Search

The paper is focused on hydrogeological analysis Khargone area, Khargone District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The study area typically consists of basalt rock formations dating from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene era of the Deccan Traps. The alluvium is clearly visible along the Kunda River's course. The hydrogeological examination of 70 open dug wells reveals well diameter range between 3 meters and 9 meters, Depth of well within the range of 6-7 m.b.g.l. Static water levels ranged from 1 m. to 17 m.b.g.l. The fluctuation ranges between 2 to 12 m respectively. The ground water level maps of post and pre monsoon periods indicate that in general the ground water movement is towards the kunda River. The suitable sites for ground water development have been suggested in the villages of Nangalda, Ibrampura, Thibgaon Khurd and Dongargaon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balıkkaya formation consists of olistostromal units with a burgundy coloured mudstone, siltstone and pelagic limestone matrix containing various sizes of UpperJurassic-Lower Cretaceous limestone (Bilecik Limestone) blocks and Triassic Karakaya Complex blocks, which crop out in the west, south and southwest of Biga Town in Biga Peninsula (NW Anatolia). The matrix of Balıkkaya formation, of which age and sedimentary environment are controversial, contains Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Abathomphalus mayaroensis (Bolli), Abathomphalus sp., Rosita fornicata (Plummer), Globotruncanidae, early Paleocene (Danian) Morozovella pseudobulloides (Plummer), late Paleocene (Thanetian) Morozovella velascoensis (Bolli), early Eocene Acarinina pentacamarata (Subbotina), middle Eocene Turborotalia frontosa (Subbotina), Turborotalia cerroazulensis (Cole), Orbulinoides beckmanni (Saito), Hantkenina sp. pelagic foraminifera and Radiolariafossils representing the deep marine environment. These paleontological, lithological and sedimentological data obtained from Balıkkaya formation show that Balıkkaya formation developed in a deep marine environment under tectonic control starting from Late Cretaceous and ending in early-middle Eocene. This pelagic unit indicates the presence of a extensional tectonic regime on the Biga Peninsula and the fault activity along the southeastern edge of the Thrace Basin in the Late Cretaceous-Middle Eocene time interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phylogeny of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) using anchored hybrid enrichment data is presented. Using this phylogenomic approach, we analysed 137 kb of sequence data (with < 10% missing) for 82 species in 50 genera of Chrysopidae under Bayesian and maximum likelihood criteria. We recovered a strongly supported tree topologically congruent with recently published phylogenies, especially relationships amongst higher‐level groups. The subfamily Nothochrysinae was recovered as paraphyletic, with one clade sister to the rest of Chrysopidae, and the second clade containing the nominal genus (Nothochrysa Navás) as sister to the subfamily Apochrysinae. Chrysopinae was recovered as a monophyletic with the monobasic Nothancylini tribe n. sister to the rest of the subfamily. Leucochrysini was recovered sister to Belonopterygini, and Chrysopini was rendered paraphyletic with respect to Ankylopterygini. Divergence times and diversification estimates indicate a major shift in rate in ancestral Chrysopini at the end of the Cretaceous, and the extensive radiation of Chrysopinae, the numerically dominant clade of green lacewings, began in the Mid‐Paleogene (c. 45 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new wasp species, Lagenostephanus lii Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih and Ren gen. et sp.n., is assigned to Stephaninae ( Hymenoptera: Stephanidae). The specimen is described from the lowermost Upper Cretaceous Myanmar ( Burmese) amber. This is the second stephanid wasp described from Myanmar amber after Kronostephanus zigrasi Engel & Grimaldi, representing the earliest fossil occurrences of Stephanidae. Based on morphological characters of all extant and extinct genera, a phylogenetic analysis of Stephanidae was conducted. The results indicate that Schlettereriinae and Stephaninae are monophyletic, whereas Electrostephanus Brues, as the only genus within Electrostephaninae, belongs to Stephaninae. Therefore, we propose a synonymy of Electrostephaninae with Stephaninae. Based on the fossil evidence, we infer that the family of Stephanidae was significantly diverse in the Late Cretaceous and that they originated during the Early Cretaceous or late Jurassic. A key to genera of Stephanidae is provided. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species of bethylid wasps is described and figured from a female preserved in Early Cretaceous (Barremian) amber from Lebanon. Holopsenella primotica, new genus and species, is distinguished from other bethylids and segregated into a new subfamily, Holopsenellinae, along with Cretabythus sibiricus Evans in Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Taimyrian amber. Holopsenellines are perhaps basal within the family, representing a stem group to other Bethylidae, and, if so, those features shared with the coeval Lancepyrinae suggest a basal position for that lineage as well. In addition, Lancepyris alavaensis Ortega-Blanco and Engel in Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from northern Spain is considered generically distinct from the type species of the genus, L. opertus Azevedo and Azar in Lebanese amber, and is transferred to the new genus, Zophepyris, resulting in the new combination, Zophepyris alavaensis (Ortega-Blanco and Engel). The genus Archaepyris Evans, currently considered as incertae sedis within the family, is transferred to Lancepyrinae mostly because it shares the same groundplan traits with