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Université de Fribourg

New data on early Oligocene dormice (Rodentia, Gliridae) from southern Europe : Phylogeny and diversification of the family

Lu, Xiaoyu ; Costeur, Loïc ; Hugueney, Marguerite ; Maridet, Olivier

In: Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2021, p. 1-21

Rodents of the extant family Gliridae, commonly called dormice, are common in European faunas since the early Eocene. Here we study for the first time specimens from St-Martin-de-Castillon C (France, early Oligocene) previously reported as Gliravus aff. majori and Pseudodryomys aff. fugax. We now refer them to Butseloglis tenuis and Microdyromys misonnei. Besides the French material, new...

Université de Fribourg

3D models related to the publication: New material of Epiaceratherium and a new species of Mesaceratherium clear up the phylogeny of the early Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla)

Tissier, Jérémy ; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier ; Becker, Damien

In: MorphoMuseuM, 2020, vol. 6, no. 3, p. e116

The present 3D Dataset contains two 3D models described in Tissier et al. (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200633): the only known complete mandible of the early-branching rhinocerotoid Epiaceratherium magnum Uhlig, 1999, and a hypothetical reconstruction of the complete archetypic skull of Epiaceratherium Heissig, 1969, created by merging three cranial parts from three distinct Epiaceratherium...

Université de Fribourg

New material of Epiaceratherium and a new species of Mesaceratherium clear up the phylogeny of early Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla)

Tissier, Jérémy ; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier ; Becker, Damien

In: Royal Society Open Science, 2020, vol. 7, no. 7, p. 200633

Reduction of the anterior dentition (i.e. incisors and canines) is a major adaptative trait of the Rhinocerotidae among Perissodactyla. However, the corresponding evolutionary sequence was lacking a robust phylogenetic frame to support it thus far. Here, we describe a new Oligocene species of Rhinocerotinae, Mesaceratherium sp. nov. from the Swiss locality of Bumbach (MP25 reference level)....

Université de Fribourg

Birds have peramorphic skulls, too: anatomical network analyses reveal oppositional heterochronies in avian skull evolution

Plateau, Olivia ; Foth, Christian

In: Communications Biology, 2020, vol. 3, no. 1, p. 195

In contrast to the vast majority of reptiles, the skulls of adult crown birds are characterized by a high degree of integration due to bone fusion, e.g., an ontogenetic event generating a net reduction in the number of bones. To understand this process in an evolutionary context, we investigate postnatal ontogenetic changes in the skulls of crown bird and non-avian theropods using anatomical...

Université de Fribourg

Feeding biomechanics suggests progressive correlation of skull architecture and neck evolution in turtles

Ferreira, Gabriel S. ; Lautenschlager, Stephan ; Evers, Serjoscha W. ; Pfaff, Cathrin ; Kriwet, Jürgen ; Raselli, Irena ; Werneburg, Ingmar

In: Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, p. 5505

The origin of turtles is one of the most long-lasting debates in evolutionary research. During their evolution, a series of modifications changed their relatively kinetic and anapsid skull into an elongated akinetic structure with a unique pulley system redirecting jaw adductor musculature. These modifications were thought to be strongly correlated to functional adaptations, especially to bite...

Université de Fribourg

The fossil record of the genus Varanus from the Southern Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia)

Vasilyan, Davit ; Bukhsianidze, Maia

In: PeerJ, 2020, p. e8322

The Southern Caucasus, with its special geographic position and complex topography, is a well-known biodiversity hotspot. However, the formation of this hotspot remains largely unstudied. To reveal this, a thorough study of the fossil record of the region is necessary. In the present paper, we describe for the first time fossil monitor lizards (Varanus sp.) from two late Miocene localities from...

Université de Fribourg

A new alligatoroid from the Eocene of Vietnam highlights an extinct Asian clade independent from extant Alligator sinensis

Massonne, Tobias ; Vasilyan, Davit ; Rabi, Márton ; Böhme, Madelaine

In: PeerJ, 2019, vol. 7, p. e7562

During systematic paleontological surveys in the Na Duong Basin in North Vietnam between 2009 and 2012, well-preserved fossilized cranial and postcranial remains belonging to at least 29 individuals of a middle to late Eocene (late Bartonian to Priabonian age (39–35 Ma)) alligatoroid were collected. Comparative anatomical study of the material warrants the diagnosis of a new taxon,...

Université de Fribourg

Comparative analysis of the shape and size of the middle ear cavity of turtles reveals no correlation with habitat ecology

Foth, Christian ; Evers, Serjoscha W. ; Joyce, Walter G. ; Volpato, Virginie S. ; Benson, Roger B. J.

In: Journal of Anatomy, 2019, no. 0, p. -

The middle ear of turtles differs from other reptiles in being separated into two distinct compartments. Several ideas have been proposed as to why the middle ear is compartmentalized in turtles, most suggesting a relationship with underwater hearing. Extant turtle species span fully marine to strictly terrestrial habitats, and ecomorphological hypotheses of turtle hearing predict that this...

Université de Fribourg

On trends and patterns in macroevolution: Williston’s law and the branchiostegal series of extant and extinct osteichthyans

Ascarrunz, Eduardo ; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R. ; Betancur, Ricardo ; Laurin, Michel

In: BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2019, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 117

The branchiostegal series consists of an alignment of bony elements in the posterior portion of the skull of osteichthyan vertebrates. We trace the evolution of the number of elements in a comprehensive survey that includes 440 extant and 66 extinct species. Using a newly updated actinopterygian tree in combination with phylogenetic comparative analyses, we test whether osteichthyan...