oonops Templeton, are transferred here to Neotrops: O. nigromaculatus Mello-Leitão, from Argentina and Uruguay; O. tucumanus Simon, from Argentina; O. donaldi Chickering, from Panama; and O. trapellus Chickering, from Trinidad and Venezuela. The females of the three latter species are here described for the first time. Most of the species are known from the leaf litter or the foliage of tropical and subtropical forests, but also from grasslands in the southern parts of their distributional range, where they appear as the dominant soft-bodied oonopids. The relationships of this new taxon are briefly discussed, and intrageneric groupings are also proposed
Prodysderina, Aschnaoonops, and Bidysderina.
No full text102 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.A new genus, Prodysderina, is established for a group of Neotropical oonopids belonging to the Dysderina complex and characterized by having a laterally incised, tuberculate, but unridged sternum, a groove connecting the posterior (but not the anterior) spiracles, and a male embolus with an elongated distal prong and a reduced proximal prong. Dysderina armata Simon is transferred to Prodysderina and selected as the type species; eight new species are described from Venezuela (P. megarmata, P. rollardae, P. janetae) and Colombia (P. piedecuesta, P. rasgon, P. santander, P. filandia, P. otun). The genus Aschnaoonops contains species that resemble those of Prodysderina but have a twisted (and usually basally widened) embolus in males, and a reduced genital atrium in females. That genus occurs in the Andes from Peru north to Colombia, east across northern South America, and north into the West Indies. Dysderina similis (Keyserling) and D. propinqua (Keyserling) from Colombia, and D. simla Chickering from Trinidad, are transferred to Aschnaoonops, and females of the two Keyserling species are described for the first time. One new species, A. silvae, has been taken by canopy fogging and appears to be widespread in the Amazonian portions of Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. A total of 36 other new, ground-dwelling, microdistributed species are described: A. yasuni, A. tiputini, A. cosanga, A. ramirezi, A. jatun, and A. marshalli from Ecuador, A. leticia, A. orito, A. pira, A. paez, A. huila, A. meta, A. alban, A. chingaza, A. pamplona, A. pedro, and A. marta from Colombia, A. chorro, A. indio, A. tachira, A. tariba, A. teleferico, A. jaji, A. merida, A. aquada, A. masneri, A. trujillo, A. cristalina, A. bocono, A. simoni, and A. margaretae from Venezuela, A. malkini, A. caninde, and A. belem from Brazil, A. villalba from Puerto Rico, and A. gorda from the Virgin Islands. Another new genus, Bidysderina, is established for a group of species resembling those above in sternal structure but having differently constructed male palps; five new species (B. perdido, B. bifida, B. niarchos, B. wagra, B. cayambe) are described from Napo province, Ecuador
Anatomy of Romanian dromaeosaurid Balaur.
Get PDF100 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.The Hațeg Island fauna of the terminal late Cretaceous (ca. 71-65 million years ago) of Romania is one of the most unusual dinosaur assemblages in the global fossil record. It has long been recognized that many herbivorous dinosaurs from the Hațeg fauna were dwarfed, morphologically aberrant, and/or primitive relative to mainland contemporaries, and these taxa are often considered examples of the so-called island effect: the evolutionary phenomenon by which island-dwelling species are often dwarfed and anatomically modified. Very little, however, is known about the carnivorous dinosaurs that inhabited Hațeg Island, and it is unclear whether they were also dwarfed, aberrant, or primitive. In 2009, the discovery of the first substantially complete theropod from the late Cretaceous of Europe, the holotype of the Romanian dromaeosaurid Balaur bondoc, provided the first clear glimpse at an island-dwelling carnivorous dinosaur. Here we describe and figure this remarkably preserved skeleton in detail. We provide detailed descriptions and photographs of individual bones, and make extensive comparisons with other dromaeosaurids (and other derived coelurosaurian theropods). This monographic description provides further evidence that Balaur is an unusual derived dromaeosaurid, closely related to Velociraptor, with a remarkably modified hand and foot skeleton, including a stocky and heavily fused distal hind limb, a double set of hyperextensible pedal claws, and a fused and atrophied hand, which are otherwise unknown among derived coelurosaurian theropods. We present an updated diagnosis of Balaur based on additional preparation of the holotype, comparisons with other dromaeosaurids, and careful consideration of postmortem crushing. Histological techniques demonstrate that both the holotype and a referred specimen of Balaur, which is approximately 50% larger than the holotype and from a separate locality, belong to mature individuals. Therefore, we remove the referred specimen from Balaur bondoc and conservatively consider it Balaur sp. We present an updated assessment of the phylogenetic relationships of Balaur based on a comprehensive new coelurosaurian cladistics dataset, which corroborates the close relationship between Balaur, Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Adasaurus, and Saurornitholestes. We review the fossil record of European late Cretaceous theropods and show that other specimens from the late Cretaceous of Romania (including the holotype of Elopteryx), France, and Hungary either do not belong to Balaur (due to the lack of Balaur autapomorphies) or cannot be compared to Balaur because of a lack of overlapping material. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic history of European terminal Cretaceous dinosaur faunas and comment on the extreme morphological specializations of Balaur. We conclude that the phylogenetic position of Balaur, a derived dromaeosaurid closely related to late Cretaceous Laurasian taxa, is inconsistent with previous hypotheses of long-term geographic endemicity of the Romanian island faunas, but argue that the aberrant Bauplan of Balaur is similar to that seen in some living and recently extinct mammals and thus likely due to the "island effect.
