Une espèce nouvelle d'Osmylopsychopidae (Neuroptera, Insecta) de la Formation de Molteno souligne les liens entre les sites du Trias du Gondwana méridional. Le neuroptère Moltenopsychops magnus n. gen., n. sp. (Osmylopsychopidae Martynova, 1949) est décrit du Trias supérieur de la Formation de Molteno (Afrique du Sud) sur la base d'une aile antérieure incomplète. Ce nouveau taxon présente une forte ressemblance avec Petropsychops Riek, 1956, du Trias supérieur d'Australie, par une configuration particulière de la nervure médiane (M) par rapport à la première branche du secteur radial (Rs1), formant ensemble une seule unité antérieurement pectinée. La tribu Petropsychopsini n. tr. est nouvellement constituée pour englober les deux genres. Moltenopsychops magnus n. gen., n. sp. est la première espèce de neuroptère triasique signalée sur le continent africain. Cette découverte souligne la similitude entre les faunes d'insectes triasiques sud-africaines et australiennes et, plus généralement, complète nos connaissances sur la diversité des neuroptères gondwaniens au Mésozoïque.
Sur l'identité du spécimen historique TM 8501 et la taxonomie des Basilosauridae nord-américains (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla, Archaeoceti). La phylogénie et la taxonomie des cétacés anciens ont toujours été une affaire compliquée, en partie due aux descriptions et diagnoses du 19e siècle qui créent la confusion ainsi qu'à la profusion de noms donnés. Un crâne presque complet avec quelques os postcrâniens associés fut découvert en 1848 par Albert Koch; ce spécimen historique, actuellement conservé dans la collection du Musée Teyler (Haarlem, Pays-Bas; inv. no. TM8501), a reçu le nom de Zeuglodon hydrarchus Carus, 1849. Il n'a cependant jamais été correctement préparé et a, lui aussi, fait l'objet de confusions et de débats taxonomiques. Nous présentons ici une révision de ce spécimen. Zeuglodon hydrarchus est actuellement un synonyme subjectif plus récent de Zygorhiza kochii (Reichenbach in Carus & Koch, 1847), une espèce qui reste difficile à diagnostiquer et qui comprend probablement plusieurs taxons. Les caractères diagnostiques permettant de distinguer Zygorhiza kochii de Dorudon serratus Gibbes, 1845 constituent depuis longtemps un sujet de débat dans le domaine de la paléontologie des basilosaures et une source de controverse. Le spécimen clé TM 8501 a été soumis à une microtomographie au CT-Scan afin de révéler sa morphologie masquée par le sédiment et de permettre une évaluation taxonomique plus détaillée. La variation crânienne observée chez Zygorhiza kochii et l'espèce semblable Dorudon serratus est comparée avec celle des autres basilosaures. TM 8501 appartient à un groupe de spécimens attribués provisoirement à Zygorhiza kochii, qui se distingue de Dorudon serratus par les caractères suivants: présence de cingula crénelés sur P2-4, processus antérieur sur les frontaux des adultes, processus nasal des prémaxillaires allongé, maxillaires en contact avec les frontaux médialement, présence d'un processus orienté postérieurement à mi-hauteur de la crête nuchale et p1 uniradiculée. Le spécimen type de Zygorhiza kochii reste toujours problématique. Plusieurs spécimens, jusqu'à présent considérés comme appartenant à Zy. kochii, sont réidentifiés ici comme D. serratus.
