Cenomanian Cephalopods of Bellezma-Aures mountains,NE Algeria: Taxonomy and biostratigraphy

The Cenomanian Smail Marl Formation in the Bellezma and Aures mountains of northeastern Algeria is well exposed and rich in macroinvertebrates, including cephalopods. Twenty-five ammonite species and two nautiloid species from the Thénièt El Manchar, Djebel Metrassi and Djebel Bouarif sections are described and seven assemblage zones proposed as provisional working units: Mantelliceras mantelli–Sharpeiceras laticlavium Assemblage Zone (lower Cenomanian), Mantelliceras dixoni Assemblage Zone (uppermost lower Cenomanian), Cunningtoniceras inerme Assemblage Zone (lower middle Cenomanian), Acanthoceras rhotomagense and Acanthoceras cf. rhotomagense Assemblage Zone (middle middle Cenomanian), Acanthoceras amphibolum Assemblage Zone (upper middle Cenomanian), Acanthoceras jukesbrownei Assemblage Zone (uppermost middle Cenomanian), and Neolobites vibrayeanus Assemblage Zone (lower upper Cenomanian). The lower Cenomanian Mantelliceras mantelli–Sharpeiceras laticlavium Zone is subdivided into the Submantelliceras aumalense, Sharpeiceras schlueteri and Mantelliceras saxbii subzones. The base of the middle Cenomanian is marked by the disappearance of species of Mantelliceras and the appearance of the scleractinian coral Aspidiscus cristatus (Lamarck, 1801), associated with Cunningtoniceras inerme (Pervinquière, 1907). The middle Cenomanian contains abundant A. cristatus and species of Acanthoceras, i.e., A. cf. rhotomagense (Defrance in Brongniart, 1822), A. jukesbrownei (Spath, 1926) and A. amphibolum Morrow, 1935. An ammonite zonal scheme is then applied to the Cenomanian exposed in the Bellezma-Aures mountains located on the southern Tethys margin in Algeria.     

Macroinvertebrate fauna and depositional environment of the lower Upper Cenomanian Oberhäslich Formation in the Saxonian Cretaceous Basin (Germany)

In Saxony (southeast Germany), the global early Late Cretaceous transgression is reflected by the onlap of shallow-marine siliciclastics of the lower Upper Cenomanian Oberhäslich Formation (Calycoceras naviculare Zone) onto the eastern Erzgebirge, the central part of the emergent Mid-European Island. Based on detailed logging of sections south of Dresden and the study of extensive collection material, the depositional environment and macroinvertebrate assemblages of the Oberhäslich Formation have been reconstructed. This unit, with a mean thickness of 10–15 m, usually shows a fining-upward trend that may become reversed towards the top, was laid down in a single 3rd-order sea-level cycle and is capped by an unconformity at the base of the overlying upper Upper Cenomanian Dölzschen Formation (sequence boundary Cenomanian 5; junction of the Calycoceras naviculare and Metoicoceras geslinianum zones). The macroinvertebrate assemblage of the Oberhäslich Formation, collected mainly from bioturbated, fine- or rarely medium-grained, quartz-rich sandstones, is fairly diverse, comprising nearly 50 taxa, predominantly bivalves (94.3%). Most conspicuous and abundant are relatively large forms such as Rhynchostreon (R.) suborbiculatum (25%) and Inoceramus pictus spp. (21%), eponymous taxa of the Rhynchostreon suborbiculatum/Inoceramus pictus assemblage. Non-bivalve benthic invertebrates are rare and represented by rather poorly preserved irregular and regular echinoids, siliceous sponges, a few gastropods, crustacean remains and a single starfish. Common Thalassinoides and Ophiomorpha burrows indicate that crustaceans were an important part of the infauna. Pervasive bioturbation resulted in a post-depositional homogenization of the sediments while all body fossils are preserved as (composite) internal moulds. The guild structure of the Rhynchostreon suborbiculatum/Inoceramus pictus assemblage shows a predominance of epifaunal and semi-infaunal suspension feeders (95.3%), suggesting eutrophic and unstable “green-water conditions” of an inner-shelf setting. Deposit-feeding biota are rare. The common occurrence of articulated bivalves and storm-induced shell beds indicate episodic rapid burial, most probably by tempestites. A current-influenced, well-oxygenated and nutrient-rich environment slightly below fair-weather base is inferred for the fine-grained sandy, fossiliferous sediments of the Oberhäslich Formation.     

