Les sites archéologiques plio-pléistocènes de la formation de Nachukui, Ouest-Turkana, Kenya : bilan synthétique 1997–2001

Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites in the Nachukui Formation, West Turkana, Kenya: synthetic results 1997–2001. Stretched along the western side of the Turkana Basin, the Nachukui Formation preserves a large number of Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites. Research carried out by the WTAP documents hominid behavioral evolution and technical diversity, through a time period ranging from 2.35 Myr to 0.7 Myr and within a relatively precise chronostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental frame. This work is based on comprehensive excavations conducted between 1997 and 2001 at the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene site complexes of the formation. To cite this article: H. Roche et al., C.R. Palevol 2 (2003).     

Nouvelles découvertes de dents d’hominidés dans le membre Kaitio de la formation de Nachukui (1,65–1,9 Ma), Ouest du lac Turkana (Kenya)

New hominid teeth from the Kaitio member (1.65–1.9 Myr) in West Turkana (Kenya). New hominid teeth have been recovered from the archaeological sites of Kokiselei 1 and Naiyena Engol 1. These two sites are located in the west side of the Turkana Basin and belong to the Kaitio member of the Nachukui Formation. They are dated between 1.65-1.79 and 1.7-1.8 Myr respectively. The four teeth (left maxillary canine and first molar, right maxillary third molar and left mandibular third molar) discovered in Kokiselei 1 are attributed to Australopithecus boisei. The right mandibular first premolar found in Naiyena Engol 1 is referred to Homo sp. aff. ergaster. To cite this article: S. Prat et al., C. R. Palevol 2 (2003).     

Le site de Tögi Ndrawa, île de Nias, Sumatra nord : les premières traces d'une occupation hoabinhienne en grotte en Indonésie

The site of Tögi Ndrawa, Island of Nias, North Sumatra: The first record of a Hoabinhian cave occupation in Indonesia. Although in Indonesia, Hoabinhian sites usually refer to large shell midden dated back from the Holocene period, the Tögi Ndrawa cave in the Island of Nias (North Sumatra) has revealed a thick shell accumulation, sealed in a cavity, and beginning with the end of the Late Pleistocene. Excavations have produced classical Hoabinhian pebble artefacts, a forest and coastal fauna, and human bones. Beyond the new chronological landmarks provided by these findings, they question the extension of the Hoabinhian phenomenon originating from continental Asia, and provide hints about human settlement and use of the environment at this period of prehistory. Pour citer cet article : H. Forestier et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).     

Invertébrés remarquables du Callovien inférieur de la Voulte-sur-Rhône (Ardèche, France)Remarkable Invertebrates from the Lower Callovian of la Voulte-sur-Rhône (Ardèche, France)

Remarkable Invertebrates from the Lower Callovian of la Voulte-sur-Rhône (Ardèche, France). The four-excavating field expeditions from 1983 to 1986 led to collect a considerable amount of new data from this exceptional paleontological site, which was neglected, and unexplored for the essential, until now. This paper presents a synthesis of the main available results. For the first time, the succession of the lithofacies is precised from all preserved deposits thick about 12 m. These observations reveal, on the whole, a great homogeneity of lithologic, paleobiologic or taphonomic characteristics, which denote a rather great constancy of the global environmental conditions. The lithofacies are schistous marls revealing former uncemented paleosubstrates, with clay very dominating (montmorillonite for 60–70%, calcium carbonate, siderite and limonite for less than 30% or 40%). The faunas are nearly exclusively composed of pelagic, nectopelagic or mesopelagic organisms (swimming in full water or dependent on free algal environments); they include very few benthic organisms. The marine water depth in this area would be estimated to have reached roughly 200 m. The surface and middle water strata, where lived the major part of organisms, must have been usually agitated, well oxygenated and illuminated. At the opposite side, the bottom water must have been very quiet and anoxic, in aphotic zona, which is responsible for the soft tissue mineralisation.     

A Late Campanian sphenodontid (Reptilia, Diapsida) from northern Patagonia

The fossil record of sphenodontids in the Southern Hemisphere is much longer than in Laurasia, where they became extinct after Early Cretaceous times. Recent works demonstrated the persistence of at least eilenodontine sphenodontids until the ‘mid’-Cretaceous of Patagonia. Focused examination of the Los Alamitos Formation collections provided remains of Late Campanian sphenodontids. Although the phylogenetic position of these remains is still uncertain, they belong to a new, unrecorded species of sphenodontid perhaps related to opisthodontians or primitive, toothed sapheosaurs. To cite this article: S. Apesteguía, C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).     

