The Kühwiesenkopf/Monte Prà della Vacca locality (Dolomites, northeastern Italy) represents an outstanding Middle Triassic Fossil-Lagerstätte of the Tethys Realm. A narrow fossiliferous unit within the Anisian Dont Formation yields an exceptionally diverse and well-preserved assemblage of terrestrial plants, marine invertebrates, fishes, and a terrestrial vertebrate. Preservation includes delicate plant organs with cuticles and in situ spores, articulated fish skeletons, and the early lepidosauromorph Megachirella wachtleri. Sedimentological and taphonomic evidence indicates rapid burial by storm-induced sediment gravity flows, resulting in obrution deposits that define the site as a Konservat-Lagerstätte. The para-autochthonous, mixed terrestrial–marine assemblage provides a rare, high stratigraphic resolution snapshot of both marine and terrestrial environments. Kühwiesenkopf records a critical phase in the recovery and ecological diversification of terrestrial and marine ecosystems following the end-Permian Mass Extinction and constitutes an exceptional locality for understanding Middle Triassic palaeoenvironmental evolution in the western Tethyan realm.
The middle Miocene (c. 14–13 Ma) Öhningen Fossil-Lagerstätte is one of the most famous fossil deposits in Germany and one of the most important Cenozoic deposits worldwide. The Öhningen Fossil-Lagerstätte has been known since the Middle Ages, and the two quarries were already exploited around the year 1500 for building stone and lime. In addition to its abundant plants and vertebrate fauna, the soft-bodied biota preserved in Öhningen is diverse, including various insects, aquatic arthropods, and arachnids. While the Öhningen Fossil-Lagerstätte is often regarded as a single deposit in the literature, it is imperative to recognize that there are notable differences between the two separate outcrops. Not only are there variations in sedimentology, modes of preservation of the soft-bodied fossils, and fossil diversity at the outcrop scale, but these elements can also vary within even a few centimetres of the same exposure. Part of this variation can be attributed to changing depositional environments and seasonality, but modern weathering and historical collections bias may also play significant roles. However, understanding the correlative nature of these proxies is in its infancy. Here we present new data from sedimentological, petrographic, paleontological, and electron microscopy with elemental mapping investigations to showcase the importance of a multi-proxy approach to the understanding of this convoluted deposit. The aim is to provide improved clarity into the paleoecological and taphonomic questions that have plagued Lake Öhningen for decades.
The Protoceratidae is an extinct family of endemic North American artiodactyls that have been associated with tylopods or ruminants. The family includes the subfamilies “Leptotragulinae,” Synthetoceratinae, and Protoceratinae. Within Protoceratinae, the genus Paratoceras comprises five species, four from the Early to Middle Miocene of Panama (P. coatesi, P. orarius, P. wardi, P. aff. P. tedfordi), one from the Middle Miocene of Chiapas, Mexico (P. tedfordi), two from the Middle to Late Miocene of Texas, USA (P. macadamsi, P. wardi), and one (P. wardi) from the Early Miocene of eastern North Carolina. Here, we report a right dentary fragment with p4-m3 and alveoli for p3 and p2 collected from an amber mine in Los Pocitos, near Simojovel de Allende. This mine is within the Mazantic Shale, dated in 23.0 Ma using 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios, placing it in the earliest Miocene. This specimen represents a new species, Paratoceras friedmanae Jiménez-Hidalgo and Carbot-Chanona sp. nov., is diagnosed by having a very bulbous p4 with a globular paraconid and lacking a metaconid; the p4 has a posterior fossetid, bordered caudally by an enamel cristid, and features the narrowest molars within the genus. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new Chiapas species is the sister species of P. macadamsi from the Clarendonian of Texas. The geographic distribution of Paratoceras suggests a tropical origin in North America, followed by dispersal into temperate regions. The wide variation in body sizes among its species implies possible niche partitioning for resources.
A new occurrence of Carboniferous seed predation is described on Trigonocarpum noeggerathii Sternberg from the lower Moscovian (Middle Pennsylvanian) of the Saar-Nahe Basin (SW Germany). This damage trace has been assigned to DT306, being the first report of its kind in Germany and the fifth worldwide. Here, we compare this feeding boring with the previously documented feeding traces in the literature on both Trigonocarpum Brongniart and Samaropsis Goeppert sp., shedding some light on the origins of this functional feeding group, despite the long pre-existence of seeds.
Coprolites are fossilised faeces that offer a unique archive of the biology and ecology of extinct vertebrates. However, in the high-altitude Puna ecoregion of north-western Argentina, palaeoecological studies remain scarce, and existing analytical protocols are often unsuited to the distinctive taphonomic and sedimentary conditions of this environment. These limitations hinder reliable reconstructions of past faunal and environmental dynamics. In this study, coprolites attributed to extinct megaherbivores (Megatheriidae/Mylodontidae) from the Antofagasta de la Sierra microregion (Catamarca Province) were analysed to determine their taxonomic attribution and dietary habits. The samples were recovered from two archaeological contexts: Cueva Cacao 1.A (CC1.A; ca. 41,000 14C years BP) and Peñas de las Trampas 1.1 (PT1.1; ca. 13,750 14C years BP). Nine coprolites were analysed through a multiproxy approach combining morphology, ancient DNA (aDNA) and palynomorphs. Three aDNA extraction protocols were tested to assess their effectiveness in DNA recovery from ancient samples. The optimal method was determined based on its success in amplifying mitochondrial 12S rRNA fragments and the overall DNA yield, with higher amplification efficiency observed in PT1.1 samples. The results confirmed the attribution of the coprolites to Megatheriidae/Mylodontidae. The pollen assemblages were dominated by Poaceae, Asteraceae subf. Asteroideae, and Adesmia; this suggests a diet primarily composed of herbaceous plants and shrubs. These findings provide new insights into taxonomic identity and the trophic ecology of extinct sloths from the southern Central Andes during the Late Pleistocene.
