Paleobiology Commons^™

Index

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Mites In The Construction And Weathering Of Siliceous Biospeleothems, María José López-Galindo

International Journal of Speleology

Acarines are well-documented as formative elements in the biocenosis of soils. However, their role in the construction and weathering of siliceous speleothems has received very little attention in previous research. The present study describes different groups of cavities (nesting/molting sites) excavated by these organisms in the surface of siliceous speleothems that are deposited in the fissures between various granite boulders in Southern Spain. There is evidence that there are immature stages that would survive the heat and drought of summer in the form of small larvae, or euedaphic nymphs, in the soil. This study provides the first description of how …

Review Of The Ends Of The World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, And Our Quest To Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions, By Peter Brannen, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

In his new best-selling book, Peter Brannen, award-winning science writer, takes you on a fascinating trip through the run-up to the end of the Cretaceous extinction event and the K-Pg (Cretaceous/Paleogene) boundary, formerly called the K-T (Cretaceous/Tertiary) boundary.

Brannen interviewed many scientists who studied these events and went on field trips with them to major Cretaceous sites and to those where earlier and later extinction events happened. He presents clear explanations of what is known and not known about all of these events in a largely error-free book. Brannen details the other four big extinction events in geologic history: the …

The Stratigraphic Position Of Fossil Vertebrates From The Pojoaque Member Of The Tesuque Formation (Middle Miocene, Late Barstovian) Near Española, New Mexico, Garrett R. Williamson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stratigraphy of the Pojoaque Member of the Tesuque Formation near Española, NM is not well understood. This region, during the Middle Miocene, represented a dynamic alluvial fan-fluvial-lacustrine environment within the Española Basin while the Rio Grande Rift was active. Cavazza (1986) identified two paleodrainage systems (lithosome A, basin-margin facies and B, basin-floor facies) by means of sandstone and conglomerate petrology, paleocurrent, and sedimentary facies analyses. After x-ray diffraction analyses of claystones within lithosome B, mordenite was discovered, which is a zeolite mineral commonly found within volcanic rocks. This is significant because the presence of mordenite confirms Cavazza’s (1986) conclusion …

8000 Years Of Environmental Evolution Of Barrier–Lagoon Systems Emplaced In Coastal Embayments (Nw Iberia), Rita González-Villanueva, Marta Pérez-Arlucea, Susana Costas, Roberto Bao, Xose L. Otero, Ronald J. Goble

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The rocky and indented coast of NW Iberia is characterized by the presence of highly valuable and vulnerable, small and shallow barrier– lagoon systems structurally controlled. The case study was selected to analyse barrier–lagoon evolution based on detailed sedimentary architecture, chronology, geochemical and biological proxies. The main objective is to test the hypothesis of structural control and the significance at regional scale of any highenergy event recorded. This work is also aimed at identifying general patterns and conceptualizing the formation and evolution of this type of coastal systems. The results allowed us to establish a conceptual model of Holocene evolution …

Upper Pleistocene And Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Records In Cueva Mayor Karst (Atapuerca, Spain) From Different Proxies: Speleothem Crystal Fabrics, Palynology And Archaeology., Virginia Martínez-Pillado, Arantza Aranburu, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, Maria José Gil-García, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Yusta, Eneko Iriarte, José Miguel Carretero, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng

International Journal of Speleology

The Cueva Mayor karst system of Atapuerca, in Northern Spain, hosts a highly significant record of human occupation from the Pleistocene. The climatic context of the human activities during the Pleistocene-Holocene for this inland site has not been well constrained, since existing records of the palaeoclimatic evolution of the Northern Iberian Peninsula are from more distal coastal and high-elevation sites. In this study, we interpret the palaeoenvironmental information recorded on the petrography of a stalagmite and the pollen spectra of the Sierra de Atapuerca karst system during the last 20 kyr. The integration of both types of records has allowed …

A Large Cervidae Holocene Accumulation In Eastern Brazil: An Example Of Extreme Taphonomical Control In A Cave Environment, Alex Hubbe, Augusto S. Auler

