Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas A. Stewart, Justin B. Lemberg, Ailis Daly, Edward B. Daeschler, Neil H. Shubin
Summary: The study focuses on understanding the morphological and functional diversity of the closest relatives of limbed vertebrates. A new elpistostegalian species from the Late Devonian period in the Canadian Arctic is discovered, displaying unexpected disparities and swimming specializations. This finding reveals a previously hidden ecological expansion near the origin of limbed vertebrates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christian Klug, Johanne Kerr, Michael S. Y. Lee, Richard Cloutier
Summary: A new late Devonian ctenophore fossil, named Jakob Vintheri Daihuoides, was discovered in the Escuminac Formation in eastern Canada. This fossil is believed to be closely related to Cambrian stem ctenophores and challenges the phylogenomic hypothesis regarding the relationship between ctenophores and other metazoans.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Sam Giles, Kara Feilich, Rachel C. M. Warnock, Stephanie E. Pierce, Matt Friedman
Summary: An exceptionally preserved fossil from 7 million years before the end-Devonian mass extinction reveals unexpected anatomical features. This suggests complex patterns of divergence and diversification around the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary, as well as conspicuous feeding and locomotor structure diversification in the Carboniferous.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Theodore Green, Sarah P. Slotznick, Plinio Jaqueto, Timothy D. Raub, Eric Tohver, Ted E. Playton, Peter W. Haines, Joseph L. Kirschvink, Roger M. Hocking, Paul Montgomery
Summary: Late Devonian was a period of rapid changes in the Earth system, with uncertainties surrounding the causes of climate change, sea level changes, ocean anoxia, and the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction. Analysis of rock magnetic data and magnetostratigraphy from the Late Devonian drill-core in the Lennard Shelf of Western Australia revealed scattered paleomagnetic directions, but showed good correlation with previous studies. Further data is needed to better understand the timing, causes, and environmental shifts during this critical time-period, including the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Swapan K. Sahoo, Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau, Kathleen Wilson, Bruce Hart, Ben D. Barnes, Tytrice Faison, Andrew R. Bowman, Toti E. Larsen, Alan J. Kaufman
Summary: The Devonian-Carboniferous transition signifies a significant shift in the surface environment, primarily attributed to changes in ocean-atmosphere oxidation states resulting from the proliferation of land plants. This led to changes in the hydrological cycle, continental weathering, glacioeustasy, eutrophication, anoxic expansion in epicontinental seas, and mass extinction events. Our comprehensive geochemical dataset from the Bakken Shale in North America documents the stepwise transgressions of toxic euxinic waters into shallow oceans, contributing to Late Devonian extinction events.
Article
Biology
Le Liu, De-Ming Wang, Yi Zhou, Min Qin, David K. Ferguson, Mei-Cen Meng
Summary: In this study, a fossil of a late Devonian tree lycopsid was discovered, showing large and diverse reproductive organs with probable strong photosynthetic capacity. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the ecological habit of early tree lycopsids.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Peng Xu, Le Liu, Deming Wang
Summary: This study describes new specimens of Sublepidodendron grabaui from South China, focusing on its female reproductive organs. The plant is identified as a tree lycopsid with multiple dichotomized stems, occasionally produced lateral branches, and monosporangiate strobili. The findings provide further insights into the morphology and reproductive characteristics of this plant.
