Devonian Orthocones

Devonian Actinoceratids in the Fitchville Formation on Wanlass Hill.  Found by David Johnson earlier this year and reported to me :)  I went out with him and a few other students to check them out earlier this year.

 

Also, some nice coral (Syringopora)

 

Early Triassic Stomatopod

Smith CPA, Aubier P, Charbonnier S, Laville T, Olivier N, Escarguel G, Jenks JF, Bylund KG, Fara E, Brayard A., 2023, Closing a major gap in mantis shrimp evolution - first fossils of Stomatopoda from the Triassic, Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 98, issue 1; pages: 95 - 110 

 Abstract:

Mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda) are marine benthic predators well known for their raptorial claws that have, through time, evolved into unique structures with exceptional stunning, piercing or even dismembering functions. Known since the Carboniferous, Stomatopoda fossils have started providing insights into the rise of these predators, however, major gaps in the fossil record remain. In particular, neither Permian, nor Triassic specimens have ever been uncovered. Such a long hiatus strongly hinders our understanding of their evolutionary history, especially regarding the transition between Palaeozoic and Mesozoic forms. We here report two mantis shrimp specimens from the Early Triassic Paris Biota of Idaho, USA, formally described as Triassosculda ahyongi gen. et sp. nov., partially closing an over 100 myr gap in the fossil record. Despite being incomplete, these specimens present distinct and well-preserved diagnostic characters on the posterior trunk and the tail fan. The telson shows a triangular shape closely resembling that of Palaeozoic mantis shrimps. The broadness of both the pleon and anterior rim of the telson, however, differs from that of most Palaeozoic forms, which have an overall narrow telson, and is more similar to that of modern representatives of Stomatopoda. Additionally, the uropodal exopods of Triassosculda ahyongi gen. et sp. nov. presents a considerable number of movable spines that are common among Jurassic and more recent taxa, but that have never been reported among Palaeozoic Stomatopoda. These features further support and above all, allow temporal refinement of previously suggested evolutionary scenarios. In the latter, and as for other major clades of crustaceans, Stomatopoda are assumed to have evolved from a shrimp-like morphology with a narrow triangular telson to a more lobster-like one with a broad and rather square-shaped telson. Triassosculda ahyongi gen. et sp. nov. indicates this transition was underway by the Early Triassic.

Paris Biota Decapods

The Paris Biota decapod (Arthropoda) fauna and the diversity of Triassic decapods

Abstract
We describe here the early Spathian (Early Triassic) Paris Biota decapod fauna from the western USA basin. This fauna contains two taxa of Aegeridae (Dendobranchiata), namely Anisaeger longirostrus n. sp. and Aeger sp. that are the oldest known representatives of their family, thus extending its temporal range by 5 Myr back into the Early Triassic. This fauna also includes two representatives of Glypheida (Pleocyemata) with Litogaster turnbullensis and Pemphix krumenackeri n. sp., confirming for the former and extending for the latter the temporal ranges of their respective superfamilies back to the Early Triassic. Overall, the Paris Biota decapods are some of the oldest known representatives of Decapoda, filling in an important gap in the evolutionary history of this group, especially during the Triassic that marks the early diversification of this clade. Additionally, we compile and provide overviews for all known Triassic decapods, which leads to the revision of four species of Middle and Late Triassic Aegeridae, and to a revised family assignment of a Middle Triassic Glypheida. Based on this refined dataset, we also investigate decapod diversity throughout the Triassic. We show that the apparent increase in decapod taxonomic richness is probably driven by the heterogeneity of the fossil record and/or sampling effort, and that the decapod alpha diversity is actually relatively high as soon as the Early Triassic and remains rather stable throughout the Triassic.

Ammonite Chamber Internal Mold

An internal mold of an ammonite chamber. Left, lateral view, right, apertural view

Two views of an internal mold of one of the chambers from the phragmocone of an ammonite (Prionocyclus macombi Meek 1876).  The chamber was hollow and probably filled with gas and a little liquid while the animal was alive, and was probably empty of any solids after it died.  How long it sat empty on the seafloor, and while it was being buried under sediment is unknown. Eventually, it was filled with what we have here, dark sparry calcite crystals. I imagine the crystals grew from the inner walls of the chamber towards the center until it was completely filled. You can see the siphuncle at the top of the chamber (the keel here is missing), and on the bottom, in the apertural view, you can see a notch where the keel of the preceding whorl would have fit.

Ammonites preserved in limestone or concretions are more often found this way because the surrounding shell was preserved uncrushed as the matrix around the shell hardened. Those found in sandstone or shale many times have the phragmocone and most of the chambers crushed unless the chambers were filled with sediment.

