Extinct Species

We report the first prehistoric bird bones from the isolated limestone island of Niue, South Pacific. Discovered in a cave known as Anakuli, the bones are Holocene in age but lack cultural association. They represent three extinct species: a night-heron ( Nycticorax kalavikai), a new species known thus far only from Niue but closely related to an extinct undescribed species from Tonga; the "Niuafo'ou" Megapode (Megapodius pritchardii ), known historically only from Niuafo'ou (Tonga) but recorded from prehistoric sites elsewhere in Tonga; and Gallirallus huiatua, a new species of flightless rail presumably endemic to Niue and distinct from extinct, flightless congeneric species from island groups immediately east (Cook Islands) and west (Tonga) of Niue. The first two species are in accord with the overall biogeographic affinity of the extant avifauna of Niue, which is West Polynesian rather than East Polynesian.

The current status of fishes found in Lake Bafa in the Aegean region of Turkey is described. The conspicuous augmentation of salinity in the last decade has resulted in the extinction of stenohaline freshwater species (Acanthobrama mirabilis, Chondrostoma nasus, Barbus pectoralis, Proterorhinus marmoratus and Silurus glanis) and has promoted the establishment of euryhaline fishes. Two species of marine origin, Gobius niger and Syngnathus abaster, are new additions to the ichthyofauna of Lake Bafa. Kurzfassung: Es wird der Status der Fischfauna im Bafasee in der türkischen Ägäis beschrieben. Die deutliche Zunahme der Salinität des Sees in den letzten zehn Jahren führte zum Verschwinden stenohaliner Arten wie Acanthobrama mirabilis, Chondrostoma nasus, Barbus pectoralis, Proterorhinus marmoratus und Silurus glanis, und führte gleichzeitig zur Ansiedlung euryhaliner Arten. Zwei ursprünglich marine Arten, Gobius niger und Syngnathus abaster, haben den Bafasee neu besiedelt.

We show the methodology used to perform the artistic palaeoreconstruction of the teleoceratine rhinoceros Prosantorhinus, which is found in the middle Miocene fossil site of Somosaguas-Norte (Pozuelo de Alarcón, middle Aragonian). Successive phases within this work involved (1) the interpretation of the fossils in comparative anatomy terms; (2) the use of modern analogues, considering the systematic relationships among the extinct species and their extant relatives, which allows us to infer the condition of unpreserved attributes such as soft tissues; and (3) addition of palaeoecological information in order to establish the palaeoenvironmental framework of the species. Our fi nished work shows a plausible reconstruction of the inferred life appearance of Prosantorhinus.

Zusammenfassung: Im Jahre 2002 wurde mit einer Rasterkartierung der Adven tivpflanzen in der Stadt Salzburg begonnen. Als erstes Ergebnis werden Verbreitungskarten von Cotoneaster divaricatus, Geranium purpureum, Iberis umbellata und Impatiens glandulifera vorgestellt. Bisher konnten rund 500 Adventivtaxa im Stadtgebiet von Salzburg nachgewiesen werden, wobei sich besonders Stadtteile mit Bahnhöfen, Kleingartenanlagen und großflä chigen Ruderalstandorten als besonders artenreich erwiesen haben. Hier konnten in den einzelnen Rasterquadranten (ca. 750m x 690m Größe) über 100 Taxa nachgewiesen werden. Das Projekt bezweckt eine möglichst vollständige Erfassung der adventiven Pflanzensippen, deren momenta ner Verbreitung und Abschätzung von Einbürgerungstendenzen. Die Er gebnisse bilden eine Grundlage für weiterführende Analysen zu natur schutzfachlichen und vegetationskundlichen Fragestellungen. Summary: In 2002 a gridmapping of alien plant species in the urban area of Salzburg was begun. As a first result distribution maps of Cotoneaster divaricatus, Geranium pur pureum, Iberis umbellata and Impatiens glandulifera are presented. Until now ca. 500 taxa

