Les pistes dinosauroïdes du Trias moyen français : interprétation et réévaluation de la nomenclature

Numerous dinosauroid footprints which showing sometimes manus imprint mark were gathered, since 1960, from the lower sandstones Triassic formations of the eastern border of the Massif Central (France). Tracks bearing levels are dated from palynological, micropalaeontological and palichnological data. They belong to the period upper Anisian-lower Ladinian. The paleontological results show bipedal digitigrade reptiles with erected, long hind limbs, having also pentadactyl mani and (II-IV) tridactyl feet. The osteological feet inferred structure is like that of Ceratosauria of Late Triassic age. The skeletons of first Dinosauria, diversified already well, are known in summit Ladinian and lower Carnien and those of their ancestors, Dinosauriformes, in Ladinian. And, for this reason, the aniso-ladinian dinosauroid footprints are ascribed to these last animals which thus appeared earlier, to Anisan even to late Olenekian. The chirotheroid hands show a “pseudosuchian” origin which possibly took place during the late Olenekian; feet modifications of these Crurotarsi being characterized by I and V digits reduction and a meso-tarsal joint. The Anisian-Ladinian dinosauroid footprints are ascribed to the ichnospecies Coelurosaurichnus perriauxi and Anchisauripus bibractensis. The discriminant analysis computed from these latter ichnospecies, and others from the German Triassic, French and USA Hettangian indicate that C. perriauxi and A. bibractensis can not be included into Grallator sensu Lull, 1953 or Coelurosaurichnus of Franconie. By this way, these taxa are well original and till now, there was no reason to change their nomenclature. Nevertheless because the numerous changes of Grallator which gathers now, most of dinosauroid footprints, it could be possible to include them into Grallator for the feet and into Atreipus when the manus trace is connected with the foot.     

Étude de l’effet des thiosemicarbazones sur Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is a neglected disease, with an estimated occurrence of one-third of the population worldwide. Research in medicinal chemistry has for some years been pursuing the development of new drugs against toxoplasmosis, because current treatments cause serious side effects in the patient. The use of thiosemicarbazones as an alternative option for the treatment of various diseases has been published in recent years, due to their, among others, anticancer, antimalarial, antitrypanosomal, antibacterial, and antitoxoplasmosis activities, the latter being the subject of this study, which is based upon biological analyses and tests of the response of Toxoplasma gondii in the presence of thiosemicarbazones.     

Évolution temporelle de la diversité génétique de Chaerophyllum bulbosum : conséquences sur la gestion des ressources génétiques

To increase the germplasm necessary for varietal improvement of tuberous-rooted chervil, a food apiaceae of increasing importance, two successive surveys of wild populations were carried out in Germany, in the Rhine and the Weser River basins. These mainly riparian populations are likely to be shaped by changes in hydrographic networks that characterize their habitat. Molecular studies have shown a strong structuration between wild populations (G_ST ∼ 32 %), but did not reveal any structuring effect of the hydrographic network on diversity or any global phenomenon of genetic erosion. A discussion about the strategy for maintaining the diversity of this species on a long-term period is proposed.     

Diaceratherium massiliae nov. sp. des argiles oligocènes de Saint-André et Saint-Henri à Marseille et de Les Milles près d’Aix-en-Provence (SE de la France), premier grand Rhinocerotidae brachypode européen

A revision of all previously collected mammalian fossils from the two Late Oligocene sites of Saint-André and Saint-Henri in Marseille (both from the MP 26 reference-level) allows us to identify three Rhinocerotoidea species: Protaceratherium albigense, Ronzotherium romani, Diaceratherium massiliae nov. sp., and maybe a fourth one, Eggysodon cf. gaudryi. Only the first two were previously known there. D. massiliae nov. sp. is found together with R. romani; it is the first case of sympatry ever known between the two genera. D. massiliae nov. sp. is then the most ancient Diaceratherium in Europe, where the genus was previously unknown before the MP 29 reference-level. It is a very large species whose limb bones proportions foreshadow these of the later species of the genus, especially D. lemanense from the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene. This suggests a possible phylogenetic link between D. massiliae nov. sp. and D. lemanense, and the coexistence of at least two different but partially contemporaneous lineages among the European Diaceratherium. In Les Milles near Aix-en-Provence, also from the MP 26 reference-level, the three species P. albigense, R. romani and D. massiliae nov. sp. were also found.     

