Based on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades fungus-farming insects: termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during Paleogene (66-24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence fungus-growing behavior has been elusive, with no unequivocal records prior late Miocene (7-10 Here we report form fungus gardens, preserved within 25 Ma termite nests from southwestern Tanzania. Using these well-dated recalibrated divergence...

Endosymbionts are organisms that live within the growing skeleton of a host organism, producing cavity called bioclaustration. The endosymbiont lives inside bioclaustration, which it forms by locally inhibiting normal skeletal growth host, behaviour given new ethological category, impedichnia. As trace fossils, bioclaustrations direct evidence past symbioses and first recognized from Late Ordovician (Caradoc). Bioclaustrations have wide geographic distribution occur in various marine...

Other| December 01, 2004 Bivalve Borings in Phosphatic Coprolites and Bone, Cretaceous–Paleogene, Northeastern Mali LEIF TAPANILA; TAPANILA 1Department of Geology Geophysics, University Utah, 135 South, 1460 East, Room 719, Salt Lake City, 84112-0111, ltapanila@mines.utah.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ERIC M. ROBERTS; ROBERTS 2Department 84112-0111 MAMADOU L. BOUARÉ; BOUARÉ 3École Nationale des Ingénieurs, Bamako, FAMORY SISSOKO; SISSOKO 4Institut Sciences...

New specimens, including the first record of lower dental plates, extinct myliobatid Myliobatis wurnoensis were recovered from Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) Iullemmeden Basin, Mali, and are oldest taxon.We evaluated phylogenetic position this taxon with reference to other myliobatids (extinct extant) using osteology dentition.Our results indicate that Myliobatinae each paraphyletic, Aetobatus Rhinoptera monophyletic.We also found taxa known only Cretaceous, Brachyrhizodus Igdabatis, highly...

An epicontinental sea bisected West Africa periodically from the Late Cretaceous to early Eocene, in dramatic contrast current Sahara Desert that dominates same region today. Known as Trans-Saharan Seaway, this warm and shallow ocean was a manifestation of globally elevated level associated with rapid break-up supercontinent Gondwana late Mesozoic. Although it varied size through time, Seaway is estimated have covered much 3000 km2 African continent approximately 50 m deep. The edges were...

The Paleocene Teberemt Formation south of the Adrar des Iforas Mountains, between Saguirilidad and In Fargas, Mali, yielded a nearly complete skull new genus species side-necked turtle, Acleistochelys maliensis. is member family Bothremydidae Baur, 1891, because: 1 fossa precolumellaris absent, 2 foramen stapedio-temporale faces anteriorly, 3 eustachian tube separated from stapes by bone, 4 an exoccipital-quadrate contact present. Within Bothremydidae, belongs to tribe Taphrosphyini...

Symbiotic associations are a poorly studied aspect of the fossil record, owing largely to taphonomic biases that inhibit direct observation two organisms shared an intimate association in life. A symbiosis between infesting animal and skeleton-producing host can form bioclaustration cavity directly preserves has high preservation potential. Identification ancient mutuals parasites must reject null hypothesis commensalism by demonstrating correlates with positive or negative change fitness as...

New CT scans of the spiral-tooth fossil, Helicoprion , resolve a longstanding mystery concerning form and phylogeny this ancient cartilaginous fish. We present first three-dimensional images that show tooth whorl occupying entire mandibular arch, which is supported along midline lower jaw. Several characters upper jaw it articulated with neurocranium in two places hyomandibula was not part suspension. These features identify as member stem holocephalan group Euchondrocephali. Our...

Other| June 01, 2004 Environmental and Substrate Control on Paleozoic Bioerosion in Corals Stromatoporoids, Anticosti Island, Eastern Canada LEIF TAPANILA; TAPANILA 1Department of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada,ltapanila@mines.utah.edu *Current Address: Department Geology Geophysics, University Utah, 135 South, 1460 East, Room 719, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-0111. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PAUL COPPER; COPPER EVAN...