International Journal of Speleology

A remarkable cervid bone accumulation occurs at a single passage (named Cervid Passage; CP) at Lapa Nova, a maze cave in eastern Brazil. CP lies away from cave entrances, is a typical pitfall passage and contains bone remains of at least 121 cervids, besides few bats, peccaries and rodents remains. There is no evidence of water (or sediment) flow at the site and in general bones lack post depositional alterations and display anatomical proximity, suggesting that the majority of the remains found inside CP (mainly cervids) are due to animals that after entering the cave got trapped in the site. …

Tapeworms Of Elasmobranchs, Part Iii: A Monograph On The Phyllobothriidae (Platyhelminthes, Cestoda), Timothy R. Ruhnke

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

This monograph aims to provide information on the taxonomic status of all genera associated with the tetraphyllidean family Phyllobothriidae. Full treatments of the three valid species of the type genus, Phyllobothrium, in addition to the 47 valid species of Clistobothrium, Crossobothrium, Marsupiobothrium, Monorygma, Nandocestus, Orectolobicestus, Orygmatobothrium, Paraorygmatobothrium, Ruhnkecestus, and Scyphophyllidium are provided, as is a taxonomic history of the family. Of the valid genera historically associated with the family, only Phyllobothrium is considered to be an unambiguous member of the family. The genera Bibursibothrium, Calyptrobothrium, Cardiobothrium, Clistobothrium, Crossobothrium, Doliobothrium, Flexibothrium, Marsupiobothrium, Monorygma, Nandocestus, Orectolobicestus, Orygmatobothrium, Paraorygmatobothrium, Ruhnkecestus, Scyphophyllidium …

Evolution Of The Cretaceous Calcareous Nanofossil Genus Eiffellithus And Its Biostratigraphic Significance, Jamie L. Shamrock, David K. Watkins

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The calcareous nanofossil genus Eiffellithus is an important taxon of mid- to Upper Cretaceous marine sediments in biostratigraphy and paleoceanography. The definition of species within Eiffellithus have been both broadly interpreted and variably applied by nanofossil workers. This is particularly true for the Eiffellithus eximius plexus. While the taxonomy of mid-Cretaceous Eiffellithus species has recently been well-defined, the remaining 35 m.y. history of the genus has not been closely examined. Our investigation of Cenomanian to Maastrichtian sediments from the Western Interior Seaway, Gulf of Mexico, and Western Atlantic gives rise to six new species of Eiffellithus that can be reliably …

Tapeworms Of Elasmobranchs (Part Ii) A Monograph On The Diphyllidea (Platyhelminthes, Cestoda), Gaines Albert Tyler Ii

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The main objective of this monograph was a synthesis of the available knowledge on the diversity, systematics, host associations, and biogeography of the Diphyllidea. A thorough review of the literature resulted in the transfer of Diagonobothrium into Diphyllidea as a genus inquirendum. The genus Yogeshwaria was also transferred to Diphyllidea as a synonym of Echinobothrium. Its only species, E. nagabhushani n. comb., is considered to be a species inquirenda. New collections resulted in the description of a new species of Echinobothrium. Type and/or voucher specimens for 32 of 36 valid diphyllidean species (including the new species) …

Tapeworms Of Elasmobranchs (Part I) A Monograph On The Lecanicephalidea (Platyhelminthes, Cestoda), Kirsten Jensen

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

This represents the first monographic and phylogenetic treatment of the order Lecanicephalidea. The main objective was to treat the Lecanicephalidea at the generic level, while providing information on morphology, taxonomic history, phylogenetic relationships, geographic distribution, and host associations of the group. Following an introduction to the morphology of the Lecanicephalidea, the phylogenetic placement of the group is addressed. This is followed by a review of the taxonomic history of the group and relationships within, including summaries of 29 previously used classification schemes. Despite the generic focus of this study, the taxonomic status of 137 previously recognized lecanicephalidean species was evaluated, …

Mammals Of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, Kenneth N. Geluso, Keith Geluso

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Carlsbad Cavern was established as a national park on 14 May 1930, after being designated as a national monument for nearly seven years. The park is located in southeastern New Mexico, and today it encompasses 189.3 km² (73.1 mi²). Eighty-eight percent of the park lies in the rugged Guadalupe Mountains, while 12% is located on relatively flat land along the base of the mountains. The park contains a variety of habitats ranging from desert scrub at the lowest elevations to coniferous woodlands on the highest summits. Five months after Carlsbad Cavern was declared a national monument, Vernon …

