Paleobiology Commons^™

Successful Genotyping Of Microsatellites In The Woolly Mammoth, Yasuko Ishida, Alfred L. Roca, Stephen Fratpietro, Alex D. Greenwood

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genetic analyses using ancient DNA from Pleistocene and early Holocene fossils have largely relied on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Among woolly mammoths, Mammuthus primigenius, mtDNA analyses have identified 2 distinct clades (I and II) that diverged 1-2 Ma. Here, we establish that microsatellite markers can be effective on Pleistocene samples, successfully genotyping woolly mammoth specimens at 2 loci. Although significant differentiation at the 2 microsatellite loci was not detected between 16 clade I and 4 clade II woolly mammoths, our results demonstrate that the nuclear population structure of Pleistocene species can be examined using fast-evolving nuclear microsatellite markers.

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 …

A Supermatrix Analysis Of Genomic, Morphological, And Paleontological Data From Crown Cetacea, Jonathan H. Geisler, Michael R. Mcgowen, Guang Yang, John Gatesy

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Cetacea (dolphins, porpoises, and whales) is a clade of aquatic species that includes the most massive, deepest diving, and largest brained mammals. Understanding the temporal pattern of diversification in the group as well as the evolution of cetacean anatomy and behavior requires a robust and well-resolved phylogenetic hypothesis. Although a large body of molecular data has accumulated over the past 20 years, DNA sequences of cetaceans have not been directly integrated with the rich, cetacean fossil record to reconcile discrepancies among molecular and morphological characters.

Results

We combined new nuclear DNA sequences, including segments of six genes (~2800 …

Ancient Dna Analyses Exclude Humans As The Driving Force Behind Late Pleistocene Musk Ox (Ovibos Moschatus) Population Dynamics, Paula F. Campos, Eske Willerslev, Andrei Sher, Ludovic Orlando, Erik Axelsson, Alexei Tikhonov, Kim Aaris-Sorensen, Alex D. Greenwood, Ralf-Dietrich Kahlke, Pavel Kosintsev

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The causes of the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions are poorly understood. Different lines of evidence point to climate change, the arrival of humans, or a combination of these events as the trigger. Although many species went extinct, others, such as caribou and bison, survived to the present. The musk ox has an intermediate story: relatively abundant during the Pleistocene, it is now restricted to Greenland and the Arctic Archipelago. In this study, we use ancient DNA sequences, temporally unbiased summary statistics, and Bayesian analytical techniques to infer musk ox population dynamics throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Our results reveal …

Tetrapod Fauna Of The Lowermost Usili Formation (Songea Group, Ruhuhu Basin) Of Southern Tanzania, With A New Burnetiid Record, Christian A. Sidor, Kenneth D. Angielczyk, D. Marie Weide, Roger M. H. Smith, Sterling J. Nesbitt, Linda A. Tsuji

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Vertebrate fossils from the Ruhuhu Basin of southern Tanzania have been known for over 75 years, but the details of their stratigraphic distribution remain imperfectly understood. Recent fieldwork in the Upper Permian Usili Formation (Songea Group) has led to the discovery of a tetrapod assemblage in a conglomeratic unit at its base. The fossils are concentrated in matrix-supported intraformational clay pebble conglomerates interpreted as mass flow deposits in wide, shallow channels in the distal reaches of an alluvial fan. Included in this new collection are fossils representing the first record of a burnetiid therapsid from Tanzania. The anatomy of the …

The Evolution Of Zinjanthropus Boisei, Paul J. Constantino, Bernard A. Wood

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Many people assume that OH 5, the type specimen of Paranthropus boisei, collected in 1959, was the first evidence of that taxon to be found, but OH 3, recovered in 1955, predated the discovery of OH 5 by four years. Thus, Paranthropus boisei recently celebrated the equivalent of its fiftieth birthday. This review marks that milestone by examining the way our understanding of this taxon has changed during its fifty, or so, year history.

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 …

Body Mass Of Late Quaternary Mammals (Data Set), Felisa A. Smith, S. Kathleen Lyons, S.K. Morgan Ernest, Kate E. Jones, Kansas State University, Tamar Dayan, Pablo A. Marquet, James H. Brown, John P. Haskell

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this data set was to compile body mass information for all mammals on Earth so that we could investigate the patterns of body mass seen across geographic and taxonomic space and evolutionary time. We were interested in the heritability of body size across taxonomic groups (How conserved is body mass within a genus, family, and order?), in the overall pattern of body mass across continents (Do the moments and other descriptive statistics remain the same across geographic space?), and over evolutionary time (How quickly did body mass patterns iterate on the patterns seen today? Were the Pleistocene …

