Eurygnathohippus feibeli (Perissodactyla: Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of As Sahabi (Libya) and its Evolutionary and Biogeographic Significance

ABSTRACT -The discovery of a new hipparionine metacarpal III in 2010 has led to the recognition of the occurrence of the Eas

SAHABI EURYGNATHOHIPPUS FEIBELI: ITS SYSTEMATIC, STRATIGRAPHIC, CHRONOLOGIC AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC CONTEXTS

Sahabi, Libya is an important latest Miocene locality having yielded an extensive paleobotanical and vertebrate fauna. Amongst the fossil mammals there occurs an extensive, species diverse record of hipparionine horses. We develop here a complete record of Sahabi Eurygnathohippus feibeli now based on dental and postcranial material, in comparison to other equids from late Miocene equids from Europe, West Asia and Africa. We find that E. feibeli is the earliest recognized species of the predominantly African clade Eurygnathohippus, that its biogeographic range was Kenya, Ethiopia, Libya and Morocco, it ranged between 7.0 and 5.7 Ma and that it had deep-time evolutionary roots extending back to first occurring Old World hipparions. We further find that Eurygnathohippus was restricted to Africa until a more advanced member of the clade extended its range into the Indian Subcontinent during the late Pliocene, ca. 3.6-2.6 Ma

Anatomy, Thorax, Pericardiacophrenic Vessels

The pericardiacophrenic artery and vein make up, with the phrenic nerve, the pericardiacophrenic neurovascular bundle. The vessels pass through the superior thoracic aperture into the superior mediastinum and course along the pathway of the phrenic nerve anterior to the lung roots. The vessels are located between the fibrous pericardium and the parietal pleura in the middle mediastinum and extend inferiorly onto the dome of the diaphragm. The pericardiacophrenic artery supplies blood to the pericardium, diaphragm, and phrenic nerve. While the pericardiacophrenic arteries supply blood to these various tissues, they are also a non-coronary arterial collateral blood supply to the heart. Their most important role clinically is to supply the phrenic nerve with blood when harvesting or surgically anastomosing the internal thoracic artery, as in CABG procedures, preserving blood flow in the pericardiacophrenic artery is important to prevent any ischemic damage to the phrenic nerve. The pericardiacophrenic veins are variable tributaries of the right and left brachiocephalic veins (also formerly known as the innominate veins) or internal thoracic veins. The pericardiacophrenic veins are a minor portocaval anastomosis connecting splenic vein and superior vena cava and can become engorged in portal hypertension. Imaging the pericardiacophrenic veins (or arteries) is a reliable aid in clinical procedures that require locating the phrenic nerve

A fish assemblage from an early Miocene horizon from Jabal Zaltan, Libya

Recent excavations and prospecting in the early to middle Miocene deposits of the Maradah Formation in Jabal Zaltan, Libya, yielded a diverse fish assemblage coming from an early Miocene locality. The material described here includes more than 18 marine and freshwater taxa most of which were previously unreported from the area. Jabal Zaltan is one of the very few early Miocene Afroarabian fossil sites that produced such a diverse fish sample. Therefore, the fossils described here provide a unique insight into the composition of the early Miocene fish faunas from the northern African coast; a critical time period for faunas of the continent, as contact with Eurasia ended 100 million years of African isolation. In addition, the Jabal Zaltan fossils help consolidate the validity of Galeocerdo mayumbensis and extend its geographic range to include the Tethys. The Maradah deposits also host the first occurrences of two genera (Pteromylaeus, Distichodus) in the fossil record. The fish finds support the presumed depositional environment that of tropical shallow estuarine to deltaic conditions, and the freshwater fishes document the presence of a modern-type Nilosudanian fauna containing elements with both African and Asian affinities. The Jabal Zaltan ichthyofauna, with its diversity of taxa, has the potential to become a key reference fauna for future studies of early Miocene African fishes

Lashed by sharks, pelted by demons, drowned for apostasy: the value of myths that explain geohazards in the Asia-Pacific region

The critical analysis of myths (traditional oral tales) can lead to an improved understanding of geohazards. This paper examines three groups of myths (volcano, earthquake, and coastal change) from Asia-Pacific cultures and shows how their analysis might contribute to the identification of unrealized geohazards in particular places as well as the magnitudes and recurrence intervals of these hazards. Many volcano myths involve gods within the mountains who are periodically angered and punish the people living nearby; through gifts, volcano gods are appeased, a process that has been widespread in parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Other volcano myths allow people to recognize eruption precursors or identify eruption locations. Earthquake myths often involve an animal within the Earth failing to support it upright. More recently, earthquakes have been interpreted as an expression of divine anger at the state of (local) human affairs. Myths also refer to earthquake precursors and have proved effective in eliciting appropriate community responses following tsunamigenic earthquakes. Coastal-change myths are more likely to be memories of long-term (postglacial) coastal change on which extreme-wave events were superimposed. The latter are the most memorable details in myths but the consequences of these events can be explained only by long-term change. Abrupt changes to Asia-Pacific coasts have also been captured by myths, ranging from local collapses of cliffed coasts to the disappearance of entire islands in the Pacific Ocean. Myths can supply information around the nexus of geological and historical data sources, particularly between 102 and 104 years ago. As such, myths have the potential to contribute “missing” data to long-term geohazard chronologies and thereby improve hazard understanding and preparedness. Myths from Asia-Pacific cultures that refer to community responses to geohazards can also be useful in contemporary strategies for awareness-raising. Geographers are uniquely qualified to identify and interpret myths that refer to geohazards. There is potential for many more such myths to be gathered from the Asia-Pacific region