Background The pre-Jurassic record of terrestrial wood borings is poorly resolved, despite body fossil evidence insect diversification among xylophilic clades starting in the late Paleozoic. Detailed analysis petrified provides direct utilization by invertebrate animals, which typically comprises feeding behaviors. Methodology/Principal Findings We describe a U-shaped boring from Late Triassic Chinle Formation southern Utah that demonstrates strong linkage between ontogeny and conifer...

The Paleogene was a time of high diversity for snakes, and characterized by some the largest species known to have existed.Among these snakes were pan-Tethyan marine Nigerophiidae Palaeophiidae.The latter family included sea snake, Palaeophis colossaeus, from Trans-Saharan Seaway Mali during Eocene.This paper describes new material collected Malian deposits, including additional new, large nigerophiid, Amananulam sanogoi gen.et sp.nov., medium-sized snake indeterminate affinities.The...

Repeated sequences of carbonate and shale are punctuated by condensed sections phosphatic conglomerate in the epeiric deposits Trans-Saharan Seaway northeastern Mali. To characterize taphonomic depositional setting these phosphates, a thick Eocene from area Tamaguelelt was targeted for quantitative analysis. Systematic grid sampling demonstrates that nearly all clasts derived vertebrate sources (bones = 27%, coprolites 20%, probable 53%), invertebrate body fossils absent. Bony cartilaginous...

A fossilized social insect nest, Socialites tumulus new ichnogenus and ichnospecies, is described from continental strata of the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation in southern Utah. Nine discrete nest structures are preserved along a single bedding plane, within an area about 25 m2. Fine-grained, ripple-laminated sandstone, interpreted as fluvial crevasse splay deposit, drapes thought to have rapidly buried much aboveground architectural morphology structures. Such insects ants termites...

Entobia, a sponge boring commonly consisting of interconnected chambers and galleries (i.e., it is camerate), dominant agent bioerosion in Mesozoic Cenozoic marine carbonates. A similar camerate boring, Topsentopsis devonica, widely recognized from the Devonian, its classification reappraised here. This paper synonymizes with senior synonym making E. devonica n. comb. oldest representative ichnogenus. New specimens borings stromatoporoids megalodont bivalves are described Frasnian Guilmette...

The earliest known record of lingulid-coral associations is described from Ashgill tabulate corals preserved on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Lingulid infestation and stromatoporoids also locally abundant in Llandovery limestones Anticosti Québec, these preserve the new lingulid species Rowellella? anticostiensis inside cavities Trypanites borings. In all examples, lingulids appear to nestle previously formed Trypanites, likely a dead host coral or stromatoporoid. some instances Silurian...

Cylindrical tubes of the trace fossil Chaetosalpinx occur within skeletal walls Late Ordovician sarcinulid tabulate corals preserved on Anticosti Island. A large host-specific embedment structure, rex isp. nov., is described from reefal genus Columnopora that occurs in (Rawtheyan, Ashgill) coral-stromatoporoid patch reefs upper Vauréal Formation (Mill Bay Member). While locally abundant Columnopora, this newly structure absent other frame-builders reefs.

Other| October 01, 2003 Embedment Cavities in Lacustrine Stromatolites: Evidence of Animal Interactions from Cenozoic Carbonates U.S.A. and Kenya ROBERT E. LAMOND; LAMOND 1Department Geology Geophysics, University Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0111, ltapanila@mines.utah.edu *Current address: Imperial Oil Resources, Fifth Avenue Place, Room 7007, 237–4th S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2P 3M9, Canada. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar LEIF TAPANILA **Corresponding author....

An extraordinary continental shell bed is reported from the Upper Cretaceous Kaiparowits Formation in southern Utah. This bed, referred to as Blues Ceratopsian highly unusual among fluvial-estuarine beds for its great thickness, surface area and density geometry. It covers >850 m, ranges 85 280 cm thick, consists of a series 10–50-cm-thick low-angle, dipping beds. The shells are generally undamaged articulated (>75%), commonly with valves still closed, strongly oriented normal dip...