Highlights d Pleistocene Siberian wolves represent multiple extinct evolutionary lineages d Pleistocene wolves share ancestry with arctic dogs and some East Asian wolves d A Paleolithic dog specimen is genetically similar to other Pleistocene wolves Authors Jazmı

In der Stadt Basel (Schweiz) wurden die Abundanzen und die Verbreitung von 23 Neophyten erfasst. Die kartierten Arten sind: Ailanthus altissima, Buddleja davidii, Bunias orientalis, Conyza canadensis, Corydalis lutea, Cymbalaria muralis, Erigeron annuus s.L, Geranium pyrenaicum, Geranium robertianum ssp. purpureum, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Impatiens glandulifera, I. parviflora, Mahonia aquifolium, Matricaria discoidea, Prunus laurocerasus, Reynoutria japonica, Rhus typhina, Robinia pseudoacacia, Solidago canadensis, S. gigantea, Syringa vulgaris, Veronica filiformis und V. persica. In 61 Quadraten à 500 x 500 m wurden die fünf größten subspontanen und spontanen Bestände der 23 Arten erfasst. Zusätzlich wurden an den Fundorten die Art des Wuchsortes und das Substrat im botanischen Sinn bestimmt. Sehr zahlreich vorkommende Arten mit weiter Verbreitung sind in Basel Conyza canadensis, Erigeron annuus s.l., Mahonia aquifolium und Solidago canadensis, während Bunias orientalis, Heracleu...

By only using electric-dipole forbidden emission lines, in what we label forbidden-line spectroscopy, we identified several energy levels in cadmium-like tungsten, W 26+ . The spectrum was recorded at the Shanghai permanentmagnet electron beam ion trap in the visible region. The identifications were supported by large-scale multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations which involved careful investigations of core-valence and core-core correlation effects, and by relativistic many-body perturbation theory calculations. With this novel method we identified in all seven lines and measured their wavelengths. From this we can determine the relative position of seven energy levels. Due to the close degeneracy of two levels, we give alternative energies for three of the levels.

Steller’s sea cow, an extinct sirenian and one of the largest Quaternary mammals, was described by Georg Steller in 1741 and eradicated by humans within 27 years. Here, we complement Steller’s descriptions with paleogenomic data from 12 individuals. We identified convergent evolution between Steller’s sea cow and cetaceans but not extant sirenians, suggesting a role of several genes in adaptation to cold aquatic (or marine) environments. Among these are inactivations of lipoxygenase genes, which in humans and mouse models cause ichthyosis, a skin disease characterized by a thick, hyperkeratotic epidermis that recapitulates Steller’s sea cows’ reportedly bark-like skin. We also found that Steller’s sea cows’ abundance was continuously declining for tens of thousands of years before their description, implying that environmental changes also contributed to their extinction.

It is a fish sampling site at River Mahananda near Siliguri with geographical position 26°43'N and 88°25'E. Station 2 : Fish fauna of river Balason were sampled near Matigarah village with geographical position 26°41'N and 88°24'E. Station 3 : Mechi river originates from the hills of the border of Nepal. Our sampling was done from this river near Naxalbari (26°44'N and 88°25'E). Station 4 : Fish sampling from river Teesta was done near Teesta Bazar of Kalimpong (27°54'N and 88°25'E). Station 5 : Fulbari Barrage on river Mahananda was chosen as fish sampling site (26°38'N and 88°24'E). It is situated at the border between Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district where water of River Teesta is channelized to river Mahananda as a part of the Teesta River Valley Project. The D:ZSI\(Rec-'09)-109 Fol\Rec-109(1)-49\(M-2)\16 CD