Indications for a humid climate in the Western Desert of Egypt 11–10 Myr ago: evidence from Galagidae (Primates, Mammalia)

The timing of desertification of the Sahara Desert is poorly understood, with recent estimates indicating an onset of hyper-aridity during the Latest Miocene. Field work in Egypt in 2005 has led to the discovery of evidence that indicates that 11–10 Ma the Western Desert was covered in woodland. Fossiliferous cave breccia at Sheikh Abdallah, Western Desert, Egypt, has yielded a Late Miocene (11–10 Ma) microvertebrate fauna, which contains Galagidae, Microchiroptera, Macroscelididae, Soricidae, Erinaceidae, and Rodentia. The locality also yielded the remains of frogs, snakes, lizards, and birds. The fauna indicates a mean annual rainfall in excess of 500 mm and perhaps as much as 1,200 mm. This palaeoclimatic information is important because it reveals that the Sahara Desert, which is today the largest in the world, was either considerably smaller during the Late Miocene than it is today, or that it did not yet exist as a continuous hyper-arid belt right across the continent. This data accords with estimates of a Latest Miocene (8–7 Ma) increase in aridity in the Sahara. To cite this article: M. Pickford et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

New Catarrhine fossils from Moroto II, Early Middle Miocene (ca 17.5 Ma) Uganda

During the 1998–2003 field seasons of the Uganda Palaeontology Expedition, dental remains of three catarrhine species were recovered from Moroto II, Uganda. Micromammals from the locality indicate a late Early Miocene to basal Middle Miocene (ca 17.5–17 Ma) age, younger than Rusinga (17.8 Ma), but similar in age to Buluk (17.2 Ma) and Kalodirr (17.2 Ma). This paper describes and interprets new catarrhines from the site, one of which is a victoriapithecid monkey, the second a new genus and species of small-bodied ape, and the third a large hominoid. A fourth species collected in the 1960's is attibuted to Afropithecus turkanensis. To cite this article: M. Pickford et al., C. R. Palevol 2 (2003).     

The subfossil occurrence and paleoecological implications of Macrotarsomys petteri (Rodentia: Nesomyidae) in extreme southeastern Madagascar

Remains of a large-bodied species of endemic nesomyid rodent, Macrotarsomys petteri Goodman and Soarimalala, 2005, were identified from subfossil deposits recovered from Andrahomana Cave in extreme southeastern Madagascar. This recently described extant species was previously only known from a single specimen collected at a site about 450 km northwest of Andrahomana and with distinctly different forest habitat than currently found in the vicinity of the cave. Radiocarbon dating of remains of M. petteri from the cave site indicates that it persisted in the region subsequent to human settlement. Previous reports of a large member of Macrotarsomys from other Quaternary sites in southern Madagascar are almost certainly of M. petteri. It is proposed that this species once had a broad distribution across the southern portion of the island during a more mesic period and subsequent aridification of the region has led to its local extirpation across most of its former range. To cite this article: S.M. Goodman et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

A new primitive hadrosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia (P.R. China)

The right dentary of a new hadrosauroid dinosaur, Penelopognathus weishampeli, has been discovered in the Bayan Gobi Formation (Albian, Lower Cretaceous) of Inner Mongolia (P.R. China). This new taxon is characterised by its elongated, straight dental ramus, whose lateral side is pierced by about 20 irregularly distributed foramina. Its dentary teeth appear more primitive than those of Probactrosaurus, but more advanced than those of Altirhinus, both also from the Lower Cretaceous of the Gobi area. Non-hadrosaurid Hadrosauroidea were already well diversified in eastern Asia by Early Cretaceous time, suggesting an Asian origin for the hadrosauroid clade. To cite this article: P. Godefroit et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).     

First record of a fossil bird from the Early Cretaceous of Thailand

We present the first known occurrence of a Mesozoic fossil bird from Thailand. The new specimen is the distal end of a left humerus, from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation in the Northeast of the country, and testifies to the presence of a medium-sized avian in these non-marine strata. This is also the first Mesozoic bird known from the whole of Southeast Asia. To cite this article: E. Buffetaut et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).     

The southernmost sirenian record in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Late Miocene of Chile

A tooth of a sirenian from the Late Miocene sediments of the Bahia Inglesa Formation (Chile) is described and referred to the Dugongidae. The fossil represents the first sirenian record from Chile and the southernmost record of the Sirenia in the eastern Pacific Ocean (latitude 27° S). The Chilean record extends the already wide geographical distribution of fossil sirenians along the Eastern Pacific coast. The presence of a sirenian during the Miocene on the Chilean coast is related to a globally warmer climatic condition and a still limited northern extension of the cold Humboldt Current. To cite this article: G. Bianucci, C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

Palynological dating of the Alturaia Arkose (Balagne, northern Corsica): geological implications

In Alpine Corsica, the Balagne Nappe displays the best-developed sedimentary succession associated with an ophiolite sequence. This sedimentary succession includes the Alturaia Arkose, whose age is still unknown. Several shale horizons cropping out in the Cima di Alturaia area were studied for palynological analyses. In this paper, a new palaeontological find in the Alturaia Arkose is reported and the related geological implications are discussed. The collected data indicate the occurrence of a palynological assemblage of Late Barremian to Middle Aptian age. The Alturaia Arkose can be regarded as a clastic deposit of Late Barremian–Middle Aptian age derived from rocks cropping out in Hercynian Corsica. To cite this article: M. Marroni et al., C. R. Palevol 3 (2004).

