Volume 41 December 2005
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Item Palaeontologia africana Volume 41(Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, 2005)Item A new theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of South Africa and its implications for the early evolution of theropods(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Yates, Adam M.A new theropod, Dracovenator regenti, from the upper Elliot Formation is described, based upon a fragmentary skull. It can be diagnosed on the basis of a bilobed fossa on the lateral surface of the premaxilla that is connected to the alveolar margin by a narrow channel, the presence of a deep, oblique, lateral notch on the articular and hypertrophied dorsal processes on the articular. Other aspects of its morphology display a mosaic of coelophysoid and advanced theropod characteristics. A cladistic analysis of basal Theropoda, including the new taxon finds that the new taxon is closely related to Dilophosaurus wetherilli and Zupaysaurus rougieri although the clade formed by these three taxa is not robustly supported. It also finds that Coelophysoidea sensu lato is paraphyletic with respect to Ceratosauria + Tetanurae but that this topology is not a significantly better explanation of the data than an inclusive, monophyletic Coelophysoidea.Item The ownership of the Taung skull and of other fossil hominids and the question of repatriation(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Tobias, Phillip V.The ownership of fossils, and for purposes of this paper I refer to that of hominid fossils, was long assumed to be vested in the individuals who made the discoveries. The author reviews here a series of case histories with which he has had direct or indirect personal contact, that illustrate claims for ownership. Some have been explicit, some implicit. They are drawn from South Africa, East Africa, North Africa, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the Netherlands, Indonesia and China. This historical essay reviews the replacement of this practice by a policy that fossils are not seen as personal property, but as part of the heritage of the country of origin. During the colonial era, many specimens were removed from former colonies to the ‘home countries’, where they remained for decades, at least until the subject territories attained their independence from the former imperial powers. The new policy about ownership, in such cases, entails the return (repatriation) of the expatriate fossils to the source country. Examples of success stories and of tardy responses are given. A policy for the future is set forth.Item Preliminary report of a large theropod dinosaur trackway in Clarens Formation sandstone (Early Jurassic) in the Paul Roux district, northeastern Free State, South Africa(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Raath, Michael A.; Yates, Adam M.An isolated fallen block of Clarens Formation sandstone near the small northeastern Free State town of Paul Roux preserves part of the trackway of a bipedal dinosaur. Although well known as a local curiosity, this trackway has not previously been formally reported or described. It consists of five successive paces of what is interpreted as a medium-sized to large theropod dinosaur, and represents the largest known theropod trackway in the ‘Stormberg’ sequence in South Africa. The tracks are assigned to the ichnotaxon Grallator sp., and show similarities to North American tracks of comparable age originally described as Dilophosauripus. Until now no body fossils of a likely candidate trackmaker were known, but elsewhere in this volume a possible candidate is described by the second author.Item James William Kitching (1922–2003): a tribute(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Raath, Michael A.; Rubidge, Bruce S.On 24 December 2003, James William Kitching, regarded by many as one of the world’s greatest fossil finders, died at his home in Johannesburg. His passing marks the end of a pioneering era of palaeontological giants in South Africa.Item Fossil hyraxes (Hyracoidea: Mammalia) from the Late Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene of Africa, and the phylogeny of the Procaviidae(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Pickford, MartinA palate with much of the dentition from Aragai, Lukeino Formation (6 Ma) Kenya, is the most complete known specimen of a Late Miocene procaviid hyracoid. It shares several features with Dendrohyrax. The specimen is as large as the western tree hyrax, Dendrohyrax dorsalis, but it is attributed to a new species. D. dorsalis ranges through the tropical forests of Central and Western Africa, from Uganda to Gambia. As such the presence of a similar species at Lukeino provides evidence of the humid forest nature of the palaeoenvironment in the Tugen Hills during the Late Miocene. The fossil hyracoid specimens from the Early Pliocene of Langebaanweg, South Africa, are close in morphology to, but somewhat larger than, the extant bush hyrax, Heterohyrax brucei, but have some derived characters found in Procavia capensis. The cheek teeth are brachyodont, the lower premolar row is complete with a well-developed p/1 and there is a long diastema between the second incisor and the first premolar, all features recalling Heterohyrax. However, the depth of the mandible, the hypsodonty of the lower incisor, and the length of the premolar row relative to the length of the molar row are similar to the condition in Procavia and attest to the onset of molar enlargement relative to the rest of the dentition. In the overall context of the Procaviidae, Procavia is the most derived genus, and the presence of a few Procavia-like features in the Langebaanweg fossils indicate that the species concerned was probably already evident on the Procavia lineage, but the presence of several plesiomorphic characters reveals that it is a primitive member of the lineage. These also reveal that the specimens do not belong to Procavia cf. antiqua into which they were previously tentatively classified by Hendey (1976) as they are somewhat more derived. The detailed systematic status of the large extinct hyracoid Gigantohyrax maguirei, Kitching, 1965, from Pliocene cave fillings at Makapansgat, South Africa, has not previously been satisfactorily demonstrated, even though it is clear that most authors have considered it to be a procaviid closely related to Procavia. Kitching (1965) compared it only to species of Procavia. Re-study of the original sample, as well as additional fossils (three partial skulls, isolated upper premolar, fragment of mandible with a premolar) reveal that Gigantohyrax shares many features with the genus Dendrohyrax, fewer with Heterohyrax and even fewer with Procavia. It is concluded that among the Procaviidae, Gigantohyrax is most closely related to Dendrohyrax. The new discoveries of