L’ambre cénomanien d’Anjou : stratigraphie et paléontologie des carrières du Brouillard et de Hucheloup (Ecouflant,Maine-et-Loire)

The Ecouflant area (Maine-et-Loire, France) shows the last outcrops from the Anjou region that allow the study of early Cenomanian lignites and the associated amber. The quarry of Le Brouillard was historically the most studied locality, but it is now partly covered by bulky waste. No fossil arthropod has been found in the amber collected in this locality, and only a few bacterial filaments and plant fragments were detected among the microinclusions. The quarry of Hucheloup shows a wider exposure. Amber is poor, but fossil plants and bivalve are frequent. Based on the sedimentological series and the palaeontological contents of the lignitic clay, we suggest that it corresponds to estuarine to coastal depositional environments with variable salinity.     

The genus Taxodium (Cupressaceae) in the Palaeogene and Neogene of Central Europe

Fossil remains of Taxodium from upper Eocene to lower Miocene localities in Germany, the Czech Republic and Russia are investigated to reconsider taxonomic concepts. It is demonstrated that all material belongs to one species which is named Taxodium dubium (Sternberg) Heer emend. Using the whole-plant concept, T. dubium is considered as a synthetic species comprising foliage, seed cones, seeds, and male cones with pollen in situ. Shared identity of T. dubium and the wood morpho-taxon Taxodioxylon taxodii Gothan is assumed. Taxodium dubium underwent evolutionary changes through the Oligocene expressed mainly in changes of the cone scale ornamentation. To designate this intraspecific variation taxonomically two morpho-formae are distinguished: T. dubium forma heerii (Dorofeev) Kunzmann, Kva?ek, Mai et Walther stat. nov. et emend. and T. dubium forma dubium. Simultaneous intraspecific variations in leaf morphology and leaf epidermal anatomy are missing. Taxodium dubium occurs from the late Eocene to late Miocene in the (Atlantic-) Boreal province sensu Mai of Central Europe and from the late Oligocene to late Pliocene in the Transeuropean Paratethys province sensu Mai.     

Cenomanian cheilostome bryozoans from Devon,England

The Cenomanian witnessed a spectacular evolutionary radiation of cheilostome bryozoans, both in terms of species diversity and morphological disparity. However, Cenomanian cheilostome faunas are inadequately known. Twelve species of cheilostome bryozoans are here described from the Cenomanian Beer Head Limestone Formation of SE Devon, England, a nearshore facies of limestones and sands. Two of the cheilostome species are new – Wilbertopora manubriformis sp. nov. and Foratella cervisia sp. nov. – and five cannot be identified beyond genus level. Syntypes of Foratella forata (d’Orbigny, 1853), the Senonian type species of Foratella Canu, 1900, are illustrated using SEM and a lectotype is chosen. All of the species present are neocheilostomes, which were larval brooders. Compared with the non-brooding malacostegans that dominate pre-Cenomanian faunas, most species have avicularia and extensive frontal walls, features probably adaptive against small predators.     

A fossil Vallisneria plant (Hydrocharitaceae) from the Early Miocene freshwater deposits of the Most Basin (North Bohemia)

A new fossil species of Vallisneria (V. janecekii Bogner & Kva?ek, sp. n., Hydrocharitaceae) is reported from Early Miocene freshwater lake deposits of the North Bohemian brown coal basin (Czech Republic). It is based on a single fragmentary sterile plant bearing two clusters of ribbon-shaped widely serrulate leaves on a short rhizome. It is a potential producer of seeds described from equivalent and slightly older deposits in Saxony (Germany) as Vallisneria ovalis Mai.     

Turonian flora from the fossiliferous flints of Châtellerault (western France)

Three new localities yielding fossiliferous flints are reported from the Châtellerault area (Vienne, western France). They include one archaeological site (La Grande Vallée) and two zones with alterite deposits (L’Aunas and Les Bariollières). Broken surfaces of flint nodules show co-occurrence of marine invertebrates such as bryozoans, echinoids (Micraster Agassiz, Orthopsis Cotteau), gastropods (Acteonella d’Orbigny), rudists, and sponges. The association of Acteonella, Micraster and Orthopsis confirms the Turonian age (Upper Cretaceous) of the fossil assemblage. The marine invertebrates co-occur with plant macroremains including fragments of conifer leafy axes such as Brachyphyllum? Brongn., Frenelopsis (Schenk) emend. J. Watson and Geinitzia Endl., as well as fragments of angiosperm leaves. Plant remains are preserved as siliceous permineralizations, showing the gross morphology and all tissues in three dimensions. The fossil assemblage suggests that sediments were deposited proximally along the shoreline in shallow environment influenced by both continental and marine inputs. This coastal area was close to a conifer-dominated forest ecosystem, Geinitzia being probably one of the main components of the flora.     

