- Paleontology, Paleobotany, Wood Anatomy, Cretaceous, Cretaceous life, Araripe Basin, and 13 moreFossil Wood, Cretaceous climate, Paleobotanica, Evolution, Systematic Biology, Archeobotany, Arqueobotánica, Taphonomy and Paleoecology, Living fossil, Palynology Angiosperms Stratigraphy Cretaceous, Geology, Earth Sciences, and Climate Changeedit
- Paleobotanist and professor, working with Mesozoic floras from Brazil and Antarctic Peninsulaedit
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FIGURE 4. (A–R) Pattersoncypris minima sp. nov. (A–B) LMA-00020, holotype, C, right and dorsal views; (C–D) LMA- 00021, paratype A-1, C, right and dorsal views; (E–F) LMA-00022, paratype A-2, C, right and dorsal views; (G–H) LMA- 00023,... more
FIGURE 4. (A–R) Pattersoncypris minima sp. nov. (A–B) LMA-00020, holotype, C, right and dorsal views; (C–D) LMA- 00021, paratype A-1, C, right and dorsal views; (E–F) LMA-00022, paratype A-2, C, right and dorsal views; (G–H) LMA- 00023, paratype A-3, C, right and dorsal views; (I–J) LMA-00024, paratype A-4, C, right and dorsal views; (K–L) LMA-00025, paratype A-5, C, right and dorsal views; (M–N) LMA-00026, paratype A-6, C, right and dorsal views; (O–P) LMA-00027, paratype A-7, C, right and dorsal views; (Q–R) LMA-00028, paratype A-8, C, right and dorsal views.
FIGURE 3. Length versus height plots for Pattersoncypris minima sp. nov. showing its different growth stages
<p>Paleohistology of <em>Susisuchus anatoceps</em></p
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Reports on Cretaceous charcoals are relatively common on a global scale and have been increasing in recent years. Fossil charcoal from the Early Cretaceous mostly belongs to conifers (and other gymnosperms) and ferns whereas angiosperms... more
Reports on Cretaceous charcoals are relatively common on a global scale and have been increasing in recent years. Fossil charcoal from the Early Cretaceous mostly belongs to conifers (and other gymnosperms) and ferns whereas angiosperms become more common only during the Late Cretaceous. However, so far, reports of Cretaceous macroscopic charcoal are rare (three) for South America. Here, charcoal is identified from the Crato, Ipubi and Romualdo formations of the Early Cretaceous Santana Group within the Araripe Basin, Brazil. The presence of charcoal provides for the first time compelling evidence for the repeated occurrence of Early Cretaceous palaeo-wildfires in this region. The charred wood remains were identified as belonging to gymnosperms, which were important components of the palaeoflora during the Cretaceous in Northeast Brazil. The results presented here provide additional evidence for the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires in Northern Gondwana during the Early Cretaceous, increasing our understanding for the relevance of such events and their influence on palaeoenvironmental dynamics.
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Susisuchus anatoceps is a neosuchian crocodylomorph lying outside the clade Eusuchia, and associated with the transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early eusuchians. The specimen MPSC R1136 comprises a... more
Susisuchus anatoceps is a neosuchian crocodylomorph lying outside the clade Eusuchia, and associated with the transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early eusuchians. The specimen MPSC R1136 comprises a partially articulated postcranial skeleton and is only the third fossil assigned to this relevant taxon. Thin sections of a right rib and right ulna of this specimen have been cut for histological studies and provide the first paleohistological information of an advanced non-eusuchian neosuchian from South America. The cross-section of the ulna shows a thick cortex with 17 lines of arrested growth (LAGs), a few scattered vascular canals, and primary and secondary osteons. This bone has a free medullary cavity and a spongiosa is completely absent. Thin sections of the rib show that remodeling process was active when the animal died, with a thin cortex and a well-developed spongiosa. In the latter, few secondary osteons and 4 LAGs were identified. According t...
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Record; paleoflora; Missão Velha; Crato; Romualdo
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Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies’ accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly... more
Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies’ accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly mass mortality event, from a layer 285 cm from the top of the Formation, with 40 larvae, and an overview of the general biological community structure of a three meters deep excavated profile. The only other autochthonous taxon observed in the mayfly mortality layer was the gonorynchiform fish Dastilbe. The larvae and fishes were smaller than usual in the layer 285 cm, suggesting that they lived in a shallow water column. Their excellent preservation and a lack of preferential orientation in the samples suggest an absence of significant transport. All mayflies belong to the Hexagenitidae, whose larvae lived in quiet waters. We also recovered allochthonous taxa in that layer indicative of drier weather conditions. Adjacent layers presented crystals and ...
