Fossils from two fissure fillings in Pant Quarry (designated Pant 4 and Pant 5), South Wales, United Kingdom, probably of Early Jurassic age document a taxonomically diverse vertebrate fauna, the Morganucodon-sphenodont fauna, composed of several kinds of reptiles, non-mammalian synapsids, and mammals. Six isolated molariform teeth from Pant 4 and 5 fissures clearly record the presence of Thoma...

Multi-locus and multi-species nucleotide diversity studies would benefit enormously from a public database encompassing high-quality haplotypic sequences with their associated genetic diversity measures. MamPol, 'Mammalia Polymorphism Database', is a website containing all the well-annotated polymorphic sequences available in GenBank for the Mammalia class grouped by name of organism and gene. ...

As one of the earliest-known mammaliaforms, Haramiyavia clemmenseni from the Rhaetic (Late Triassic) of East Greenland has held an important place in understanding the timing of the earliest radiation of the group. Reanalysis of the type specimen using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) has revealed new details, such as the presence of the dentary condyle of the mammalian jaw hinge and th...

Many living vertebrates exhibit complex social structures, evidence for the antiquity of which is limited to rare and exceptional fossil finds. Living elephants possess a characteristic social structure that is sex-segregated and multi-tiered, centred around a matriarchal family and solitary or loosely associated groups of adult males. Although the fossil record of Proboscidea is extensive, the...

Androlaelaps marmosops, a new species of laelapid mite, is described from the pelage of the mouse opossum, Marmosops incanus (Lund, 1840) (Mammalia: Didelphidae), in two areas of Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro State. Measurements and illustrations are included for females only.

The functional significance of the change in enamel thickness and microstructure shown by the molar of the European mammoth lineage is discussed. It is suggested that the extreme reduction of the enamel thickness in Mammuthus primigenius may represent an adaptation to increase occlusal pressure during mastication. Consistently, the enamel microstructure underwent a differentiation that led to a...

of the open ocean as the source of the material as in the case of the Sargasso-sea faunas. Such is the Genessee shale which like the Genundewa limestone contains in the abundant Styliolinas a typical planktonic element, the Genundewa limestone representing a Devonian pteropod-ooze. The widely extending Chatanooga shale is characterized by the conodonts, now recognized as the teeth of cyclostome...

-Anthracobune and its primitive bunodont-bilophodont herbivorous allies from the Eocene of Indo-Pakistan are grouped together in a new family, Anthracobunidae. Anthracobunids are interpreted as basal "tethytheres" that are probably broadly ancestral to proboscideans, sirenians, and desmostylians. The family includes five genera and species: Anthracobune pinfoldi Pilgrim, 1940; Lammidhania wardi...

Cubomedusae possess a total of 24 eyes, some of which are structurally similar to vertebrate eyes. Accordingly, the medusae also display a range of light-guided behaviours including obstacle avoidance, diurnal activity patterns and navigation. Navigation is supported by spatial resolution and image formation in the so-called upper lens eye. Further, there are indications that obstacle avoidance...