A new species of extinct conifer plants, Emporia royalii sp. nov. Hernandez-Castillo, Stockey, Mapes et Rothwell (Emporiaceae: Voltziales), is described from the rich fossil biota of the Late Pennsylvanian, Hamilton Quarry, Kansas. This conifer has lateral plagiotropic branches with simple and forked leaves, ''age-dependent heterophylly,'' simple pollen cones, and compound ovulate cones. Stems have an endarch eustele, dense wood, and secretory cells arranged in nests or plates in the pith. Leaves are amphistomatic with two adaxial stomatal bands and two longitudinal abaxial rows of stomata with numerous trichome bases. Pollen cones are simple and have helically arranged microsporophylls with adaxial pollen sacs. Prepollen is monolete and monosaccate (Potonieisporites Bharadwaj). Ovulate cones are compound with bilaterally symmetrical axillary dwarf shoots that bear up to 45 sterile scales and 1-2 sporophylls and occur in the axils of helically arranged bracts with forked tips. Ovules are inverted and winged and resemble those of Emporia lockardii and Emporia cryptica. Emporia royalii is compared to other Euramerican walchian Voltziales, and a summary of the Emporiaceae and evolution of Paleozoic conifers is given. This is the fifth species of extinct conifer plants to be reconstructed from the Hamilton Quarry, making it the only Paleozoic locality in the world with numerous conifers all of which have been characterized as complete or nearly complete plants.

A new plant concept for the extinct conifer species Emporia lockardii (Mapes & Rothwell) Mapes & Rothwell (Emporiaceae) is developed from fossils collected at the Late Pennsylvanian Hamilton Quarry, Kansas. Emporia lockardii has lateral plagiotropic branches with simple and forked leaves, simple pollen cones, and compound ovulate cones. Stems have an endarch eustele with dense wood surrounding a septate pith. Leaves display position-dependent heterophylly with forked leaves on penultimate shoots and simple leaves on ultimate shoots. All leaves are amphistomatic with two stomatal bands and papillate epidermal cells on the adaxial surface and two basal stomatal bands and numerous trichome bases on the abaxial surface. Pollen cones are simple and have helically arranged microsporophylls and adaxial pollen sacs. Prepollen is monolete and monosaccate, and it conforms to the sporae dispersae genus Potonieisporites Bharadwaj. Ovulate cones are compound with helically arranged, forked bracts that subtend bilaterally symmetrical, axillary dwarf shoots with one to three narrow megasporophylls interspersed among numerous sterile scales. Ovules are terminal, inverted, and bilaterally symmetrical. This new reconstruction together with additional conifer reconstructions from the Hamilton Quarry locality indicate that the genus Emporia has a particularly high species diversity for walchian conifers. These findings support previous hypotheses that propose drier habitats as sites for the first appearances of plants that become dominant during the late Permian and Mesozoic.

