No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Ancient biomolecule analyses are proving increasingly useful in the study of evolutionary patterns, including extinct organisms. Proteomic sequencing techniques complement genomic approaches, having the potential to examine lineages further back in time than achievable using ancient DNA, given the less stringent preservation requirements. In this study, we demonstrate the ability to use collagen sequence analyses via proteomics to provide species delimitation as a foundation for informing evolutionary patterns. We uncover biogeographic information of an enigmatic and recently extinct lineage of Nesophontes across their range on the Caribbean islands. First, evolutionary relationships reconstructed from collagen sequences reaffirm the affinity of Nesophontes and Solenodon as sister taxa within Solenodonota. This relationship helps lay the foundation for testing geographical isolation hypotheses across islands within the Greater Antilles, including movement from Cuba towards Hispaniola. Second, our results are consistent with Cuba having just two species of Nesophontes (N. micrus and N. major) that exhibit intrapopulation morphological variation. Finally, analysis of the recently described species from the Cayman Islands (N. hemicingulus) indicates that it is a closer relative to the Cuban species, N. major rather than N. micrus as previously speculated. Our proteomic sequencing improves our understanding of the origin, evolution, and distribution of this extinct mammal lineage, particularly with respect to approximate timing of speciation. Such knowledge is vital for this biodiversity hotspot, where the magnitude of recent extinctions may obscure true estimates of species richness in the past.

Here we provide a compilation of bat distribution records based on neontological and paleontological data, updating the known distribution in Matanzas province, the Isle of Pines, and Central Cuba. From 97 collecting localities in the Province of Matanzas, we report 27 taxa out of the 34 known from the Cuban archipelago; 21 of them are extant while the other six are extinct. Antrozous koopmani and Natalus primus are considered locally extinct in Matanzas, as in most of the archipelago today, but had a wider distribution in the past that lasted until very late in the Holocene. The extinct endemics, Artibeus anthonyi, and Phyllops vetus, are reported for the first time in the province, and the distribution records of Phyllops falcatus, Lasiurus pfeifferi, Lasiurus insularis, Chilonatalus macer, and Eumops ferox are updated and expanded. These records make Matanzas the second richest province in bat diversity of the Cuban archipelago and an area of considerable conservation potential.

This paper describes the endocranial morphology of the extinct genus of Antillean shrews Nesophontes, based on natural and digital endocranial casts extracted from Cuban species. The endocranial casts show developed olfactory lobes without accessory bulbs, an exposed tectum with visible superior colliculi, a large cerebellum and vermis, and a smooth neocortex. Body mass was estimated from skull size to be between 97 and 114 g, yielding encephalization quotients between 0.33 and 0.57. Endocranial casts of Nesophontes are morphologically similar to those of Solenodon more so than to other lipotyphlans such as Sorex, Blarina, Erinaceus, or the afroinsectivoran Tenrec. The morphological similarity to Solenodon, not only in endocranial structures but also in the rest of the skeleton suggests a behavioral analogy between the two genera. The marked superior colliculi, prominent olfactory lobes, and facial musculoskeletal anatomy suggest that Nesophontes was most likely nocturnal and fossorial, relying on hearing, smell, and tactility to forage. Future analysis of the appendicular skeleton can help determine if this genus was solely terrestrial or if it also exploited arboreal habitats. All these morphologies can help elucidate Nesophontes's behavior, ecology, and the osteological variation that is observed in the genus.

The Caribbean archipelago is a hotspot of biodiversity characterized by a high rate of extinction. Recent studies have examined these losses, but the causes of the Antillean Late Quaternary vertebrate extinctions, and especially the role of humans, are still unclear. Current results provide support for climate-related and human-induced extinctions, but often downplaying other complex bio-ecological factors that are difficult to model or to detect from the fossil and archaeological record. Here, we discuss Caribbean vertebrate extinctions and the potential role of humans derived from new and existing fossil and archaeological data from Cuba. Our results indicate that losses of Cuba’s native fauna occurred in three waves: one during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, a second during the middle Holocene, and a third one during the last 2 ka, coinciding with the arrival of agroceramists and the early Europeans. The coexistence of now-extinct species with multiple cultural groups in Cuba for over 4 ka implies that Cuban indigenous non-ceramic cultures exerted far fewer extinction pressures to native fauna than the later agroceramists and Europeans that followed. This suggests a determinant value to increased technological sophistication and demographics as the most plausible effective extinction drivers.

Se comentan nuevos registros de aves de Cuba, como el guacamayo cubano (Ara tricolor), hallado en dos sitios arqueológicos de La Habana Vieja, de los siglos XVII y XVIII, asimismo, el búho de Arredondo (Pulsatrix arredondoi), ave extinta en tiempos prehistóricos, cuyos restos hemos colectado en dos cuevas de la comunidad Las Charcas, municipio San José de las Lajas, provincia Mayabeque, y por último, el carpintero real (Campephilus principalis), colectado en la Cueva del Aguacate, sitio localizado también en la comunidad Las Charcas. El resto óseo de P. arredondoi colectado en la Cueva de Las Charcas procede de un contexto paleontológico. En cambio, el otro resto proviene de la Cueva de los Muertos, que es un sitio arqueológico de aborígenes arcaicos, también conocidos como apropiadores mesolíticos. Por vez primera se considera la posibilidad de que P. arredondoi formara parte de la dieta de los aborígenes precolombinos citados. El registro de C. principalis representa el primer hallazgo de esta especie en contextos paleontológicos de Cuba. Adicionalmente se aporta información novedosa sobre la historia natural de las especies tratadas.