1997. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers, 17(3):58
.VERTEBRATE EVOLUTION ON GONDWANA: NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS OF MADAGASCAR
KRAUSE, D. W. and C. A. FORSTER, Dept. Anat. Sci., SUNY, Stony Brook NY 11794; SAMPSON, S. D., Dept. Anat., NYCOM, Old Westbury NY 11568; BUCKLEY, G. A., Dept. Geol., Field Museum, Chicago IL 60605; DODSON, P., Dept. Animal Biol., Univ. Penn., Philadelphia PA 19104.
Biotic connections among Gondwanan landmasses during the Cretaceous are
poorly known and highly controversial, primarily due to a sparse fossil record
relative to that of Laurasia. Recent field work in the Maevarano Formation of
the Mahajanga Basin has quadrupled the previously known species diversity of
Late Cretaceous vertebrates from Madagascar. The major groups represented
include bony fishes, frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards?, crocodyliforms, sauropods,
theropods, birds, and mammals. Discoveries include the first pre-Late
Pleistocene records of Malagasy frogs, birds, and mammals.
Among the more spectacular finds are nearly complete
skeletons of a new genus of metasuchian and a new species of Araripesuchus
(Crocodyliformes); the most complete skeleton known of a titanosaurid (Sauropoda);
a nearly complete skull of a second species of titanosaurid; a complete and
exquisitely preserved skull and a partial skeleton of a large theropod; well
preserved partial skeletons of birds (which supplement an incredibly sparse
Mesozoic record of Gondwanan Avialae); and the first evidence of Gondwanatheria
(Mammalia) outside of South America.
Among known Late Cretaceous vertebrate faunas, that from
Madagascar appears to share the greatest affinities with faunas from India and
South America. Our discoveries underscore the importance of collecting
additional Late Cretaceous vertebrates from Antarctica, Australia, and
especially Africa in order to test more rigorously biogeographic hypotheses
involving Gondwana in general and Madagascar in particular.