Position chronologique des sites de l’Homme moderne en Chine d’après la datation U-Th

The origin and evolution of modern Homo sapiens has been the subject of an intensive debate between exponents of two competing hypotheses, multiregional origins and “recent out of Africa”. This paper presents a synthesis of the chronological studies on seven hominid sites in China based on the U-series dating, five of them of intercalated speleothem calcites and other two of fossil materials. The results show that modern humans were present in China about 100 ka ago, much earlier than previously estimated, and that the so-called “temporal gap” of human presence in China between 40 and 100 ka is most probably nothing but an artifact caused by systematic errors of the dating methods. Further multidisciplinary studies on hominid sites in China may provide important evidence for resolving the hotly debated issues concerning the origin of modern humans.     

Le rôle des exploitations minières de la région d’Autun dans la constitution des collections paléontologiques

The birth of the oil shale industry, in the Autun basin (Saône-et-Loire, department in Burgundy), at the beginning of the 1830s, corresponded to a time during which the scientific progress in geology and paleontology was quite fast-paced. The development of the schist industry happened at a time when landmark works were published such as those by Louis Agassiz or Adolphe Brongniart. These scientists relied upon the on-going findings in the Autunois area. An outstanding dynamics was on its way. It brought about the updating of many samples sparking off important paleontological studies. A remarkable coordination set up between the industrial workers of the schist industry, the local scholars on the one hand and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris on the other hand. There resulted from it a frequent if not constant interest in the discovery of the fossils that the layers of schists – exploited with the aim of obtaining oil used as a quaffing product – can contain. This dynamics kept going on till the beginning of the 19th century. It was carried out by outstanding personalities such as Bernard Renault or Auguste Roche who were at the origin of the first collections gathered by the Society of Natural History in Autun, founded in 1886. But then, the findings were made rare. The mechanization of the chopping down and crushing of the schist did not any more offer the suitable conditions to discover new specimens. Anyway, the accumulated collections are already considerable and make of the Autunois one of the major places of great French paleontological progress in the years 1870 and 1880.     

Die Nachzucht des Roten Felsenhahns, Rupicola peruviana (Latham, 1790) und des Schildschmuckvogels, Querula purpurata (Müller, 1776) im Zoologischen Garten Wuppertal

Incubation, handrearing and motherrearing of 5 male Andean Cocks of the Rock (Rupicola peruviana) in Wuppertal Zoo is described, in particular the development of the juvenile plumage to adulthood, and the change of colour of the beak and the iris of the eye. Incubation lasted 26-28 days. The mother-reared nestling fledged after 28 days. The young male Cock of the Rock attained full adult plumage at the age of 18 months, not at 3 years as Del Hoyo et al. (2004) describe from free-living Cocks of the Rock. A report on the supposed world's first breeding of the Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata) is given. The incubation period was 25 days.     

Le Middle Stone Age de la grotte du Porc-Épic (Dire Dawa, Éthiopie) : gestion des matières premières et comportements techniques

With the emergence of Modern Humans in Africa a new post-Acheulean culture seems to take form: the Middle Stone Age. Although the geo-chronological limits of this period remain unclear, it may however be characterised by behavioural modifications, in particular an important change in the relationship between humans and their environment. Theses changes may partially result from the diversification of stone-tool production techniques, as well as socio-economical conditions. Sites dating of this period show that flake types are more abundant and result from exploitation methods that become gradually more sophisticated from about 300ka.In this context, study of the lithic assemblage from Porc-Epic Cave in Ethiopia contributes to the knowledge about operative methods used during the Middle Stone Age. The combined production of flakes, blades, bladelets and points using various methods, a differential economy towards raw materials and the diversity of tool types produced, underline the large extent of technological variability that the Porc-Epic tool-makers were capable of. We may conclude that, in spite of certain differences concerning raw material acquisition, a chronological homogeneity exists in the production modes and their variability. This apparent homogeneity throughout the stratigraphical sequence underlines the difficulty of attributing a cultural characteristic to stone assemblages of this period.     

