. 24/7 Space News .
EARLY EARTH
Paleontology: Diversification after mass extinction
by Staff Writers
Munich, Germany (SPX) Mar 04, 2019

illustration only

A team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich paleontologist Adriana Lopez-Arbarello has identified three hitherto unknown fossil fish species in the Swiss Alps, which provide new insights into the diversification of the genus Eosemionotus.

Monte San Giorgio in the Swiss canton of Ticino is one of the most important known sources of marine fossils from the Middle Triassic Period (around 240 million years ago).

The new and exquisitely preserved fossil fish specimens, which Dr. Adriana Lopez-Arbarello (a member of the Institute of Paleontology and Geobiology and of the Geobiocenter at LMU) has been studying in collaboration with colleagues based in Switzerland were also discovered in these dolomites and limestones. As the researchers now report in the online journal Palaeontologia Electronica, the specimens represent three previously unknown species of Eosemionotus, a genus of ray-finned fishes.

"The largest episode of mass extinction in the history of the Earth took place about 250 million years ago," as Lopez-Arbarello explains. "Our finds now provide further evidence that after this catastrophic event, the biosphere recovered relatively fast and went through a period of rapid diversification and the emergence of numerous new species during the Middle Triassic."

The first member of the genus Eosemionotus was discovered in the vicinity of Berlin in 1906, and was named E. vogeli. Almost a century later, in 2004, a second species was described from Monte San Giorgio as E. ceresiensis. Detailed anatomical studies of new material from this locality, carried out by Lopez-Arbarello, have now enabled the recognition of three further species that can be assigned to same genus - E. diskosomus, E. sceltrichensis and E. minutus.

All five species are small in size, but they can be clearly distinguished from each other on the basis of the relative proportions of their bodies, the position of the fins, the morphology of the skull, and the disposition of teeth and scales. "These differences indicate that each species was adapted to different ecological niches," Lopez-Arbarello concludes.

These findings provide new insights into the evolution of the genus.

"Our phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that Eosemionotus is the oldest known member of an extinct family within the Order Semionotiformes. Although the Semionotiformes were a species-rich and highly diversified clade during the Mesozoic Era, the order died out in the Cretaceous. Only a few members of its sister group have survived down to the present day, and this ancient lineage is now represented by a single family, the gars," says Lopez-Arbarello.

Research paper


Related Links
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen
Explore The Early Earth at TerraDaily.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


EARLY EARTH
500-million-year old worm 'superhighway' discovered in Canada
Saskatoon, Canada (SPX) Mar 01, 2019
Prehistoric worms populated the sea bed 500 million years ago - evidence that life was active in an environment thought uninhabitable until now, research by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) shows. The sea bed in the deep ocean during the Cambrian period was thought to have been inhospitable to animal life because it lacked enough oxygen to sustain it. But research published in the scientific journal Geology reveals the existence of fossilized worm tunnels dating back to the Cambrian pe ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EARLY EARTH
NASA, Roscosmos reach consensus on Dragon unmanned flight to ISS

First Emirati set to head to space in September: UAE

Company's 10th cargo supply mission featured expanded commercial capabilities for Cygnus spacecraft

Virgin Galactic takes crew of three to altitude of 55 miles

EARLY EARTH
Countdown as SpaceX, NASA prepare to test new astronaut capsule

McDermott awarded EPC Contract for largest hydrogen cryogenic sphere ever built for NASA

SpaceX to launch test for resumption of manned US flights

Global Space Propulsion System Market forecast to exceed $10 billion by 2023

EARLY EARTH
Signs of ancient flowing water on Mars

NASA engineers are investigating Curiosity probe's computer reset

InSight is the Newest Mars weather service

After a Reset, Curiosity Is Operating Normally

EARLY EARTH
China improves Long March-6 rocket for growing commercial launches

Seed of moon's first sprout: Chinese scientists' endeavor

China to send over 50 spacecraft into space via over 30 launches in 2019

China to deepen lunar exploration: space expert

EARLY EARTH
Innovative communications satellite built by Maxar's SSL for PSN performing post-launch maneuvers

Arianespace to orbit the first six satellites of the OneWeb constellation

Partnerships Spur Industry for Flourishing Space Commerce

OneWeb satellite launch could be postponed after Soyuz emergency

EARLY EARTH
Egypt to host Huawei's first MENA cloud platform: Cairo

A quantum magnet with a topological twist

New research opens door to more efficient chemical processes across spectrum of industries

Scientists produce colorless reservoir of platinum metal-like single atoms in liquid

EARLY EARTH
New NASA mission could find more than 1,000 planets

Researchers discover a flipping crab feeding on methane seeps

Astronomers use new technique to find extrasolar planets

Discovery of Planets Around Cool Stars Enabled with Hobby-Eberly Telescope

EARLY EARTH
New Horizons Spacecraft Returns Its Sharpest Views of Ultima Thule

Tiny Neptune Moon Spotted by Hubble May Have Broken from Larger Moon

Ultima Thule is more pancake than snowman, NASA scientists discover

New Horizons' evocative farewell glance at Ultima Thule









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.