The hyobranchial skeleton plays a fundamental role in breathing and feeding in gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates). Nevertheless, despite a relatively rich fossil record spanning more than 400 million years, our knowledge of the anatomy and evolution of the hyoid and branchial arches of coelacanths is limited due to the extremely delicate and poorly ossified small elements forming the arches, which are rarely preserved. Comparative data are mainly available from the extant Latimeria chalumnae Smith, 1939, which represents a crucial landmark for all morphological descriptions of extinct coelacanth taxa. Here we introduce a new genus and species, Aemilia stellata n. gen., n. sp., from the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) ofTexas, United States. The use of micro-computed tomography (mu CT) has revealed in exquisite detail the complete series of the hyoid and branchial arches as well as part of the braincase, dermal skull roof and cheek, and pectoral girdle. Our new data shed light on the organisation of the skull in coelacanths and allow us to identify new trends in the evolution of the neurocranium and hyobranchial skeleton. A phylogenetic analysis of actinistian interrelationships reconstructs Aemilia stellata n. gen., n. sp. as the oldest representative of a large Mesozoic radiation of coelacanths, which extends its roots into the Carboniferous. Based on the new topology, coelacanth systematics are reviewed, and we propose a new phylogenetic definition of the order Coelacanthiformes. By its unexpected combination of features, Aemilia stellata n. gen., n. sp. bridges the gap between Devonian and post-Carboniferous coelacanths and reveals that the hyobranchial skeleton displays a certain degree of evolutionary plasticity in the traditionally considered "static" coelacanth anatomy.
The present study documents eight new specimens of decapod crustaceans from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Haute-Marne (Grand Est, France), located on the eastern margin of the Paris Basin. They are assigned to Eryma Meyer, 1840, with E. vocontii Devillez, Charbonnier, Hyzny & Leroy, 2016 (Erymidae Van Straelen, 1925), Rathbunopon Stenzel, 1945, with R. brisaci n. sp. (Prosopidae Meyer, 1860), Paranecrocarcinus Van Straelen, 1936, with P. perchati n. sp. (Necrocarcinidae F & ouml;rster, 1968), and Joeranina Van Bakel, Guinot, Artal, Jagt & Fraaije, 2012, with J. scheitzi n. sp. (Palaeocorystidae Lorenthey in Lorenthey & Beurlen, 1929). The lobster Eryma vocontii was previously known by a few fossils only found at the type locality, in the South-East Basin of France, 360 km southward. This new occurrence suggests a significantly broader distribution for this species. A notable aspect of one of the new specimens is the presence of an epibiontic mollusk fixed on the carapace, representing the first documented instance of such an association with an Early Cretaceous erymid lobster. Rathbunopon brisaci n. sp. represents the second record of this genus in France, after the record of R. tuberculatum (Van Straelen, 1936) from the Hauterivian of Auxerre (Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comt & eacute;). The new species confirms the stratigraphic range of the genus limited to the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Albian)-early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). Paranecrocarcinus perchati n. sp. represents the second report of this genus from the Early Cretaceous of France, after the record of the type-species P. hexagonalis Van Straelen, 1936 from the Hauterivian of Auxerre (Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comt & eacute;). Joeranina scheitzi n. sp. represents the second species of Joeranina found in the Early Cretaceous of France.
In addition to their significance for ancient biogeography, the earliest occurrences of extant insect groups have gained particular importance over the past decade, as they are critical for temporally calibrating phylogenetic trees. In this context, the robustness of taxonomic assignments is crucial. The earliest fossil record of putative stoneflies (Plecoptera), from the Pennsylvanian, is based on a very limited number of species. The assignment of one of them, Gulou oudardi Schubnel, Perdu, Roques, Garrouste & Nel, 2019, from the Avion locality (Nord-Pas-Calais basin; France) and known from a single wing, is here reconsidered. Concordant evidence, including the presence of intercalary veins in the apical and postero-apical areas, and a CuA preserved as a concave groove, indicates that the specimen is not a stonefly forewing, but rather a hindwing of the Palaeozoic insect family Blattinopsidae (which ordinal affinities remain uncertain). More specifically, this hindwing can be confidently linked to a species known from a single forewing, also from the Avion locality, which constitutes the holotype of Avionblattinopsis oudardi Quispe, Roques, Garrouste & Nel, 2022. The two species are therefore synonymized asAvionblattinopsis oudardi (Schubnel, Perdu, Roques, Garrouste & Nel, 2019), n. comb.