A new Late Cretaceous ginkgoalean reproductive structure Nehvizdyella gen. nov. from the Czech Republic and its whole-plant reconstruction

During the Mesozoic Era, gingkoaleans comprised a diverse and widespread group. Here we describe ginkgoalean fossils in their facies context from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Peruc-Korycany Formation of the Czech Republic and present a reconstruction of tree architecture and ecology. Newly described in this study is the ovuliferous reproductive structure, Nehvizdyella bipartita gen. et sp. nov. (Ginkgoales). This ovuliferous organ consists of a bifurcating axis, terminated by large cupule-like structures, probably homologous to the collar of the recent Ginkgo. Each cupule encloses an orthotropous ovule. In specimens with the early developmental stages preserved, the entire ovule and young seed, with the exception of the micropylar area, is embedded in the cupule. Mature seeds consist of sclerotesta and sarcotesta. Monosulcate pollen grains of Cycadopites-type are found adhering to the seeds. Although similar to Ginkgo in terms of its large size and reduced number of seeds, N. bipartita differs from the extant genus in having ovules completely enclosed in a cupule-like structure. The co-occurrence of N. bipartita with ginkgoalean leaves of Eretmophyllum obtusum (Velenovsky) Kva?ek, J., ginkgoalean short shoots of Pecinovicladus kvacekii Falcon-Lang, and ginkgoalean trunk wood of Ginkgoxylon gruettii Pons and Vozenin-Serra in monodominant taphocoenoses at four geographically distant localities suggests that these remains all belong to one plant. This is supported by the close morphological and anatomical similarity between the different organs. Facies analysis of plant assemblages indicates that our Cretaceous tree occupied a water-stressed coastal salt marsh environment. It therefore represents the first unequivocal halophyte among the Ginkgoales.     

Cretaceous (Albian to Turonian) radiolarians from chert blocks of the Moni Mélange (Southern Cyprus)

Well-preserved Cretaceous (Albian–Turonian) radiolarians were extracted from radiolarian-bearing chert olistoliths of the Monagroulli Member within the Moni Mélange (Campanian-Maastrichtian, Southern Cyprus). Four assemblages were distinguished: Middle Albian–Lower Cenomanian (Thanarla spoletoensis Zone), Upper Albian–Lower Cenomanian (Thanarla spoletoensis Zone, Dorypyle? anisa Subzone), lowermost Turonian (base of Alievium superbum Zone) and Lower Turonian (Alievium superbum Zone). The radiolarian assemblages are diverse and have taxonomic composition similar to coeval assemblages of Italy and Spain. The sediments of the Monagroulli Member differ from coeval rocks of the Mamonia Complex (western Cyprus) by the more common presence of radiolarian cherts and may have been formed in the distal part of a continental margin with less input of clastic material. A new spicular radiolarian genus Cyprothamnus with 2 new species (C. multifurcatus and C. moniensis) is described from the Lower Turonian strata.     

A new species of Lapparentophis from the mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem beds,Morocco, with remarks on the distribution of lapparentophiid snakes

Two isolated trunk vertebrae from the ?uppermost Albian–lower Cenomanian Kem Kem beds of Morocco are described and assigned to Lapparentophis, an early snake genus known from coeval deposits in Algeria. The Moroccan specimens represent a new species, Lapparentophis ragei, which can be distinguished from the type and only known species, Lapparentophis defrennei, by its smaller size, its more elongate vertebrae, the presence of parazygosphenal foramina, and paradiapophyses extending anteroventrally closer to the cotyle. The discovery of Lapparentophis in the Kem Kem beds adds to the relatively diverse snake assemblage previously reported from this formation and extends the geographical range of the genus. The distribution of Lapparentophis and lapparentophiid-grade (?lapparentophiid) snakes is discussed. This poorly known family of terrestrial snakes seems to be restricted to the latest Albian–early Cenomanian of North Africa, with the exception of Pouitella from the early–middle Cenomanian of France. As for many other vertebrate taxa of this period, this distribution is consistent with a dispersal event from Africa to the western part of the European archipelago.     

