333 research outputs found
Archaebalaenoptera Bisconti 2007
No full textArchaebalaenoptera Bisconti, 2007 Emended diagnosis of genus. Supraoccipital with rounded anterior border and strong transverse constriction; posterior apex of nuchal crest triangular in dorsal view and directed posteriorly; supraoccipital horizontally bent approximately at mid-length; zygomatic process of squamosal projecting anterolaterally and with sharply defined supramastoid crest; interorbital region of the frontal with transversely rounded sides; posterolateral corner of exoccipital protruding posteriorly. Discussion. Archaebalaenoptera differs from other balaenopterids in having a unique mix of morphological characters. In particular, while the transverse constriction of the supraoccipital is observed also in ‘Balaenoptera’ cortesii var. portisi, in Archaebalaenoptera the constriction is associated with a rounded anterior border of the supraoccipital; in ‘B.’ cortesii var. portisi the anterior border of the supraoccipital is narrow-to-pointed. The extended posteriorly protruding posterolateral corner of the exoccipital is also observed in Fragilicetus velponi but in that taxon, the supraoccipital is largely different being more squared at its anterior border and the being transverse constriction very reduced. In cross section, the round sides of the interorbital region of the frontal are typical of this genus and represent a marked difference with other balaenopterid genera where the sides of the interorbital region of the frontal are squared or concave. Type species. Archaebalaenoptera castriarquati Bisconti, 2007Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo, Munsterman, Dirk K. & Fraaije, René H. B., 2020, A new species of rorqual whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) from the Late Miocene of the Southern North Sea Basin and the role of the North Atlantic in the paleobiogeography of Archaebalaenoptera, pp. 1-32 in PeerJ 8 (8315) on pages 6-7, DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8315, http://zenodo.org/record/360611
Miocaperea Bisconti 2012, GEN. NOV.
No full textMIOCAPEREA GEN. NOV. Diagnosis. Miocaperea differs from Caperea (which is the only other known genus of Neobalaenidae) by: a reduced protrusion of the exoccipital that reaches a point only slightly posterior to the occipital condyles; its temporal fossa, with the squamosal fossa mainly vertical, whereas in the living Caperea it is inclined anteroventrally from the lambdoid crest; lambdoid crest triangular, but in Caperea it is rounded; the alisphenoid is excluded from being exposed in the temporal fossa, and the foramen pseudo-ovale is completely included within the squamosal, whereas in Caperea, the alisphenoid is exposed in the temporal fossa and the foramen pseudo-ovale is located in the pterygoid. Discussion. Several characters allow us to distinguish SMNS 46978 from the living pygmy right whale C. marginata. A comparison of Figures 2 and S 1 shows that the whole posterior portion of the skull of M. pulchra gen. et sp. nov. is different from the corresponding portion of C. marginata. In particular, the extreme posterior projection observed in the latter is totally lacking in the former. The shape of the posterior portion of the temporal fossa, the posterior development of the lambdoid crest, and the orientation of the squamosal fossa result in different arrangements and function of the temporal muscle in the two taxa. Additionally, the shorter posterior protrusion of the exoccipital in M. pulchra gen. et sp. nov. suggests a different development of neck muscles. Finally, the different relationships that the foramen pseudo-ovale has with the surrounding bones suggests different developmental paths of the ventrolateral surface of the skull posteriorly to the supraorbital process of the frontal. All these differences support a clear distinction between C. marginata and specimen SMNS 46978, the principal subject of this article. Such a distinction is better represented by assigning SMNS 46978 to a different genus, namely Miocaperea. Etymology. Mio from Miocene; Caperea, scientific name for the pygmy right whale.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo, 2012, Comparative osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Miocaperea pulchra, the first fossil pygmy right whale genus and species (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Neobalaenidae), pp. 876-911 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (4) on page 879, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00862.x, http://zenodo.org/record/540913
Fragilicetus velponi Bisconti & Bosselaers 2016, SP. NOV.
No full textFRAGILICETUS VELPONI SP. NOV. Holotype: Item no. NMR 999100007727, housed at the Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam, The Netherlands (hereinafter, NMR). Type locality: The specimen was found along the southwest border of the Deurganckdock, approximately 12 km north-west of Antwerp city centre and 4 km north of the village of Kallo (Fig. 1). The Deurganckdock is an artificial excavation located on the left side of the Scheldt River. The geographical coordinates of the discovery site are 51°17′05″N, 4°15′30″E. Formation and age: The specimen was found in situ in the Kattendijk Sand Member of the Kattendijk Sands Formation (Early Pliocene, Zanclean), about 3 m above the basal gravel, at a depth of about 21.5 m below the Tweede Algemene Waterpassing (TAW; Fig. 2). TAW is the standardized (rectified) second general water level (main level of the sea at Ostend at low tide). The Belgian standard TAW is 2.33 m lower than the Dutch, German, and French standards. At the discovery site, the basal gravel of the Kattendijk Sand Member is in contact with and on top of the Rupel clay (Oligocene, firmed by Louwye et al. (2004). Based on these correlations, the estimated age of the holotype skeleton of F. velponi is approximately 5 Mya. Diagnosis: As for genus. Etymology: Velpon is the brand of the glue used in the preparation of the holotype skull.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo & Bosselaers, Mark, 2016, Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti), pp. 450-474 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (2) on pages 452-453, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12370, http://zenodo.org/record/536457
Miocaperea pulchra Bisconti 2012, SP. NOV.