Historically, the giant panda was widely distributed from northern China to southwestern Asia . As a result of range contraction and fragmentation, extant individuals are currently restricted to fragmented mountain ranges on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, where they are distributed among three major population clusters . However, little is known about the genetic consequences of this dramatic range contraction. For example, were regions where giant pandas previously existed occupied by ancestors of present-day populations, or were these regions occupied by genetically distinct populations which are now extinct? If so, is there any contribution of these extinct populations to the genomes of giant pandas living today? To investigate these questions, we sequenced the nuclear genome of a ~5,000 year old giant panda from Jiangdongshan, Tengchong County in Yunnan Province, China. We find that this individual represents a genetically distinct population that diverged prior to the diversification of modern giant panda populations. We find evidence of differential admixture with this ancient population among modern individuals originating from different populations as well as within the same population. We also find evidence for directional gene flow, which transferred alleles from the ancient population into the modern giant panda lineages. A variable proportion of the genomes of extant individuals is therefore likely derived from the ancient population represented by our sequenced individual. Although extant giant panda populations retain reasonable genetic diversity, our results suggest that this represents only part of the genetic diversity this species harbored prior to its recent range contractions. Ancient giant panda genome. We extracted DNA from 300 mg of bone powder sampled from a subfossil femur bone of a giant panda from Jiangdongshan, Tengchong County in Yunnan Province, south-western China, far south of the current distribution of giant pandas (Fig. ). Remains of this individual have previously been radio-carbon dated at 5,025 ± 35 years before present [1], representing the last known record of the species from this region. Parts of the mitochondrial DNA sequence of this specimen have been obtained previously and its haplotype shown to nest within the phylogenetic diversity of modern giant panda mitochondrial DNA, as sister to a clade comprised of three haplotypes sampled from Mountains in Shaanxi Province . This may reflect either the ancient giant panda as a direct ancestor of this modern population, incomplete lineage sorting, or maternal gene flow among more diverged populations, none of which can be excluded based on mitochondrial evidence alone. We converted twelve DNA extracts to Illumina sequencing libraries. A total of 1.75 billion reads were generated from these, of which 55 million could be mapped with high confidence to the giant panda nuclear reference genome assembly , providing approximately 1.2x coverage of the genome of the ancient giant panda (Table ). Analysis of this data indicated advanced DNA fragmentation and high levels of cytosine deamination at the terminal DNA fragment ends (Figure ), consistent with the age of the sample. Contamination analysis provided no evidence of substantial contamination of the ancient sample by potentially contaminating mammalian DNA (Table ). Relationship to modern giant panda genomes. Previous studies have shown that modern giant pandas are distributed among three major geographic population clusters (Fig. ). These comprise: a northeastern Qinling Mountains population (QIN); a western Minshan Mountains population (MIN); and a third southwestern population encompassing the Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling, and Liangshan Mountains (QXL). Previous studies suggest that the modern MIN and QXL populations diverged around 2,800 years ago from a common ancestral population, which diverged from the population ancestral to QIN around 0.3 million years ago . To gain insight into the relationship of the ancient giant panda to these populations, we carried out a principal components analysis (PCA). This analysis recovered the expected three modern population clusters. Within the QXL population, two individuals from Liangshan Mountains appear to be diverged considerably from other QXL individuals, which has been found by previous studies [3], and may reflect substructure within the QXL population. Regarding the ancient individual, the PCA showed that it does not cluster together with any specific extant population (Fig. ), in contrast to the relationships suggested by mitochondrial DNA (Figure ). Phylogenetic analysis further suggests that the ancient individual represents a population which diverged prior to the diversification of modern populations (Fig. ), which is also supported by tree topology tests, which show that any pair of modern giant pandas always share a greater excess of derived alleles with each other than either of the two does

Although all extant apes are threatened with extinction, there is no evidence for human-caused extinctions of apes or other primates in postglacial continental ecosystems, despite intensive anthropogenic pressures associated with biodiversity loss for millennia in many regions. Here, we report a new, globally extinct genus and species of gibbon, , described from a partial cranium and mandible from a ~2200- to 2300-year-old tomb from Shaanxi, China. can be differentiated from extant hylobatid genera and the extinct Quaternary gibbon by using univariate and multivariate analyses of craniodental morphometric data. Primates are poorly represented in the Chinese Quaternary fossil record, but historical accounts suggest that China may have contained an endemic ape radiation that has only recently disappeared.

Aim We investigated the hypothesis that body size evolution of mammals is strongly influenced by ecological interactions, resulting in evolutionary divergence in body size in species-rich (e.g. mainland) biotas, and convergence on the size of intermediate but absent species in species-poor (e.g. insular) biotas. Location Mediterranean palaeo-islands. Methods We assembled data on temporal variation in body size of palaeoinsular mammals and associated variation in ecological characteristics (colonization or extirpation of mammalian competitors and predators) for 19 species of fossil, non-volant mammals across four large (> 3640 km 2 ) islands ranging between the late Miocene and Holocene. These are the only fossil species for which fine-detailed time series are available at present. Our results are consistent with predictions based on an ecological interactions hypothesis of body size evolution. Following colonization (or first appearance in the insular fossil record) small mammals (such as mice, shrews and pikas) tended to increase in body size. These trends, however, ceased or were reversed following colonization of the focal islands by mammalian predators or competitors. Main conclusions While body size evolution is likely to be influenced by a variety of characteristics of the focal islands (e.g. climate, area, isolation and habitat diversity) and species (e.g. diet, resource requirements and dispersal abilities), temporal trends for palaeo-insular mammals indicated that the observed trends for any particular species, island and climatic regime may be strongly influenced by interactions among species. Ultimately, invasion of a competitor often leads to the extinction of the native, insular species.