Biostratigraphy and Paleobiogeographic implications of the Cenomanian–Early Turonian Ostracods of Egypt

The present study deals with the Cenomanian–early Turonian ostracods in the southern Sinai, Egypt. The investigated sequence includes the Raha and Abu Qada formations. The Raha Formation consists of distinctive Cenomanian taxa such as Cytherella aegyptiensis, Veeniacythereis maghrebensis, V. jezzineensis, V. streblolophata streblolophata, Monoceratina trituberculata, and Glenocythere reticulata. Based on the ostracod species, four local biozones are recognized, including Veeniacythereis jezzineensis – Metacythereopteron berbericum, Cytherella eosulcata – Xestoleberis derorimensis, Amphicytherura ziregensis and Perissocytheridea istriana – Cythereis fahrioni. The paleobiogeography of the considered ostracods suggests that there are two bioprovinces, the first of which is the North African province and includes Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. The second bioprovince represents the Middle East province and includes Lebanon, Oman and Iran. The strong resemblance between the two bioprovince indicates a relatively good communication along the margin of Southern Tethys during the Cenomanian and improved marine ostracod exchange.     

Vegetación briofítca de las sierras de Filabres,Cabrera, Alhamilla y Cabo de Gata (Almería,SE de España)

The bryophyte vegetation of the Almería Province (SE Spain) has been studied according to the Braun-Blanquet method. Twenty-nine communities have been recognized, of which four are aquatic (classes Montio-Cardaminetea Braun-Blanquet & Tiixen 1943 and Platyhypnidio-Fontinalietea antipyreticae Philippi 1956), five terricolous acidophilous (classes Ceratodonto-Polytrichetea piliferi Mohan 1978 and Dicranelletea heteromallae Mohan 1978), 15 terricolous basiphilous (class Barbuletea unguiculatae Mohan 1978), four saxicolous (classes Racomitrietea heterostichi Neumayr 1971, Grimmietea anodontis Hadac & Vondraček in Jezek & Vondraček 1962 and Neckeretea complanatae Marstaller 1986) and one epiphytic (class Frullanio-Leucodontetea sciuroidis Mohan 1978 emend. Marstaller 1985). Three associations have been described as new: Rhizomnio punctati-Fissidentetum taxifolii (meso-hygrophilous, sciophilous, terri-humicolous, edaphically indifferent, on slopes close to running water), Plagiochasmo rupestris-Athalamietum spathysii (xerophilous, photo-sciophilous, chasmo-comophytic, basiphilous, in deep cavities of volcanic and sedimentary rocks) and Homalothecio aurei-Scleropodietum touretii (meso-xerophilous, photo-sciophilous, terricolous, edaphically indifferent, in rocks and humiferous slopes). Studies of the dynamics of the communities were undertaken.     

Galls on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Compositiphyllum retinerve</Emphasis> (Herman) Herman et Kvaček leaves (angiosperms) from the Turonian of the Northwestern Kamchatka Peninsula,Russia

A new gall species, Paleogallus kamchaticus, from the Turonian of the Northwestern Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), located on Compositiphyllum retinerve (Herman) Herman et Kva?ek leaves, is described. The gall-forming process and basic principles of fossil galls classification are discussed.     

Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Pleistocene of the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” (Hastière-Lavaux,Namur, Belgium): Systematics,paleobiogeography, and paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions

Archeological sites usually provide important information about the past distribution of small vertebrate fauna, and by extension about past terrestrial environments and climate in which human activities took place. In this context, Belgium has an interesting location in northwestern Europe between the fully studied zooarcheological records of Germany and England. We present here the revision of the late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 2) collection of the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” (Hastière-Lavaux, Namur), studied by Jean-Claude Rage in the 1970s and the revision of the whole “indeterminate” small vertebrate materials from the “Caverne Marie-Jeanne” stored in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) Quaternary collections in search of more herpetofaunal remains. It is now by far the largest late Pleistocene collection at RBINS with more than 20,500 recognized bones of amphibians and reptiles and covering the last 60,000 years. The faunal list comprises two urodeles (Lissotriton gr. L. vulgaris and Salamandra salamandra), four anurans (Bufo gr. B. bufo-spinosus, Epidalea calamita, Rana temporaria and Rana cf. R. arvalis), three lizards (Lacerta cf. L. agilis, Zootoca vivipara and Anguis gr. A. fragilis), and three snakes (Natrix gr. N. natrix, Coronella austriaca, and Vipera berus). This study represents the first fossil record in Belgium for L. gr. L. vulgaris, R. arvalis, Z. vivipara, N. gr. N. natrix and C. austriaca. As a whole, this assemblage suggests a patchy humid landscape under colder and dryer climatic conditions in comparison with present ones. This study also underlines the necessity of a primary separation in larger taxonomical categories by the specialist itself.     