Wiping the smile off the face of the horizontal Nautiloid

The cover of New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources Memoir 32 (1977), and the description from inside the front cover (below) (both used with permission from the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources).  Showing the contented and smiling face of an orthoconic cephalopod with cameral (or siphonal) deposits counterweighting the gas-filled phragmocone letting it float horizontally and getting its face "out of the mud".  The non-counterweighted forms with disgusted frowns floating vertically (or about to).  I've had a smile on my face ever since first seeing this paper over 30 years ago just thinking of how happy the nautiloids on the cover were. 

All that changed the other day when I got a copy of Peterman & Ritterbush 2021 Vertical escape tactics and movement potential of orthoconic cephalopods PeerJ 9:e11797. Which lead to: Peterman, D.J., Barton, C.C., and Yacobucci, M.M., 2019 The hydrostatics of Paleozoic ectocochleate cephalopods (Nautiloidea and Endoceratoidea) with implications for modes of life and early colonization of the pelagic zone Palaeontologia Electronica Article number: 22.2.24

Needless to say, I now have to re-arrange the thoughts of horizontal nautiloids having smiles and put the smile on the vertical nautiloid.

This might be just as hard as giving up the Geosynclinal Theory I was taught back in 1972.

:)

More exceptional fossil assemblages

 Adding to localities where fossils like those in the Paris Biota are found.

Smith, C.P.A., Laville, T., Fara, E., Escarguel, G., Olivier, N., Vennin, E., Goudemand, N., Bylund, K.G., Jenks, J.F., Stephen, D.A., Hautmann, M., Charbonnier, S., Krumenacker, L.J., & Brayard, A., 2021, Exceptional fossil assemblages confirm the existence of complex Early Triassic ecosystems during the early Spathian. Scientific Reports 11, 19657 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99056-8

Abstract

The mass extinction characterizing the Permian/Triassic boundary (PTB; ~ 252 Ma) corresponds to a major faunal shift between the Palaeozoic and the Modern evolutionary fauna. The temporal, spatial, environmental, and ecological dynamics of the associated biotic recovery remain highly debated, partly due to the scarce, or poorly-known, Early Triassic fossil record. Recently, an exceptionally complex ecosystem dated from immediately after the Smithian/Spathian boundary (~ 3 myr after the PTB) was reported: the Paris Biota (Idaho, USA). However, the spatiotemporal representativeness of this unique assemblage remained questionable as it was hitherto only reported from a single site. Here we describe three new exceptionally diverse assemblages of the same age as the Paris Biota, and a fourth younger one. They are located in Idaho and Nevada, and are taxonomic subsets of the Paris Biota. We show that the latter covered a region-wide area and persisted at least partially throughout the Spathian. The presence of a well-established marine fauna such as the Paris Biota, as soon as the early Spathian, indicates that the post-PTB biotic recovery and the installation of complex ecosystems probably took place earlier than often assumed, at least at a regional scale.

Fish near the Early Triassic Equator!

Romano, C., Jenks, J., Jattiot, R., Scheyer, T., Bylund, K., & Bucher, H. 2017. Marine Early Triassic Actinopterygii from Elko County (Nevada, USA): Implications for the Smithian equatorial vertebrate eclipse. Journal of Paleontology, 1-22. doi:10.1017/jpa.2017.36

Abstract

The Early Triassic vertebrate record from low paleolatitudes is spotty, which led to the notion of an ‘equatorial vertebrate eclipse’ during the Smithian. Here we present articulated ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii), collected from the marine Lower Triassic Thaynes Group at three new localities in Elko County (Nevada, USA), which were deposited within the equatorial zone. From the Smithian of the Winecup Ranch, we describe two partial skulls of the predatory actinopterygian Birgeria (Birgeriidae), attributed to B. americana new species and Birgeria sp. Birgeria americana n. sp. is distinguished from other species by a less reduced operculogular series. With an estimated total length of 1.72–1.85m, it is among the largest birgeriids. We confirm that Birgeria encompasses species with either two or three rows of teeth on the maxilla and dentary, and suggest that species with three well-developed rows are restricted to the Early Triassic. From the latest Smithian of Palomino Ridge, we present a three-dimensional, partial skull of the longirostrine predator Saurichthys (Saurichthyidae). This and other occurrences indicate that saurichthyids were common in the western USA basin. From the early late Spathian of Crittenden Springs, we describe a posterior body portion (Actinopterygii indet.). This find is important given the paucity of Spathian osteichthyan sites. We provide a summary of Early Triassic vertebrate occurrences in the United States, concluding that vertebrate fossils remain largely unstudied. The presence of predatory vertebrates in subequatorial latitudes during the Smithian confirms that Early Triassic trophic chains were not shortened and contradicts the ‘equatorial vertebrate eclipse’.