, I found new localities of Anastrophyllum donnianum and A. saxicola in the Slovakian Tatras (Western Carpathians) . These liverwort species had not been reported from Slovakia since 1888, and were classified as extinct. Both are found in this part of Europe in isolated localities in mountains, at the southern limit of their European distribution. Anastrophyllum donnianum is rare in Europe.

We provide the first documentation of Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) breeding in the Dutch Caribbean and new island records for the Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis) and Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Keywords breeding bird, Charadrius vociferus, Dutch Caribbean, Netherlands Antilles, Progne dominicensis, Vanellus chilensis Resumen Nidificación de Vanellus chilensis en las Antillas Holandesas e importantes nuevos registros para el Caribe de Progne dominicensis y Charadrius vociferus-Brindamos la primera documentación de Vanellus chilensis nidificando en las Antillas Holandesas y nuevos registros en las islas de Progne dominicensis y Charadrius vociferus. Palabras clave Antillas Holandesas, Charadrius vociferus, individuos reproductores, Progne dominicensis, Vanellus chilensis Résumé Nidification du Vanneau téro (Vanellus chilensis) dans les Antilles néerlandaises et nouvelles mentions pour l'Hirondelle à ventre blanc (Progne dominicensis) et le Pluvier kildir (Charadrius vociferus)-Nous documentons la première mention de nidification du Vanneau téro (Vanellus chilensis) dans les Antilles néerlandaises, ainsi que de nouvelles mentions pour l'Hirondelle à ventre blanc (Progne dominicensis) et le Pluvier kildir (Charadrius vociferus).

Dire wolves are considered one of the most common and widespread large carnivores in Pleistocene America, yet relatively little is known about their evolution or extinction. To reconstruct the evolutionary history of dire wolves, we sequenced five genomes from sub-fossil bones dating from 13,000 to over 50,000 years ago. Our results indicate that though they were similar morphologically to the extant gray wolf, dire wolves were a highly divergent lineage that split from living canids ~5.7 million years ago. In contrast to numerous examples of hybridization across Canidae, there is no evidence for gene flow between dire wolves and either North American gray wolves or coyotes. This suggests that dire wolves evolved in isolation from the Pleistocene ancestors of these species. Our results also support an early New World origin of dire wolves, while the ancestors of gray wolves, coyotes, and dholes evolved in Eurasia and only colonized North America relatively recently.

Highlights d Pleistocene Siberian wolves represent multiple extinct evolutionary lineages d Pleistocene wolves share ancestry with arctic dogs and some East Asian wolves d A Paleolithic dog specimen is genetically similar to other Pleistocene wolves Authors Jazmı

The islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul each appear to have been inhabited by endemic populations of ducks that were exterminated by humans or human-introduced mammals in the past two hundred years. The duck from St. Paul is known only from a historical account in 1793. Abundant bone remains of a duck from Amsterdam Island are described as a new species, Anas marecula. This was a small, teal-sized species with very reduced wings and pectoral girdle, so that it was certainly flightless. The short, pointed bill suggests a possible derivation of the species from an ancestor related to the widgeons formerly segregated in the genus Mareca.

A persistent controversy surrounds the flightless island hen of Tristan da Cunha, Gallinula nesiotis. Some believe that it became extinct by the end of the 19th century. Others suppose that it still inhabits Tristan. There is no consensus about Gallinula comeri, the name introduced for the flightless moorhen from the nearby island of Gough. On the basis of DNA sequencing of both recently collected and historical material, we conclude that G. nesiotis and G. comeri are different taxa, that G. nesiotis indeed became extinct, and that G. comeri now inhabits both islands. This study confirms that among gallinules seemingly radical adaptations (such as the loss of flight) can readily evolve in parallel on different islands, while conspicuous changes in other morphological characters fail to occur.