Preservation of the digestive system in trilobites is extremely rare: from the Barrandian area, such remains have been recorded in two Cambrian and eight Ordovician trilobite genera. In this contribution we describe eight new examples of articulated trilobites displaying remains of the digestive system in the axial parts of the cephalon and thorax from the middle Cambrian Buchava Formation of the Skryje-T & yacute;& rcaron;ovice Basin. All studied specimens are identified as Ptychoparioides henkli Kordule, 2006 and exhibit up to four pairs of cavities or light-coloured markings under the central and posterior parts of the glabella, one pair in the occipital ring and up to six pairs in the axis of the anterior thoracic segments. These cavities or light-coloured markings are interpreted as remains of metamerically paired digestive caeca of the & laquo;perigastric organ & raquo;. An anteriorly rounded, posteriorly widely V-shaped body preserved in the frontal glabellar lobe of a conical glabella in one specimen most probably represents a remnant of the foregut chamber. These specimens constitute the first example of digestive structures observed in Cambrian ptychopariid trilobites in the Barrandian area. A dark-coloured axial surface preserved in eight thoracic segments between and behind paired cavities or markings is present in two specimens; this surface is interpreted as remains of the hindgut. The occurrence of trilobites preserving digestive-system remains together with locally abundant articulated echinoderms and ontogenetic stages of trilobites, as well as previously described bivalved arthropods, confirm that the depositional environment of the Buchava Formation was favourable for exceptional preservation of fossils, including soft-tissue preservation.
Bite marks in the fossil record provide information on trophic, behavioural and taphonomic interactions. Here we describe a bevelled bite mark with parallel striations on a denticulate tooth tentatively assigned to Abelisauridae indet. from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) deposit of Massecaps (municipality of Cruzy, H & eacute;rault), in southern France. Comparison of the bite mark with the different morphologies of serrated teeth found on the same deposit enables us to attribute it to the tooth morphotype that we tentatively refer to Abelisauridae indet. Although rarely described in the literature, similar confamilial bite marks have already been observed on Tyrannosauridae Osborn, 1906 teeth. The position and orientation of the bite mark rule out the possibility that it was made by one individual on another, during agonistic behaviour such as head-biting. The relatively large number (n = 44) of rootless teeth attributed to Abelisauridae indet. found at Massecaps locality, the scarcity of other Abelisauridae Bonaparte & Novas, 1985 skeletal remains, and the presence of nontheropod dinosaur skeletal remains marked by serrated teeth strongly suggest that these teeth were lost during the consumption of a carcasses and that tooth M5246 was marked on that occasion. The description of this previously undocumented mark among Abelisauridae expands our knowledge of large theropods feeding behaviour from the Campanian-Maastrichtian period.
Bone anatomy reflects the mechanical and functional constraints to which the skeleton is subjected. In graviportal taxa, the primary constraint is gravity, requiring specific adaptations in bone structure. Proboscideans, including modern elephants and their fossil relatives, illustrate these adaptations, notably through a columnar posture that optimizes load transmission. While adaptations of external bone morphology have been described within this order, variations in bone microanatomy have rarely been studied in fossil proboscideans. In this study, we analyze for the first time the microanatomy of a Deinotherium giganteum (Kaup, 1829) femur, a fossil species from the Deinotheriidae Bonaparte, 1845 family, based on a fractured specimen preserved at the Hungarian Natural History Museum. We compare these observations with those of a Mammuthus sp. femur to assess similarities and differences in weight-bearing adaptations across different proboscidean families. Our results reveal shared characteristics between the two taxa, including a thick-walled diaphysis, a medullary cavity largely filled with trabecular tissue, and highly anisotropic trabeculae aligned with axial loading, features also observed in modern elephants. However, D. giganteum exhibits a more pronounced hourglass-shaped cortical distribution and relatively greater cortical thickness than Mammuthus sp., suggesting differences in load distribution or distinct weight-bearing adaptation strategies between these two taxa.
