Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart

Abstract The fossil record of coelacanths (Actinistia) is diminished by several nominal gaps that obscure vital information pertaining to the clade's evolutionary history. Latimeriidae, the family that includes the extant coelacanth Latimeria , in addition to the Cenozoic, has an outstanding missing gap of 50 myr during the Mesozoic, with no records of this family from the Lower Cretaceous. Upper Cretaceous latimeriids are morphologically derived and show close anatomical similarities with Latimeria , although an understanding of their macroevolutionary trends, timings of key character acquisitions, and gross patterns in their skeletal evolution are largely obscured by a lack of diagnosed Lower Cretaceous taxa. Using x‐ray computed tomography (XCT), we here report the first diagnostic latimeriid from the Lower Cretaceous: Macropoma gombessae sp. nov. based on an articulated cranium and associated fragments of the post‐cranial skeleton from the Albian Gault Formation of southern England. The new species demonstrates a drastic shift in dermal ornamentation between the Lower and Upper Cretaceous, including an unusual narrowing and change in placement of the supraorbital sensory canal within the supraorbitals, and increased reduction in the dentary leading towards the morphologies present in Latimeria . Phylogenetic analysis resolves the new species as sister to Macropoma , and together are sister to a clade containing Swenzia and Latimeria . We additionally reappraise ‘ Macropoma ’ willemoesii (Upper Jurassic, Germany) as not belonging to Macropoma , indicating M. gombessae as the stratigraphically oldest species of this historic and evolutionarily novel genus.

Abstract The ontogeny of Neanderthal ( Homo neanderthalensis ) perinates is poorly understood due to the paucity of juvenile skeletal remains. Here we reconstruct fetal bone growth, and explore deciduous tooth structures, in three Neanderthal juveniles (Sesselfelsgrotte, 1, 2 and 3) (90,000–50,000 years ago) from southeastern Germany using non-destructive microcomputed tomography. Sesselfelsgrotte 1 exhibited bone tissue consistent with modern human perinatal plexiform-like structures and primary osteons. Long bones showed regions of advanced growth compared to the mandible and frontal bone, which can be explained through different processes of ossification and potentially localized faster development in Neanderthals compared to modern humans. Bone microstructure resembles that of the late third trimester of modern humans, agreeing with previous estimates based on macroscopic data. Sesselfelsgrotte 2 and 3 deciduous teeth retain hypodensities deep within the crown dentine consistent with interglobular dentine. We conclude that the fetal bone patterning is similar to modern humans with areas of advanced growth, indicating that the growth trajectory for this Neanderthal perinate was broadly equivalent to that of modern humans. The abnormal dentine mineralization points toward a possible systemic disorder.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the invasive terrestrial nemertean Geonemertes pelaensis Semper, 1863 (Nemertea: Prosorhochmidae) was sequenced from two specimens collected in geographically distant French overseas territories-Martinique in the Caribbean and New Caledonia in the South-West Pacific. In both specimens, the mitogenome contained 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 21 tRNA genes, and was unusually large, approaching 32kb. The two genomes differed by only four single nucleotide polymorphisms and one indel. A comparison with 22 cox1 sequences available in GenBank confirmed this high level of genetic conservation, suggesting a recent introduction from related source populations. The extraordinary length of the mitogenome was largely attributable to two extended regions comprising only tRNA genes and long intergenic sequences. These results were contrasted with data from an unpublished SRA sequencing project (SRS20559370) of an unlocalized specimen identified as G. pelaensis; its reconstructed mitogenome was only 18kb in length (14kb shorter) and showed extensive sequence divergence. Phylogenetic analyses placed this specimen as the sister lineage to G. pelaensis, highlighting the need for further investigation of this taxon. In the Martinique specimen, several NUMTs (nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes) were also detected, which could complicate future studies relying solely on Sanger sequencing. Sequencing additionally revealed prey DNA from the gut contents of both worms: the New Caledonian specimen had consumed an unidentified noctuid moth, while the Martinique specimen had likely fed on the invasive cockroach Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), itself an introduced species.

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has shown that ecosystem functioning and stability are closely linked to biodiversity. A cornerstone of this field is the BEF-China research platform, i.e. the world’s largest forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China. It has demonstrated that tree diversity enhances productivity, carbon sequestration and ecosystem stability. However, the strength of these positive tree diversity effects varies widely across forests, possibly because higher trophic levels (such as herbivores and predators) mediate how biodiversity influences ecosystem functioning. To better understand how tree diversity influences higher trophic levels and their contributions to forest functioning, the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the project MultiTroph . MultiTroph quantifies species interactions and integrates them into food webs to understand when and why ecosystem functions change or destabilise with species loss. We expect that trophic interaction networks reveal how species share or separate their ecological roles, with more niche overlap in species-rich forests and more niche specialisation in species-poor forests. Here, we outline our conceptual framework and research goals. We are convinced that MultiTroph will expand existing BEF research and provide a more holistic understanding of the role of multi-trophic food webs in forest ecosystems.