Appendix to On the distribution and conservation of the South American lizard genus Tropidurus Wied-Neuwied, 1825 (Squamata: Tropiduridae)
No full textAppendix to Carvalho, André Luiz Gomes de. 2013. On the distribution and conservation of the South American lizard genus Tropidurus Wied-Neuwied, 1825 (Squamata: Tropiduridae). Zootaxa, Vol 3640(1): pp. 42–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3640.1.
Estesia mongoliensis.
No full text31 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm. "This paper is based on significant field expeditions in the Gobi Desert carried out by joint expeitions of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the American Museum of Natural History"--Acknowledgments.New specimens of the fossil lizard Estesia mongoliensis are described from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Phylogenetic analysis of 86 anguimorph taxa coded with 435 morphological characters and four genes confirms the placement of Estesia mongoliensis in a monophyletic Monstersauria. Extant monstersaurs, the genus Heloderma, are the only extant lizards bearing venom-transmitting teeth with a deep venom grove in the rostral carina. Compared to the crown group, stem monstersaurs are morphologically more variable in venom-delivery apparatus. This study has found that Estesia mongoliensis has two shallow grooves in the rostral and caudal carinae of its dentary teeth, demonstrating a primary venom-delivery apparatus. A summary of venom-delivering tooth specialization in the Anguimorpha is provided, and related morphological characters are optimized on the strict consensus tree resulting from the combined morphological and molecular analysis of anguimorph phylogeny. The phylogeny supports a single origination of venom grooves in the Monstersauria, and indicates that grooved teeth are currently the only reliable venom-delivery apparatus to be recognized in fossil lizards
A time scale for scales : reconciling neontology and paleontology in Coccoidea (Hemiptera)
No full textxiv, 445, [1] leaves) : illustrations (some color)Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea), with 8,000 species, 33 Recent and 19
extinct families, are amongst the most destructive insects in agriculture. Perhaps 98% of
the species feed on angiosperms. The superfamily is traditionally divided into the
primitive archaeococcoids and the derived neococcoids, the latter with 90% of the
species. The neococcoids were hypothesized to have diversified in response to the
radiation of angiosperms ca. 100 Ma. Despite a sophisticated taxonomy based almost
exclusively on the conspicuous neotenic adult females, there is a paucity of higher-level
phylogenetic studies, and this compromises evolutionary understanding. Fossil scale
insects are diverse in ambers around the world, 135 to 20 Ma, but are preserved mostly asthe highly dissimilar winged adult males, adding a challenge in understanding the
relationships of fossil taxa. My dissertation is aimed at reconciling paleontology and
neontology in Coccoidea and testing whether the neococcoids diversified as a result of
the angiosperm radiations.My approach was to first assess whether fossil scale insects could be incorporated in a phylogenetic framework. To begin, I used the Ortheziidae (ensign scale insects), a morphologically well-defined family, where morphological features and fossil evidence suggests an early origin of the family in Coccoidea evolution. Based on 69 morphological characters of female ortheziids and using 39 exemplar Recent species, I provide the first analytical assessment of relationships among Recent and extinct genera of the family. Fossils included eight species, based on complete, well-preserved specimens in amber from 125-20 Ma (unlike other coccoid groups, ortheziids are fossilized mostly as females). Five new species and one new genus of fossil ensign scales are described from three amber deposits. Second, it was necessary to understand macropterous male morphology. However, because adult male Coccoidea do not feed and rarely live more than three or four days, they are seldom collected and their morphology has been little studied. In the Ortheziidae, for example, males of only four extant and three fossil species were known, in a family of over 200 species. Herein, the detailed male morphology of seven previously described species is provided, which, by knowing males of three additional genera, provides significantly better understanding of male morphological variation in Ortheziidae. The utility of laser confocal microscopy for the study of old, rare, uncleared collection slide preparations is shown to allow better visibility of macrostructures, but not for minute structures such as pores. A comprehensive study was made of macropterous males in four amber deposits: Eocene of the Baltic region and India (Cambay amber), mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar, and Early Cretaceous of Lebanon. Descriptions of 16 new species, 11 new genera, and three new families are provided, including very important records for six Recent families, such as the first fossil Margarodidae (Cambay amber) and another definitive Cretaceous neococcoid (in Burmese amber). These fossils are then discussed in a phylogenetic framework, obtained from analyzing 123 Recent and fossil taxa for 169 morphological characters. Finally, I assess whether fossil information can help resolve deep-node relationships in Coccoidea. Estimates of divergence times of the major lineages are made based on morphological and molecular data, and lineage ages are discussed with major biotic events in earth history. This study presents the first total-evidence (vs. nodecalibrated) approach to phylogenetic assessment for the Coccoidea, using 169 morphological characters and regions of the 18S, 28S and EF-1a genes. The taxon sampling includes 73 Recent and 43 fossil terminals covering 48 of the 54 recognized families in Coccoidea. Despite the large proportion of missing data and a very heterogeneous dataset, results indicate that most of the Recent families of Coccoidea were established by 100 Ma, revealing that the divergence of neoccoccoid families may have not affected by the angiosperm radiations. The origin of Coccoidea is estimated as Late Triassic, ca. 220 Ma.Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History