Lancepyris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species are described within the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae (Formicidae). Chronomyrmex medicinehatensis gen. et sp. nov. McKellar, Glasier & Engel provides a solid example of Dolichoderinae within the Campanian Grassy Lake amber of southern Alberta (Late Cretaceous, 78-79 Ma). The new species fills a void in the dolichoderine fossil record left by Eotapinoma canadensis Dlussky, a putative dolichoderine whose taxonomic placement has been questioned, and whose type material has been lost. As such, C. medicinehatensis provides a constraint for divergence times of the subfamily and Leptomyrmecini, one of its recently resurrected tribes. This discovery greatly extends the proposed divergence time for Dolichoderinae, and likely Leptomyrmecini, to more than 78 Ma - contrary to some of the more recent estimates inferred from molecular phylogenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original hypodigm of the controversial mid-Cretaceous Moroccan dinosaur Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis is redescribed, and the diagnosis of the taxon is revised. Unambiguously referred material is restricted to cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae sharing apomorphies with the holotype. A newly recognized diagnostic character of Sigilmassasaurus is the absence of anterior and posterior interzygapophyseal laminae of the neural arch, so that the neural spine directly meets the dorsal margin of the neural canal. A phylogenetic analysis supports the inclusion of Sigilmassasaurus in Tetanurae but not in Carcharodontosauridae. Sigilmassasaurus is distinct from all other theropods known from comparable material and is thus retained as a valid taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therizinosauria are an unusual group of theropod dinosaurs, found mostly in the Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, China and western USA. The basal forms of this group are represented by incomplete or disarticulated material. Here, we report a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new basal therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Jianchang County, western part of Liaoning Province, which sheds light on our understanding of anatomy of basal therizinosaurs. This new dinosaur shows some typical therizinosaur features, such as neural spines of the anterior caudal vertebrae that possess anterior and posterior alae, a rectangular buttress on the ventrolateral side of the proximal end of metacarpal I, and appressed metatarsal shafts. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that it is a basal therizinosaur (sister taxon to Therizinosauroidea) because it bears many basal therizinosaur characters in the dentition, pelvis and hind limbs. The new therizinosaur described here has unique tooth and jaw characters such as the offsetting of the tooth row by a shelf and dentary teeth with labially concave and lingually convex dentary teeth, similar to ornithopods and ceratopsians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new extinct family of Pentatomoidea, Primipentatomidae fam. nov., with four new genera and five new species (Primipentatoma peregrinagen. et sp. nov.,Primipentatoma fangigen. et sp. nov.,Breviscutum lunatumgen. et sp. nov.,Oropentatoma epicharagen. et sp. nov. andQuadrocoris radiusgen. et sp. nov.), is described from the Upper Mesozoic deposits of north-eastern China. A cladistic analysis based on a combination of fossil and extant morphological characters clarifies the phylogenetic status of the new family and allows reconstruction of the interfamily relationships within the superfamily Pentatomoidea. Major conclusions of the phylogenetic analysis are: (1) the fossils represent a monophyletic group interpreted as the sister group to all Pentatomoidea exclusive of Saileriolidae + Urostylididae; (2) Urostylididaesensu latois a paraphyletic group; (3) monophyly of Acanthosomatidae, Pentatomidae, Thyreocoridae, Dinidoridae, Phloeidae and Scutelleridae are strongly supported by high bootstrap values in the analysis, but the relationships among these families is less resolved; (4) monophyly of the Cydnidae was not supported. The time of origin of Pentatomoidea should be before the Early Cretaceous (125–130 Ma), and may be as early as the Late or Middle Jurassic with a centre of origin in East Asia. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A432B387-E3A1-42D3-8051-867EB5108318 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The altitudes of the lowest part of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene and Plio-Quaternary stratigraphic ensembles known in the Paleo-Volga basin and in the Paleo-Urals have been computed and represented at the same time for comparison. These two surfaces indicate an east–west elongated dome which follows 53°N on the western slope of the Southern Urals. This ridge is superimposed at depth with the remnants of the Sernovodsk-Abdulino Aulacogen and with the Belaya tear fault, which supports the existence of a recent rejuvenation of these deep basement disruptions. The 3D reconstruction shows that the two surfaces display the same type of uplift at around 52.50°N, 56.50°E. The variations in altitude of the two surfaces have been sampled along two sections running at the same longitude. When the two profiles are superimposed, the “post-Cretaceous and Paleogene” curve is higher. This result suggests that the uplift started after the Paleogene and continued until nowadays. Calculation of the local amount of uplift after the Aktschagylian considered the difference between the maximum uplift of the surface and a regional trend corresponding with the almost horizontal surface of the former deposits. In these conditions, the deformation affecting the Aktschagylian-Quaternary ensemble reaches 175 m. Since the measured post Cretaceous–Paleogene uplift incorporates also the Pliocene-Quaternary uplift, before the Pliocene the uplift only reached 23 m in altitude. This result gives an idea of the irregularity of the topography that the Aktschagylian transgression had to face. This result also suggests that the Pliocene-Quaternary amount of uplift was 6 times larger than the former one. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We performed a phylogenetic analysis focused on the hydrophiloid family Helophoridae (Coleoptera: Polyphaga) in order to test the phylogenetic position of selected Mesozoic fossils assigned to the Hydrophiloidea. The analysis is based on 92 characters of larvae and adults, and includes all extant subgenera of Helophorus and representatives of all other extant hydrophiloid families. Based on this analysis, we provide additional evidence for the monophyly of the helophorid lineage containing the families Helophoridae, Georissidae and Epimetopidae, as well as the first hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships within Helophorus, revealing three main clades: Lihelophorus, Rhopalohelophorus and the clade of sculptured small subgenera; the subgenera Helophorus s.str., Gephelophorus, Trichohelophorus and Transithelophorus are recognized as paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Inclusion of fossil species in the analysis reveals the Mesozoic genera Hydrophilopsia Ponomarenko, Laetopsia Fikáček et al. (adult forms) and Cretotaenia Ponomarenko (larval form) as basal extinct clades of the helophorid lineage, the former genus Mesosperchus Ponomarenko as containing probable stem taxa of Helophorus and the former genus Mesohelophorus Ponomarenko as a member of the Helophorus clade containing extant sculptured subgenera. The extant subgenus Thaumhelophorus syn.nov. is synonymized with Rhopalohelophorus. Our results show that the family Helophoridae may be dated back to the late Jurassic ( c. 150 Ma) and the extant clades of Helophorus back to the Early Cretaceous ( c. 136 Ma). The basal groups of Helophorus and the supposed basal extinct lineages of the helophorid lineages are shown to be aquatic as adults. A single origin of trichobothria and ventral hydrophobic pubescence in the common ancestor of the Hydrophiloidea is hypothesized, indicating ancestral aquatic habits in the adult stage for the whole Hydrophiloidea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cretorabus rasnitsyni sp. n., belonging to the extinct subfamily Protorabinae of Carabidae, was described based on a well-preserved specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Yangshuwanzi, Inner Mongolia. The diagnostic characters for Cretorabus are revised, and the key to species of the genus was presented. The fossil record of Protorabinae was summarized. Sinocarabus Hong, 1982 and Obesofemoria Hong, 1982 cannot be attributed to Protorabinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species, Undulopsychopsis alexi gen. et sp. n., is described from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning Province, China. This genus is probably most closely related to the Asian Cretaceous genus Kagapsychops Fujiyama, 1978. The family affinity of Undulopsychopsis gen. n. is discussed. The genus is preliminarily assigned to Psychopsidae, although it shares some character states with Osmylopsychopidae (e.g., crossveins are very scarce; Rs1 and 1A are multi-branched). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the genus Sinosmylites Hong are described from the Middle Jurassic locality at Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, China): S. fumosus sp. n. and S. rasnitsyni sp. n. This is the oldest known occurrence of the family Berothidae. The berothid affinity of this genus is confirmed by examination of the hind wing venation characteristic of the family. The Late Triassic family Mesoberothidae may represent an early group of Berothidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus with a new species of Saldidae, Brevrimatus pulchalifer gen. et sp. n., is described and illustrated. The fossil specimen was found from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Duolun County, Inner Mongolia, China. Phylogenetic analyses within Saldidae were performed, and the results indicate B. pulchalifer gen. et sp. n. should be assigned to the subfamily Chiloxanthinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Songliao Basin is the largest oil-bearing basin in China. In the absence of sufficient evidence, the possibility of seawater incursion(s) into the Songliao Basin remains controversial. Recently, we discovered relatively abundant foraminifera fossils from units 1 and 2 of the Nenjiang Formation of borehole SK-1. Benthic foraminifera (Gavlinella sp., Anomalinoides sp., Pullenia sp., Haplophragmoides sp., Karrorulina hokkaidoana, Clavulinoides sp.), as well as planktonic foraminifera (Archaeoglobigerina blowi, Archaeoglobigerina cretacea and Hedbergella flandrini), were identified. These fossils were widely distributed in the marine Cretaceous. According to the global distribution of the above-mentioned planktonic foraminifera, the age of these fossil bearing strata appears to be Late Coniacian to Santonian. More importantly, these foraminifera provide direct evidence for marine water incursions into the Songliao Basin during deposition of the Lower Nenjiang Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Labenopimplinae, Labenopimpla orapa sp. n. and Rugopimpla botswana sp. n., are described from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) deposits of Orapa in Botswana. These are the first and only known Cretaceous Ichneumonidae from the southern hemisphere. The new species seem to be very similar to their relatives from the Cenomanian of the Russian Far East. This indicates a wide distribution of Ichneumonidae by the early Late Cretaceous at least. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]