Southeast Nebraska Geology: Field Trip 3, Roger K. Pabian, Robert F. Diffendal, Jr. Jr., Darwin R. Boardman Ii

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

The purpose of this trip is to familiarize you with the latest Pennsylvanian and earliest Permian rocks that are exposed in extreme southeastern Nebraska. You will see eight exposures of these rocks and will have ample opportunity to collect lithologic samples, as well as samples for both macro- and micro-fossils. The stops have been selected to show you examples of several different environments that existed in southeastern Nebraska in the late Paleozoic. These include subaerial deposits with paleosols, nearshore and offshore marine clastic and carbonate sequences. Each stop is covered in detail in the handouts that have been furnished to …

Ashfall Historic Park: Field Trip 5, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Ashfall Fossill Beds: A State Historical Park. Brochure. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and University of Nebraska State Museum

Research Reports, 1978. Projects: A Miocene Rhinoceros Herd Buried in Volcanic Ash. Grant Recipient: Michael R. Voorhies, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Geologic Framework of the Niobrara River Drainage Basin and Adjacent Areas in South Dakota Generally East of the 100th Meridian West Longitude and West of the Missouri River Robert F. Diffendal, Jr. and Michael R. Voorhies. Nebraska Geological Survey Report of Investigations, number 9.

Ice-Wedge Casts Of Wisconsinan Age In Eastern Nebraska, William J. Wayne

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sand-filled, wedge-shaped structures beneath a thin layer of aeolian sand penetrate a preIllinoian till and gravel in northeastern Nebraska. Interpreted to be relic thermal contraction crack wedges, they provide the first definite evidence in this State of the former presence of permafrost. The wedges are 5- 7 m apart, 1.8-2.8 m deep and 0.6-0.9 m across at the top, taper downward to a crack and intersect to form polygons. They are filled with medium sand that contains mostly rounded and frosted grains. Vertical fabric is present in each wedge. Ventifacts lie along the top of the till, which is covered …

A Revision Of The North American Papillose Allocreadiidae (Digenea) With Independent Cladistic Analyses Of Larval And Adult Forms, Janine N. Caira

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Adult specimens of all 19 North American species of papillose allocreadiids were examined. A description and figure is given for the adult of each species; details of the cirrus sacs are presented for most spesies for the first time. Descriptions were emended where necessary and judgments were made on synonymies. Scanning electron micrographs of the oral sucker of 10 species are presented as is a new key to the 19 species. A cladistic analysis was performed on the group based on adult characters. The analysis indicated that the group is monophyletic on the basis of the ventral papillae associated with …

Late Pennsylvanian And Early Permian Cyclic Sedimentation, Paleogeography, Paleoecology, And Biostratigraphy In Kansas And Nebraska, Roger K. Pabian, Robert F. Diffendal, Jr. Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Overview of Upper Pennsylvanian Cyclic Sedimentation in Kansas and Nebraska, Philip H. Heckel, Department of Geology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

With contributions from:

Christopher G. Maples and W. Lynn Watney, Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas

John Harris, Shell Western Exploration and Production, Inc., Houston, Texas

David Ball, Champlin Petroleum Company, Houston, Texas

Philip H. Heckel, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

R. R. West, V. Voegeli, S. Roth, K. Leonard, H. R. Feldman, and C. Cunningham, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas

Royal H. Mapes, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

Hans-Peter Schultze, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

R. Matt Joeckel, …

A Monograph Of The Genus Polyphylla Harris In America North Of Mexico (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Ronald M. Young

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The North American species of the genus Polyphylla Harris, 1841, are defined and revised for the first time since Fall (1928). All name bearing types were examined except those of P. oklahomensis Hatch and P. subvittata LeConte (synonyms of P. hammondl), which are lost. A lectotype is designated for P. gracilis Horn, and neotypes for P. decemlineata (Say), P. occidentalis (L.), and P. variolosa (Hentz). New synonyms of P. decemlineata are P. comstockiana von Bloeker, P. matrona Casey, and P. potsiana Casey. New synonyms of P. crinita …

Classification, Paleoecology, And Biostratigraphy Of Crinoids From The Stull Shale (Late Pennsylvanian) Of Nebraska, Kansas, And Iowa, Roger K. Pabian, Harrell L. Strimple