An Early Triassic Starfish from Utah

The Starfish shortly after mechanical decomposition of a limestone slab in the field near Torrey, Utah.

Superstesaster promissor gen. et sp. nov., a new starfish (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) from the Early Triassic of Utah, USA, filling a major gap in the phylogeny of asteroids

Loïc Villier, Arnaud Brayard, Kevin G. Bylund, James F. Jenks, Gilles Escarguel, Nicolas Olivier, Daniel A. Stephen, Emmanuelle Vennin, and Emmanuel Fara

Journal Of Systematic Palaeontology

Unexpected Early Triassic marine ecosystem

Our latest work.

Artistic reconstruction of the Paris Biota. Artistic view of the early Spathian diversified and complex marine ecosystem of southeastern Idaho as revealed by the Paris Biota (with permission of Jorge Gonzalez).

A. Brayard, L. J. Krumenacker, J. P. Botting, J. F. Jenks, K. G. Bylund, E. Fara, E. Vennin,
N. Olivier, N. Goudemand, T. Saucède, S. Charbonnier, C. Romano, L. Doguzhaeva, B. Thuy,
M. Hautmann, D. A. Stephen, C. Thomazo, G. Escarguel, Unexpected Early Triassic marine
ecosystem and the rise of the Modern evolutionary fauna. Sci. Adv. 3, e1602159 (2017).

In the wake of the end-Permian mass extinction, the Early Triassic (~251.9 to 247 million years ago) is portrayed as an environmentally unstable interval characterized by several biotic crises and heavily depauperate marine benthic ecosystems. We describe a new fossil assemblage—the Paris Biota—from the earliest Spathian (middle Olenekian, ~250.6 million years ago) of the Bear Lake area, southeastern Idaho, USA. This highly diversified assemblage documents a remarkably complex marine ecosystem including at least seven phyla and 20 distinct metazoan orders, alongwith algae.Most unexpectedly, it combines early Paleozoic and middle Mesozoic taxa previously unknown from the Triassic strata, among which are primitive Cambrian-Ordovician leptomitid sponges (a 200–million year Lazarus taxon) and    gladius-bearing coleoid cephalopods, a poorly documented group before the Jurassic (~50 million years after the Early Triassic). Additionally, the crinoid and ophiuroid specimens show derived anatomical characters that were thought to have evolved much later. Unlike previous works that suggested a sluggish postcrisis recovery and a low diversity for the Early Triassic benthic organisms, the unexpected composition of this exceptional assemblage points toward an early and rapid post-Permian diversification for these clades. Overall, it illustrates a phylogenetically diverse, functionally complex, and trophically multileveled marine ecosystem, from primary producers up to top predators and potential scavengers. Hence, the Paris Biota highlights the key evolutionary position of Early Triassic fossil ecosystems in the transition from the Paleozoic to the Modern marine evolutionary fauna at the dawn of the Mesozoic era.

More on Triassic Gulliver Gastropods

Early Triassic Gulliver gastropods: Spatio-temporal distribution and significance for biotic recovery after the end-Permian mass extinction

A large Early Triassic Gastropod from Southern Utah.

Jim Jenks gets the 2014 Katherine Palmer Award

My Friend and colleague Jim Jenks received PRI's 2014 Katherine Palmer Award.

It is a pleasure working with Jim and I congratulate him on getting this well deserved award.

9ISCPP in Zurich

Zurich and the Limmat River

Symposium signage

The Poster Hall

A colorful Poster

Types on loan from USNM to NHMU

After a request to the US National Museum, they sent the first of three loans of Type Specimens to the Natural History Museum of Utah.  Types are the specimens used to compare to other specimens to verify the others are typical of the type.  Syntypes are usually from a series of types where neither a Holotype or Lectotype have been designated.

Syntype of Wyomingites aplanatus (White 1879)

paperwork

Holotypes are single specimens showing what all other specimens of that species should look like.

Holotype for Danubites strongi  Hyatt & Smith 1905

Paperwork in the box

Jim and I will be examining these types over the next few weeks or months as they come in.  There is a lot of revising and/or synonymizing to do.  What was thought to be typical may actually be atypical of the type.

Holotype of Xenoceltites cordilleranus (Smith 1932)

Paperwork

Thanks to Dan Levin at the Smithsonian Institute, and Randy Irmis and Carrie Levitt-Bussian at the NHMU for helping and facilitating the loan from the USNM, we really appreciate their help and hospitality.

