Diatoms are one of the most important eukaryotic primary producers in lower ecosystem; understanding their evolutionary history is therefore also important. Throughout Cenozoic hydrosphere, diatoms have flourished. However, as a result progressive diagenesis and dissolution opaline silica that forms frustules, early evolution during Cretaceous unclear, so fossil record incomplete. Largely becau...

Here, we describe the first pterosaur remains from Angola, an assemblage of fourteen bones Lower Maastrichtian marine deposits Bentiaba, Namibe Province. One new species is introduced, Epapatelo otyikokolo, gen. et sp. nov., which comprises articulated partial left humerus and ulna as well radius (from a second individual). Phylogenetic analysis confirms non-nyctosaurid pteranodontian attributi...

Rhynchocephalia, a once diverse clade of lizard-like reptiles, had nearly global distribution during much the Mesozoic. By Late Cretaceous rhynchocephalians underwent marked reduction in their diversity and biogeographic range, with sparse records only deeply nested taxa (e.g., Sphenodontinae) found Upper Cretaceous–Paleocene Patagonia Miocene–Recent New Zealand. Here we describe partial dentar...

Morphological variation in Ephedra (Gnetales) is limited and confusing from an evolutionary perspective, with parallelisms and intraspecific variation. However, recent analyses of molecular data provide a phylogenetic framework for investigations of morphological traits, albeit with few informative characters in the investigated gene regions. We document morphological, anatomical and histologic...

The colossal size and body plan of sauropod dinosaurs are unparalleled in terrestrial vertebrates. However, to date, there have been only limited attempts to examine temporal and phylogenetic patterns in the sauropod bauplan. Here, we combine three-dimensional computational models with phylogenetic reconstructions to quantify the evolution of whole-body shape and body segment properties across ...