A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA
We present a previously discovered but undescribed late Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas. The site from the ancient Gulf Coast is dominated by semi-aquatic forms and preserves a diverse aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna. Fis...
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PeerJ Inc.
2021-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/12242.pdf |
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| author | Celina A. Suarez Joseph Frederickson Richard L. Cifelli Jeffrey G. Pittman Randall L. Nydam ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster Kirsty Morgan |
| author_facet | Celina A. Suarez Joseph Frederickson Richard L. Cifelli Jeffrey G. Pittman Randall L. Nydam ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster Kirsty Morgan |
| author_sort | Celina A. Suarez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a previously discovered but undescribed late Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas. The site from the ancient Gulf Coast is dominated by semi-aquatic forms and preserves a diverse aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna. Fishes include fresh- to brackish-water chondrichthyans and a variety of actinopterygians, including semionotids, an amiid, and a new pycnodontiform, Anomoeodus caddoi sp. nov. Semi-aquatic taxa include lissamphibians, the solemydid turtle Naomichelys, a trionychid turtle, and coelognathosuchian crocodyliforms. Among terrestrial forms are several members of Dinosauria and one or more squamates, one of which, Sciroseps pawhuskai gen. et sp. nov., is described herein. Among Dinosauria, both large and small theropods (Acrocanthosaurus, Deinonychus, and Richardoestesia) and titanosauriform sauropods are represented; herein we also report the first occurrence of a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Trinity Group. The fauna of the Holly Creek Formation is similar to other, widely scattered late Early Cretaceous assemblages across North America and suggests the presence of a low-diversity, broadly distributed continental ecosystem of the Early Cretaceous following the Late Jurassic faunal turnover. This low-diversity ecosystem contrasts sharply with the highly diverse ecosystem which emerged by the Cenomanian. The contrast underpins the importance of vicariance as an evolutionary driver brought on by Sevier tectonics and climatic changes, such as rising sea level and formation of the Western Interior Seaway, impacting the early Late Cretaceous ecosystem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:27:19Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:27:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-8cc4346abe884ffdacf8d9c8f616b36d2023-12-03T06:52:12ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592021-10-019e1224210.7717/peerj.12242A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USACelina A. Suarez0Joseph Frederickson1Richard L. Cifelli2Jeffrey G. Pittman3Randall L. Nydam4ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster5Kirsty Morgan6Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USAWeis Earth Science Museum, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus, Menasha, WI, USADepartment of Vertebrate Paleontology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USAOuachita Mountains Biological Station, Mena, Arkansas, USAArizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, USADinosaur National Monument, Jensen, UT, USADepartment of Geosciences, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USAWe present a previously discovered but undescribed late Early Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group in Arkansas. The site from the ancient Gulf Coast is dominated by semi-aquatic forms and preserves a diverse aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial fauna. Fishes include fresh- to brackish-water chondrichthyans and a variety of actinopterygians, including semionotids, an amiid, and a new pycnodontiform, Anomoeodus caddoi sp. nov. Semi-aquatic taxa include lissamphibians, the solemydid turtle Naomichelys, a trionychid turtle, and coelognathosuchian crocodyliforms. Among terrestrial forms are several members of Dinosauria and one or more squamates, one of which, Sciroseps pawhuskai gen. et sp. nov., is described herein. Among Dinosauria, both large and small theropods (Acrocanthosaurus, Deinonychus, and Richardoestesia) and titanosauriform sauropods are represented; herein we also report the first occurrence of a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Trinity Group. The fauna of the Holly Creek Formation is similar to other, widely scattered late Early Cretaceous assemblages across North America and suggests the presence of a low-diversity, broadly distributed continental ecosystem of the Early Cretaceous following the Late Jurassic faunal turnover. This low-diversity ecosystem contrasts sharply with the highly diverse ecosystem which emerged by the Cenomanian. The contrast underpins the importance of vicariance as an evolutionary driver brought on by Sevier tectonics and climatic changes, such as rising sea level and formation of the Western Interior Seaway, impacting the early Late Cretaceous ecosystem.https://peerj.com/articles/12242.pdfTrinity GroupEarly CretaceousDinsaurCrocodileLissamphibianPycnodont fish |
| spellingShingle | Celina A. Suarez Joseph Frederickson Richard L. Cifelli Jeffrey G. Pittman Randall L. Nydam ReBecca K. Hunt-Foster Kirsty Morgan A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA PeerJ Trinity Group Early Cretaceous Dinsaur Crocodile Lissamphibian Pycnodont fish |
| title | A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA |
| title_full | A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA |
| title_fullStr | A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA |
| title_short | A new vertebrate fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Holly Creek Formation of the Trinity Group, southwest Arkansas, USA |
| title_sort | new vertebrate fauna from the lower cretaceous holly creek formation of the trinity group southwest arkansas usa |
| topic | Trinity Group Early Cretaceous Dinsaur Crocodile Lissamphibian Pycnodont fish |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/12242.pdf |
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