Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marc J. Van den Brandt, Bruce S. Rubidge, Julien Benoit, Fernando Abdala
Summary: Pareiasaurs were herbivorous parareptiles that were globally distributed and abundant, with the basal-most members found only in the mid-Permian of South Africa. The basal forms formed a monophyletic group and became extinct at the end of the Guadalupian. Although four species of basal pareiasaurs are currently recognized, there remains historic uncertainty regarding their validity.
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Felipe L. Pinheiro, Eduardo Silva-Neves, Atila A. S. Da-Rosa
Summary: Procolophonoidea was the only parareptile clade to survive the end-Permian mass extinction, and they experienced a major adaptive radiation during the Triassic. The new procolophonid genus and species, Oryporan insolitus gen. et sp. nov., combines typical adaptations suggestive of herbivory with primitive character states peculiar to early procolophonoids, making it the phylogenetically earliest species to show apparent adaptations for herbivory. This highlights the diversity of feeding habits displayed by Early Triassic procolophonoids, crucial for the clade's survival in post-extinction disaster communities.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Hao Huang, Xiaochi Jin, Yukun Shi
Summary: The paleobiogeographic affinity of Middle Permian fusulinids in the Lhasa Block suggests a close relationship with the South Qiangtang region and similarities with the Cathaysian South China. The diversity of fusulinids in the Lhasa Block during the Middle Permian exceeds that of the eastern Cimmerian blocks, indicating significant climatic amelioration in the region during that time.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Qi Ju, Yi-chun Zhang, Feng Qiao, Hai-peng Xu
Summary: This study documents a new Middle Permian foraminiferal fauna from the Xiala Formation in the central Lhasa Block, which is characterized by the presence of the Shanita-Hemigordiopsis foraminiferal assemblage aged to be the early Midian. The global review of the Shanita-Hemigordiopsis assemblage confirms its age range and distribution pattern, suggesting the influence of oceanic currents flowing from equatorial regions to the Gondwanan margin along the Neotethys Ocean.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ethan Mooney, Tea Maho, Joseph Bevitt, Robert Reisz
Summary: The initial stages of diapsid evolution, which includes extant reptiles and the majority of extinct reptilian taxa, are poorly understood. However, a new and unusual diapsid reptile with unique dentition and lower jaw anatomy has been discovered in the cave deposits near Richards Spur, Oklahoma, providing evidence of the diversification of diapsid reptiles in the early Permian.
Article
Geography, Physical
Timothy F. Lawton, Ronald C. Blakey, Daniel F. Stockli, Li Liu
Summary: The passage discusses the evolution of sediment-dispersal networks from the Late Mississippian to the middle Permian in western equatorial Pangea, influenced by climate, eustasy, and the late Paleozoic orogenic system. Different geological events, such as uplifts, basins, and river systems, contributed to the transportation and distribution of sediment across the region, shaping the landscape over time.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David S. Berman, Stuart S. Sumida, Amy C. Henrici, Diane Scott, Robert R. Reisz, Thomas Martens
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive description of the holotype skeleton of the lower Permian reptile Eudibamus cursoris, as well as a partially articulated second specimen. Structural differences between the two specimens are attributed to different ontogenetic stages of ossification, with the holotype representing a more juvenile individual and the second specimen a more mature one.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Juan C. Cisneros, Paula Dentzien-Dias, Heitor Francischini
Summary: Provelosaurus americanus is the only known representative of the Pareiasauria in the Americas, with a Guadalupian age co-existing with dinocephalians. New fossils support the hypothesis that the Brazilian pareiasaur is the sister taxon of the Karoo dwarf pareiasaurs. The association of individuals of different ontogenetic stages at the type locality suggests social behavior in P. americanus.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Brodsky Dantas Macedo Farias, Cesar Leandro Schultz, Marina Bento Soares
Summary: The study examined the microstructure of Provelosaurus americanus, a pareiasaur from Brazil, revealing slow cyclical growth with irregular spacing between growth marks. The specimen did not reach skeletal maturity and lived at least fifteen years. Osteoderms showed a trilaminar structure with intramembraneous ossification.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Xueqian Feng, Zhong-Qiang Chen, Laishi Zhao, Zhongwu Lan
Summary: The study describes Guadalupian (middle Permian) ichnoassemblages, identifying multiple facies and trace types, indicating biodiversity and behavioral diversity. Changes in traces from the Permian to Middle Triassic suggest potential ichnological evolution.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Rodrigo Muller
Summary: Owenettids are small procolophonoids that survived beyond the Permo-Triassic boundary and have a fossil record ranging from the upper Permian to the Middle Triassic, with some species showing unique traits. The morphological disparity analysis reveals distinct groups of procolophonids and owenettids, with owenettids having a more conservative anatomy.
ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA
(2021)
Article
Geology
Rafael Oliveira Silva, Mariangela Garcia Praca Leite, Isaac Rudnitzki, Wagner Souza-Lima
Summary: This study focuses on the Permian sedimentology of the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin in northeastern Brazil, identifying six facies associations that reflect the paleoenvironmental conditions of a coastal environment that was part of a shallow epicontinental sea in West-Central Gondwana. The deposits show characteristics of eolian, desiccation structures, and mixed carbonate-siliciclastic facies, with an early diagenetic silicification being the main diagenetic feature. Similarities were observed with Eocene glass ramps of Australia, and a relationship with the Permian Chert Event is suggested.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Chris Mays, Vivi Vajda, Stephen McLoughlin
Summary: The paper discusses the abundance, diversity, and extinction of non-marine algae in the Permian and Triassic periods, focusing on the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction interval. It also provides insights into the global biotic crises within the Permian-Triassic interval and the fossil records of non-marine algae in Gondwana. Finally, the review highlights the scarcity of quantitative fossil evidence for non-marine algae during these critical periods in evolutionary history.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geology
Amalia Spina, Andrea Brogi, Enrico Capezzuoli, Gennaro Ventruti, Martina Zucchi, Mauro Aldinucci, Simonetta Cirilli, Andrea Schito, Domenico Liotta
Summary: This study contributes to the reconstruction of the upper Palaeozoic sedimentary evolution of the Western Mediterranean area by providing biostratigraphic and sedimentological results based on palynology and thermal maturity assessment. The study focuses on the Falsacqua Formation in southern Tuscany, Italy, and establishes its age as middle-late Permian based on palynological data. The study also provides constraints on the maximum temperature values during syn-collisional metamorphism in the Northern Apennines.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Richard J. Butler, Luke E. Meade, Terri J. Cleary, Kai T. Mcwhirter, Emily E. Brown, Tom S. Kemp, Juan Benito, Nicholas C. Fraser
Summary: The fissure fill localities in southwest England and South Wales have yielded diverse small-bodied tetrapod assemblages from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic period. However, the age of the fissures and the origin of these assemblages are still debated. A new species of procolophonid, named Hwiccewyrm trispiculum gen. et sp. nov., has been discovered in the Cromhall fissure. This species shares similarities with Late Triassic procolophonids from Scotland, Brazil, and North America, but also has unique characteristics.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Marco Romano, Bruce Rubidge
Summary: This study provides the first body mass estimate for a dinocephalian species based on a well-preserved skeleton, highlighting the importance of volumetric body mass estimates over traditional regression formulae. The findings suggest that the upright posture of Tapinocaninus may be a response to its large body mass, which reaches weights close to a ton for the first time in synapsids.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sara Cristina Memoria, Renata Guimaraes Netto, Luiz Saturnino de Andrade, Daniel Sedorko, Juan Carlos Cisneros, Sonia Maria Agostinho
Summary: This paper characterizes the ichnology and sedimentology of the Lower Paleozoic Parnaiba Basin beds exposed in Brazil and discusses the paleoenvironmental significance of the ichnofauna, revealing the presence of Silurian and Devonian trace fossils in the sedimentary succession. The dominance of storm-generated beds in shoreface deposits indicates a high frequency of storm surges. The study strengthens the theoretical basis for ichnostratigraphic correlations.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Claudia Marsicano, Kenneth D. Angielczyk, Juan C. Cisneros, Martha Richter, Christian F. Kammerer, Jorg Frobisch, Roger M. H. Smith
Summary: Recently discovered temnospondyl fossils from the Cisuralian Pedra de Fogo Formation in northeastern Brazil indicate a diverse assemblage of aquatic tetrapods, including Timonya anneae and Procuhy nazariensis. A new phylogenetic analysis reveals that Timonya represents an early branch within the 'short-snouted' dvinosaurs, and the dvinosaurs from the Pedra de Fogo Formation show close relationships with Cisuralian taxa from the North American southwest. This suggests a strong paleogeographic connection between these regions in the late Paleozoic, while also highlighting the presence of unique endemic taxa in the Pedra de Fogo Formation.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alienor Duhamel, Julien Benoit, Michael Day, Bruce Rubidge, Vincent Fernandez
Summary: By using X-ray micro computed tomography (CT), this study describes three new juvenile Biarmosuchian skulls from the late Permian of South Africa, distinguishing them from adults by their relatively large orbits, open cranial sutures, and incomplete ossification of the braincase and bony labyrinth. The study provides a list of characters to recognize juvenile Biarmosuchians for the first time.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
David P. Groenewald, Michael O. Day, Cameron R. Penn-Clarke, Bruce S. Rubidge
