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Bringing Dicynodonts Back to Life: Paleobiology and Anatomy of a New Emydopoid Genus from the Upper Permian of Mozambique

dc.contributor.authorCastanhinha, Rui
dc.contributor.authorAraújo, Ricardo
dc.contributor.authorJúnior, Luís C.
dc.contributor.authorAngielczyk, Kenneth D.
dc.contributor.authorMartins, Gabriel G.
dc.contributor.authorMartins, Rui M. S.
dc.contributor.authorChaouiya, Claudine
dc.contributor.authorBeckmann, Felix
dc.contributor.authorWilde, Fabian
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-23T15:22:14Z
dc.date.available2015-10-23T15:22:14Z
dc.date.issued2013-12-04
dc.description.abstractDicynodontia represent the most diverse tetrapod group during the Late Permian. They survived the Permo-Triassic extinction and are central to understanding Permo-Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Although extensively studied, several aspects of dicynodont paleobiology such as, neuroanatomy, inner ear morphology and internal cranial anatomy remain obscure. Here we describe a new dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from northern Mozambique: Niassodon mfumukasi gen. et sp. nov. The holotype ML1620 was collected from the Late Permian K5 formation, Metangula Graben, Niassa Province northern Mozambique, an almost completely unexplored basin and country for vertebrate paleontology. Synchrotron radiation based micro-computed tomography (SRµCT), combined with a phylogenetic analysis, demonstrates a set of characters shared with Emydopoidea. All individual bones were digitally segmented allowing a 3D visualization of each element. In addition, we reconstructed the osseous labyrinth, endocast, cranial nerves and vasculature. The brain is narrow and the cerebellum is broader than the forebrain, resembling the conservative, "reptilian-grade" morphology of other non-mammalian therapsids, but the enlarged paraflocculi occupy the same relative volume as in birds. The orientation of the horizontal semicircular canals indicates a slightly more dorsally tilted head posture than previously assumed in other dicynodonts. In addition, synchrotron data shows a secondary center of ossification in the femur. Thus ML1620 represents, to our knowledge, the oldest fossil evidence of a secondary center of ossification, pushing back the evolutionary origins of this feature. The fact that the specimen represents a new species indicates that the Late Permian tetrapod fauna of east Africa is still incompletely known.pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorshipMozambique (Ministério dos Recursos Minerais), National Geographic Society, TAP airlines and other anonymous patrons, financial support from DESY through the I-20110184 EC project.pt_PT
dc.identifier10.1371/journal.pone.0080974
dc.identifier.citationCastanhinha R, Araújo R, Júnior LC, Angielczyk KD, Martins GG, Martins RMS, et al. (2013) Bringing Dicynodonts Back to Life: Paleobiology and Anatomy of a New Emydopoid Genus from the Upper Permian of Mozambique. PLoS ONE 8(12): e80974. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080974pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0080974
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0080974
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/437
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherPLOSpt_PT
dc.relationCoordinated Access to Lightsources to Promote Standards and Optimization
dc.relation.publisherversionhttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0080974pt_PT
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/pt_PT
dc.subjectAnimalspt_PT
dc.subjectEcosystempt_PT
dc.subjectExtinction, Biologicalpt_PT
dc.subjectHerbivorypt_PT
dc.subjectMozambiquept_PT
dc.subjectPaleontologypt_PT
dc.subjectFossilspt_PT
dc.subjectBiological Evolutionpt_PT
dc.titleBringing Dicynodonts Back to Life: Paleobiology and Anatomy of a New Emydopoid Genus from the Upper Permian of Mozambiquept_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleCoordinated Access to Lightsources to Promote Standards and Optimization
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/312284/EU
oaire.citation.endPage30pt_PT
oaire.citation.issue12pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage1pt_PT
oaire.citation.titlePlos Onept_PT
oaire.citation.volume8pt_PT
oaire.fundingStreamFP7
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100008530
project.funder.nameEuropean Commission
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
relation.isProjectOfPublication43596489-b56f-4018-b681-011deeb26c0f
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery43596489-b56f-4018-b681-011deeb26c0f

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