No full textMIOCAPEREA PULCHRA SP. NOV. <p> <i>Holotype.</i> SMNS 46978 of the Palaeontological Collection. The specimen consists of a skull subdivided into two parts: one including the rostrum and the other including the neurocranium. The tympanic bullae are missing.</p> <p> <i>Type locality.</i> Aguada de Lomas (Sacaco area, Arequipa Department, Peru) is a well-known fossil-bearing site located around 550 km south-east of Lima (Fig. 1) in the Pisco Formation (De Muizon & Bellon, 1981; De Muizon & DeVries, 1985). The locality is close to the southern coast of Peru and its height is around 250– 300 m a.s.l. The approximate geographic co-ordinates for the locality are: 15°5′S, 74°8′W.</p> <p> <i>Formation and age.</i> Pisco Formation. The Pisco Formation outcrop at Aguada de Lomas has been extensively studied (De Muizon & Bellon, 1981; De Muizon & DeVries, 1985; De Muizon <i>et al</i>., 2003) because this locality yielded several well-preserved marine vertebrate fossils, including whales and aquatic sloths (De Muizon, 1988; Pilleri, 1989; De Muizon <i>et al</i>., 2003). Mollusc and vertebrate biostratigraphies together with radioisotopic dating constrain the age of the sediments to late Tortonian (Late Miocene), 7–8 Mya (De Muizon & Bellon, 1981; De Muizon & DeVries, 1985).</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis.</i> As for genus.</p> <p> <i>Etymology. Pulchra</i>, Latin, beautiful, referring to the exquisite condition of preservation of the type specimen.</p>Published as part of <i>Bisconti, Michelangelo, 2012, Comparative osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Miocaperea pulchra, the first fossil pygmy right whale genus and species (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Neobalaenidae), pp. 876-911 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (4)</i> on page 879, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00862.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5409131">http://zenodo.org/record/5409131</a>
Figure 10 in Comparative osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Miocaperea pulchra, the first fossil pygmy right whale genus and species (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Neobalaenidae)
No full textFigure 10. Miocaperea pulchra gen. et sp. nov.: holotype, basicranium, left side. A, holotype skull; B, schematic representation. Scale bars: 50 mm. See Anatomical abbreviations for definitions of the acronyms.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo, 2012, Comparative osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Miocaperea pulchra, the first fossil pygmy right whale genus and species (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Neobalaenidae), pp. 876-911 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (4) on page 888, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00862.x, http://zenodo.org/record/540913
Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti)
No full textBisconti, Michelangelo, Bosselaers, Mark (2016): Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (2): 450-474, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12370, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zoj.1237
Figure 11 in Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a new eschrichtiid genus (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from the Early Pliocene of northern Italy
No full textFigure 11. Fifty-% majority-rule strict consensus bootstrap tree; tree statistics: CI, 0.568; RI, 0.7582; HI, 0.5173; Rescaled CI, 0.3659. Numbers above branch are bootstrap support values; numbers in bold are values higher than 80%.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo, 2008, Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of a new eschrichtiid genus (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from the Early Pliocene of northern Italy, pp. 161-186 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 153 (1) on page 174, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00374.x, http://zenodo.org/record/544723
Morphological evolution of the hominid brain
No full textA comparative analysis of the brain surfaces and endocasts of 35 hominid specimens including 24 operational taxonomic units was performed with the aim to search for morphological transformations of the brain surface that occurred over time throughout the hominid lineage. Our research was directed at size-independent morphological characters. We found 14 characters dealing with (1) relative proportions of the frontal lobe, (2) relative proportions of the parietal lobe, (3) relative proportions of the temporal lobe, (4) extension of the occipital lobe and position of the parieto-occipital sulcus, and (5) morphology and proportions of the frontal bec. We described and mapped these characters onto a reference phylogeny of Hominidae including 4 ape species and 20 operational taxonomic units belonging to bipedal hominins (species Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo) to infer character states at the ancestral nodes. At the macroscopical level, we found that (a) the occipital lobe changed its inclination at the Pan-Australopithecus transition; (b) the frontal lobe increased its roundness during the transition between Australopithecus/Paranthropus and Homo; (c) the parietal lobe increased its relative length in a hominin clade including Homo erectus, H. floresiensis, H. cepranensis, H. neandertalensis and H. sapiens; and (d) the distal border of the temporal lobe increased its height and the posterolateral border of the temporal lobe acquired a ventrally concave outline in the clade including H. neandertalensis and H. sapiens. These observations are important in the broader context of the inference of the relationships of paleoneurology and behavioral outputs in extinct hominid species
Fragilicetus Bisconti & Bosselaers 2016, GEN. NOV.