Résumé

Datation palynologique de l’arkose de l’Alturaia (Balagne, Corse septentrionale) : conséquences géologiques. En Corse alpine, la nappe de Balagne montre la meilleure succession sédimentaire associée à une séquence ophiolitique. Cette succession inclut l’arkose de l’Alturaia, dont l’âge est encore inconnu. Plusieurs horizons de shales ont été étudiés en vue d’analyses palynologiques, dans la zone de la Cima di l’Alturaia. Nous y indiquons une découverte paléontologique, et nous en discutons les implications géologiques. Les données nouvelles montrent la présence d’un assemblage palynologique d’âge Barrémien supérieur–Aptien moyen. L’arkose de l’Alturaia peut ainsi être considérée comme un dépôt détritique de cet âge, alimenté par les roches affleurant dans la Corse hercynienne. Pour citer cet article : M. Marroni et al., C. R. Palevol 3 (2004).     

The fauna and associated artefacts from the Lower Pleistocene site of Mansourah (Constantine, Algeria)

The site of Mansourah (Constantine, Algeria) had yielded to the early authors, and more recently to the late G. Laplace, a lithic industry associated with a fauna of large Mammals, which looks contemporaneous with that of Aïn Hanech, although it is well-distinct ecologically, and might even be slightly older. The lithic assemblage is completely devoid of any bifacial artefact or cleaver and can only be referred to the Oldowan. Thus, the Mansourah site documents a very early human occupation of North Africa, and perhaps one of the earliest. To cite this article: Y. Chaid-Saoudi et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

The ‘Giant of Ksour’, a Middle Jurassic sauropod dinosaur from Algeria

Continental strata of Early and Middle Jurassic age are seldom-exposed, and little is known of the history of sauropod dinosaurs prior to the neosauropod radiation of the end of the Middle Jurassic. Here, we report, in the Middle Jurassic of the Occidental Saharan Atlas (Algerian High Atlas), the discovery of a skeleton, including cranial material, of a new cetiosaurid sauropod. Chebsaurus algeriensis n. g., n. sp. represents the most complete Algerian sauropod available to date, only few remains were found before. To cite this article: F. Mahammed et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).     

Cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) from the Peştera cu Oase (Banat, Romania): Paleobiology and taphonomy

The 2002 discovery of the earliest European modern humans in the Peştera cu Oase (Romania) has led to systematic excavations of a bone bed (two levels), containing principally the remains of cave bears (ca. 5000 bones) and dated between 50 and 40 ka cal BP. The thanatocenosis corresponds mainly to a subadult and adult male utilization of the cavity. Levels 1 and 2 are distinguishable by different conservation processes demonstrating respectively low- and high-energy hydraulic transports. The heavy component of cannibalism may indicate bone processing for trace elements and/or a more omnivorous diet than is usually ascribed to cave bears. To cite this article: J. Quilès et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006).     

A new species of Anthracotheriidae, Merycopotamus medioximus nov. sp. from the Late Miocene of the Potwar Plateau, Pakistan

New anthracotheriid remains, discovered by the H-GSP in well-dated localities from the Potwar plateau in the North of Pakistan, between 10.4 and 8.6 Ma, are described and attributed to Merycopotamus medioximus nov. sp. This new species displays an intermediate morphology between the older M. pusillus and the more recent M. dissimilis. These results permit to emend the Merycopotamus diagnosis. To cite this article: F. Lihoreau et al., C. R. Palevol 3 (2004).

Résumé

Une nouvelle espèce d'Anthracotheriidae, Merycopotamus medioximus nov. sp. du Miocène récent du plateau du Potwar, Pakistan. Des restes d'Anthracotheriidae, découverts par le H-GSP dans des localités bien datées du plateau du Potwar, au Nord du Pakistan, entre 10,4 et 8,6 Ma, sont décrits et attribués à Merycopotamus medioximus nov. sp. Cette nouvelle espèce possède une morphologie intermédiaire entre M. pusillus, espèce plus ancienne, et M. dissimilis, plus récente. Ces résultats permettent en outre d'émender la diagnose du genre Merycopotamus. Pour citer cet article : F. Lihoreau et al., C. R. Palevol 3 (2004).     

Orycteropus (Tubulidentata, Mammalia) from Langebaanweg and Baard's Quarry, Early Pliocene of South Africa

Fossil teeth and bones of aardvarks are relatively common at Langebaanweg, an Early Pliocene site in western Cape Province, South Africa. The remains are compatible in size and most details of morphology to extant Orycteropus afer, and are the earliest fossils attributed to this species. Other Late Miocene to Early Pliocene localities in Africa have yielded smaller species of aardvarks, suggesting that the extant lineage evolved in southern Africa. Morphologically the genus Orycteropus has been remarkably conservative since at least the Early Miocene but it witnessed an overall increase in size through the Neogene. The species O. afer has been morphometrically stable since the Early Pliocene. These observations indicate that the evolutionary process in aardvarks is extremely bradytelic. To cite this article: M. Pickford, C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).