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.     

Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) bivalves from the Hameimat Massifs,north of Tebessa,Algeria: Systematics,biostratigraphy, palaeoecological and taphonomical remarks

In the eastern Saharan Atlas, particularly in the northern area of Tebessa Province (NE Algeria), the widely outcropping Cenomanian strata display a highly diversified macrofauna, among which bivalves are prominently represented. Twenty-eight bivalve species are here reported for the first time from the Cenomanian of Hameimat Massifs. Based on the stratigraphic distribution of these bivalves, five bivalve zones were recognized, i.e., Costagyra olisiponensis - Gyrostrea delettrei, Rhynchostreon suborbiculatum - Exogyra conica, Ceratostreon flabellatum, Ilymatogyra africana, and Pycnodonte vesicularis vesiculosa - Rastellum carinatum zones. Correlation to the ammonite biozones of the same region as follows: the Costagyra olisiponensis - Gyrostrea delettrei and the Rhynchostreon suborbiculatum - Exogyra conica zones occur respectively in the Sharpeiceras schlueteri and Mantelliceras saxbii subzones of the lower Cenomanian Mantelliceras mantelli Zone. The Ceratostreon flabellatum Zone is correlated with the middle Cenomanian Acanthoceras rhotomagense Zone. The Ilymatogyra africana Zone is correlated with the upper Cenomanian Calycoceras naviculare and the Metoicoceras geslinianum zones. Finally, the Pycnodonte vesicularis vesiculosa - Rastellum carinatum Zone represents the uppermost Cenomanian. Detailed analysis of biometrical and morphological features of these bivalve specimens provides the most reliable tool within the scope of palaeo-environmental reconstitution and the many palaeo-ecological variables that had driven the development and distribution of these macro-invertebrates. Comparison of these new data to those of adjacent south Tethyian areas supports the homogeneity of the Cenomanian bivalve faunas. Such an affinity underlines more vividly the favorable marine communications and currents driving the geographic dispersal of these bivalves during the Cenomanian.     

Plant-dominated assemblage and invertebrates from the Lower Cenomanian of Jaunay-Clan,western France

Two fossil localities are reported on the “LGV SEA” railroad from the Lower Cenomanian of Jaunay-Clan (JC), near Poitiers, western France. The laminated mudstones yielded plant fossils including ferns (Cladophlebis, Osmundophyllum, Ruffordia goeppertii, Sphenopteris), conifers (Brachyphyllum, Dammarophyllum, Pagiophyllum), and terrestrial and aquatic freshwater angiosperms (Eucalyptolaurus depreii, Ploufolia). They are associated with a coleopteran insect that shows systematic affinities to the modern subfamily Chrysomelinae (Chrysomelidae). This assemblage suggests connections with arborescent vegetation growing in calm freshwater environment. Brackish to marine invertebrates also occur and include a dakoticancroid crab (Brachyura, Podotremata, Dakoticancroidea) and a few bivalves (Brachidontes). They suggest brackish episodes during pond sedimentation in a coastal environment. Lastly, vertebrates are represented by an isolated feather.     

Palaeoenvironmental distribution of the Rhaetian dinoflagellate cysts Dapcodinium priscum EVITT, 1961, emend. Below, 1987 and Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica (SARJEANT) LOEBLICH and LOEBLICH, 1976, emend. Harland et al., 1975, emend. Below, 1987