A Biogeochemical Comparison Of Fossil (Carboniferous) And Modern Crustose Red Algae, Michael A. Kruge, John E. Utgaard, William Ferry

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The nature of the contribution of the various types of algae to sedimentary organic matter continues to be a topic of research interest. Crustose red algae have however received less attention than other types. The fossil calcareous red algae (Rhodophyta) analyzed in this study are two relatively unrecrystallized specimens of Parachaetetes (Family Solenoporacea) from the lower part of the Ste. Genevieve Formation (Carboniferous, Visean) in Union County, Illinois, USA. They occurred in the patch reef phase of a small carbonate mudmound-patchreef. The three modern specimens (collected and identified by F. Collier) are the crustose algae Lithothamnion, Clathromorphum and Phymatolithon …

Amphicyonidae, Robert Hunt

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The Amphicyonidae occur in North America from late Eocene (~40 Ma) to early late Miocene (~9 Ma), a span of 31 million years. In the North American land mammal biochronology, this diverse family extends from the Duchesnean to the end of the Clarendonian and is especially well represented in the Miocene (~5-24 Ma). In the Old World, amphicyonids survive no longer than in North America: The last European records are Vallesian (Dinotheriensande, Mainz Basin, Germany, Kuss, 1965, Tobien, 1980; Vallés-Penédes Basin, Spain, Crusafont-Pairó and Kurten, 1976), and the last representative may occur at about 9 Ma at Kohfidisch, Austria (latest …

Environmental And Botanical Controls On Peatification - A Comparative Study Of Two New Zealand Restiad Bogs Using Py-Gc/Ms, Petrography And Fungal Analysis, Tomasz K. Kuder, Michael A. Kruge, J C. Shearer, S L. Miller

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study shows that chemical properties of two restiad species, Empodisma minus and Sporadanthus traversii, may contribute to their success as peat-formers in a climate of the North Island of New Zealand which is not conducive to raised mire development. Unlike Sphagnum, the equivalent northern hemisphere peat-former, restiads possess lignin in their tissues. In addition, the presence of non-lignin polyphenols (including tannins and phenolic acids) in restiads may be an important factor in peat formation due to the allelopathic decay retardation. Patterns of degradation of plant biopolymers have been examined and the pathway of degradation of monocotyledons (loss …

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 …

The Occurrence Of Fish Remains In Modern Lake Systems : A Test Of The Stratified-Lake Mode, Douglas R. Britton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Theories regarding the taphonomy of fishes in lacustrine environments have traditionally relied on an anoxic water column to explain the excellent preservation. This concept has never been directly tested in modern lacustrine environments that are thought to be analogous to the lacustrine environments predicted by the Stratified-lake Model. This research tested that model by searching for fish remains in 38 collected bottom samples of six modern lacustrine analogues, including Fayetteville Green Lake, New York. The bottom sediments of a warm, holomictic, shallow, and saline lake (Salton Sea, California) were also examined. Although laminated sediments were found in all of the …

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 …

Late Prehistoric And Protohistoric Large Mammal Zoogeography Of Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence derived from18late prehistoric (middle and late Woodland Period) archeological sites, from several early historical accounts, and from the current understanding of the distribution of Virginia mammals indicates that the large mammal fauna of the Commonwealth has not changed substantially within the past 4,000 yrs. Some species (e.g., bison, elk, timber wolf, and mountain lion) have been extirpated since the settlement of Virginia by Europeans; some previously extirpated species (e.g., porcupine, coyote, and beaver) have been naturally or artificially reintroduced during the historical period, and others (e.g., woodchuck and red fox) probably have expanded their distributions as a result of …

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 …

A Revision Of The Feather Mite Genus Brephosceles (Proctophyllodidae: Alloptinae), Paul C. Peterson

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

A systematic revision is presented for the genus Brephosceles. Data on external morphology, zoogeography, and host-parasite relationships are included. Thirteen named and thirty new species are recognized and described. The new species and the type hosts are: Brephosceles afribycis, from Afribyx lateralis (Charadriidae); B. anhimae, from Anhima cornuta (Anhimidae); B. belonopteri, from Belonopterus chilensis cayennensis (Charadriidae); B. bilobatus, from Puffinus puffinus (Procellariidae); B. chilensis, from Belonopterus chilensis lampronotus (Charadriidae); B. collaracus, from Charadrius collaris (Charadriidae); B. constrictus, from Charadrius bicinctus (Charadriidae); B. diomedei, from Diomedea chrysostoma (Diomedeidae); B. discidicus, from Cygnus bewickii (Anatidae); B. disjunctus, from Pterodroma leucoptera hypoleuca (Procellariidae); …