The La Voulte-sur-Rhône Lagerstätte (Middle Jurassic,France)

The La Voulte Lagerstätte (Jurassic, France) is characterized by a diverse and exceptionally well-preserved fauna. It was located along the western Tethyan margin where the submarine relief was steep. The sedimentation was dominated by marls suggesting a low energy and deep-water depositional environment. The La Voulte biota is remarkable for its biodiversity with about 60 different species. The major components are the arthropods (50% of the species), the cephalopods (10%) and the echinoderms (10%). Among the arthropods, the composition and some anatomical features suggest a relatively deep-water environment characterized by dim-light conditions. The cephalopods and other organisms (pycnogonids, asterids), have extant analogues that all live in deep-water niches always exceeding 200 m. The fauna as a whole bears the characteristic features of the present-day bathyal fauna. The La Voulte Lagerstätte may be one of the rare Jurassic Lagerstätten, if not the unique, to have fossilized a deep marine fauna.     

The late Miocene mammals from the Konservat-Lagerstätte of Saint-Bauzile (Ardèche,France)

Diatomite deposits of Saint-Bauzile near Privas (Ardèche) in southern France have been known since more than two centuries for abundant and extremely well-preserved fossils of plants and animals. The radiometric dating brackets fossil-bearing horizons between 7.2 and 7.6 Ma, which is consistent with the biochronologic age given by fossil mammals, which are characteristics of the late MN11 zone, i.e. the second part of the late Miocene. The main interest of this site for mammals is that they are preserved almost “in the flesh”, as entire skeletons with bones in their anatomical connection, and often with skin and fur charred and forming a halo around the body. In this work, we studied the remains of a lagomorph, two rodents, an equid, a suid, a bovid and a rhino. The mode of preservation of mammals as entire bodies suggests sudden death and rapid burial of individuals.     

A synoptic review of the Eocene (Ypresian) cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali,Elasmobranchii) of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte,Italy

Here, we review and discuss the records and taxonomy of the Ypresian (Eocene) chondrichthyans from the famous Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte in northeastern Italy. Despite the outstanding diversity and the numerous studies focusing on the actinopterygian faunas from Pesciara and Monte Postale, the current knowledge about the systematics, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the cartilaginous fishes from these Eocene sites remains elusive and largely inadequate. The celebrated Eocene Bolca Lagerstätte has yielded several exquisitely preserved articulated remains of chondrichthyan fishes in which delicate structures and soft tissues are preserved, as well as isolated teeth. The cartilaginous fish assemblage of Bolca comprises at least 17 species-level taxa belonging to 10 families in 6 orders, including selachians (Carcharhiniformes, Lamniformes), batoids (Torpediniformes, Myliobatiformes, Rajiformes) and holocephalans (Chimaeriformes). The occurrence of holocephalans represented by an isolated fin-spine of the chimeroid Ischyodus in the Bolca assemblage is reported here for the first time and represents the first record of chimeroids in the Eocene of Italy and also southern Europe. The Bolca chondrichthyan assemblage is remarkably different from those of other contemporaneous Boreal or Tethyan deposits, suggesting that its taxonomic composition is largely influenced by the palaeoenvironmental context. However, this synoptic review also highlights the importance of detailed revisions of all chondrichthyan remains from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätten.     

The Montceau-les-Mines Lagerstätte (Late Carboniferous,France)

The Montceau-les-Mines Lagerstätte (Late Stephanian, Late Carboniferous) is located northeast of the French Massif Central. Situated at equatorial latitudes during the Pennsylvanian, this Lagerstätte, probably a freshwater environment, preserves a rich and diverse flora (lycopsids, sphenopsids, ferns, pteridosperms, and cordaites) and fauna (bivalves, annelids, crustaceans, myriapods, insects, chelicerates, myxinoids, actinopterygians, sarcopterygians and tetrapods). These exceptionally preserved fossils can be found either flattened in shales or three-dimensionally preserved in sideritic nodules. The fossils from the nodules are exceptional for at least two reasons: the absence of major disarticulation of their body structure and the preservation of soft parts and extremely fragile cuticular structures. Such preservation was made possible by the combination of several factors: rapid burial in fine anoxic mud, early siderite precipitation (inducing the nodule formation) and phosphatization of cuticles and soft-bodied features.     

A limulid trackway from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) Lagerstätte of Canjuers (Var,France)

The first record of an invertebrate trackway from the lithographic limestones of the Canjuers Lagerstätte is described here. The preserved part of the trackway is approximately 39 cm long and 17 cm wide; it consists of two successive sets of imprints and the beginning of a third one. Two kinds of imprints have been recorded: the first one, well-preserved, is tetradactyl and the second one is straight, narrow and in sets of two or three imprints. The tracks described in this paper are similar to the type specimen of the ichnogenus Kouphichnium. The trackway, corresponding to locomotion behavior and left by a 26 cm wide specimen, can be related to the ichnospecies Kouphichnium lithographicum. This is the first evidence of a limulid from the Canjuers Lagerstätte.     

