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Description
Welcom to another entry in this ongoing series! We have already reached the year’s midpoint (which, judging by the current events around the world, is quite a feat), the northern spring has lead to the summer and I finished the 4th volume of recently described creatures. Let’s go with the descriptions!

- Rumporostralis xikengensis: this small galeaspid (a type of jawless fish) lived in the seas that covered what is now central China during the Silurian period. The type species, depicted here, was previously considered as part of the genus Sinogaleaspis, but has been now separated into its own one. In the same paper, another species was described for the same genus, R. shipanensis

- Overoraptor chimentoi: a paravian dinosaur close to Rahonavis. Overoraptor’s remains (which include parts of the limbs, the hip and the column) were found in the Huincul Formation (Argentina, beginning of the Late Cretaceous), where the fossils of Huinculsaurus (also described this year) were discovered. At the end of May another paravian, the Chinese jeholornithid Kompsornis, was also described

- Caodeyao liuyufengi: a therocephalian (a group of therapsids closely related to cynodonts) from the Late Permian (259-252 million years old, just before the Permian mass extinction) of northern China. The remains of this creature were found in the Naobaogou Formation (close to the frontier with Mongolia), which contains diverse fossils of Permian fauna. Caodeyao (a name which references the village close to the location of the remains) was related to the Russian genus Purlovia, and it’s suspected that it was a herbivore, or an omnivore

- Navajoceratops sullivani: this ceratopsian was described alongside another new genus, Terminocavus. Both dinosaurs, known from fragments of their frills, were discovered in the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico. Living in the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous, both ceratopsians seem to represent intermediate steps between 2 other ceratopsians, Pentaceratops and Anchisaurus, forming a sort of evolutionary line: while Navajoceratops is closer to Pentaceratops, Terminocavus is closer to Anchiceratops. As an additional note, I am not sure of the position of the hindlimb, it may not me accurate

- Dannychaeta tucolus: this Cambrian polychaete worm (around 514 million years old), whose remains were discovered in the Canglanpu Formation (in the Chinese province of Yunnan), is the earliest known crown annelid. Related to some modern annelids (like those of the family Magelonidae), its head and body segments were well preserved

- Polymorphodon adorfi: a small archosauromorph reptile from the middle Triassic (242-237 Mya), related to the better known Euparkeria. Its remains, which consist in parts of the skull, the hip, hindlimbs and tail, were uncovered in the Erfurt Formation of Northern Germany. Its name makes reference to the different teeth shapes of the maxilla, which combine conical and leaf-like serrated shapes. The shape of these teeth suggest that this animal was herbivorous or omnivorous, contrary to most of its relatives

- Antarcticoolithus bradyi: I wasn’t planning to include trace fossils in this series, but some of the fossils of this kind that have been described recently are fascinating: bipedal crocodilian tracks from Cretaceous Korea, giant theropod tracks from Jurassic Australia, sauropod tracks found in the roof of a French cave…One of the most interesting is a giant soft shelled egg (around 30cm long, which is the largest found to date - including modern ones) that has been found at Seymour island, close to the Antarctic Peninsula. Dating form the end of the Cretaceous, the identity of the animal that contained is a mistery: the authors that described the fossil suggest that it may have been a vestigial mosasaur egg (as shown here), but others indicate that it may belong to a dinosaur

- Mukupirna nambensis: a giant relative of modern wombats that lived during the Oligocene in southern Australia. The remains of this giant marsupial (which reached a size close to that of the modern black bear) were found almost 50 years ago in lake Eyre. On a related note, in mid May a study describing newly discovered Australian megafauna (including the largest known kangaroo) was published, and in June the earliest ursine bear, Aurorarctos, was described.

Also, baby Mukupirna says hi

The next volume of this series will arrive during mid or late August. Until next time, stay safe

Other parts of the series:
- Part I: fav.me/ddq5x3f
- Part II: fav.me/ddtxi48
- Part III: fav.me/ddx8ez1
- Part V: fav.me/de4jfit
- Part VI: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…
- Part VII: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…
- Part VIII: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…

Description
Welcom to another entry in this ongoing series! We have already reached the year’s midpoint (which, judging by the current events around the world, is quite a feat), the northern spring has lead to the summer and I finished the 4th volume of recently described creatures. Let’s go with the descriptions!

