Mammals of the Coffee Ranch Local Fauna Hemphilian of Texas

Contents: Abstract -- Introduction -- Acknowledgements -- Historical -- Age and Correlation -- Systematic List of Species -- Accounts of SpeciesThe Coffee Ranch local fauna is the type of the Hemphillian Land Mammal Age. Fossils from the Coffee Ranch quarry have been known since 1930 and have been the basis for numerous publications, but no complete account of the fauna has been given. The present report is based on more than one thousand specimens gathered over twenty-two years, including both microvertebrates and large mammals. Thirty-eight taxa are listed, of which the following are described as new: Scalopus (Hesperoscalops) ruficervus, Eptesicus hemphillensis, Ccmancheomys n. gen., Comancheomys rogersi, Progeomys n. gen., Progeomys sulcatus, Calomys (Bensonomys) coffeyi, Neotoma (Paraneotoma) minutus. The Coffee Ranch local fauna is thought to be of middle Hemphillian age, younger than the Higgins and similarly aged local faunas but older than the Yepomera and Ocote local faunas of Mexico.Texas Memorial Museu

Diurnal Retreats of Bats

The forelimbs of bats are so highly modified for flight that they are of little value for terrestrial locomotion. Deprived of all but limited use of the front feet in terrestrial activity, roosts or resting sites are also limited. All bats are primarily nocturnal and most of them spend the day in elevated, secluded retreats. Elevation is critical, for some bats show limited ability to take flight from flat, horizontal surfaces. Many bats, however, do show marked agility on the ground, and are quite capable of gaining flight from flat, horizontal surfaces. There is little correlation between taxonomy and roosting habits, although utilization of vegetation as roosts appears to be the general rule in the Megachiroptera and rather uncommon in the Microchiroptera

Proneofiber, a new genus of vole (Cricetidae: Rodentia) from the Pleistocene Seymour Formation of Texas, and its evolutionary and stratigraphic significance

A new genus and species of a microtine rodent, Proneofiber guildayi, is named on the basis of rooted teeth with cement from the warm Gilliland local fauna, Seymour Formation of Pleistocene age, Knox County, Texas. Proneofiber guildayi is considered to be ancestral to Neofiber, the round-tailed water rat, now living in the extreme southeastern United States. The presence of Pleistocene faunas prior to the first continental glaciation and the existence of three Pearlette-like volcanic ashes in the Plains Region suggest a revision of the age assignment of Pleistocene deposits from the nonglaciated region.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33838/1/0000096.pd

Fossils from the Seymour Formation of Knox and Baylor Counties, Texas, and Their Bearing on the Late Kansan Climate of that Region

1-66http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48406/2/ID253.pd

A palaeonisciform braincase from the Permian of Texas, with comments on cranial fissures and the posterior myodome. American Museum novitates ; no. 2658

15 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Includes bibliographical references (p. 14-15)."A single, large palaeonisciform braincase from the Lower Permian Lueders Formation, Baylor County, Texas, is described as a new genus and species within the Palaeonisciformes, incertae sedis. This specimen has also occasioned a review of the actinopterygian cranial fissures and the posterior myodome"--P. [1]

Cheek Tooth Morphology and Ancient Mitochondrial DNA of Late Pleistocene Horses from the Western Interior of North America: Implications for the Taxonomy of North American Late Pleistocene Equus

Horses were a dominant component of North American Pleistocene land mammal communities and their remains are well represented in the fossil record. Despite the abundant material available for study, there is still considerable disagreement over the number of species of Equus that inhabited the different regions of the continent and on their taxonomic nomenclature. In this study, we investigated cheek tooth morphology and ancient mtDNA of late Pleistocene Equus specimens from the Western Interior of North America, with the objective of clarifying the species that lived in this region prior to the end-Pleistocene extinction. Based on the morphological and molecular data analyzed, a caballine (Equus ferus) and a non-caballine (E. conversidens) species were identified from different localities across most of the Western Interior. A second non-caballine species (E. cedralensis) was recognized from southern localities based exclusively on the morphological analyses of the cheek teeth. Notably the separation into caballine and non-caballine species was observed in the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of ancient mtDNA as well as in the geometric morphometric analyses of the upper and lower premolars. Teeth morphologically identified as E. conversidens that yielded ancient mtDNA fall within the New World stilt-legged clade recognized in previous studies and this is the name we apply to this group. Geographic variation in morphology in the caballine species is indicated by statistically different occlusal enamel patterns in the specimens from Bluefish Caves, Yukon Territory, relative to the specimens from the other geographic regions. Whether this represents ecomorphological variation and/or a certain degree of geographic and genetic isolation of these Arctic populations requires further study

Carnivore Translocations and Conservation: Insights from Population Models and Field Data for Fishers (Martes pennanti)

Translocations are frequently used to restore extirpated carnivore populations. Understanding the factors that influence translocation success is important because carnivore translocations can be time consuming, expensive, and controversial. Using population viability software, we modeled reintroductions of the fisher, a candidate for endangered or threatened status in the Pacific states of the US. Our model predicts that the most important factor influencing successful re-establishment of a fisher population is the number of adult females reintroduced (provided some males are also released). Data from 38 translocations of fishers in North America, including 30 reintroductions, 5 augmentations and 3 introductions, show that the number of females released was, indeed, a good predictor of success but that the number of males released, geographic region and proximity of the source population to the release site were also important predictors. The contradiction between model and data regarding males may relate to the assumption in the model that all males are equally good breeders. We hypothesize that many males may need to be released to insure a sufficient number of good breeders are included, probably large males. Seventy-seven percent of reintroductions with known outcomes (success or failure) succeeded; all 5 augmentations succeeded; but none of the 3 introductions succeeded. Reintroductions were instrumental in reestablishing fisher populations within their historical range and expanding the range from its most-contracted state (43% of the historical range) to its current state (68% of the historical range). To increase the likelihood of translocation success, we recommend that managers: 1) release as many fishers as possible, 2) release more females than males (55–60% females) when possible, 3) release as many adults as possible, especially large males, 4) release fishers from a nearby source population, 5) conduct a formal feasibility assessment, and 6) develop a comprehensive implementation plan that includes an active monitoring program