Le Crocodilien Diplocynodon (Eusuchia,Alligatoridae) dans la«série du gypse d'Aix à Venelles (Bouches-du-Rhône,France)

A crocodilian skeleton from the «série du gypse d'Aix (basal Aquitanian) at Venelles (Bouches-du-Rhône) is described and referred to Diplocynodon cf. rateli. The specimen seems to have been mutilated by scavengers before burial. The occurrence of the freshwater crocodilian Diplocynodon in the «série du gypse d'Aix is in agreement with recent reconstructions of the depositional environment, which suggest a basin with a fluctuating, but usually low, salinity.     

Recovery of the seagrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> in a disturbed Mediterranean lagoon (Etang de Berre,Bouches-du-Rhône,Southern France)

Until 1966, Berre lagoon (Provence, southern France) was a salty lagoon with a highly diversified marine fauna and flora. Increased inputs of freshwater from a hydroelectric plant led to the desalination and stratification of the lagoon. Following these changes, a wide diversity of species disappeared, including the eelgrass Zostera marina, a keystone species which previously constituted extensive meadows in the lagoon. After almost three decades of absence, patches of eelgrass were observed in 2001 and 2002 but the success of future recolonization by this community is uncertain.     

A new look at the Late Jurassic Canjuers conservation Lagerstätte (Tithonian,Var, France)

The Canjuers conservation Lagerstätte represents a Late Jurassic lagoonal environment. The sedimentology and stratigraphy of the locality show three different depositional sequences. Fossils are mainly found in the basalmost layers that correspond to the first phase of deposition in the lithographic limestones sensu stricto. The fossil biodiversity is rich. So far, more than 1000 specimens including 38 invertebrate and 18 vertebrate taxa have been recovered from the limestones. The depositional information suggests that most invertebrates and vertebrates were not autochthonous to the lagoon, but swept in during storm events from the open sea or nearby emerged reef environments.     

Eocene sand tiger sharks (Lamniformes,Odontaspididae) from the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte,Italy: palaeobiology,palaeobiogeography and evolutionary significance

Here we report the first record of one of the most common and widespread Palaeogene selachians, the sand tiger shark Brachycarcharias, from the Ypresian Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte. The combination of dental character of the 15 isolated teeth collected from the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites (e.g. anterior teeth up to 25 mm with fairly low triangular cusp decreasing regularly in width; one to two pairs of well-developed lateral cusplets; root with broadly separated lobes; upper teeth with a cusp bent distally) supports their assignment to the odontaspidid Brachycarcharias lerichei (Casier, 1946), a species widely spread across the North Hemisphere during the early Palaeogene. The unambiguous first report of this lamniform shark in the Eocene Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte improves our knowledge concerning the diversity and palaeobiology of the cartilaginous fishes of this palaeontological site, and provides new insights about the biotic turnovers that involved the high trophic levels of the marine settings after the end-Cretaceous extinction.     

Effects of management works on the interstitial fauna of floodplain aquatic systems (River Rhône, France)

Long-term changes in composition, structure and biodiversity (i.e. taxonomic richness, diversity index, species traits and habitat-affinity) of interstitial assemblages were studied in two floodplain systems: a restored backwater and an artificial drainage canal. Before restoration, the backwater, affected by both terrestrialisation and eutrophication, was weakly populated by a low diversified fauna dominated by walkers, macrofauna, detritivores, and stygoxenes (i.e. taxa that occur incidentally in ground waters) that reproduce biparentally and lack parental care. This backwater displayed an upstream–downstream gradient in response to restoration works. Upstream, the dredging of fine organic sediments favoured inputs of nutrient-poor groundwater and exchanges between groundwater and surface water that induced an increase in taxonomic richness (in both herbivores and stygoxenes). Downstream the deposition of fine sediment that was suspended in the water column by restoration work enhanced colmation that induced a decrease in herbivore and swimming taxa, and an increase in mesofaunal taxa, whilst phreatobites (i.e. taxa specialized to interstitial life) remained absent from the system. The drainage canal that was artificially hollowed-out to lower the surrounding water table, harbors mixed assemblages of epigean (i.e. taxa of surface-water habitats) and hypogean (i.e. taxa of groundwater habitats) taxa. The upstream part, which is weakly influenced by surface waters, was colonized by phreatobites as oligotrophic conditions increased. The intermediate part, which is fed by surface water and where mesotrophic conditions occurred as habitats progressively matured and diversified, showed diversification of its fauna. The downstream part of the drainage canal displayed the reverse dynamic – this suggests a reduction in groundwater supply due to the clogging of sediment interstices fine sediments, the deposition of which is linked to the Rossillon backwater restoration works.     

