A new record of the enigmatic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Erymidae) from the Middle Jurassic of south-western Germany

A second species of the previously monotypic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928, Stenodactylina rogerfurzei n. sp. is recorded from the upper Aalenian of the Wutach area (Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany). Like the type species, Stenodactylina liasina Beurlen, 1928, the new species is based only on a single chela. Originally the type horizon of S. liasina was erroneously reported as being late Toarcian in age, but it in fact came from a bituminous limestone bed within the lower Toarcian Posidonia Shale. Hence, the known stratigraphical range of Stenodactylina is expanded from the early Toarcian to the late Aalenian.     

Does site elevation determine the start and intensity of human impact? Pollen evidence from southern Germany

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - We investigated lake sediments from Großer Ursee, Landkreis Ravensburg, Allgäu, Baden-Württemberg, to explore whether human activity was...     

Tripartichnus n. igen. — a new trace fossil from the Buntsandstein (Lower Triassic) and from the Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones (Upper Jurassic), Germany

Two species of a new trace fossil genus (cubichnia) are described:Tripartichnus triassicus n. igen., n. isp. from the “Plattensandstein“ (Upper Buntsandstein, Röt-Folge, Lower Triassic) of Keltern-Dietlingen (Enzkreis, Baden-Württemberg, SW-Germany) andTripartichnus imbergi n. igen., n. isp. from the Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones (Upper Jurassic, Tithonian) from Waiting and Pfalzpaint (district of Eichstätt, Bavaria, SE Germany). Due to the characteristic shape of the new ichnotaxa the tracemakers can be named in all probability:Tripartichnus triassicus was most likely made byEuthycarcinus kessleri Handlirsch, 1914 andTripartichnus imbergi byPalinurina sp.     

Dating the “red beds” of the Eastern Moroccan High Plateaus: Evidence from late Late Cretaceous charophytes and dinosaur eggshells

A new locality in the poorly known “red beds” of Tendrara (High Plateaus, Morocco) has yielded four charophytes species (Feistiella anluensis, Lamprothamnium stipitatum, Peckisphaera portezueloensis, Platychara caudata) and dinosaur eggshells (Pseudomegaloolithus atlasi). These red beds, which overly the Cenomanian-Turonian marine deposits, generally assigned to “Senonian” based on geometric position, are directly dated by these fossils: the charophytes species and dinosaur oospecies association indicates a Campano-Maastrichtian or Maastrichtian age for these calm floodplain deposits.     

New small mammals from the Hasnot–Tatrot area of the Potwar Plateau,northern Pakistan

New rodent and lagomorph fossils from the Hasnot–Tatrot area of northern Pakistan are presented here to complement knowledge of stratigraphic ranges and morphology of key late Neogene Siwalik taxa. Most of the material is from two sites near the village of Bhandar in strata of the late Miocene age Dhok Pathan Formation; one specimen comes from the Pliocene Tatrot beds. We apply previously established magnetostratigraphy to date the fossils, the Bhandar sites dating to 6.6–6.7 Ma. In describing the fossils, we emphasize new morphological information represented by the material. As surface finds, these fossils represent relatively large body size species: three bamboo rat relatives, a porcupine, and a rabbit. The bamboo rats (Rhizomyinae) are an endemic group, and both the porcupine (Hystrix) and the rabbit (Alilepus) represent late Miocene immigrants into the Indian subcontinent.     

Le Crocodilien longirostre Gavialosuchus dans le Miocène moyen de Polastron (Gers,France)

A left maxilla fragment from the newly discovered Miocene vertebrate locality of Polastron (Gers, southwestern France) is described and referred to the longsnouted eusuchian crocodilian Gavialosuchus, which had never been reported from the Miocene of this area, in which crocodilian remains are scarce. On the basis of its mammal fauna, the locality is slightly older than Sansan. Although Gavialosuchus is usually found in marine beds, its occurrence in the fluviatile deposits of Polastron shows that it also inhabited rivers.     

