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Fossil Friday Roundup: July 26, 2019

Featured Image: Seazzadactylus venieri, from Dalla Vecchia (2019).

Papers (All Open Access):

  • Aloisalthella, a new genus of fossil Polyphysacean green algae (Chlorophyta, Dasycladales), with notes on the genus Clypeina (Michelin, 1845) (PalaeoE)
  • An annotated catalogue of types of Silurian–Devonian brachiopod species from southern Belgium and northern France in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (1870–1945), with notes on those curated in other Belgian and foreign institutions (Geologica Belgica)
  • Which morphological characters are influential in a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis? Examples from the earliest osteichthyans (Biology Letters)
  • Body coloration and mechanisms of colour production in Archelosauria: the case of deirocheline turtles (RSOS)
  • Lizards possess the most complete tetrapod Hox gene repertoire despite pervasive structural changes in Hox clusters (Evolution and Development)
  • Moving beyond the surface: Comparative head and neck myology of threadsnakes (Epictinae, Leptotyphlopidae, Serpentes), with comments on the ‘scolecophidian’ muscular system (PLOS ONE)
  • Discovery of a deeply divergent new lineage of vine snake (Colubridae: Ahaetuliinae: Proahaetulla gen. nov.) from the southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with a revised key for Ahaetuliinae (PLOS ONE)
  • Snake vertebrae fossils occurred from the Minatogawa Man site, southern part of Okinawajima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, southwestern Japan (Link)
  • A revision of the diagnosis and affinities of the metriorhynchoids (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia) from the Rosso Ammonitico Veronese Formation (Jurassic of Italy) using specimen-level analyses (PeerJ)
  • A reassessment of the osteology of Mourasuchus amazonensis Price, 1964 with comments on the taxonomy of the species (PalaeoE)
  • Multiphase progenetic development shaped the brain of flying archosaurs (Scientific Reports)
  • Seazzadactylus venieri gen. et sp. nov., a new pterosaur (Diapsida: Pterosauria) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of northeastern Italy (PeerJ)
  • Appendicular skeleton of Protoceratops andrewsi (Dinosauria, Ornithischia): comparative morphology, ontogenetic changes, and the implications for non-ceratopsid ceratopsian locomotion (PeerJ)
  • Comments on the ecology of Jurassic theropod dinosaur Ceratosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) with critical reevaluation for supposed semiaquatic lifestyle (Volumina Jurassica)
  • An enigmatic theropod Cryolophosaurus: Reviews and comments on its paleobiology (Volumina Jurassica)
  • Evolution of avian egg shape: underlying mechanisms and the importance of taxonomic scale (Ibis)
  • Evidence against tetrapod-wide digit identities and for a limited frame shift in bird wings (Nat Comm)
  • Intraspecific variation and symmetry of the inner-ear labyrinth in a population of wild turkeys: implications for paleontological reconstructions (PeerJ)
  • Bayesian tip dating reveals heterogeneous morphological clocks in Mesozoic birds (Link)
  • The fossil record of birds from the James Ross Basin, West Antarctica (Link)
  • Complementary approaches to tooth wear analysis in Tritylodontidae (Synapsida, Mammaliamorpha) reveal a generalist diet (PLOS ONE)
  • New gobiconodontid (Eutriconodonta, Mammalia) from the Lower Cretaceous Shahai and Fuxin formations, Liaoning, China (Link)
  • Morphological Diversification under High Integration in a Hyper Diverse Mammal Clade (Link)
  • New specimen of Joumocetus shimizui from the Miocene Haraichi Formation, Annaka Group, Gunma Prefecture, Japan (Link)
  • Borealodon osedax, a new stem mysticete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Oligocene of Washington State and its implications for fossil whale-fall communities (RSOS)
  • Fossil Tiger from Limestone Mine of Tsukumi City, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan (Link)
  • Rare dental trait provides morphological evidence of archaic introgression in Asian fossil record (PNAS)
  • Mesolithic projectile variability along the southern North Sea basin (NW Europe): Hunter-gatherer responses to repeated climate change at the beginning of the Holocen (PLOS ONE)
  • Linking late Paleoindian stone tool technologies and populations in North, Central and South America (PLOS ONE)
  • Rapid response to anthropogenic climate change by Thuja occidentalis: implications for past climate reconstructions and future climate predictions (PeerJ)

Pre-Prints and Post-Prints:

  • First nuclear genome assembly of an extinct moa species, the little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) (biorXiv)
  • Paleobiogeography of Cretaceous South American Mesoeucrocodylia and your Contribution to the Knowledege of Biogeographical History of Gondwana and Laurasia (PaleorXiv)
  • What do ossification sequences tell us about the origin of extant amphibians? (bioRXiv)

Community Events, Society Updates, and Resources: 

 Meetings:

  • Cretaceous & Beyond: Paleo of Western Interior (Dickinson Museum), Dickinson, North Dakota, September 14–17 (Link)
  • Annual Meeting of the Paleontological Society (Paläontologische Gesellschaft), September 15–18, 2019, Munich (Link)

Society Announcements:

  • Geoscience Congressional Visits Day (Geo-CVD): Sept. 10-11, 2019 (Paleo Society)
  • The Paleontological Society is now accepting applications for two student members to participate in Geo-CVD 2019! (Paleo Society)
  • IGC Travel Grant and Mentoring Program 2020 (Paleo Society)

News and Views:

Animals and Anatomy, Fossils and Fossilization:

  • One-toed Brazilian dinosaur dashed across ancient deserts (PLOS Paleo)
  • Fossil Friday – ceratopsid ilium (Valley of the Mastodon)
  • Your Friends The Titanosaurs, part 14: Kaijutitan, Karongasaurus, and Laplatasaurus (Equatorial Minnesota)
  • Dinosaurs of a Feather Nested Together (Laelaps)
  • Scotland’s First Jurassic Mammal – our paper is out! (Giant Science Lady)
  • When sensory nerves from the thigh end up in the feet (SVPOW)

Featured Folks, Fieldwork, Museums, and Meetings:

  • Paleontologists using 100-year-old notes to relocate fossil quarries (Link)
  • How to find dinosaur fossils (Link)

Methods and Musings:

  • Building a Research Poster (Time Scavengers)
  • Spreading the Word: PLOS Advances Research Through Media Partnerships (PLOS ECR)
  • Good Collections Practice is a Shared Responsibility (Link)

Arts, Books, Culture, Fun:

  • The science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, part 4: The mammals of the Tertiary Island (Mark Witton)

Do you have some news, a blog, or something just plain cool you want to share with the PLOS Paleo Community? Email it to us at paleocommunity@plos.org, tweet it to us at @PLOSPaleo, or message us on Facebook.

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