Reports on Cretaceous charcoals are relatively common on a global scale and have been increasing in recent years. Fossil charcoal from the Early Cretaceous mostly belongs to conifers (and other gymnosperms) and ferns whereas angiosperms... more
Reports on Cretaceous charcoals are relatively common on a global scale and have been increasing in recent years. Fossil
charcoal from the Early Cretaceous mostly belongs to conifers (and other gymnosperms) and ferns whereas angiosperms become
more common only during the Late Cretaceous. However, so far, reports of Cretaceous macroscopic charcoal are rare (three) for
South America. Here, charcoal is identified from the Crato, Ipubi and Romualdo formations of the Early Cretaceous Santana
Group within the Araripe Basin, Brazil. The presence of charcoal provides for the first time compelling evidence for the repeated
occurrence of Early Cretaceous palaeo-wildfires in this region. The charred wood remains were identified as belonging to
gymnosperms, which were important components of the palaeoflora during the Cretaceous in Northeast Brazil. The results
presented here provide additional evidence for the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires in Northern Gondwana during the Early
Cretaceous, increasing our understanding for the relevance of such events and their influence on palaeoenvironmental dynamics.
charcoal from the Early Cretaceous mostly belongs to conifers (and other gymnosperms) and ferns whereas angiosperms become
more common only during the Late Cretaceous. However, so far, reports of Cretaceous macroscopic charcoal are rare (three) for
South America. Here, charcoal is identified from the Crato, Ipubi and Romualdo formations of the Early Cretaceous Santana
Group within the Araripe Basin, Brazil. The presence of charcoal provides for the first time compelling evidence for the repeated
occurrence of Early Cretaceous palaeo-wildfires in this region. The charred wood remains were identified as belonging to
gymnosperms, which were important components of the palaeoflora during the Cretaceous in Northeast Brazil. The results
presented here provide additional evidence for the occurrence of palaeo-wildfires in Northern Gondwana during the Early
Cretaceous, increasing our understanding for the relevance of such events and their influence on palaeoenvironmental dynamics.
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Resumo Uma nova localidade fossilífera, Sítio Baixa Grande, é descrita para a Formação Romualdo, Cretáceo Inferior do Nordeste do Brasil. Localizada próxima da área urbana da cidade de Potengi, na porção oeste da Bacia do Araripe, esse... more
Resumo Uma nova localidade fossilífera, Sítio Baixa Grande, é descrita para a Formação Romualdo, Cretáceo Inferior do Nordeste do Brasil. Localizada próxima da área urbana da cidade de Potengi, na porção oeste da Bacia do Araripe, esse sítio foi descoberto em 2010 e apresenta diversidade e grande quantidade de fósseis. As concreções, de coloração bege a avermelhada, com formas regular e irregular, são facilmente encontradas sobre o solo. Apresentam forma ovoide, com textura pouco laminada. Os macrofósseis estão localizados na porção mediana da concreção, podendo apresentar também tridimensionalidade, uma feição comum aos fósseis da Formação Romualdo. Dentre os fósseis coletados estão tetrápodes, representados por ossos isolados de pterossauros e restos de tartarugas. Os peixes encontrados incluem: Vinctifer comptoni, Cladocyclus gardineri, Tharrhias araripis, Calamopleurus cilindricus e Neoproscinetes penalvai. Os fósseis aqui apresentados compreendem os únicos com localidade de coleta entre os encontrados na região oeste da Bacia do Araripe, uma área onde os afloramentos fossilíferos do Grupo Santana foram considerados como inexistentes. Dessa forma contribuindo para o conhecimento da distribuição de níveis fossilíferos dessa importante feição tectônica. Abstract The Baixa Grande Site, a new fossil locality of the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation is described from Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil. Located around the urban area of the Potengy town, in the western portion of the Araripe Plateau, this locality was discovered in 2010 and shows a great diversity of fossils. The concretions have a beige to reddish coloration and are easily found laying on the ground. They show an ovoid shape, with low laminated texture. Macrofossils are mostly preserved in the middle
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Susisuchus anatoceps is a neosuchian crocodylomorph lying outside the clade Eusuchia, and associated with the transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early eusuchians. The specimen MPSC R1136 comprises a... more