Shear stress and sediment resuspension in relation to submersed macrophyte biomass

We examined the impacts of macrophyte beds dominated by a canopy-forming (Myriophyllum sibiricum) and a meadow-forming (Chara canescens) species on bottom shear stress (τ) and resuspension in shallow Lake Christina, Minnesota (U.S.A.). Studies were conducted in late summer, 1998, when macrophyte biomass levels exceeded 200 g m^?2, and in early summer, 2000, when biomass was greatly reduced (<20 g m^?2) in both plant beds. The critical shear stress (τ_c) of sediments, measured experimentally in the laboratory, was low (1.4 dynes cm^?2) indicating potential for resuspension in the absence of macrophytes. During 1998, turbidity was low at the M. sibiricum and Chara station, rarely increasing when calculated bottom τ (calculated from wave theory assuming no biomass obstruction) exceeded τsub c sub, indicating that both beds reduced sediment resuspension at high biomass levels. In situτ (estimated τ), measured via gypsum sphere dissolution, did not exceed τ_c above the sediment interface in either bed during 1998. In contrast, sediment resuspension occurred in both beds during similar high winds in 2000. However, estimated τ was lower than calculated bottom τ, suggesting that at low biomass, macrophytes were having some impact on τ.     

First fossil records of the tholichthys larval stage of butterfly fishes (Perciformes,Chaetodontidae), from the Oligocene of Europe

The first fossils of the tholichthys larval stage of a chaetodontid from the lower Oligocene (Rupelian, Fish Shales; about 30.1 MYA) of Frauenweiler (Baden-Württemberg, S Germany) are described, along with two less well-preserved probable tholichthys from the lower Oligocene Menilite-Formation (IPM3, 30–29 MYA and IPM4A, 29–28 MYA) of Przemyśl (Outer Carpathians, SE Poland). The fossils are compared with tholichthys larvae of the extant genus of Chaetodontidae to which they are most similar, namely Chaetodon. The German specimens are identified as tholichthys larvae by the plate-like expansions of the supracleithrum and posttemporal that extend posteriorly well behind the head and by an expanded preopercle with a large posterior spine; these bones, and the frontals and supraoccipital, are distinctively rugose. The Polish specimen from IPM3 has similar features so it is safe to assume that it also is a chaetodontid tholichthys, whereas the specimen from IPM4A is so poorly preserved that it can only very tentatively be referred to the Chaetodontidae. The occurrence of tholichthys larvae prompts reconsideration of the paleoenvironmental situation at their respective fossil sites.     

Area-sensitivity of three reed bed bird species breeding in Mediterranean marshland fragments

Density and species-specific thresholds for three strictly reed bed (Phragmites australis)—related bird species (Ixobrychus minutus, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Acrocephalus arundinaceus), known as area-sensitive and breeding in an archipelago of 16 Mediterranean marshland fragments (Central Italy), were studied with mapping method techniques. No individuals of these species occurred in fragments smaller than 1 ha. Marshland fragments larger than 10 ha hosted all the three study species. We observed a significant increase in mean density between 0–1 and 1–10 ha for Acrocephalus scirpaceus and between 1–10 and >10 ha for Acrocephalus arundinaceus. Habitat heterogeneity of the marshland fragments was directly correlated to their size area. Therefore, area-sensitivity for the reed bed species can be interpreted also as a heterogeneity-sensitivity effect at fragment scale. In Mediterranean landscapes, a suitable marshland for the entire selected set of reed bed area-sensitive species should have a size greater than 10 ha with a patchy mosaic of reed beds, open waters, and other edge features.     

New data on the Devonian and Carboniferous Graptolithina (Dendroidea) from Belgium with notes on possible occurrences of Rhabdopleuridae in the Belgian Carboniferous

An old find of a graptolite from the Eifelian Jemelle Formation, combined with the recent discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved specimen from the Upper Frasnian (Matagne Formation), allow documentation of the geologically oldest and youngest dendroid fossils from the Devonian of Belgium. Both are ascribed to the long-ranging genus Callograptus (Acanthograptidae). These records enlarge the sparse knowledge of graptolite diversity and occurrences along the southern margin of Laurussia during the mid-Paleozoic. In Belgium, Devonian dendroids are exclusively known from the Dinant Synclinorium. The Devonian dendroid faunas previously reported from the Eifelian, Givetian and Frasnian of the Ardenne–Rhenish massifs (Belgium and Germany) are of low diversity (one to five species per locality). The specimens, generally inedaquatelly preserved, were ascribed to the genera Callograptus, Dictyonema, Palaeodictyota?, and Ruedemannograptus? In these massifs, Carboniferous dendroids are only known from the Viséan (Moliniacian) Denée Konservat-Lagerstätte. Other but undocumented reports of dendroids (and rhabdopleurids) are from the historical type area of the Tournaisian Stage (Tournai area, Brabant Parautochthon). Rhabdopleuridae from the Viséan–Serpukhovian of the Campine Basin (Turnhout borehole) remain incompletely known in the absence of the previously described material.     