The evolutionary history of the lagoonal molluscan thanatocenoses on the raised Niau Atoll (French Polynesia) is studied in relation to the geological evolution of the atoll and the episodic exchanges between the oceanic waters and those of the lagoon since the Late Pliocene. Three thanatocoenoses are described and compared with the extant fauna of the raised lagoon. The first one, located beneath a limestone pedogenetic crust, was recently dated to the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene and reveals a rich assemblage of 92 molluscan species. Seven new species are described, five of which are recognised after examining the shells under UV light: four gastropods Cerithium niauense Merle, n. sp. (UV), Conus (Conus) letourneuxi Merle, n. sp. (UV), Conus (Tesselliconus) georgesrichardi Merle, n. sp. (UV), Bulla niauensis Merle, n. sp. (UV), and three bivalves ?Lunulicardia distorta Merle, n. sp., Indotellina fakaauensis Merle, n. sp. and ?Gafrarium troendlei Merle, n. sp. (UV). The other two thanatocenoses are herein dated to the Mid and Late Holocene. With around ten species, their assemblages are much poorer than those of the Plio-Pleistocene and support numerous local extinctions. These extinctions are regarded as mainly resulting from the uplift of the atoll, which has led to the isolation and drying out of the lagoon to the present day, as well as reduced water exchanges with the open sea. Currently, only three species of molluscs are abundant in the lagoon, two of which were already present in the Plio-Pleistocene, the bivalve Ctena bella Conrad, 1837 and the gastropod Cerithium punctatum Brugui & egrave;re, 1792, and another gastropod species Clypeomorus brevis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) was introduced in the atoll between 2008 and 2020.
In Becet & egrave;n (Niger) represents one of the most diverse continental vertebrate faunas from the Late Cretaceous of Africa. Recently, anurans, in particular aquatic pipimorphs, have generated renewed interest, with the identification of four distinct pipimorph taxa. Here we describe the remaining anuran specimens from In Becet & egrave;n, which represent at least three new anuran taxa that cannot be assigned to pipimorphs (Anura indet, Neobatrachia and a ranoid). Among them, one taxon, documented by ornamented cranial material, is a large Neobatrachia incertae sedis, as suggested by our phylogenetic analyses. This marks only the third Mesozoic occurrence of neobatrachians in Africa. In addition, an isolated humerus is referred as a new unnamed ranoid and is not only the oldest known occurrence of the clade, but also the first known Mesozoic specimen of this cosmopolitan family from Africa. With at least seven anuran taxa identified, In Becet & egrave;n is the most diverse locality of Africa, and one of the most diverse localities across the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian or Santonian).
A new species of Symphrasinae, Carentosymphrasites zhengi n. gen., n. sp., is described and illustrated from Cenomanian Charentese amber. This taxon is classified within the crown group of the subfamily due to the presence of 3-5 trichosors between adjacent veins along the distal wing margin. The discovery of this species suggests that Symphrasinae had a relatively broad distribution during the mid-Cretaceous, but later went extinct in Europe and Asia.
The Miocene was a past warm interval considered highly relevant to future climate projections. Whilst temperatures during the Miocene were constrained by multiple proxies, the hydrology of the Miocene is still largely unknown. Here we present a new palaeoclimatic analysis of the Middle Miocene (Serravallian) Kenslow Member of the Brassington Formation in the United Kingdom to elucidate the hydrology of this interval. Using fossil palynomorphs we perform a Bayesian palaeoclimate reconstruction, plant functional type analysis and cluster analysis. Our results show that summer and winter precipitation were important factors in the dynamics of Miocene forests, even in a climate zone with no pronounced dry season.