Recovery of benthic marine communities from the end‐Permian mass extinction at the low latitudes of eastern Panthalassa

Richard Hofmann, Michael Hautmann, Arnaud Brayard, Alexander Nützel, Kevin G Bylund, James F Jenks, Emmanuelle Vennin, Nicolas Olivier, Hugo Bucher

Early View (Online Version of Record published before inclusion in an issue)

Fossils from the Early Spathian "Eumorphotis Bioevent".  These were found in the Confusion Range.

More of our work on the Early Triassic of Utah and other Western States.

Shovel Control

Just like Gun Control, only in this case a shovel is the culprit.

Instead of prosecuting those shovel carriers that abuse the system, the government, in it's infinite wisdom, will ban all shovels carried by common fossil hunters on Federal Land.

Please read and comment on these new regulations, I think they are bad for the Public and Science.

Paleontological Resources Preservation

Paleontological Resources Preservation US Forest Service

Amateurs will not be allowed to do research?

Amateurs and/or non-professionals will need a permit (if they can get one) to collect fossils for research.   Casual collecting just will not fit the bill if these regulations go into effect.  Who can do research collecting only 5 specimens of each type of fossil per year?  And what is a type of fossil?  Can I only collect 5 cephalopod fossils per year?
  In fact, even professionals and academics will need a permit to collect invertebrate fossils for research (which is what they all collect for) on any public land (the BLM will adopt the same regs as the USFS), which has not been necessary before.

From the Definitions Section:

4. The term casual collecting would restate the definition contained in 16 U.S.C. 470aaa of the Act. To be considered casual collecting, the activity would mean all of the following: Collecting of a reasonable amount of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources for non-commercial personal use, either by surface collection or the use of non-powered hand tools, resulting in only negligible disturbance to the Earth's surface and other resources.

 14. The term non-commercial personal use as used in the definition of casual collecting would clarify the types of use allowed under casual collection, and would mean uses other than for purchase, sale, financial gain, or research. Common invertebrate and plant paleontological resources collected for research purposes is not personal use and would need to be authorized under a permit in accordance with Sections 291.13 through 291.20. Exchange of common invertebrate and plant paleontological resources among casual collectors would be permissible as long as such resources were collected in accordance with the Act and the proposed regulations.

 18. The term reasonable amount as used in the definition of casual collecting would quantify the maximum amount of common invertebrate and plant paleontological resources that could be removed from Federal lands. A person may remove up to one gallon of material in volume or 25 pounds in weight, and up to five specimens of each type of fossil per calendar year. If the fossil specimens are contained within rock slabs, the reasonable amount would be limited to a slab that can be hand-carried by one person without the aid of mechanical devices. The authorized officer may modify the amount that is reasonable in order to preserve fossil-bearing locations that may be at risk of being depleted, thereby preserving paleontological resources in accordance with the Act.

I think I'll post a comment to this one...

If I can make the July 22, 2013 deadline...


Paleontological Resources Preservation US Forest Service

Uintacrinus and Desmoscaphites bassleri

Uintacrinus from the Mancos Shale

a small fragment of Desmoscaphites bassleri

These fossils were found by Rod Scheetz (BYU Museum of Paleontology) in the Mancos Shale southeast of Green River. The small fragment he found closely matchs the one I found (see Aug. 12, 2009 post). I am now quite sure they are D. bassleri, and the small Scaphites is S. leei, from the Latest Santonian. D. bassleri has been found in the Upper Emery Sandstone northwest of Price and Northwest of Green River, so the Lower Emery Sandstone or it's equivalents are probably not present south and east of Green River as the fossils I found were in the lowest concretions above the Scaphites depressus (Latest Coniacian) beds.

REF:
Landman N. H. and Cobban W. A., 2007, Redescription of the Late Cretaceous (late Santonian) ammonite Desmoscaphites bassleri Reeside, 1927, from the Western Interior of North America. University of Wyoming, Rocky Mountain Geology, v.42, no.2, p.67-94

April Field Trip

Camp in the Wheeler Amphitheater.
No ammonoids on this trip so this is the only pic I took.

Change

On March 30 Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. Part of that is the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, Specifically Title VI, Subtitle D (select text of legislation, then S.22.ES) . A provision to allow casual collecting is incorporated, but is very vague, otherwise a permit is required to collect any fossils on public land. Looks like change has come.

More from 3-21-09 Field Trip

Alex, in the center,
watching as I uncovered the big one.
He likes ammonites as much as I do.

this is the sign Alex had pinned to his pack. A future Paleontologist for sure?

Looking for Prionocyclus at Stop 2

Looking for Scaphites at Stop 1