Exceptionally preserved lacustrine ostracods from the Middle Miocene of Antarctica: implications for high-latitude palaeoenvironment at 77A degree south

A newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstaette from the Middle Miocene of the western Olympus Range, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yields cypridoidean ostracods complete with preserved body and appendages. This is the first record of three-dimensionally fossilized animal soft tissues from the continent. The o...

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Published inProceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Vol. 275; no. 1650; pp. 2449 - 2454
Main Authors Williams, Mark, Siveter, David J, Ashworth, Allan C, Wilby, Philip R, Horne, David J, Lewis, Adam R, Marchant, David R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 07.11.2008
Subjects
Boreas
Ostracoda
Antarctica
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Summary:A newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstaette from the Middle Miocene of the western Olympus Range, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yields cypridoidean ostracods complete with preserved body and appendages. This is the first record of three-dimensionally fossilized animal soft tissues from the continent. The ostracods are preserved in goethite, secondary after pyrite, representing a novel mode of exceptional preservation. They signal a high-latitude (greater than 77A degree south) lake setting (Palaeolake Boreas) viable for benthic animal colonization prior to 14Myr ago. Their presence supports the notion of warmer, tundra-like environmental conditions persisting in the Dry Valleys until the Middle Miocene.
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ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2008.0396