Article
Geography, Physical
Rafael Moreno-Dominguez, S. Augusta Maccracken, Artai A. Santos, Torsten Wappler
Summary: Trace fossils of insect herbivory are an important tool for palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic interpretations. The La Val fossil site in the Iberian Peninsula provides evidence of numerous plant-insect interactions, with a decrease in diversity of interactions over time possibly due to changes in temperature or humidity levels.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Sarah K. K. Brisson, Jaleigh Q. Q. Pier, J. Andrew Beard, Anjali M. M. Fernandes, Andrew M. M. Bush
Summary: Studies of the fossil record can provide insights into the causes and effects of mass extinctions. This study examines ecological changes resulting from a Late Devonian mass extinction event using brachiopod fossils. The extinction led to the replacement of species by new immigrant taxa, but survivors showed niche conservatism along ecological gradients. Despite ecological stability, there were significant taxonomic and ecological changes in the regional species pool before and after the extinction.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert Gess, Per Ahlberg
Summary: We describe a new species of giant bony fish, H. udlezinye sp. nov., from the Late Devonian fossil assemblage in South Africa. This species, belonging to the extinct clade Tristichopteridae, closely resembles H. lindae from Pennsylvania, USA. The discovery of H. udlezinye suggests that Hyneria is not limited to the Euramerican region but also existed in Gondwana, supporting the idea that giant tristichopterids originated in Gondwana.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ruiwen Zong, Yiming Gong
Summary: This study examines shell malformation in athyrid brachiopod taxa from the fossil record, suggesting a possible link to epi/endoparasites or slightly higher content of heavy metals in the sea.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yixin Cui, Bing Shen, Yuanlin Sun, Haoran Ma, Jieqiong Chang, Fangbing Li, Xianguo Lang, Yongbo Peng
Summary: The Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction event is characterized by two positive carbonate carbon isotope excursions and global deposition of black shale and bituminous limestone. Evidence from South China indicates a pulse of seafloor oxygenation at the F-F boundary, rather than pervasive oceanic anoxia.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
J. Dostal, S. M. Karl, R. Friedman, J. K. Mortensen, P. W. Layer, A. B. Ford, R. Corney
Summary: The Late Devonian Corner Bay pluton on Chichagof Island in southeastern Alaska is composed mainly of amphibole-biotite-bearing syenitic/monzonitic rocks with a U-Pb zircon age of around 367 Ma. The rocks are rich in large-ion-lithophile elements and have stable isotopic compositions. They were formed by fractional crystallization of alkali basaltic magma, derived from partial melting of amphibole-phlogopite-bearing peridotite undergoing Neoproterozoic metasomatism, indicating limited rifting associated with the magma emplacement.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Long Du, Xiaoping Long, Chao Yuan, Yunying Zhang, Zongying Huang, Hongli Zhu
Summary: The study of the Kezier mafic-felsic complex and Tuwu granitic pluton in the Chinese Eastern Tianshan orogen provides new geochronological and geochemical data for the Late Devonian period. These data reveal a transition from subduction to back-arc tectonic features. The Kezier gabbro is classified as high-Al basalt and originated from a depleted mantle under hydrous conditions. The Kezier and Tuwu granites show geochemical characteristics of A-type granites, likely generated by high temperature melting of crustal rocks.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mostafa Oukassou, Serge Naugolnykh
Summary: The study describes a new genus and species, Rehamnia michardis Oukassou and Naugolnykh, from the Late Famennian of the Foum El Mejez area in Northern Rehamna, Moroccan Meseta. This is the first record of a Late Devonian plant from the Rehamna Hercynian massif. The new plant remains, preserved in quartzitic sandstone, show similarities in morphology to some representatives of lycopodiopsids s.l. (division Lycopodiophyta), providing insights into the diversity of Devonian land plants in the Gondwana paleofloristic realm.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Andre Nel, Romain Garrouste, Rose Prevec
Summary: This article describes the fossil of Afrozygopteron inexpectatus, indicating that the Protozygoptera were more widely distributed during the Carboniferous/Permian than previously believed.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Qian-Qi Zhang, Da-Ran Zheng, Edmund A. Jarzembowski, Xue-Heng Wang, Jia-Hao Li, Michael S. Engel
Summary: This study reports a new genus and species, Jurassephemera zhangi, discovered in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. This extinct genus belongs to the family Sharephemeridae and is characterized by its moderate size and unique wing venation structure. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the diversity and paleogeographic distribution of Sharephemeridae in China.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Entomology
Jakub Prokop, Andre Nel, Michael S. Engel
Summary: The Paleozoic insect fauna provides unique insights into key innovations in insect evolution, such as the origin of wings and modifications of postembryonic development. Most contemporary insect orders originated in the Late Paleozoic, but these estimates reflect divergences between stem groups rather than the appearance of crown groups. Fossil record shows the initial radiations of extant hyperdiverse clades during the Early Permian, as well as the specialized fauna before the End Permian mass extinction.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Andre Nel, Jean-Paul Kundura, Jean-Marc Pouillon, Romain Garrouste, Corentin Jouault