Abstract Fragmentary remains of fossil vertebrates from the Romualdo Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil, preserved in association with two fish were interpreted as two individuals of a new genus and species of ctenochasmatine pterosaur, Bakiribu waridza Pêgas et al ., 2025. Comparison with a range of fossils from the same geological unit show that the remains represent the gill arch apparatus of a large actinopterygian fish. This reinterpretation, which mirrors a comparable event in the mid twentieth century when the remains of a supposed ctenochasmatine pterosaur, Belonochasma aenigmaticum , were reidentified as part of the gill apparatus of a fish, does not affect our current understanding of the evolutionary history of pterosaurs.

Terrestrial tetrapods originated during the Middle Devonian, and the group rapidly diversified throughout the subsequent Carboniferous and Permian periods. Feeding in air rather than water is expected to require changes to tetrapod mandibular form and function. Previous biomechanical studies on jaw evolution, however, found that the increase in functional disparity lagged behind terrestrialisation by approximately 70 Myr, coinciding with the origin of amniotes and herbivory. We expand on a previous dataset composed primarily of non-amniote tetrapods to identify the drivers of this diversification, including representatives of all major amniote clades from the Permo-Carboniferous. First, we measured nine biomechanical traits from 111 tetrapod jaws in medial view. Second, we performed an Elliptical Fourier Analysis on 198 jaws in lateral view and 73 jaws in occlusal view. The first peak in jaw disparity, during the Pennsylvanian, occurs in carnivorous non-amniote tetrapods. However, the jaws of amniotes, particularly those inferred as herbivorous, are consistently more disparate than non-amniote tetrapods from the early Permian, especially in terms of jaw depth, symphysial length and force transmission. Functional and shape disparity of Palaeozoic tetrapod jaws follow a similar pattern that is explained by large-scale faunal turnovers and ecosystem structures.

Investigations of bone microanatomy are commonly used to explore lifestyle strategies in vertebrates. While distinct microanatomical limb bone features have been established for exclusively aquatic and terrestrial lifestyles, identifying clear patterns for the semiaquatic lifestyle remains more challenging. Pinnipeds and mustelids provide an ideal framework for studying the diversity of semiaquatic adaptations. Here, we tested whether their humerus and femur showed significant differences in microanatomical and biomechanical parameters along the diaphysis relative to locomotor strategies. We μCT-scanned extant pinnipeds and included semiaquatic and generalist mustelids to build a reference for the amphibious lifestyle. Statistical analyses showed that comparisons away from the growth center distinguished species with non-weight-bearing hind limbs from those with all-limb weight-bearing. Among the latter, otariids and semiaquatic mustelids shared highly compact bones and a reduced medullary cavity, though otariids exhibited a more gradual medullocortical transition with more trabeculae. Contrary to the prevailing assumption, our findings indicate bone mass increase can also be associated with fast-swimming predators diving beyond shallow depths. Phocids, which cannot bear weight on their hind limbs, include species that spend 70%-80% of their lives at sea. These species exhibited extremely spongious bones: low compactness, thin cortex, and a trabeculae-filled medullary region-reminiscent of the osteoporotic-like condition seen in some extant cetaceans. Additionally, the shared humerus-femur pattern, regardless of locomotor type, suggests that skeletal adaptations can be systemic in carnivorans. This new comparative dataset broadens the spectrum of microanatomical patterns associated with an amphibious lifestyle and provides a foundation for better deciphering extinct species' locomotion.

A new ornithoctonine genus, Magnacrus gen. nov., is established with two species from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Magnacrus tongmianensis (Zhu, Li & Song, 2002) gen. nov. comb. nov. is transferred from Citharognathus Pocock, 1895, and is redescribed based on the new Vietnamese specimens; its type locality is potentially wrongly recorded, this species likely does not inhabit China. A new species, M. taynguyenensis gen. nov. sp. nov., from Vietnam is described with both sexes. The type species of Citharognathus, C. hosei Pocock, 1895, is redescribed based on the type specimen and new samples from two populations of Sarawak, Borneo. The males of M. tongmianensis gen. nov. comb. nov., and C. hosei are additionally described. Insights into natural history and conservation of all species are included. A distribution map for both Magnacrus species is provided.