Artykuły Instytutu Paleobiologii PAN

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    An Upper Triassic terrestrial vertebrate assemblage from the forgotten Kocury locality (Poland) with a new aetosaur taxon
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2021-04) Czepiński, Łukasz; Dróżdż, Dawid; Szczygielski, Tomasz; Tałanda, Mateusz; Pawlak, Wojciech; Lewczuk, Antoni; Rytel, Adam; Sulej, Tomasz; Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre; Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences; Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw
    Since 1990, several localities within the Keuper (upper Middle to Upper Triassic) strata in southern Poland have yielded remains of numerous terrestrial vertebrate species. Here we report a new Upper Triassic vertebrate assemblage from the rediscovered Kocury locality. An incomplete theropod dinosaur fibula named Velocipes guerichi described in 1932 was found there. The site was then forgotten and not explored until our excavations initiated in 2012, that yielded material of a lungfish, a proterochersid turtle, and a new typothoracin aetosaur Kocurypelta silvestris gen. et sp. nov. The new taxon is characterized by autapomorphies of the maxilla: an elongated edentulous posterior portion longer than 80% of the posterior maxillary process, a short medial shelf restricted to the posterior portion of the bone, an anteriorly unroofed maxillary accessory cavity, and lack of a distinct groove for choanal recess on the anteromedial surface of the bone. These new finds improve our knowledge on the vertebrate diversity of the Germanic Basin in the Late Triassic, evidencing the presence of yet unrecognized taxa. Additionally, the partial cranial aetosaur material emphasizes the issues with the aetosaurian taxonomy that is focused mostly on the osteoderm morphology.
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    A new Middle Triassic vertebrate assemblage from Miedary (southern Poland)
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2023-10-27) Czepiński, Łukasz; Pawlak, Wojciech; Rytel, Adam; Tałanda, Mateusz; Szczygielski, Tomasz; Sulej, Tomasz; Instytut Paleobiologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk; Instytut Biologii Ewolucyjnej Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
    The Middle Triassic remains a poorly understood time in the evolution of land vertebrates. Here, we report a new Ladinian-age vertebrate assemblage from Miedary (southern Poland). It consists of more than 20 taxa including fish (four species of Hybodontiformes, cf. Gyrolepis, Redfieldiiformes, ‘Thelodus’, Saurichthys, Serrolepis, Prohalecites, Ptychoceratodus), amphibians (Mastodonsaurus, Gerrothorax, Plagiosternum, chroniosuchian Bystrowiella), and reptiles (Owenettidae, Blezingeria, Nothosaurus, Tanystropheus, an additional, yet unidentified tanystropheid, the doswelliid Jaxtasuchus, and another archosauromorph, as well as eight archosauriform tooth morphotypes). Preliminary comparisons suggest biogeographic and environmental similarities with roughly contemporaneous localities known from the southwestern part of the Germanic Basin. Among differences in these two areas are the presence of a new armored archosauromorph and a surprising abundance of Tanystropheus remains in the new Polish site. Miedary is currently the richest source of three-dimensionally preserved Tanystropheus material in the world, which will be crucial for a better understanding of the preferred environment and lifestyle of this highly specialized reptile.