Summary: A new genus and species of Caloneurodea, Lodevogramma pumilia gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Salagou Formation in France. A new family, Lodevogrammatidae fam. nov., is created to accommodate this species due to its unique wing venation. The new species differs from others in the same order, and its discovery adds to the diversity of Caloneurodea in the Salagou Formation. A comparison with Megasecoptera suggests a possible decline in both groups, possibly influenced by floral changes, in a pattern similar to Permian tetrapods.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
David Sillam-Dusses, Vojtech Jandak, Petr Stiblik, Olivier Delattre, Thomas Chouvenc, Ondrej Balvin, Josef Cvacka, Delphine Soulet, Jiri Synek, Marek Brothanek, Ondrej Jiricek, Michael S. Engel, Thomas Bourguignon, Jan Sobotnik
Summary: The study reveals that vibration and chemical signals are the main means of alarm communication in termites and wood roaches. Vibration signals are a shared characteristic of both termites and wood roaches, while chemical signals have independently evolved in multiple cockroach groups and at least two termite species. The complexity of vibration and chemical alarm signaling patterns is correlated with phylogenetic position, food type, foraging area size, and nesting habits.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoxuan Long, Yuan Peng, Qi Feng, Michael S. Engel, Chao Shi, Shuo Wang
Summary: This article reports a new genus of Dryopteridaceae based on a well-preserved fertile specimen frond in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, representing the first fossil record of Dryopteridaceae from the Mesozoic. The age of this fossil is consistent with molecular-based estimates of divergence time, and it expands our understanding of polypod fern diversity in Mesozoic forests.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Ya-Ni Tang, An-Cheng Peng, Zi-Ying Wu, Michael S. Engel, Zi-Zhong Yang, Yu Liu
Summary: Although there is a diverse spider fauna in Kachin amber, species of the family Macrothelidae have been scarce. This study reports the first fossil occurrence of Macrothelidae, represented by a well-preserved adult female specimen of a new genus and species. The discovery refines existing calibration points for phylogenetic work on mygalomorph diversification and contributes to our understanding of Cretaceous spider diversity in southern Asia.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Yuqing Yin, Chungkun Shih, Michael S. Engel, Dong Ren
Summary: Two new genera and species of Dermaptera are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Applanatiforceps angustus belongs to the archidermapteran family Protodiplatyidae, and Ekpagloderma gracilentum belongs to the eodermapteran family Semenoviolidae. The discovery of these two new species enriches the fossil record of Dermaptera and highlights the diversity within this group.
Article
Entomology
Romain Jattiot, Vincent Trincal, Romain Garrouste, Andre Nel
Summary: A new species of fossil naucorid, Ilyocoris andancensis sp. nov., is described based on three compressed mummies found in a diatom paleolake in 'La Montagne d'Andance' (Ardeche, France). This species differs from other extant and fossil representatives of the genus in terms of the coloration pattern of the abdomen and pronotum. The systematic positions of other fossil taxa previously considered as Naucoridae are discussed.
Article
Entomology
Andre Nel, Mei-Cai Wei, Geng-Yun Niu, Romain Garrouste, Corentin Jouault
Summary: A new genus and species of diprionid fossil is described, providing support for its placement in the subfamily Monocteninae based on morphology and wing venation. Another diprionid species from the same stratigraphic level also belongs to the Monocteninae. The classification of the Eocene-Lower Oligocene genus Eodiprion needs revision. These findings demonstrate the presence and diversification of the two diprionid subfamilies during the Eocene-Oligocene.
Article
Entomology
Mathieu Boderau, Valerie Ngo-Muller, Andre Nel, Romain Garrouste
Summary: Myanmarvelia pankowskiorum is a new species of aquatic bug in the family Mesoveliidae, discovered in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, marking the first occurrence of the family in this time period. Its exact position within the family is still uncertain, although several morphological characteristics confirm its placement in the Mesoveliidae. The fossil record for this family is rare, ranging from the late Jurassic to the Miocene.
Article
Entomology
Andre Nel, Romain Garrouste, Michael S. Engel
Summary: Eornithoica grimaldii gen. et sp. nov., the earliest known Pupipara, was discovered in the lower Eocene of the Green River Formation. This fossil, dating back to around 52 Ma, suggests that epizooic ectoparasitic flies may have originated during the Paleocene or late Cretaceous, preceding the first bats. E. grimaldii likely parasitized birds or terrestrial mammals, exhibiting plesiomorphic characteristics. This study highlights the significance of examining fossil insects under UV light for obtaining new information.
Article
Entomology
Chen-yang Cai, Erik Tihelka, Xing-yue Liu, Michael S. Engel
Summary: The exponential growth of large-scale data for Neuropterida has greatly improved our understanding of the origin and evolution of lacewings and their allies. Recent phylogenomic studies based on various data sources have provided a well-resolved and congruent phylogeny, although some interfamilial relationships remain inconsistent.
Article
Entomology
Jan Batelka, Michael S. Engel
Summary: This article provides a correction regarding the misidentification of a fossil larva as a tumbling flower beetle, when it is actually a hymenopteran larva of the family Pamphiliidae. Evidence for the revised identification is summarized.
ACTA ENTOMOLOGICA MUSEI NATIONALIS PRAGAE
(2022)