Life cycle,physiology, ecology and red tide occurrences of the fish-killing raphidophyte Chattonella

The marine fish-killing raphidophytes of the genus Chattonella currently consist of five species, i.e. C. antiqua, C. marina, C. minima, C. ovata and C. subsalasa. The distribution of Chattonella species was confirmed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions in the world accompanying mass mortalities of fishes in nature and in aquaculture. The fish-killing mechanisms are still unclear, but suffocation is the ultimate cause of fish death. Increasing evidence is pointing towards the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS, e.g. superoxide), which are responsible for the gill tissue injury and mucus production that leads to death of fishes. A taxonomic revision was proposed based on morphology and genetic diversity that Chattonella antiqua and Chattonella ovata should be varieties of Chattonella marina possessing nomenclatural priority. Optimum temperatures for growth are 25 °C for C. antiqua and C. marina, 25–30 °C for C. ovata and 20–30 °C for Chattonella subsalsa. Adequate ranges of salinity for growth were about 20–30 for Chattonella species. Chattonella cells generally divide once a day. Laboratory culture experiments with artificial synthetic medium demonstrated that C. antiqua, C. marina and C. ovata used only Fe chelated with EDTA for growth, although tested diatoms and dinoflagellates used rather many kinds of chelated Fe. A suitable concentration of humic acid supplied with iron also had enhancing effects on the growth of C. antiqua. Diel vertical migration was observed in Chattonella, and the cells reached 7.5 m deep at night in the case of C. antiqua demonstrated by a mesocosm experiment in the Seto Inland Sea. Chattonella species have diplontic life history and have haploid cyst stage in their life cycle. Encystment was observed through formation of pre-encystment small cells after the depletion of nitrogen, and the small cells sink to the sea bottom to complete cyst formation by attachment to the solid surface such as diatom frustules and sand grains. Newly formed cysts are in the state of spontaneous dormancy and they need cold temperature period of four months or longer for maturation (acquisition of germination ability). Cysts germinate in early summer and resultant vegetative cells play an important role as seed populations in blooming in the summer season. However, relatively small part of cyst populations actually germinate from bottom sediments, and success of red tide formation is dependent on the growth in water columns. Since red tides of Chattonella were observed when diatoms were scarce in seawater, diatoms appear to have a key for the predominance of Chattonella in water columns. Diatom resting stages in sediments need light for germination/rejuvenation, whereas Chattonella cysts can germinate even in the dark, implying the selective germination of Chattonella cysts at the sea bottom under calm oceanographic conditions which contribute to bloom formation of Chattonella. As a mechanism of red tide occurrences of Chattonella in coastal sea, “diatom resting hypothesis” was presented. Biological control using diatoms is proposed through the germination/rejuvenation of resting stages suspending from bottom sediments to euphotic layer by sediment perturbation with submarine tractors or fishing trawling gears. Since diatoms have much higher growth rates, and newly joined diatom vegetative cells grow faster and prevent occurrence of Chattonella red tides as a result. As another prevention strategy for Chattonella red tides, algicidal bacteria inhabiting in seaweed beds and seagrass beds are presented. Co-culture of fish and seaweeds in aquaculture areas, and the developments of seaweed- and seagrass-beds would be practical and ultimately environment-friendly strategies for the prevention of harmful red tides of Chattonella by virtue of natural algicidal bacteria supplied from seaweeds and leaves of seagrass.     

A partial skeleton of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cetorhinus parvus</Emphasis> Leriche, 1910 (Chondrichthyes,Cetorhinidae) from the Oligocene of Germany

A partial skeleton of a shark was found in the Frauenweiler clay pit near Rauenberg (Oligocene, Rupelian; Baden-Württemberg, S. Germany). The shark is identified as Cetorhinus parvus Leriche 1910. One tooth, vertebrae, dermal denticles and most of the filter apparatus of the juvenile specimen are described and illustrated. A terminology is introduced for the gill raker elements of the genus Cetorhinus to compare C. parvus and C. maximus.     