The origin of most modern families of dolphins and porpoises has to be found during the Early to Middle Miocene, presumably among the stock of early delphinidan forms generally attributed to the family Kentriodontidae Slijper, 1936. The East Pisco Basin (Peru) is a major source of Miocene odontocetes (echolocating toothed cetaceans), but up to now a majority of the finds originate from the Lower Miocene Chilcatay Formation and the Upper Miocene deposits of the Pisco Formation. Apart from the poorly known early delphinidan Incacetus broggii Colbert, 1944, very little is known for the Middle Miocene layers of the Pisco Formation. Based on a sample of three skulls collected from the Langhian to Serravallian (14.7-12.6 Ma) P0 allomember of the Pisco Formation in two locali ties (Santa Rosa and Mal Paso) of the East Pisco Basin, we describe a new genus and species of early delphinidan, Mesokentriodon protohumboldti n. gen., n. sp. Characterized by a moderately elongated rostrum and 40 teeth per upper row, this medium-sized dolphin shares many cranial similarities with, among others, the smaller Kentriodon pernix Kellogg, 1927, the type species of the type genus of the family Kentriodontidae. As our phylogenetic analyses consistently recover the new taxon in a clade that also includes K. pernix, we confidently identify it as a kentriodontid, though the content of this family varies considerably across the various analyses using different implied weighting protocols. Our favoured hypothesis is that kentriodontids are stem-group delphinidans whose chronostratigraphic distribution fills a major Early to Middle Miocene time interval before the appearance of the earliest members of the extant delphinidan lineages (Lipotidae Zhou, Qian & Li, 1978, Inioidea Muizon, 1988, and Delphinoidea Gray, 1821). This new species improves the relatively poor Middle Miocene fossil record of cetaceans in the East Pisco Basin and highlights the potential of the lower portion of the Pisco Formation for enhancing our understanding of the emergence of the modern delphinidan clades.
The insect family Parelmoidae Rohdendorf, 1962 belongs to the extinct order Diaphanopterodea Handlirsch, 1919, itself belonging to the larger taxon Megasecopteromorpha B & eacute;thoux in Yang, Ren & B & eacute;thoux, 2020. Although generally rare, representatives of this family are a typical component of Permian environments, particularly in the Cisuralian, with occurrence in renowned localities such as Obora, Elmo & Midco, and Chekarda. Here we describe a new Parelmoidae, Grandelmoa jingqii n. gen., n. sp., known from a well-preserved, isolated wing discovered from a new locality, named 'Zhiyu' (Shanxi Formation; Shanxi Province, China). The peculiar wing venation pattern of this new taxon is best explained by a translocation (as it is, of MP branches onto CuA), a phenomenon yet rarely documented among palaeopteran taxa. The new species occurs to be, by a small amount, the largest Permian Diaphanopterodea known to date.
Two crania, 40 000 years old, collected inside the Fanatics Cave in Khakassia (Southern Siberia) have to the subgenus Sussemionus Eisenmann, 2010 all other members of which went extinct during the Middle Pleistocene. By cranial morphology as well as by other anatomical and molecular characters, E. ovodovi differs from all other Equus species and in particular from E. hydruntinus Reg & agrave;lia, 1907 to which it was initially referred. E. ovodovi has narrower choanae and supra-occipital crest and a longer muzzle. By these features it resembles E. vekuae Eisenmann, 2022 from the Early Pleistocene of Dmanisi, Georgia, another species belonging or closely related to the subgenus Sussemionus. It differs from it, however, by the position of hormion relative to basion and staphylion.
During the Cretaceous, the gradual and extensive diversification of rudists led this group to colonise the carbonate platforms of tropical seas all over the world, structuring new ecosystems. The Albian genus Sellaea Di Stefano, 1889 has a worldwide distribution ranging from the Caribbean to Tibet, with maximum diversity centered in the Mediterranean province. This genus, recently studied in American faunas, is an important witness of the paleobiogeographical dynamics at work during this process of diversification, which generated significant endemism and helped characterise the paleobiogeographical provinces of the late Early Cretaceous. In order to add to our knowledge of this genus and the paleobiogeography of rudists, we report the existence of Sellaea in Cantabria, Spain. The middle and late Albian age is based on the presence of the ammonite Anahoplites Hyatt, 1900 and the rudists Eoradiolites jumillensis Masse, Fenerci-Masse, Vilas & Arias, 2007 and Caprina choffati Douvill & eacute;, 1898. Specimens have been identified as Sellaea stryx (Di Stefano, 1889), a species without pallial canals that belongs to the Mediterranean clade, a sister group to the American Sellaea. After describing in detail the localities where the specimens were found, we show the relevance of the presence of Sellaea stryx in the Cantabrian Albian faunas from a biostratigraphic point of view. We also discuss the impact of the presence of these faunas from a paleobiogeographical point of view.