- Rumporostralis xikengensis: this small galeaspid (a type of jawless fish) lived in the seas that covered what is now central China during the Silurian period. The type species, depicted here, was previously considered as part of the genus Sinogaleaspis, but has been now separated into its own one. In the same paper, another species was described for the same genus, R. shipanensis

- Overoraptor chimentoi: a paravian dinosaur close to Rahonavis. Overoraptor’s remains (which include parts of the limbs, the hip and the column) were found in the Huincul Formation (Argentina, beginning of the Late Cretaceous), where the fossils of Huinculsaurus (also described this year) were discovered. At the end of May another paravian, the Chinese jeholornithid Kompsornis, was also described

- Caodeyao liuyufengi: a therocephalian (a group of therapsids closely related to cynodonts) from the Late Permian (259-252 million years old, just before the Permian mass extinction) of northern China. The remains of this creature were found in the Naobaogou Formation (close to the frontier with Mongolia), which contains diverse fossils of Permian fauna. Caodeyao (a name which references the village close to the location of the remains) was related to the Russian genus Purlovia, and it’s suspected that it was a herbivore, or an omnivore

- Navajoceratops sullivani: this ceratopsian was described alongside another new genus, Terminocavus. Both dinosaurs, known from fragments of their frills, were discovered in the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico. Living in the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous, both ceratopsians seem to represent intermediate steps between 2 other ceratopsians, Pentaceratops and Anchisaurus, forming a sort of evolutionary line: while Navajoceratops is closer to Pentaceratops, Terminocavus is closer to Anchiceratops. As an additional note, I am not sure of the position of the hindlimb, it may not me accurate

- Dannychaeta tucolus: this Cambrian polychaete worm (around 514 million years old), whose remains were discovered in the Canglanpu Formation (in the Chinese province of Yunnan), is the earliest known crown annelid. Related to some modern annelids (like those of the family Magelonidae), its head and body segments were well preserved

- Polymorphodon adorfi: a small archosauromorph reptile from the middle Triassic (242-237 Mya), related to the better known Euparkeria. Its remains, which consist in parts of the skull, the hip, hindlimbs and tail, were uncovered in the Erfurt Formation of Northern Germany. Its name makes reference to the different teeth shapes of the maxilla, which combine conical and leaf-like serrated shapes. The shape of these teeth suggest that this animal was herbivorous or omnivorous, contrary to most of its relatives

- Antarcticoolithus bradyi: I wasn’t planning to include trace fossils in this series, but some of the fossils of this kind that have been described recently are fascinating: bipedal crocodilian tracks from Cretaceous Korea, giant theropod tracks from Jurassic Australia, sauropod tracks found in the roof of a French cave…One of the most interesting is a giant soft shelled egg (around 30cm long, which is the largest found to date - including modern ones) that has been found at Seymour island, close to the Antarctic Peninsula. Dating form the end of the Cretaceous, the identity of the animal that contained is a mistery: the authors that described the fossil suggest that it may have been a vestigial mosasaur egg (as shown here), but others indicate that it may belong to a dinosaur

- Mukupirna nambensis: a giant relative of modern wombats that lived during the Oligocene in southern Australia. The remains of this giant marsupial (which reached a size close to that of the modern black bear) were found almost 50 years ago in lake Eyre. On a related note, in mid May a study describing newly discovered Australian megafauna (including the largest known kangaroo) was published, and in June the earliest ursine bear, Aurorarctos, was described.

Also, baby Mukupirna says hi

The next volume of this series will arrive during mid or late August. Until next time, stay safe

Other parts of the series:
- Part I: fav.me/ddq5x3f
- Part II: fav.me/ddtxi48
- Part III: fav.me/ddx8ez1
- Part V: fav.me/de4jfit
- Part VI: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…
- Part VII: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…
- Part VIII: www.deviantart.com/diegooa/art…