No full textFRAGILICETUS GEN. NOV. Diagnosis: The diagnosis of Fragilicetus includes the presence of eschrichtiid-like and balaenopterid-like features in the same individual. Fragilicetus is distinguished from the other nonbalaenopterid mysticete families based on the presence, in the same individual, of a squamosal bulging into the temporal fossa; posterior projection of the posterolateral corner of the exoccipital; anterior placement of the posterior apex of the lambdoidal crest; squamosal cleft present and v-shaped (turning ventrally at its lateral end); abruptly depressed and flat supraorbital process of the frontal; anterior portion of temporal crest transversely elongated and forming a dorsal roof to the anterior portion of the temporal fossa; very short intertemporal region; infraorbital region of the frontal exposed dorsally between the ascending processes of the maxillae; anterior end of the parietal located more anteriorly than the posterior ends of the ascending process of the maxilla; descending suprameatal surface from the central portion of the periotic to the superior rim of the internal acoustic meatus; endocranial opening of the facial canal separated from the internal acoustic meatus by a thick crista transversa but not prolonged into a groove; triangular anterior process of the periotic; anterior process of the periotic and central portion of periotic on the same plane; groove for VII cranial nerve in posterior process reduced; anteroposteriorly short and flattened posterior process of the periotic. Discussion: Fragilicetus velponi belongs to Balaenopteroidea (sensu Geisler & Sanders, 2003: Balaenopteroidea is defined as the clade including Eschrichtiidae and Balaenopteridae, their common ancestor, and all the descendants of this ancestor; see Deméré et al., 2005 for further details) because it has a long and definite ascending process of the maxilla, reduced interorbital region of the frontal, depressed supraorbital process of the frontal, and pars cochlearis of the periotic elongated along both the anteroposterior and transverse axes. The type of the depression of the supraorbital process of the frontal is different in Eschrichtiidae and Balaenopteridae; although it is generally accepted that both families have a depressed supraorbital process of the frontal, the degree of development of the depression is in fact greater in Balaenopteridae. In Balaenopteridae the supraorbital process of the frontal is abruptly depressed over its whole longitudinal length but in the living Eschrichtius robustus, the depression is evident at the posterior portion of the supraorbital process whereas the more anterior portion is only slightly depressed. The depression of the supraorbital process of the frontal is more balaenopterid-like in the fossil Eschrichtioides gastaldii, in which the supraorbital process of the frontal is abruptly depressed in a manner that resembles very closely the condition observed in Balaenopteridae. Some Cetotheriidae Brandt, 1872, such as Mixocetus elysius Kellogg, 1934b (our observations on Mi. elysius are based on the photographic illustrations provided by Kellogg, 1934b, in which the reconstructed portions are clearly evident), share the condition observed in Eschrichtius robustus but most of the cetotheriids and basal thalassotherians show a gently descending supraorbital process of the frontal. Hereafter, we use Cetotheriidae to mean Cetotheriidae s.s. of Bouetel & de Muizon (2006); see also El Adli, Deméré & Boessenecker (2014) and Bisconti (2014) for discussions on this taxon. Fragilicetus velponi differs from later-diverging Balaenopteridae in having a well-developed squamosal bulge, strongly developed exoccipital that projects posterolaterally, and in the lack of a posterior projection of the postglenoid process of the squamosal. Fragilicetus velponi differs from Eschrichtiidae in having a wide supraorbital process of the frontal, anteriorly compressed supraoccipital, and in the lack of dorsal tubercles on the supraoccipital. It is clearly different from Cetotheriidae in the following characters: (1) the posterior ends of its maxillae do not meet along the midline posteriorly and (2) the posterior ends of its maxillae are not superimposed onto the interorbital region of the frontal. Etymology: Fragilis, Latin, fragile, in reference to the extreme fragility of the holotype skull. Cetus, Latin, whale. Type species: Fragilicetus velponi sp. nov. This is currently the only included species.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo & Bosselaers, Mark, 2016, Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti), pp. 450-474 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (2) on pages 451-452, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12370, http://zenodo.org/record/536457
Figure 3 in Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti)
No full textFigure 3. Localizations and orientations of shark bite marks on the holotype skull of Fragilicetus velponi gen. et sp. nov. as seen from the anterior view. The shark bite marks are in solid black. The skull is in anterior view; only the right side of the skull is shown because it is that part that bears the shark bite marks. Abbreviations: ali, alisphenoid; fr, frontal; pal, palatine; par, parietal; pgl, postglenoid process of squamosal; pt, pterygoid; soc, supraoccipital; sq, squamosal; sqc, squamosal cleft; sq-par, squamosal–parietal suture; sq-pt, squamosal-pterygoid suture; tc, temporal crest; vom, vomer; zyg, zygomatic process of the squamosal. Scale bar = 100 mm.Published as part of Bisconti, Michelangelo & Bosselaers, Mark, 2016, Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti), pp. 450-474 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 177 (2) on page 454, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12370, http://zenodo.org/record/536457
- …
