An enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia
Current classification of birds recognizes four subclasses: the Archaeornithes, the Enantiornithes, the Odontornithes and the Neornithes. Three of these subclasses were proposed during the nineteenth century, but the Enantiornithes was proposed only five years ago, based on material from the Lecho Formation (Maas-trichtian) of Salt a Province in Argentina1. Further material from Asia (Mongolia) and North America (Mexico) has been referred to the Enantiornithes2, all of it from the Campanian. Now, in addition, a small tibiotarsus found in the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) of Queensland not only represents the first bony material of Mesozoic birds from Australia, but is also the first reported occurrence of an enantiornithine bird in the Lower Cretaceous.
Neoceratodus forsteri from the Lower Cretaceous of New South Wales, Australia
Ceratodont lungfish toothplates from the Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia are described. The specimens bear no resemblance to other fossil lungfish teeth from Australia or from other parts of the world. They cannot however be distinguished from the toothplates of the Recent Neoceratodus forsteri in length/breadth ratios, angles between the ridges, type of punctations, presence of pulp cavity in the ridges, form of the occlusal surface and position of the pterygoid bar.
Emerging infectious diseases in cetaceans worldwide and the possible role of environmental stressors.
We reviewed prominent emerging infectious diseases of cetaceans, examined their potential to impact populations, re-assessed zoonotic risk and evaluated the role of environmental stressors. Cetacean morbilliviruses and papillomaviruses as well as Brucella spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are thought to interfere with population abundance by inducing high mortalities, lowering reproductive success or by synergistically increasing the virulence of other diseases. Severe cases of lobomycosis and lobomycosis-like disease (LLD) may contribute to the death of some dolphins. The zoonotic hazard of marine mammal brucellosis and toxoplasmosis may have been underestimated, attributable to frequent misdiagnoses and underreporting, particularly in developing countries and remote areas where carcass handling without protective gear and human consumption of fresh cetacean products are commonplace. Environmental factors seem to play a role in the emergence and pathogenicity of morbillivirus epidemics, lobomycosis/LLD, toxoplasmosis, poxvirus-associated tattoo skin disease and, in harbour porpoises, infectious diseases of multifactorial aetiology. Inshore and estuarine cetaceans incur higher risks than pelagic cetaceans due to habitats often severely altered by anthropogenic factors such as chemical and biological contamination, direct and indirect fisheries interactions, traumatic injuries from vessel collisions and climate change.