Susisuchus anatoceps is a neosuchian crocodylomorph lying outside the clade Eusuchia, and associated with the transition between basal and advanced neosuchians and the rise of early eusuchians. The specimen MPSC R1136 comprises a partially articulated postcra-nial skeleton and is only the third fossil assigned to this relevant taxon. Thin sections of a right rib and right ulna of this specimen have been cut for histological studies and provide the first paleohistological information of an advanced non-eusuchian neosuchian from South America. The cross-section of the ulna shows a thick cortex with 17 lines of arrested growth (LAGs), a few scattered vascular canals, and primary and secondary osteons. This bone has a free medullary cavity and a spongiosa is completely absent. Thin sections of the rib show that remodeling process was active when the animal died, with a thin cortex and a well-developed spongiosa. In the latter, few secondary osteons and 4 LAGs were identified. According to the observed data, Susisuchus anatoceps had a slow-growing histological microstructure pattern, which is common in crocodylomorphs. The high number of ulnar LAGs and the active remodeling process are indicative that this animal was at least a late subadult, at or past the age of sexual maturity. This contradicts previous studies that interpreted this and other Susisuchus anatoceps specimens as juveniles, and suggests that full-grown adults of this species were relatively small-bodied, comparable in size to modern dwarf crocodiles.
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The study of bone microstructure preserved in fossils provides substantial information about physiology, growth gradients and strategies, and some ecological considerations. Paleohistology is a useful tool for understanding the biological... more
The study of bone microstructure preserved in fossils provides substantial information about physiology, growth
gradients and strategies, and some ecological considerations. Paleohistology is a useful tool for understanding the biological
mechanisms of extinct animals. Presented here is the microstructure characterization of two Anhangueria pterosaurs. Thin
sections of the fi rst wing phalanx and metacarpal IV of MN 7060-V have been confectioned, as have sections of the radius,
ulna and fi rst wing phalanx of MPSC R2090. The histological analysis of bones of MN 7060-V revealed fi brolamellar tissue,
few osteocytes and vascular canals. Bones of MPSC R2090 showed a mixed plexiform-fi brolamellar tissue and histovariability,
showing that bones from the same individual grew in different patterns. The vascularization was high in the phalanx, intermediate
in the ulna and absent in the radius. The absence of canals in the radius may be related to biomechanical issues, due to torsion
resistance during fl ight. The histology and the absence of fused bones suggests that the specimens are not adults. Two distinct
moments of growth were established. MN 7060-V is a subadult, with presence of bone porosity and MPSC R2090 is a young
animal as determined by the high number of canals and plexiform-fi brolamellar tissues, which indicates fast growth. In this
work, we concluded that in the Anhangueria clade, the growth of bones is not compatible with the ontogenetic stage. Young
animals may present large proportions, whereas there were older individuals of smaller sizes in the same clade.
gradients and strategies, and some ecological considerations. Paleohistology is a useful tool for understanding the biological
mechanisms of extinct animals. Presented here is the microstructure characterization of two Anhangueria pterosaurs. Thin
sections of the fi rst wing phalanx and metacarpal IV of MN 7060-V have been confectioned, as have sections of the radius,
ulna and fi rst wing phalanx of MPSC R2090. The histological analysis of bones of MN 7060-V revealed fi brolamellar tissue,
few osteocytes and vascular canals. Bones of MPSC R2090 showed a mixed plexiform-fi brolamellar tissue and histovariability,
showing that bones from the same individual grew in different patterns. The vascularization was high in the phalanx, intermediate
in the ulna and absent in the radius. The absence of canals in the radius may be related to biomechanical issues, due to torsion
resistance during fl ight. The histology and the absence of fused bones suggests that the specimens are not adults. Two distinct
moments of growth were established. MN 7060-V is a subadult, with presence of bone porosity and MPSC R2090 is a young
animal as determined by the high number of canals and plexiform-fi brolamellar tissues, which indicates fast growth. In this
work, we concluded that in the Anhangueria clade, the growth of bones is not compatible with the ontogenetic stage. Young
animals may present large proportions, whereas there were older individuals of smaller sizes in the same clade.