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Thirteen species of crinoids representing the families Diphuicrinidae, catacrinidae, Pirasocrinidae, Erisocrinidae, Cromyocrinidae, Cymbiocrinidae, Scytalocrinidae, and Ampelocrinidae have been collected from the Stull Shale Member of the Kanwaka Formation in the Shawnee Group of the Virgil Series (Upper Pennsylvanian) from near Weeping Water and Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and near Pacific Junction, Iowa. Exposures of the Stull Shale near Melvern, Kansas, have yielded 14 species of crinoids representing the families Diphuicrinidae, Catacrinidae, Pirasocrinidae, Lophocrinidae Allagecrinidae, Cymbiocrinidae, Erisocrinidae, Apographiocrinidae, and Stellarocrinidae. All but two of the species present in the Stull Shale have been previously reported from other stratigraphic horizons, including the Vinland Shale …

A Revision Of The Genus Strategus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Brett C. Ratcliffe

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The New World genus Strategus Kirby is here defined and revised for the first time. Eight species are described as new: S. atlanticus, S. caymani, S. craigi, S. hipposiderus, S. howdeni, S. longichomperus, S. symphenax, and S. tarquinius; 12 new junior synonyms are established (including the rejection of six previously valid species)'; one species is raised from synonymy; and two new replacement names are proposed. Strategus now contains one fossil species and 31 valid extant species. A key to the males and females of all the species is provided for the first …

A New Kimballian Peccary From Nebraska, C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

A new species of Pliocene peccary, Prosthennops (Macrogens) graffhami; is described from the Kimball Formation, Ogallala Group, Frontier County, Nebraska. This new species is the latest in geologic age and most advanced in the genus.

The remains of fossil vertebrates are generally rare in the upper part of the Ogallala group, and some have maintained that Hemphillian faunas such as Coffee Ranch and Smith County, Kansas, represent the latest Ogallala faunas. Later faunas than are typically considered as Hemphillian, containing more advanced forms, occur in the Kimball Formation and deposits of equivalent age. Known faunas which may …

Bears (Ursidae) From The Late Cenozoic Of Nebraska, C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

A ramus and partial premaxilla establish the presence of a new subspecies of Indarctos in the upper Pliocene (Kimball Formation, Ogallala Group) of Frontier County, Nebraska. An extremely large species of Agriotherium is represented by fragmentary remains from the middle Pliocene (middle part of Ash Hollow Formation, Ogallala Group) of Sherman County, Nebraska.

This study is part of a series of papers dealing primarily with the fauna of the Kimball formation in Nebraska (Barbour 1927, 1929; Barbour and Schultz, 1941; Schultz and Stout, 1948, 1961; Kent 1963, 1967; Tanner, 1967; Short, 1969; Martin and Tate, 1970; Schultz, Schultz, and Martin, …

Scimitar-Toothed Cats, Machairodus And Nimravides, From The Pliocene Of Kansas And Nebraska, Larry D. Martin, C. Bertrand Schultz

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

"Machairodus catocopis Cope" is shown to be a pseudaelurin cat belonging to the genus Nimravides Kitts. Nimravides thinobates (Macdonald) is a possible synonym of N. catocopis (Cope). Nimravides is compared with the Eurasian Machairodus-like cat, Dinofelis. Machairodus (Heterofelis) coloradensis is reported from the Kimball Formation, upper Pliocene (Kimballian) of Cheyenne County, Nebraska, and from the upper part of the Ash Hollow Formation, Pliocene (Hemphillian) of Sherman County, Nebraska. The Kimballian form is described as a new subspecies, Machairodus coloradensis tanneri.

The genus Machairodus has long been associated with the Hemphillian of North America and the …

Cenozoic Mammals From The Central Great Plains, C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin, R. George Corner, Lloyd G. Tanner

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Includes:

Part 1. Middle and Late Cenozoic Tapirs from Nebraska. By C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin, and R. George Corner.

Part 2. Stratigraphic Occurrences of Teleoceras, with a New Kimballian Species from Nebraska. By Lloyd G. Tanner.

Part 3. A New Kimballian Peccary from Nebraska. By C. Bertrand Schultz and Larry D. Martin.

Part 4. Bears (Ursidae) from the Late Cenozoic of Nebraska. By C. Bertrand Schultz and Larry D. Martin.

