Vertebrates from the terrestrial Jurassic of New Zealand

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The Jurassic was an important period for the evolution of vertebrates, as many of the principal groups experienced their first major radiation during this time. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these evolutionary events is mainly based on the fossil record of the northern hemisphere, while comparative data from the continents of former Gondwana are still rare. Furthermore, practically all known vertebrate fossils from the Jurassic of Gondwana come from western to central parts of the former supercontinent (South America and Africa), while almost no remains are known from the eastern and southern areas. However, such materials would be of greatest importance to put results gained from other occurrences into context and thus to clarify, for example, if patterns seen in western Gondwana reflect regional conditions or can be extended to all of Gondwana, regardless of the regional climatic and environmental conditions or latitudinal factors.The currently mainly flooded continent of Zealandia formed the south-eastern margin of the supercontinent of Gondwana in the Jurassic. Fossils from the Jurassic of the only larger emerged landmass of this continent, the islands of New Zealand, would thus provide essential new data on the Jurassic evolution of vertebrates. In the first phase of this project we investigated Middle and Late Jurassic mainly continental sediments of the North island in a short (two week) prospection campaign. Although this campaign did, unfortunately, not yield any vertebrate remains so far, at least one promising locality was found in the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) Huriwei Group. Furthermore, several other continental Jurassic units are found in New Zealand on the South Island, which have never been prospected for vertebrate remains, including the Drumduan Group in the vicinity of Nelson, the Clent Hills Group west of Christchurch and several units in Southland, mainly in rocks of the Murihiku Terrane. The objectives of this renewal project are thus another prospection campaign of three weeks into the Jurassic of South Island to inspect the units listed above, and a two-week excavation campaign in the locality in the Huriwei Group, to better evaluate the potential of the Jurassic continental units of New Zealand.