Late Miocene and Pliocene procaviids inKenya and SouthAfrica, when added to recently described associated upper and lower dental elements of Meroehyrax bateae from the base of the Middle Miocene of Uganda, permit a reappraisal of procaviid phylogeny. It is concluded that procaviids probably descended from Saghatheriidae, and that Pliohyracidae did not give rise to procaviids as previously thought by some authors.Item Biostratigraphy of the lower Burgersdorp Formation (Beaufort Group; Karoo Supergroup) of South Africa – implications for the stratigraphic ranges of early Triassic tetrapods(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Neveling, J.; Hancox, P. J.; Rubidge, B. S.The Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup) of South Africa comprises a thick sequence of fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary rocks that accumulated in a landlocked, intracratonic foreland basin in southwestern Gondwana during the Middle Permian to Middle Triassic. To the south this basin was bounded by the Cape Fold Belt, which acted as the major source of both sediment and discharge. Rocks of the Beaufort Group are renowned for their rich fossil record and eight tetrapod-based biozones are currently recognized. The uppermost two biozones of the Beaufort Group, the Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus assemblage zones, record terrestrial biotic recovery following the Permo-Triassic mass extinction event. Stratigraphic overlap between these biozones occurs in the proximal sector, but their separation by an unconformity in the distal sector reflects the incomplete preservation of the sequence in this part of the basin. Our results afford chronostratographic control that impacts on current theories on the development of the Karoo Basin, and on the relative age of the sequence.Item A juvenile gomphodont cynodont specimen from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of South Africa: implications for the origin of gomphodont postcanine morphology(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Hopson, James A.The partial skull and lower jaws of a small gomphodont cynodont from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of South Africa has a well-preserved postcanine dentition distinctly different from that of contemporaneous adult Diademodon and Trirachodon. On the basis of its small size and great amount of tooth replacement it is interpreted to be a juvenile individual. The postcanines are compared with those of adults and juveniles of Diademodon and traversodontids and is seen to differ from them. Comparison with adults of Trirachodon shows some unique postcanine resemblances, such as well-developed anterior and posterior many-cusped cingula and three transverse cusps joined by a prominent ridge. Thus it is identified as a probable juvenile Trirachodon of uncertain species. Unlike in Trirachodon adults, tall central and internal cusps of the upper postcanines lie close together on the medial side of the crown, separated from the tall external cusp by a deep valley. In these features it shows a striking resemblance to the traversodontid Scalenodon angustifrons, but not to more primitive traversodontids. The lower postcanines superficially resemble those of traversodontids in that two cusps (central and internal) are very tall and the posterior basin is elongated, but, unlike in traversodontids, the external cusp is present, though relatively small. Evidence of tooth replacement occurs in the incisors, canines, and postcanines. At least two replacement waves of gomphodont teeth are indicated, as well as replacement of small, possibly sectorial teeth at the rear of the tooth row. Probable homology of (at least) the external and internal cusps in the three gomphodont families suggests that the common ancestor also possessed transversely-expanded crowns developed from an external sectorial position (homologous with the ancestral blade-like tooth) and a hypertrophied internal cingulum.Item Makapansgat suids and Metridiochoerus(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Cooke, H. B. S.Fossil suid material from Member 3 of the Makapansgat Formation was described as Potamochoeroides shawi but some authors have regarded it as an early stage of the Metridiochoerus andrewsi lineage. There is no complete cranium so a new reconstruction has been based on combining the data from a number of partial specimens. Comparison with Metridiochoerus andrewsi is difficult as there are reasons to suspect that the so-called ‘male’ and ‘female’ crania from Koobi Fora could be specifically distinct. An undescribed cranium from the Omo Shungura Formation is morphologically similar to the ‘male’ and is attributed to Metridiochoerus jacksoni. Comparison with the reconstructed Makapansgat suid indicates that the latter already shows an early stage in the distinctive architecture of the M. jacksoni cranium, as well as some resemblances in dental features. Accordingly it is suggested that the Makapansgat suid be designated as Metridiochoerus shawi. A few teeth from Member B11 of the Shungura Formation, with an age close to 2.95 Ma, are placed provisionally as M. cf. shawi; previously described molars referred to an early Notochoerus scotti are probably from a similar level. While this is suggestive, correlation is not firmly established.Item Late Triassic traversodontids (Synapsida: Cynodontia) in southern Africa(BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2005) Battail, BernardScalenodontoides macrodontes was described in 1957 by Crompton & Ellenberger as a new genus and species of the family Traversodontidae. For many years it was known only by its type specimen, a lower jaw from the Upper Triassic of Lesotho. The specimen was redescribed in more detail by Hopson in 1984, who established the close affinities of Scalenodontoides with Exaeretodon. In 1993, Gow & Hancox described the first skull of Scalenodontoides, discovered, together with fragmentary remains, in South Africa. The skull from South Africa looked very much like a skull from Lesotho, housed in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, and initially attributed, in an unpublished work, to the chiniquodontid Belesodon (Costedoat, 1962). Further preparation of the skull from Lesotho was carried out; the specimen proved not to belong to a chiniquodontid, but to a large traversodontid, described in this paper. A revision of the traversodont remains known from the Late Triassic lower Elliot Formation of Lesotho and South Africa leads to the conclusion that they can all be attributed to the species Scalenodontoides macrodontes. Detailed comparisons between Scalenodontoides and Exaeretodon confirm Scalenodontoides as a valid genus, with only one species, Scalenodontoides macrodontes. A new diagnosis of Scalenodontoides macrodontes, based on an analysis of all available material, is given.