Summary: The Karoo Supergroup in South Africa is known for its almost continuous Carboniferous to Jurassic deposition in a foreland basin setting, hosting a unique record of fossil tetrapods that provides insight into terrestrial biodiversity change. Recent studies have greatly improved the understanding of litho, bio-, and chronostratigraphy of the Karoo Basin, with a focus on the thicker and better-exposed rocks in the basinal foredeep.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Luke A. Norton, Fernando Abdala, Bruce S. Rubidge, Jennifer Botha
Summary: X-ray microtomography imaging of five late Permian cynodont specimens revealed specific patterns of tooth replacement in Cynosaurus, with evidence of two maxillary canine loci in juvenile individuals. The replacement patterns differed between the maxilla and mandible, with the final canine generation having open-rooted apices in both jaws. The postcanine replacement generations showed alternating patterns in maxilla and mandible.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Letter
Ecology
Juan C. Cisneros, Aline M. Ghilardi, Nussaibah B. Raja, Paul P. Stewens
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Juan C. Cisneros, Paula Dentzien-Dias, Heitor Francischini
Summary: Provelosaurus americanus is the only known representative of the Pareiasauria in the Americas, with a Guadalupian age co-existing with dinocephalians. New fossils support the hypothesis that the Brazilian pareiasaur is the sister taxon of the Karoo dwarf pareiasaurs. The association of individuals of different ontogenetic stages at the type locality suggests social behavior in P. americanus.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juan Carlos Cisneros, Nussaibah B. Raja, Aline M. Ghilardi, Emma M. Dunne, Felipe L. Pinheiro, Omar Rafael Regalado Fernandez, Marcos A. F. Sales, Ruben A. Rodriguez-de la Rosa, Adriana Y. Miranda-Martinez, Sergio Gonzalez-Mora, Renan A. M. Bantim, Flaviana J. de Lima, Jason D. Pardo
Summary: This article points out the ongoing colonial practices in the field of paleontology, where middle- and low-income countries supply data for high-income countries while local expertise is devalued. Mexico and Brazil have adopted protective laws and regulations to preserve their paleontological heritage, but these practices are still evident in many publications. Issues such as the absence of fieldwork and export permit declarations, as well as the lack of local experts among authors, were identified. Access to fossil specimens in Mexico is restricted due to their storage in private collections, while studies on Brazilian fossils often rely on illegally reposited specimens in foreign collections.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
P. J. Bishop, L. A. Norton, S. Jirah, M. O. Day, B. S. Rubidge, S. E. Pierce
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Bruce S. Rubidge, Michael O. Day, Julien Benoit
Summary: This study describes a newly discovered specimen of Colobodectes from the lower Abrahamskraal Formation in the southern Karoo Basin. The presence of Colobodectes at this locality suggests an interesting correlation between the base of the Abrahamskraal Formation in the Northern Cape Province and the lower Abrahamskraal Formation in the southwestern part of the basin.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Marc J. Van den Brandt, Fernando Abdala, Julien Benoit, Michael O. Day, David P. Groenewald, Bruce S. Rubidge
Summary: Pareiasaurs were relatively abundant herbivorous parareptiles during the mid to late Permian period, with four recognized species and a distribution in South Africa. Through taxonomical and phylogenetic reviews, updated stratigraphical ranges, and diagnoses, the understanding of this group has improved significantly. The Bradysauria, with three valid mid-Permian pareiasaur taxa, are shown to be stratigraphically restricted to the Abrahamskraal Formation of the Beaufort Group, with a staggered appearance and eventual extinction during the Capitanian mass extinction.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher Harris, Robert W. Gess, Cameron Penn-Clarke, Bruce S. Rubidge
Summary: Coombs Hill, a new fossil locality in the Witpoort Formation of South Africa, preserves a record of Famennian life in Gondwana, with diverse plant and shelly invertebrate fossils. The high-energy coastal marine setting and unique species composition at Coombs Hill provide important insights into the ecology of high-latitude environments during the Late Devonian period.ONGOING taxonomic analysis will provide a rare window into the ecology of high-latitude environments during this pivotal stage of Earth history, which immediately preceded the end-Devonian extinction.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Tim Hamley, Juan C. Cisneros, Ross Damiani
Summary: A new procolophonid reptile species, Eomurruna yurrgensis, is described from Australia with unique dental features suggesting intermediate functional capabilities and phylogenetic analysis placing it in a basal position within the Procolophonidae. Taxonomic reassessment of other procolophonoid species leads to the proposal of a new genus, Youngetta, and new combinations for existing species.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Kenneth D. Angielczyk, Julien Benoit, Bruce S. Rubidge
Summary: Cistecephalids are a distinctive group of Permian dicynodonts with fossorial ecology, showing a highly allopatric distribution and strong interspecific competition. The newly described Kembawacela kitchingi species exhibits unique diagnostic characters, adding to the diversity and complexity of this group.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2021)
