Type specimens alone have a strong correlation with taxa record by geological epoch: the case study of the fossil vertebrates named from {Portuguese} types

Citation:
Mateus, O., Estraviz López D., & Madeira Mateus S. G. (2022).  Type specimens alone have a strong correlation with taxa record by geological epoch: the case study of the fossil vertebrates named from {Portuguese} types. Comunicações Geológicas. 109, 57–64.

Abstract:

ABSTRACT: Type specimens (holotypes, neotypes, syntypes, etc.) are of crucial importance because they are the only tangible evidence of the nomenclatural act that supports the understanding of paleobiodiversity. The list of the vertebrate species whose type specimen is based on fossils from Portugal is presented here. We counted 206 species, of which there are 45 bony fishes, 39 Late Jurassic Mammaliamorpha, 33 Cenozoic mammals, 28 non-avian dinosaurs, 25 non-dinosaur reptiles, 11 Cenozoic Aves, 22 Chondrichthyes and three other vertebrates. Except for the Quaternary fossil record, the type specimens can be used as a shortcut for measuring the fossil record and paleobiodiversity through geological time and rock units because they correlate in 95% with the fossil record by epoch in the case-study of fossil vertebrates of Portugal.

Notes:

Accepted: 2022-12-16T17:02:38Z Publisher: LNEG - Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia

Related External Link

PreviewAttachmentSize
mateus-et-al_2022_type_specimens.pdf474.53 KB