Santonian Angiosperm-dominated leaf-assemblage from Piolenc (Vaucluse,Sud-Est de la France)

Lower Santonian sandy to coaly-clayey beds, collected near the village of Piolenc (Vaucluse) contain amber bearing insects and extremely well-preserved leaf cuticle compressions of Corystospermales, Cycadales, Bennettitales, Gymnosperms and mostly Angiosperms. The sedimentological and taphonomic studies indicate that the clays bearing the fossil cuticles were deposited along the Alpine Sea shore into supratidal ponds or marshes around which the plants studied herein grew. Moreover, the ‘nearest living relative’ and ‘foliar physiognomy’ methods, and the sedimentological and palaeontological studies agree with the occurrence of a warm and humid, tropical climate, including a dry season. To cite this article: B. Gomez et al., C. R. Palevol 2 (2003).     

Galets aménagés en provenance des terrasses supérieures du Rhône au sud de Lyon (Sud-Est de la France)

Between 1990 and 1993, we found 175 pebble-tools and two flake-tools on the western high-terrace south of Lyon (Southeast, France) at two different levels (290 m and 235 m NN). Most of them show the classical spectrum of choppers and chopping-tools, joined by six protobifaces. They all belong to the developed Olduvan (Olduvan II). On the lower terrace, corresponding with its younger age, we met a more progressive pebble-tool culture. Both stocks are secondary sites, brought from the East by the most extreme tongue of the Rhône glacier and, therefore, cannot be dated exactly.     

Presence de Gazella deperdita (Gervais) 1847 du gisement du Miocene superieur (Turolien) des Mistrals (Vaucluse,Sud-Est de la France)

Among the two bovid genera represented in the turolian locality Mistrals I, Gazella and Miotragocerus, the most abundant is a gazelle which, after comparison with Gazella deperdita from the Mont-Luberon, turns out to belong to this species. Resemblances between the two faunas, already noticed in the study of the Hipparions, are thus comfirmed.     

Implications de l’analyse microstructurale et géochimique des œufs de dinosaures de la cairanne (Bassin d’Aix en Provence,France, Rognacien inférieur)

Microstructural and geochemical analyses of the dinosaur eggshells at La Cairanne (Aix en Provence Basin, Lower Rognacien) show the presence of diagenesis. Diagenetic processes have altered the thickness of the shells and some structural data. The chemical composition has been also modified. Thus it is difficult to use these parameters to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. It is possible, indeed probable, that the problems of the previous authors about the definitions of eggshell morphotypes in the Aix Basin are due to diagenetic variations.     

Evolution de la composition en acides gras d'un phytoplancton lacustre (Lac Pavin,France)

Fatty Acid Composition of Lacustrian Phytoplankton (Pavin Lake, France) Fatty acid composition of lacustrian phytoplankton was established during a study carried out on Lake Pavin (France) from May to September 1981. Fatty acid spectra point out even numbers of carbon atoms (ranging from 14 to 22) and in particular unsaturated fatty acids preponderance. In addition, the occurrence of some unsaturated fatty acids is directly linked to phytoplankton taxonomic composition, but also to physiological state of the cells. Lastly, the main types of phytoplankton populations differ in the degree of unsaturation of their total fatty acids.     

Observations sur l'activité de migration de la grande alose Alosa alosa L. en Loire (France)

We studied the migratory activity of shad (Alosa alosa Linné) in the middle part of the Loire river, using stop net catches, in 1984.The migration started in the beginning of April, instead of February, as more usual. The end of migration is not precisely known, because of adverse hydrological conditions.During migration, the shad principally used the channel with the highest current velocity. The migration was disturbed by the presence of obstacles (weirs, dams of nuclear power stations).The daily and hourly activity of migration was strongly correlated with variations in water temperature. Shads did not run up at temperatures below 11°C. The upstream limit of ditribution was situated at more than 500 km from the estuary.

