Maestrichtian Land Mammals of Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula

在冈瓦纳南部从澳大利亚到南极洲和南美洲的陆地哺乳动物区系发展过程中，Maestrichtian被认为是一个关键时期。到目前为止，在这些大陆上还没有发现马斯特里希特陆地哺乳动物的化石。南极半岛Vega岛的Lopez de Bertodano组显示了冈瓦纳南部任何地点中产生马埃斯特希时代陆地哺乳动物遗骸的最佳潜力。该项目旨在抓住这一机会，作为圣玛丽大学、加州大学河滨分校和阿根廷科学家之间的合作项目。目前的理论预测，目前未知的南极洲马埃斯特里希时代陆地哺乳动物动物群应该包括：(1)从澳大利亚到南极洲再到南美洲的冈瓦纳南部地区的阿尔比亚-坎帕尼亚动物群的一套非兽类的残余类群；(2)由遗存的过肢动物和更多来自澳大利亚的早期成员组成的有袋动物群。australidelphians应该包括（目前）南美Microbiotheriidae的早期成员，以及（目前）澳大利亚Peramelina， Dasyuromorphia和Diprotodontia的早期谱系。该奖项支持通过在南极半岛詹姆斯罗斯岛盆地的维加岛进行实地研究来验证这一假设，即马埃斯特里希特陆地哺乳动物动物群的组成。该地点的选择是基于Lopez de Bertodano组近岸细粒浅水海相砂岩中已知的maestrichtian时代脊椎动物（prebyornithid鸟类和hypsilophodon恐龙）的生产力，这些砂岩适用于干法或湿法筛选收集方法，这些方法已被证明在Seymour岛始新世La Meseta组的类似相中获得了成功的哺乳动物化石。这是与阿根廷南极研究所（IAA）和阿根廷拉普拉塔博物馆（MLP）的合作项目。MLP的工作人员正在合作研究南美洲和南极洲晚白垩纪到早第三纪的兽类哺乳动物的进化史，以及这些动物与澳大利亚早期种群的潜在关系。与IAA人员合作的重点是海洋演替的岩性和生物地层学。第一个资助年度（1997年）将侧重于审查现有材料。第二年和第三年将集中在维加岛的实地工作，并对任何化石发现进行后续检查。IAA将为美国和阿根廷人员提供所有南极后勤支持，包括从阿根廷到西摩岛的旅行，以及实地后勤支持。在项目的整个生命周期中，将根据需要对参与机构进行合作访问。

OPP 9615236 Woodburne OPP 9615933 Case Abstract The Maestrichtian is considered to have been a key interval in the development of the land mammal fauna of southern Gondwana from Australia to Antarctica and South America. Up to now, no Maestrichtian fossil land mammals have been found in any of these continents. The Lopez de Bertodano Formation of Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula, shows the best potential of yielding remains of land mammals of Maestrichtian age in any southern Gondwana location. This project is designed to grasp that opportunity as a collaborative venture between St. Mary's University, University of California, Riverside, and Argentine scientists. Current theory predicts that the presently unknown Maestrichtian- age land mammal fauna in Antarctica should consist (1) of a suite of non-therian taxa remnant from an Albian-Campanian fauna that occupied southern Gondwana from Australia to Antarctica to South America and (2) a complex of marsupials composed of relict peradectids and more derived early members of australidelphians. The australidelphians should include early members of the (currently) South American Microbiotheriidae as well as early lineages of the (currently) Australian Peramelina, Dasyuromorphia and Diprotodontia. This awards supports work to test this hypothesis in terms of the composition of the Maestrichtian land mammal fauna by conducting field research in Vega Island of the James Ross Island basin, Antarctic Peninsula. The location has been chosen on the basis of its known productivity in yielding Maestrichtian-age vertebrates (presbyornithid birds and hypsilophodont dinosaurs) in near-shore fine-grained shallow-water marine sandstones of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation that are amenable to dry or wet sieving collecting methods, methods that have proven successful in obtaining fossil mammals from similar facies in the medial Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island. This is a cooperative project with the Antarct ic Institute, Argentina, (IAA) and the Museo de La Plata, Argentina (MLP). MLP personnel are collaborating on research into the evolutionary history of Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary therian mammals in South America and Antarctica and the potential relationship of these to the early population of Australia. The collaboration with IAA personnel is focused on litho- and biostratigraphy of the marine successions. The first grant year (1997) will focus on examining existing material. Years 2 and 3 will focus on field work on Vega Island and follow up examination of any fossil discoveries. The IAA will supply all Antarctic logistic support for US as well as Argentine personnel, including travel from Argentina to Seymour Island, and logistical support in the field. Collaborative visits to participating institutions will occur as required over the life of the project.