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1997 In Paleontology
Plants Cycadophytes Cycadophyte research *Hopkins and Johnson briefly report the first occurrence of cycad leaves from the Eocene Okanagan Highlands Klondike Mountain Formation which will later be identified to the family Zamiaceae. Angiosperms Fungi newly named Arthropoda Insects Plesiosaurs Newly Named Plesiosaurs Archosauromorphs Pterosaurs Newly Named Pterosaurs Non-avian dinosauromorphs * Paleontologist Karen Chin received a coprolite that was excavated during 1995 from strata dating back to the Maastrichtian in Saskatchewan, Canada. The specimen was about 17 inches (44 cm) long and contained fragments of bone. Due to its size, contents and age, the coprolite was believed to have been the remains of ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' feces. This discovery was announced in a 1998 paper published in the journal ''Nature''. * A Saharan expedition under the leadership of Paul Sereno yielded fruit when a team member stumbled on the bones and skull of '' Nigersa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene Okanagan Highlands
The Eocene Okanagan Highlands or Eocene Okanogan Highlands are a series of Early Eocene geological formations which span a transect of British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state, United States. Known for a highly diverse and detailed Paleoflora of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands, plant and Paleofauna of the Eocene Okanagan Highlands, animal Biome, paleobiota the paleolake beds as a whole are considered one of the great Canadian ''Lagerstätten''. The paleobiota represented are of an upland subtropical to temperate ecosystem series immediately after the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum, and before the increased cooling of the middle and late Eocene to Oligocene. The fossiliferous deposits of the region were noted as early as 1873, with small amounts of systematic work happening in the 1870–1920s on British Columbian sites, and 1920–1930s for Washington sites. Focus and more detailed descriptive work on the Okanagan Highland sites started in the late 1960s. Extent The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protomycena
''Protomycena'' is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species ''Protomycena electra'', known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic. The fruit body of the fungus has a convex cap that is in diameter, with distantly spaced gills on the underside. The curved stipe is smooth and cylindrical, measuring thick by long, and lacks a ring. It resembles extant (currently living) species of the genus ''Mycena''. ''Protomycena'' is one of only five known agaric fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber. Discovery and classification The genus is known only from the holotype specimen, a single fruit body (mushroom) currently residing in the private collection owned by Ettore Morone of Turin, Italy. The specimen was collected in one of the amber mines in the Cordillera Sep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brownimecia Clavata AMNH-NJ667 Holotype 01
''Brownimecia'' is an extinct genus of ants, the only genus in the tribe Brownimeciini and subfamily Brownimeciinae of the Formicidae. Fossils of the single identified species, ''Brownimecia clavata'', are known from the Middle Cretaceous of North America. The genus is one of several ants described from Middle Cretaceous ambers of New Jersey. ''Brownimecia'' was initially placed in the subfamily Ponerinae, until it was transferred to its own subfamily in 2003; it can be distinguished from other ants due to its unusual sickle-like mandibles and other morphological features that makes this ant unique among the Formicidae. The ant is also small, measuring , and a stinger is present in almost all of the specimens collected. The morphology of the mandibles suggest a high level of feeding specialization. History and classification ''Brownimecia'' is known from three adult fossils: the holotype—specimen number AMNH NJ-667—collected by Yale Goldman; the paratype; and a third describ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brownimecia Clavata
''Brownimecia'' is an extinct genus of ants, the only genus in the tribe Brownimeciini and subfamily Brownimeciinae of the Formicidae. Fossils of the single identified species, ''Brownimecia clavata'', are known from the Middle Cretaceous of North America. The genus is one of several ants described from Middle Cretaceous ambers of New Jersey. ''Brownimecia'' was initially placed in the subfamily Ponerinae, until it was transferred to its own subfamily in 2003; it can be distinguished from other ants due to its unusual sickle-like mandibles and other morphological features that makes this ant unique among the Formicidae. The ant is also small, measuring , and a stinger is present in almost all of the specimens collected. The morphology of the mandibles suggest a high level of feeding specialization. History and classification ''Brownimecia'' is known from three adult fossils: the holotype—specimen number AMNH NJ-667—collected by Yale Goldman; the paratype; and a third describ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boyeria Europaea Holotype MNHN
''Boyeria'' is a genus of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, commonly called spotted darners. They occur in temperate North America and Eurasia. The name ''Boyeria'' commemorates the French entomologist Etienne Laurent Joseph Hippolyte Boyer de Fonscolombe The genus contains the following seven described species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...: *'' Boyeria cretensis'' – Cretan spectre *'' Boyeria grafiana'' – ocellated darner *'' Boyeria irene'' – western spectre *'' Boyeria jamjari'' *'' Boyeria karubei'' *'' Boyeria maclachlani'' *'' Boyeria sinensis'' *'' Boyeria vinosa'' – fawn darner References Aeshnidae Anisoptera genera Taxa named by Robert McLachlan (entomologist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Aeshnidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeshnidae
The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ... and among the largest dragonflies on the planet. Description Common worldwide or nearly worldwide genera are ''Aeshna'' and ''Anax (dragonfly), Anax''. The African ''Anax tristis'' has a wingspan over 125 mm, making it one of the world's largest known dragonflies. There are 41 North American species in 11 genera in this family. Most European species belong to ''Aeshna''. Their American name "darner" stems from the female abdomens looking like a sewing needle, as they cut into plant stem when they lay their eggs through the ovipositor. The dragonflies mate in fligh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messinian
The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the first age of the Pliocene. The Messinian overlaps the Turolian European Land Mammal Mega Zone (more precisely MN 12 and 13) and the Pontian Central European Paratethys Stage. It also overlaps the late Huayquerian and early Montehermosan South American Land Mammal Ages, and falls inside the more extensive Hemphillian North American Land Mammal Age. During the Messinian, around 6 million years ago, the Messinian salinity crisis took place, which brought about repeated desiccations of the Mediterranean Sea. Definition The Messinian was introduced by Swiss stratigrapher Karl Mayer-Eymar in 1867. Its name comes from the Italian city of Messina on Sicily, where the Messinian evaporite deposit is of the same age. The base of the Messinian is at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boyeria Europaea
''Boyeria'' is a genus of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, commonly called spotted darners. They occur in temperate North America and Eurasia. The name ''Boyeria'' commemorates the French entomologist Etienne Laurent Joseph Hippolyte Boyer de Fonscolombe The genus contains the following seven described species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...: *'' Boyeria cretensis'' – Cretan spectre *'' Boyeria grafiana'' – ocellated darner *'' Boyeria irene'' – western spectre *'' Boyeria jamjari'' *'' Boyeria karubei'' *'' Boyeria maclachlani'' *'' Boyeria sinensis'' *'' Boyeria vinosa'' – fawn darner References Aeshnidae Anisoptera genera Taxa named by Robert McLachlan (entomologist) Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Aeshnidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sphecomyrminae
Sphecomyrminae is an extinct subfamily of ants in family Formicidae known from a series of Cretaceous fossils found in North America, Europe, and Asia. Sphecomyrminae contains eight genera, divided into two tribes Sphecomyrmini and Zigrasimeciini. The tribe Sphecomyrmini contains the six genera '' Armania'', '' Cretomyrma'', ''Gerontoformica'', '' Orapia'', '' Pseudarmania'' and ''Sphecomyrma''; while Zigrasimeciini contains ''Boltonimecia'' and ''Zigrasimecia''. A number of taxa have been removed from the subfamily and placed either in other subfamilies or are now treated as ''incertae sedis'' in Formicidae. Sphecomyrminae is the most basal of the Formicidae subfamilies, but has not been included in several phylogenetic studies of the family. Symplesiomorphies of the subfamily include the structure of the antenna, which has a short basal segment and a flexible group of segments below the antenna tip. The petiole is low and rounded, with an unrestricted gaster and the presence of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baikuris Casei
''Baikuris'' is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Sphecomyrminae, and is currently placed in the tribe Sphecomyrmini. The genus contains four described species: the type species ''Baikuris mandibularis'', along with ''Baikuris casei'', ''Baikuris maximus'', and ''Baikuris mirabilis''. History and classification The type species ''B. mandibularis'' along with ''B. mirabilis'' were identified from adults preserved as inclusion in Taimyr amber. The fossils of both species were collected on an expedition to the Taimyr peninsula. The ambers of the peninsula occur in the upper levels of the Kheta Formation, which is exposed in a number of locations in the Taimyr region. Age estimates of the Kheta Formation are between the Coniacian and Santonian, and the ambers are found consistently in the upper most units, giving a Santonian age range for the inclusions. Based on the flora and fauna of the Ledyanaya and Mutino Formations which surround the Kheta formation, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protomycena Electra
''Protomycena'' is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species ''Protomycena electra'', known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic. The fruit body of the fungus has a convex cap that is in diameter, with distantly spaced gills on the underside. The curved stipe is smooth and cylindrical, measuring thick by long, and lacks a ring. It resembles extant (currently living) species of the genus ''Mycena''. ''Protomycena'' is one of only five known agaric fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber. Discovery and classification The genus is known only from the holotype specimen, a single fruit body (mushroom) currently residing in the private collection owned by Ettore Morone of Turin, Italy. The specimen was collected in one of the amber mines in the Cordillera Septent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mycenaceae
The Mycenaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the family contains 10 genera and 705 species. This is one of several families that were separated from the Tricholomataceae as a result of phylogenetic analyses. Taxa in the Mycenaceae are saprobic, have a cosmopolitan distribution, and are found in almost all ecological zones. The family was circumscribed by Caspar van Overeem in 1926. The extinct genus ''Protomycena'', described from Burdigalian age Dominican amber found on the island of Hispaniola is one of four known agaric genera in the fossil record. Phylogeny A large-scale phylogenetic analysis study of the Agaricales published by a consortium of mycologists in 2002 adopted the name Mycenaceae for a strongly supported clade consisting of ''Dictyopanus'', '' Favolaschia'', ''Mycena ''Mycena'' is a large genus of small saprotrophic mushrooms that are rarely more than a few centimeters in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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