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Observations sur l'activité de migration de la grande alose Alosa alosa L. en Loire (France)

     

Remaniement de spores devoniennesdans le Famennien de la rade de Brest (France)

The shales of the Zorn Formation, in the Zorn Creek (presqu'ile de Crozon, Finistère) have been attributed until now to the Frasnian age. They contain spores which give evidence for an Upper Famennian age and show an important reworking of older spores. An erosion of sediments back to the Emsian connected with the Bretonic phase of the variscan orogeny is possible.     

Description de Artareites landii nov. (Ammonoidea) du Barrémien supérieur de Majastre (Sud-Est de la France) et discussion sur les Helicancylidae Hyatt, 1894

In the Majastre area (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, South-Eastern France), the hemipelagic domain of the Lower Cretaceous is exposed to the favour of the “Décrochement du Poil”. This palaeogeographical and paleotectonic position allowed the harvest of a diversified ammonite-fauna in the level with “small Barremites”. It is precisely dated here for the first time, and takes place between the base of the Barremense subzone and the base the Breistrofferi biohorizon of the Vandenheckei biozone (base of the Upper Barremian). Within this fauna, Artareites landii nov. sp. is considered here as a possible descendant of the genus Dissimilites Sarkar due to its characteristics and stratigraphic position. The genus Artareites nov. gen. is certainly an important milestone of the Helicancylidae towards the Toxoceratoides genus morphology. In this case, in agreement with the morphological, ontogenical, stratigraphical and paleobiogeographical parameters, some North American species could be considered as potential intermediate. Due to their characteristics and their joint origin, genus of small size included in the Helicancylidae represent a coherent set with the rank of a family, and is independent of the Ancyloceratidae. Its content is revised and limited to the genus phyletically associated around the main axis of Acrioceras-Dissimilites-Artareites nov. gen. and Toxoceratoides-Helicancylus, whose elements are connected by a number of forms. In this case, Monodites nov. gen. is created for the Hauterivian and Lower Barremian very specific forms Monodites crevolai (Vermeulen et al.) and Monodites trumpyi (Kakabadze et Thieuloy) which does not seem to be integrated in the taxa already recognized in the literature. The family Monoditidae nov. fam. is proposed to mark this uniqueness.     

Un atoposauridé (Crocodylia,mesosuchia) du portlandien de la Meuse (est de la France)

A small crocodilian skull from the lower Portlandian (Cyrena rugosa beds) of Brauvilliers (Meuse) is referred to an atoposaurid of the genus Alligatorium, apparently closely related to the species A. paintenense from the Tithonian of Franconia. It is the first reportof one of these small continental crocodilians from north-eastern France.     

Mise en evidence de Campanien continental (facies provencal) a Salavas (Ardeche,S-E de la France): Description,sedimentologie, paleogeographie

The continental sediments in the Northern Alès Basin are dated as Campanian age based on gastropod Melania praelonga MATHERON. The lithology is made up by red shales, conglomerates and pedologic limestones (crusts and nodules) with microcodiums. The conglomerates are heterometric and made up by limestone (Urgonian facies) and standstone boulders of Cenomanian and Turonian age. Also sandy limestones of coniacian age are found, all belonging to the local substratum. This discovery helps to understand the evolution of the Upper Cretaceous paleogeography.     

Catalogue des Vesperidae et des Cerambycidae de la faune de France (Coleoptera)

Ce catalogue des Vesperidae et Cerambycidae de la faune de France est fondé sur une vaste étude bibliographique et sur les observations des auteurs ainsi que celles, vérifiées, de nombreux amateurs. Les nombreuses modifications montrent la nécessité de la révision du dernier ouvrage de référence (Villiers 1978). Le bilan faunistique des recherches permet de dresser une liste de 251 taxa représentant 242 espèces actuellement présentes en France continentale et en Corse. Cette liste est sujette à de perpétuelles modifications liées aux fluctuations de populations, aux introductions et aux activités de recherche de nombreux amateurs. Ce travail de synthèse systématique, taxinomique et faunistique est une première étape pour la réalisation d’un atlas des Vesperidae et Cerambycidae de France et de Corse.