Ademosynoides asiaticus Martynov, 1936, the earliest known member of an extant beetle family (Insecta, Coleoptera, Trachypachidae)

Fossil beetles are described from Kedrovka beds of the locality Babii Kamen’, Kuznetsk Basin, Siberia. According to different authors, this locality is dated to the terminal Permian or basal Triassic. SEM studies have shown that Ademosynoides asiaticus Martynov, 1936, described from this locality, should be placed in the family Trachypachidae, which makes it the earliest known extant family of beetles. In addition to the re-studied holotype, further material is described for this species; a new species of the same genus and a new genus and species of the same family are also described. As a result, almost 10% of the 78 beetle fossils known from this locality are identified as belonging to Trachypachidae. Unfortunately, the study of these beetles is complicated by the rather poor preservation quality and very small size of the majority of the fossils, which usually cannot be properly studied without using SEM. However, even in this case there is no full certainty that the results are absolutely reliable.     

Unidirectional shift in leaf morphology of coexisting species — a possible indicator of palaeoclimatic differences

The pre-Neogene basement of the Pannonian domain is built up by a collage of terranes deriving from different parts of the Tethys, which finally accreted in the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene times. Combined stratigraphical, sedimentological, palaeomagnetic and tectonic investigations have revealed the palaeogeographic position of the Palaeogene Basin, including the Buda and Bükk tectonic units However, despite floristic similarities, the Buda and Bükk regions also show important physiognomic differences. In the vicinity of Budapest (Buda unit), the large size and width of leaves are conspicuous, whereas in Eger-Kiseged (Bükk unit), leaves are definitely smaller and narrower. In order to define the differences quantitatively, morphometrical measurements were adopted. The shape and size of leaf fossils were compared by means of a circular grid (Hill, 1980). Leaves of 4 dominant species (Sloanea elliptica (Andreánszky) Z. Kva?ek & Hably, Engelhardia orsbergensis (Wessel & Weber) Jähnichen, Mai & Walther, Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis (Rossmässler) Walther & Kva?ek, and Zizyphus zizyphoides (Unger) Weyland were the target of our study. The average leaf area is 1.4–2.3 times larger in the Buda tectonic unit (Budapest locality) than in the Bükk tectonic unit (Eger-Kiseged locality). Statistical tests proved highly significant differences between these values. Regarding the asymmetry of the leaf lamina, the four species differed considerably. Nevertheless, a significant difference between the two localities was shown only in one of them (Sloanea elliptica). Consequently, a significant alteration of measures of asymmetry as a function of habitat conditions was not indicated. Smaller leaf area and significantly narrower leaf blade are possible indicators of drier climatic conditions in the Bükk unit.     

Oligocene eel from the Frauenweiler site (Germany)

A new genus and species Deutschenchelys micklichi gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Lower Oligocene of Germany (Frauenweiler site, near Rauenberg town, Baden-Württemberg) and placed, to some extent provisionally, due to the incompletely preserved specimen, into the family Moringuidae. The new genus is compared to a wide range of recent families of the order Anguilliformes and to other genera of the family Moringuidae. It is concluded that the recent genera of Moringuidae probably diverged earlier than the Oligocene.     

A new Ruscinian site in Europe: Baza-1 (Baza basin,Andalusia, Spain)

The Guadix–Baza depression (southeastern Spain) preserves one of the best continental Plio-Pleistocene records of the European continent. The new site, Baza-1, is the first Ruscinian locality with fauna of large vertebrates known in the basin. During the summer seasons of 2001, 2002, 2015 and 2016, systematic excavations were undertaken in the site over an area of 25 m², which provided > 400 fossil remains of Ruscinian mammals. The faunal assemblage is diverse, comprising 17 genera. Rodentia are represented by Ruscinomys sp., Apocricetus barrierei, Debruijnimys julii, Apodemus gorafensis, Castillomys gracilis, Occitanomys cf. brailloni, Paraethomys meini, Paraethomys aff. abaigari, Stephanomys cordii, Trilophomys cf. castroi and Eliomys aff. intermedius. Large mammals are represented by two proboscideans, Anancus arvernensis and Mammut borsoni, the rhino Stephanorhinus sp. cf. S. jeanvireti, the equid cf. Hipparion sp., two bovids, a large sized Alephis sp. and a small-to-middle sized Bovidae indet. (cf. Antilope sp.), and a middle sized deer, Cervinae indet. This record is completed by the presence of a chelonid, Testudinae indet. Biostratigraphic data from micro and macromammals suggest an age for the assemblage between 4 and 4.5 Ma.     