Part 5. Scimitar-toothed Cats, Machairodus and Nimravides, from the Pliocene of Kansas and Nebraska. By Larry D. Martin and C. Bertrand Schultz.

84 pp

Middle And Late Cenozoic Tapirs From Nebraska, C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin, R. George Corner

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The distribution and evolution of Late Cenozoic tapirs are discussed and the forms present in Nebraska are reported. Two new species are described from the Ogallala Pliocene of Nebraska, ?Tapirus johnsoni and ?T. simpsoni. Tapirs are known in Nebraska from the Early Oligocene through the Middle Pleistocene. The northern limit of the distribution of the tapirs contracts gradually southward in North America throughout the Tertiary, and even during the Pleistocene interglacials Nebraska must have been near the northern limit of their range.

Stratigraphic Occurrences Of Teleoceras With A New Kimballianspecies From Nebraska, Lloyd G. Tanner

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Study of Teleoceras remains in the University of Nebraska State Museum indicates that this specialized, short-limbed rhinoceros inhabited the Central Great Plains from Early through Late Pliocene. Previously thought to have become extinct at the end of the middle Pliocene, this genus is now known from the very latest Pliocene. A new species, Teleoceras schultzi, is described from the Kimball Formation, Ogallala Group, Frontier County, Nebraska.

A New Species Of Menoceras From The Marsland Formation Of Nebraska, Lloyd G. Tanner

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Further study indicates that the Menoceras remains collected from the "Bridgeport Quarries" (lower port:on or the Marsland Formation, Middle Miocene, of the Hemingford Group) are of a new species.

In 1962, these dicerathere remains were considered to be a geologic variety of Diceratherium niobrarensis (Stecher, Schultz, and Tanner). However, later (Tanner, 1969) a generic distinction was revived, separating the Menoceras Troxell from Diceratherium Marsh. Diceretherium niobrarensis was then placed in synonymy with Menoceras arikarense (Barbour).

The new species is an intermediate between Menoceras arikarense (Barbour) from the Harrison Formation and Menoceras marslandensis Tanner, from the upper portion of the Marsland …

Two Lynx-Like Cats From The Pliocene And Pleistocene, C. Bertrand Schultz, Larry D. Martin

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

A new species (Lynx stouti) of small felid is described from the lower Pliocene of Colorado. This form has several characters in common with the modern Lynx and may be ancestral to that genus. A new subspecies of Lynx issiodorensis Croizet and Jobert is described as L. i. kurteni from the Mullen Assemblage, Cherry County, Nebraska. The relationships of this form to other lynxes are discussed along with the paleo-distribution of the genus.

The classification of the felinae has always been somewhat controversial, especially at the generic level. One fairly homogenous group of cats which has been separated …

Phyletic Trends In Certain Lineages Of Quaternary Mammals, C. Bertrand Schultz, Lloyd G. Tanner, Lary D. Martin

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

Evolutionary trends in certain carnivores, rodents, bovids, and proboscideans are examined. Chronoclines are demonstrated for muskrats, beavers, mammoths, and bison. The Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary and Quaternary climatic fluctuations are also discussed.

The University of Nebraska State Museum contains a large stratigraphically controlled collection of Pleistocene animals. This collection provides a unique opportunity for the study of phyletic trends in certain lineages of mammals. Although a few phylogenetic lineages have been proposed (Schultz and Frankforter, 1946; Hibbard, et al., 1965), this has not been done for the vast majority of Pleistocene mammals. However, there is much more data available than this would …

The Microtine Rodents Of The Mullen Assemblage From The Pleistocene Of North Central Nebraska, Larry D. Martin

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum (1924–2023)

The University of Nebraska State Museum has had an active collecting program in Hooker and Cherry counties, Nebraska, since the 1930's. The following University of Nebraska State Museum collecting localities have been extensively excavated: Cr-10, Cr-102, Cr-11, Ho-101, Ho-102, and Ho-103. These localities have produced a large vertebrate fauna described by Jakway as the Mullen Local Fauna which he considered for the most part to be Early lllinoian. Further study of this local fauna now demonstrates that assemblage does include Early as well as Middle Pleistocene animals. The purpose of this paper is to report on the evidence regarding the …