Cavilignum pratchettii gen. et sp. nov., a novel type of fossil endocarp with open locules from the Neogene Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, USA

Siegert, Caroline; Hermsen, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2020.104174

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Studies suggest that the site was formed when an ancient sinkhole collapsed, became a small lake, and then filled with sediment over several thousand years (Wallace and Wang, 2004; Shunk et al, 2006, 2009). This unique paleontological site records a diverse array of taxa, including a wide variety of flora, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small and large mammals (Parmalee et al, 2002; Wallace and Wang, 2004; DeSantis and Wallace, 2008; Boardman and Schubert, 2011; Zobaa et al, 2011; Mead et al, 2012; Ochoa et al, 2012, 2016; Worobiec et al, 2013; Bourque and Schubert, 2015; Jasinski and Moscato, 2017; Jasinski, 2018; Short et al, 2019; Siegert and Hermsen, 2020; Quirk and Hermsen, 2021). Flora and fauna at the site have been interpreted to indicate a relatively closed forested ecosystem (Ochoa et al, 2016; Samuels et al, 2018; Quirk and Hermsen, 2021).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first canid from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee: new perspective on the distribution and ecology ofBorophagus

Bōgner

Samuels²

2022

J. Paleontol.

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Borophagus is the terminal genus of the highly diverse and successful subfamily, Borophaginae. Skeletal remains of this bone-crushing canid are most commonly found in transitional or grassland environments across North America between Late Miocene–Middle Pleistocene, but are rare or absent in forested habitats. Here, we describe a humerus from the Gray Fossil Site of Tennessee, which is the first occurrence of this genus in a heavily forested ecosystem. The distinct limb proportions of Borophagus suggest the genus may have been well suited for a closed habitat like the Gray Fossil Site, contrary to where a majority of their fossils have been previously found. This discovery documents the first pre-Pleistocene occurrence of a canid in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States.

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Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first canid from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee: new perspective on the distribution and ecology ofBorophagus

Bōgner

Samuels²

2022

J. Paleontol.

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“…Numerous vertebrate taxa and abundant plant fossils (e.g., Wallace and Wang, 2004;Liu and Jacques, 2010;Boardman and Schubert, 2011;Worobiec et al, 2013;Zobaa et al, 2011;Mead et al, 2012;Ochoa et al, 2012Ochoa et al, , 2016Bourque and Schubert, 2015;Czaplewski, 2017;Jasinski and Moscato, 2017;Doughty et al, 2018;Jasinski, 2018;Samuels et al, 2018;Short et al, 2019;Quirk and Hermsen, 2020;Siegert and Hermsen, 2020) indicate that there was a dense forest surrounding the paleosinkhole lake. The lake was a year-round water source that supported the presence of fish, neotenic salamanders, aquatic turtles, alligators, and beavers (Parmalee et al, 2002;Boardman and Schubert, 2011;Mead et al, 2012;Jasinski, 2018;Bourque and Schubert, 2015).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fossil moles from the Gray Fossil Site (Tennessee): Implications for diversification and evolution of North American Talpidae

Oberg

Samuels

2022

Palaeontol Electron

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The Gray Fossil Site (GFS), an early Pliocene aged site in northeastern Tennessee, is one of the richest Cenozoic localities in the eastern United States. To date, thousands of micro-vertebrate specimens have been collected, but few small mammals have been identified and thoroughly studied. This study describes the first talpid specimens recovered from the GFS, which represent four talpid species (Parascalops grayensis sp. nov., Neurotrichus sp., Mioscalops sp., and a new stem desman, Magnatalpa fumamons gen. et sp. nov.).The fossil taxa were quantitatively compared to a wide range of extant and extinct moles using a geometric morphometric analysis of humeri shape. Humeral morphology has commonly been used to diagnose talpid species and study their relationships. Quantitative analysis shows humerus shape is highly reflective of locomotor ecology in extant talpids, highlighting convergence among highly fossorial clades, and allows ecological inferences for fossil species. Hierarchical cluster analysis using morphometric data allowed examination of morphological similarity among taxa and helped to secondarily support taxonomic designations for the Gray Fossil Site taxa. The resulting phenogram shows strong similarity to the most up-to-date molecular cladogram and actually matched phylogenetic relationships substantially better than any morphological cladistic analyses to date. All six recognized tribes were represented on the cluster analysis phenograms, all of the shrew moles (Scaptonychini, Urotrichini, and Neurotrichini) clustered together, and there was some separation between the tribes Talpini and Scalopini. Additionally, the cluster analysis provides new information about the placement of fossil taxa and which parts of the tree still need better resolution.

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Plant and invertebrate macrofossils from the Pipe Creek Sinkhole (Late Neogene), Grant County, Indiana

Swinehart

Farlow

2020

Historical Biology

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Cavilignum pratchettii gen. et sp. nov., a novel type of fossil endocarp with open locules from the Neogene Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, USA

Cited by 6 publications

References 51 publications

The first canid from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee: new perspective on the distribution and ecology ofBorophagus

The first canid from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee: new perspective on the distribution and ecology ofBorophagus

Fossil moles from the Gray Fossil Site (Tennessee): Implications for diversification and evolution of North American Talpidae

Plant and invertebrate macrofossils from the Pipe Creek Sinkhole (Late Neogene), Grant County, Indiana

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