Bone lamina thickness,bone apposition rates,and age estimates in sauropod humeri and femora

Laminar fibrolamellär bone from the mid-shaft region of sauropod humeri and femora was analyzed quantitatively to understand Variation in lamina thickness and apposition rate. The samples were derived from five taxa (Apatosaurus, Barosaurus, an indeterminate gracile diplodocid,Brachiosaurus, Janenschia) and two localities (Tendaguru beds, Tanzania, and Howe-Stephens Quarry, Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA). Lamina thickness is rather constant at 4–6 laminae/mm (mean 4.8), independent of locality, taxon, bone, and ontogenetic age, suggesting structural constraints as a cause. Bone apposition rate was calculated in bones with annual growth lines (polish lines) by two methods to serve in age estimates of individuals without growth lines and unsampled individuals. Apposition rates are rather variable (1–20 (jm/day), resulting in a wide bracket for the ages estimated. Our age estimates are compatible with recent estimates derived by other methods, however.     

Contemporaneous Trace and Body Fossils from a Late Pleistocene Lakebed in Victoria,Australia, Allow Assessment of Bias in the Fossil Record

The co-occurrence of vertebrate trace and body fossils within a single geological formation is rare and the probability of these parallel records being contemporaneous (i.e. on or near the same bedding plane) is extremely low. We report here a late Pleistocene locality from the Victorian Volcanic Plains in south-eastern Australia in which demonstrably contemporaneous, but independently accumulated vertebrate trace and body fossils occur. Bite marks from a variety of taxa are also present on the bones. This site provides a unique opportunity to examine the biases of these divergent fossil records (skeletal, footprints and bite marks) that sampled a single fauna. The skeletal record produced the most complete fauna, with the footprint record indicating a markedly different faunal composition with less diversity and the feeding traces suggesting the presence, amongst others, of a predator not represented by either the skeletal or footprint records. We found that the large extinct marsupial predator Thylacoleo was the only taxon apparently represented by all three records, suggesting that the behavioral characteristics of large carnivores may increase the likelihood of their presence being detected within a fossil fauna. In contrast, Diprotodon (the largest-ever marsupial) was represented only by trace fossils at this site and was absent from the site''s skeletal record, despite its being a common and easily detected presence in late Pleistocene skeletal fossil faunas elsewhere in Australia. Small mammals absent from the footprint record for the site were represented by skeletal fossils and bite marks on bones.     

Le passage Cénomanien–Turonien dans le Nord-Ouest algérien (coupe de Douar Menkouchi,Ouarsenis) : biostratigraphie des radiolaires

The Ouarsenis Massif belongs to the Algerian Tell domain which is considered as the eastern part of the Maghrebian Tethys former margin. The Cenomanian-Turonian Douar Menkouchi section outcropping in the eastern side of the Ouarsenis massif is composed of marls and laminated limestone alternations, including massive limestone and a biosiliceous bed toward the upper part of the succession. It reveals the presence of well-preserved and diversified radiolarians. In this study, we have identified for the first time in the Algerian domain, age-diagnostic radiolarian assemblages characterizing the Cenomanian-Turonian transition (C/T). The organic-rich laminated beds (black shales) confined to Silvae Zone, Cenomanian in age and underlying a biosiliceous interval, have provided radiolarian assemblages dominated by Pseudodictyomitrae. The successions overlying the biosiliceous interval have provided diversified radiolarian assemblages including Hagiastridae (i,e. Crucella cachensis, Alievium cf. superbum) and abundant Dictymitrae taxa (i,e. Dictyomitra cf. napaensis and Dictyomitra undata) indicating early Turonian age. These marl-limestone alternations are assigned to the Alievium superbum Zone. Considering taphonomic and diagenetic implications on assemblages content, we conclude that organic-rich beds and biosiliceous interval outline the latest Cenomanian. The radiolarian assemblage composition exhibits similarities to microfauna recovered from Bonarelli Horizon in Central Italy. Morphological similarities are also deduced from assemblages containing Pseudodictyomitrae tiara morphotypes (synonym of P. nakasekoi) which resemble those recovered from ophiolitic intervals in Cyprus and Oman areas.