In almost all Rhaetian marine assemblages of the Tethyan Realm, two dinoflagellate cyst species, Dapcodinium priscum EVITT, 1961, emend. Below, 1987, and Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica (SARJEANT) LOEBLICH and LOEBLICH, 1976, emend. Harland et al., 1975, emend. Below 1987 are dominant. Thus, when one is relatively frequent the other scarce and vice versa. This paper considers the inverse relationship of the two species in 235 rock samples taken from Rhaetian strata well exposed along the western margin of the Mesozoic intracratonic basin of south-eastern France. The palynological variables recorded from the samples (seven types of phytoclasts and three marine taxa: D. priscum, R. rhaetica and micrhystridids) were submitted to principal components analysis, which shows that D. priscum occurs in deposits that reflect nearshore and restricted marine environments. R. rhaetica is indicative of more marine environments at greater water depth, as indicated by the relatively high proportions of buoyant needle-like phytoclasts. These observations suggest that D. priscum is the cyst of an opportunistic, euryhaline dinoflagellate taxon that occupied various ecological niches while R. rhaetica inhabited more normal open marine environments. The palaeoenvironmental distribution seems to have been influenced by the energy level of the water column. D. priscum is found in deposits that denote high to low energy while R. rhaetica is found in low energy sediments. Micrhystridid occurrences are similar to those of D. priscum; they are uncommon when the abundance of R. rhaetica increases.     

Ecosystem indicators: Foraminifera,Thecamoebians and Diatoms from the Ologe Lagoon,Nigeria

The Ologe Lagoon in southwestern Nigeria is a natural habitat located closely to both residential and industrial estates. The lagoon is heavily affected by effluents of agricultural and industrial runoff including organochlorine compounds and heavy metals (chloropesticides, DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls, cadmium, manganese, zinc, copper, lead, iron and nickel). Ologe Lagoon is situated in a semi-isolated position and its brackish waters traverse several creeks and lagoons before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. The lagoon experiences minor tidal but noticeable salinity and pH variations during the rainy season. During the dry season, however, the waters have a comparatively long resident time where sediments act as sink and aggregate contaminants over time. Investigations on benthic foraminifera, thecamoebian and diatom species were carried out to document the current status, composition, spatial distribution, and response of microfaunal assemblages to environmental stressors within the lagoon. The benthic foraminifer assemblage is composed of four highly specialized agglutinated species of Ammotium salsum, Miliammina fusca, Ammobaculites dilatatus and Ammobaculites aff. A. exiguus. They are present at all sample sites with varying abundances. The high abundance of Ammotium salsum is considered an indication of environmental stress. Thecamoebian species of Difflugia oblonga, Difflugia proteiformis and Pontigulasia compressa were also recorded in varying proportions and generally represent less than one percent of the total foraminifera/thecamoebian assemblage. The presence of marine brackish water larger siliceous diatoms of Actinoptychus and Campylodiscus species indicates an interaction between the lagoon and the marine waters although on the minimal scale with regards to actual salinity ranges. The faunal assemblages recovered are characterized by low species richness and alpha diversity indices and are typical of shallow, marginal-marine hyposaline environments. Numerical abundances and spatial distribution patterns suggest taxon-specific habitat preferences and highlight their potential for environmental monitoring studies.     

The Kromdraai early hominin-bearing site. A review of recent findings

The Kromdraai archaeological site is located in a fossiliferous paleokarst situated in the UNESCO World Heritage Site referred to as the “Cradle of Humankind” in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Kromdraai is noteworthy because it features among the three southern African early hominin-bearing sites considered to represent distinct temporal periods within the same stratigraphic succession. Kromdraai also yielded a partial skull and dentition (TM 1517) in 1938 that was designated as the holotype of a new genus and species, Paranthropus robustus. Although the hominin fossil assemblage collected from Kromdraai between 1938 and 2014 is rather paltry, morphometric and cladistic analyses of this material suggested that it represented a somewhat less-derived form of P. robustus than the considerably larger assemblage from the nearby site of Swartkrans. However, the geochronological and biotic relationships among the P. robustus-bearing sites in South Africa are not resolved. Since 2014, the previously unknown, albeit densely fossiliferous Unit P produced 51 individually catalogued hominin fossils (36 craniodental and 15 postcranial) that currently represent 13% of the faunal assemblage from this unit with a minimum number of 10 juvenile and 9 adult individuals. P. robustus and early Homo coexisted at the time of the accumulation of Unit P at Kromdraai, with a relative abundance of 89% and 11%, respectively. P. robustus and early Homo are associated with a highly diverse fauna that includes several water-dependent species, and a large variety of bovid and carnivore taxa. Biochronological data from Unit P and an interval of reversed polarity measured in younger deposits above it are interpreted in the context of the regional chronological framework to infer that it represents a deposit that was likely accumulated prior to 2 Ma.