On the Lystrosaurus zone and its fauna with special reference to some immature Lystrosauridae

Main articleIn the past, collecting from the middle Beaufort Beds or Lystrosaurus zone has been badly neglected by field workers mainly due to the monotonous occurrence of the genus Lystrosaurus. Collecting has mostly been undertaken in such areas as the Harrismith Commonage, Oliviershoek Pass, Bergville or where there was a good possibility of finding either Thrinaxodon, Glochinodontoides or other faunal remains more exciting than Lystrosaurus.Non

Notes on some fossil pockets and bone beds in the Cynognathus- zone in the Burghersdorp and Lady Frere districts

Main articleMost palaeontological field workers are familiar with the blue to green shales and maroon to red mudstones, as well as the fine-grained greenish-blue sandstones, of the Cynognathus-zone, all these colours contributing to its general patchy appearance. Heights within the zone can unfortunately not be determined reliably with the assistance of particular colour sequences, but a conspicuous and persistent sandstone horizon marks the middle level of the zone. Our knowledge of the manner in which fossils occur both above and below this horizon is not satisfactory.Non

The stratigraphic distribution and occurrence of South African fossil Amphibia in the Beaufort beds

Main articleA short account is given of the distribution and occurrence of fossil amphibians from the Beaufort succession, based on analyses of specimens in various South African and overseas institutions. Their occurrence is based on the re-examination of all the localities which have yielded amphibian remains to date and on field observations during the course of collecting. Attention is drawn to the paucity of fossil amphibians throughout the Beaufort palaeontological record. Possible causes of this paucity are discussed.Non

Preliminary report on a clutch of six dinosaurian eggs from the upper Triassic Elliot Formation, Northern Orange Free State

Main articleA clutch of six dinosaurian eggs, containing foetal skeletons of as yet uncertain taxonomic affinity, from the Elliot Formation (Red Bed Stage), northern Orange Free State, seems to be the first record of fossil eggs of Upper Triassic age. As preserved the eggs have a long axis of 65 mm, with a short axis of approximately 55 mm. The egg “shell” is exceptionally thin; fragments removed from one of the specimens have an estimated thickness of 0,5 mm. Additional preparation work is at present being undertaken on a reasonably well-preserved skull in one of the eggs and a more detailed description of the specimen and possible parentage will appear at a later date.Non

On some fossil Arthropoda from the Limeworks , Makapansgat, Potgietersrus

Main articleThe fossil arthropod remains from the Limeworks deposit consist of puparial and dung ball casts from the Lower Phase I (Member 3) through to the Upper Phase I (Member 4) breccias. The puparial stages are represented in two gross sizes; cuticular remains and segmentation are evident in a few. Possible palaeoenvironmental implications based on the puparial remains and their state of preservation are briefly discussed. A remarkably well preserved fossilised juvenile centipede from the Lower Phase I (Member 3) breccia is placed on record for the first time.Non

A new giant hyracoid from the Limeworks Quarry, Makapansgat, Potgietersrus

Main articleIn this paper a new genus and species of giant hyrax from the Limeworks Quarry, Makapansgat, Potgietersrus, is described. This new hyrax is 1 1/2 times larger than the largest specimen thus far extracted from any Pleistocene deposit in Africa. The name Cigantohyrax maguirei gen. et sp. nov., is proposed.Non

A fossil Orycteropus from the Limeworks quarry, Makapansgat, Potgietersrus

Main articleThe family Orycteropodidae (Grey 1821) comprises the antbears of the Old World and is known from fossil evidence to have existed in Europe, Asia and Madagascar, but the living species, confined to one single genus, now occur only on the continent of Africa..Non

Theory of dark resonances for alkali vapors in a buffer-gas cell

We develop an analytical theory of dark resonances that accounts for the full atomic-level structure, as well as all field-induced effects such as coherence preparation, optical pumping, ac Stark shifts, and power broadening. The analysis uses a model based on relaxation constants that assumes the total collisional depolarization of the excited state. A good qualitative agreement with experiments for Cs in Ne is obtained.Comment: 16 pages; 7 figures; revtex4. Accepted for publication in PR

Dinosaur tracks in Triassic Molteno sediments: the earliest evidence of dinosaurs in South Africa?

A fossil tracksite containing well-preserved tridactyl footprints of bipedal theropod dinosaurs is reported from fluvial overbank deposits of Molteno age (Stormberg Group: Triassic) in the northeastern Cape Province, South Africa. They occur stratigraphically below the mudrocks of the Elliot Formation, in which dinosaur remains are comparatively common, and are taken to represent the earliest evidence for dinosaurs in South Africa. They also represent the earliest unequivocal evidence of tetrapods in Molteno deposits.Foundation for Research Development; Trustees of the Port Elizabeth Museu