Influence of benthic and interstitial processes on nutrient changes along a regulated reach of a large river (Rhône River,France)

An enclosure study was conducted in Ranger Lake in south-central Ontario, Canada from 4 July to 5 August 1997 to determine predation effects of the larvae of the phantom midge fly Chaoboruson the zooplankton community. Zooplankton assemblages were established in 12 enclosures (2 m in diameter, 7.5 m deep). Three densities of fourth-instar Chaoborus trivittatus (0 l^–1, 0.1 l^–1 and 0.5 l^–1) were introduced as predator treatments to the enclosures. Temperature, dissolved oxygen and zooplankton community composition were monitored for six weeks. To determine if the zooplankton community composition changed, a repeated measures multivariate analysis was performed on percent biomass of Bosmina and calanoid copepods. There were no significant differences in mean taxon percent biomass among predator treatments. There were significant differences in mean taxon percent biomass between water layers (epilimnion and metalimnion). There were also significant differences in lengths of Bosmina and calanoid copepods among predator treatments at the end of the experiment. Crop content analysis of C. trivittatusshowed that Bosmina constituted 88–98% of the prey items found in the crops. These results demonstrate that the use of deep enclosures, a Chaoborus species which vertically migrates, and lower natural densities of Chaoborus may provide prey with an important natural refuge from predation and so allow a more accurate determination of the predation impact of Chaoborus trivittatusin temperate lakes where fish control Chaoborus densities.     

Unmown refuge areas and their influence on the survival of grassland birds in the Saône valley (France)

The objective of this study is to assess the attractiveness of refuge areas to the avifauna of the mown prairies in the Val de Saône region, after the disappearance of all cover by mowing. We compared the densities of several species, notably the corncrake, Crex crex, and the common quail, Coturnix corturnix, in three categories of refuge areas of unmown grasslands. Within the 10-m wide strips, covering in total 3–5% of the study area, bird densities at the beginning of August, after the hay-making season, are much higher than the densities recorded in the prairies during haymaking in July. Quail and corncrake densities are always lower, although still higher than the July densities in the prairie, in the fields of some 0.5 ha (covering 6.1% of another study area). In fields of 1 ha or more, the low densities of the two species reveal their poor attractiveness, or the absence of it. When during outside-in mowing some 10-m wide strips in the center of the fields are left uncut before the completion of mowing, or when during inside-out mowing two 5-m wide strips along the field margins are not mown, the contacts between the mowing machine and half of the unfledged young quails, and one-third of the unfledged young corncrakes, can be avoided.     

A partial skeleton of Geotrypus antiquus (Talpidae, Mammalia) from the Late Oligocene of the Enspel fossillagerst?tte in Germany

The partial skeleton of a young adult Geotrypus antiquus (de Blainville 1840) from the Upper Oligocene (MP 28) found in Enspel comprises the skull with both mandibles, distal ends of both scapulae, left clavicula, humeri, ulnae and radii of both sides, various elements of the hand, some vertebrae, ribs, and the left femur. For the first time, the previously postulated association between dentition and postcranial elements can be confirmed. The skeleton exhibits strong adaptations for a subterranean life, similar to modern fossorial moles. The humerus is wide with a large pectoral process. The wing-like greater and lesser tuberosities, teres tubercle, and distal epicondylus are clearly developed. The metacarpals and phalanges are broad and stout. There are several sesamoid bones in the broad digging hand, including a prepollex (os falciforme). The preserved bones allowed the forelimb of G. antiquus to be reconstructed. Previous finds of G. antiquus have mainly been from France, with a few specimens from Switzerland and southern Germany. The specimen from Enspel is the northernmost record. A cladistic analysis, based on the matrix of Sánchez-Villagra et al. (Cladistics 22:59?C88, 2006), confirms the basal position of Geotrypus within the Old World moles (Talpini).     

Demographic structure and life history traits of the common goby Pomatoschistus microps (Teleostei,Gobiidae) in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Rhône River delta,France)

Demographic structure and life history traits of the common goby Pomatoschistus microps were investigated in a brackish water lagoon of the Rhône River delta (Mediterranean Sea, southern France). The size frequency distribution and gonadosomatic index indicated that three different age groups occurred and reproduced successively in the lagoon, resulting in a long spawning period from March to September and a high investment in reproduction. This high investment in reproduction, which contrasts with that found in other mostly northern European populations, probably relates to the unpredictability of the gobyˈs environmental conditions.     

Technical behaviours and subsistence patterns of lower middle palaeolithic men the case of the site of Payre in the Rhône valley (South-East of France)

Excavations at Payre, between 1990 and 1998, yielded lithic artefacts and bones in four levels. Men came during the isotopic stage 5 interglacial (Eemian) and isotopic stages 6 and 7. Sites of this age are not many in this part of the Rhône valley and this cave is an important element for the oldest Middle Palaeolithic and its diversity. The men lived in the cave before/after departure of bears and hyenas or wolves, probably for short occupations. Sedimentological, palynological, palaeontological and geochronological studies carry much informations about human life in this cave. The artefacts belong to the Lower Middle Palaeolithic culture, which shows originalities as compared to the South-West of France and also sites of the South-East for example Orgnac 3 dating to isotopic stage 9. The South-East of France shows more and more its important place in the knowledge of the Mousterians and could become in future a rich country for informations.     

A new and alien species of “oyster leech” (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida, Stylochidae) from the brackish North Sea Canal, The Netherlands

A new species of polyclad flatworm, Imogine necopinata Sluys, sp. nov., is described from a brackish habitat in The Netherlands. Taxonomic affinities with Asian species and the ecology of the animals suggest that the species is an introduced, exotic component of the Dutch fauna. The new species belongs to a group of worms with species that are known to predate on oysters.