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The presence of external fundamental system (EFS), in tetrapods, indicates an effective end in any significant periosteal growth. Although it is present in some Archosauromorpha, the idea of a continuous growth in this group remains.... more
The presence of external fundamental system (EFS), in tetrapods, indicates an effective end in any significant periosteal
growth. Although it is present in some Archosauromorpha, the idea of a continuous growth in this group remains. Here, new
data about the presence of the EFS in Neosuchia, a clade composed of terrestrial crocodilomorphs, and its implications
throughout arcosaurs evolutive history, are presented. We sampled a partially complete rib, referred to a dirosaurid crocodile
(CAV 0014-V). The cortex was composed of a lamellar-zonal bone, vascularization constituted of primary osteons and simple
vascular canals with longitudinal arrangement. Secondary osteons occurs in the inner cortex and spongy bone, indicating the
remodeling process. The presence of EFS was detected periostically, revealing the end of assimptotic growth and
characterizing the specimen as skeletically mature. Its microestructural arrangement is consistent with a slow growth and
metabolical rate animal, which is already known to crocodiles and their basal related groups. Until now, the EFS has been
detected in Pseudosuchia, Crocodilomorpha, Pterosauria and Dinosauria, identifying the determinate growth in archosaurs
since extint to extant groups. New EFS evidences would support the hypothesis of determinate growth as a rule not an
exception to Archosauria.
growth. Although it is present in some Archosauromorpha, the idea of a continuous growth in this group remains. Here, new
data about the presence of the EFS in Neosuchia, a clade composed of terrestrial crocodilomorphs, and its implications
throughout arcosaurs evolutive history, are presented. We sampled a partially complete rib, referred to a dirosaurid crocodile
(CAV 0014-V). The cortex was composed of a lamellar-zonal bone, vascularization constituted of primary osteons and simple
vascular canals with longitudinal arrangement. Secondary osteons occurs in the inner cortex and spongy bone, indicating the
remodeling process. The presence of EFS was detected periostically, revealing the end of assimptotic growth and
characterizing the specimen as skeletically mature. Its microestructural arrangement is consistent with a slow growth and
metabolical rate animal, which is already known to crocodiles and their basal related groups. Until now, the EFS has been
detected in Pseudosuchia, Crocodilomorpha, Pterosauria and Dinosauria, identifying the determinate growth in archosaurs
since extint to extant groups. New EFS evidences would support the hypothesis of determinate growth as a rule not an
exception to Archosauria.
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The Crato Formation paleoflora is one of the few equatorial floras of the Early Cretaceous. It is diverse, with many angiosperms, especially representatives of the clades magnoliids, monocotyledons and eudicots, which confirms the... more
The Crato Formation paleoflora is one of the few equatorial floras of the Early Cretaceous. It is diverse,
with many angiosperms, especially representatives of the clades magnoliids, monocotyledons and eudicots,
which confirms the assumption that angiosperm diversity during the last part of the Early Cretaceous was
reasonably high. The morphology of a new fossil monocot is studied and compared to all other Smilacaceae
genus, especially in the venation. Cratosmilax jacksoni gen. et sp. nov. can be related to the Smilacaceae
family, becoming the oldest record of the family so far. Cratosmilax jacksoni is a single mesophilic leaf
with entire margins, ovate shape, with acute apex and base, four venation orders and main acrodromous
veins. It is the first terrestrial monocot described for the Crato Formation, monocots were previously
described for the same formation, and are considered aquatics. Cratosmilax jacksoni is the first fossil
record of Smilacaceae in Brazil, and the oldest record of this family.
with many angiosperms, especially representatives of the clades magnoliids, monocotyledons and eudicots,
which confirms the assumption that angiosperm diversity during the last part of the Early Cretaceous was
reasonably high. The morphology of a new fossil monocot is studied and compared to all other Smilacaceae
genus, especially in the venation. Cratosmilax jacksoni gen. et sp. nov. can be related to the Smilacaceae
family, becoming the oldest record of the family so far. Cratosmilax jacksoni is a single mesophilic leaf
with entire margins, ovate shape, with acute apex and base, four venation orders and main acrodromous
veins. It is the first terrestrial monocot described for the Crato Formation, monocots were previously
described for the same formation, and are considered aquatics. Cratosmilax jacksoni is the first fossil
record of Smilacaceae in Brazil, and the oldest record of this family.
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Raman spectroscopy; Infrared spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; Wood fossils; Cretaceous Period
Record; paleoflora; Missão Velha; Crato; Romualdo