Jurassic belemnites have been widely studied by pioneering paleontologists in the early to late 19th century; it is therefore not surprising that most taxa still valid today were originally erected during that century. However, the standards for description and figuration having considerably evolved since then, many "historical" taxa have been repeatedly the subject of diverging taxonomic interpretation. It is therefore of great importance to revise these taxa and provide more detailed descriptions and illustrations of the type material. Herein, we restudy abundant material of Belemnites meta Blainville, 1827 and Belemnites subgiganteus Branco, 1879, two characteristic belemnite taxa of the Minette-type ironstones of Lorraine (France, Region Grand-Est, departments Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle), southern Luxembourg and Gaume (Southeast Belgium). Over the years, the taxonomic interpretation and species boundaries of these two taxa have remained unclear, with diverging opinions. We therefore maintain that for the purposes of a precise application of these nominal species and to clarify their stratigraphic position, systematic characters, and phylogenetic relationship, a typification is necessary. Herein, we designate a neotype for B. subgiganteus, illustrate the types of both species, and provide details about their type localities and stratigraphic occurrence. Their peculiar morphological characters also lead us to introduce a new genus, Lotharingibelus n. gen., with Belemnites meta Blainville as a type species. Lotharingibelus n. gen. is a megateuthidid with a relatively short stratigraphical range (upper Toarcian) that had its dispersal center in the north-eastern Paris Basin. The occurrence of specimens with or without an epirostrum allows us to discuss aspects of their ontogeny and the long-debated issue of a possible sexual dimorphism in belemnites.
A new species of furry lobster (Decapoda, Achelata, Synaxidae) from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of Cheminon (Marne, France) is herein described. Cretapalibythus moniquae n. gen., n. sp. is erected based on two main morphological characters: the unarmed, rimmed, rostral margins and one elongate, prominent, unarmed anterolateral spine. It represents the first record of a furry lobster from the Early Cretaceous, filling the gap between the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian of France) and the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian of Lebanon) synaxids. A species of brachyuran crab - Prosopon gignouxi Van Straelen, 1928 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Homolidae) - from the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian) of Loriol-sur-Dr & ocirc;me (Dr & ocirc;me, France) is reappraised based on the rediscovery of its holotype. After its original report, this species was completely forgotten, and disappeared from the literature. It is herein placed in the genus Laeviprosopon Glaessner, 1933, recently reassigned to the Homoloidea De Haan, 1839, and a systematic discussion is elaborated with Laeviprosopon icaunensis (Van Straelen, 1936), the second species known from the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian) of France.
Despite the extensive fossil mollusk records in Taiwan, over 99% are marine species. Among the few freshwater deposits, the Tananwan Formation (1.46-1.24 Ma) in northern Taiwan has been recognized as one of the most prolific fossiliferous strata. In a 1-meter thick fossiliferous mudstone layer within the formation, we identified five molluscan taxa. The assemblage is primarily dominated by Sinotaia quadrata (Benson, 1842) and the less common Melanoides aff. tuberculata, which corresponds to the current freshwater ecosystem in northern Taiwan. This study presents detailed descriptions and images of fossil freshwater molluscan assemblage from Taiwan, providing insights into the origins of contemporary freshwater biodiversity in the subtropical West Pacific. Additionally, in several fossil S. quadrata specimens, juvenile shells were found within female shells, marking the second known case of child-carrying in fossil viviparids.