Cristatopecten nov. gen. benoisti (Pectinidae, Bivalvia) du Chattien d'Aquitaine (France). Révision systématique et réflexions sur l'origine et l'évolution des Cristatopecten

The detailed study of a sample of “Pecten (Amussiopecten) benoisti” Cossmann and Peyrot (1914) from the Chattian outcrops of the Adour Basin, allowed to improve our knowledge of this species poorly known till now and to show its important ornamental variability. It follows that some nomenclatural points have been clarified at the generic level: we refute the attribution of this species to the genus Amussiopecten Sacco (1897) as used by authors—genus which was besides emended several times subsequently— and we propose its allocation to Cristatopecten nov. gen. Furthermore, this study allowed to remove the ambiguity existing originally as for the attribution of the species benoisti and burdigalensis to a same genus: our comparison of the latter two taxa shows that if benoisti has to be henceforth included in the new genus Cristatopecten (as its type species), burdigalensis (which is the type species of Amussiopecten) must be incorporated in the genus Flabellipecten Sacco (1897). The two genera Amussiopecten and Flabellipecten are therefore synonymous, as Depéret and Roman had already stated in 1910. The Cristatopecten from the Old World seem to be derived from a group of “Aequipecten” notably known in the Italian Rupelian, the group of “Aequipecten deletus” (Michelotti, 1861), of which we study here a sample from the Aquitaine Chattian. In the Aquitaine Basin, the Cristatopecten are represented, in the Chattian, by Cristatopecten benoisti (Cossmann and Peyrot, 1914); in the Lower Aquitanian, by C. praehaueri (Bongrain, Cahuzac and Freneix, 1994); in the Burdigalian-Langhian of the Saubrigues paleocanyon, by C. haueri (Michelotti, 1847) and C. miogallicus (Cossmann and Peyrot, 1914). During the whole Neogene, they spread and evolved in the Tethys and the Paratethys areas, and seem to have become extinct in the Pliocene with the disappearance of C. cristatus (Bronn, 1827), a species that we consider not as an Amusium s.s., but as the last representative of the Cristatopecten phylum.     

Le genre Nucleolites (Echinoidea, Cassiduloidea) du Bajocien à l'Oxfordien dans le Bassin de Paris : apport des données architecturales à la systématique et à la phylogénie

The classification of the Paris basin Bajocian-Oxfordian species of the genus Nucleolites is revised. A classic point of view, until now used by authors and mainly based on the general morphology of the test, is first developed. Then, this last is modified with new architectural data, which refer to the extraxial-axial theory concerning the structure of the apical system as well as the presence of supplementary and catenal plates. These architectural data are first used facing the general morphology of the test. Such approach leads to a new point of view for the classification of the species of the genus Nucleolites. The systematics is particularly significantly simplified. The deduced and proposed phylogenetic hypothesis shows that the genus Nucleolites is composed of two parallel lineages as soon as the beginning of the genus in the Bajocian: a group with a so-called “primitive” architecture, and a group with an “advanced” one. On and after the Late Callovian, the species with a primitive organisation give birth to advanced species, which continue in younger time. In this way, the genus Nucleolites may be paraphyletic since the Late Callovian onward.     

Isotopes stables (C,N) du collagène des mammouths de Mezhyrich (Epigravettien,Ukraine) : implications paléoécologiques

The mammoth steppe ecosystem was characterized by a high diversity in large mammals species distributed on a vast geographical range. The isotopic analyses of the collagen of the faunal remains from this context testified the niche partitioning among large herbivores with a specialization in the types of consumed plants. In the case of the mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), systematic higher abundances in ¹⁵N are found for this species compared to those of other grazers in Eurasia and Alaska during the Upper Palaeolithic. This distinct isotopic signature reflects a specific ecological niche. The analyses of mammoth remains at the Epigravettian site of Mezhyrich (15,000–14,300 conv BP) reveal low abundances in ¹⁵N that are equivalent to those of the associated horses. Thus, the mammoth of Mezhyrich experienced a significant change in their environment and diet that probably led to the loss of their ecological niche. A likely direct competition with other large herbivores and the possible predation by wolves and human populations should be considered for the mammoth of the Ukrainian plains, long before their extirpation from the region.     

Importance de la Mérione de Shaw Meriones shawii au sein des composantes trophiques de la Chouette effraie Tyto alba en milieux steppiques de l’Algérie

The study of the diet of the Barn Owl in two steppic regions (M'Sila and Djelfa) located in the Algerian highlands is based on the analysis of the pellets of rejections collected in six stations. The analysis of 706 pellets resulting from the various stations made it possible to count 1380 individuals, represented by seven classes, 12 orders, 32 families, and 76 species of preys. The mammals are consumed with variable abundance rates between 59.1 % and 90.0 % whose predominance is assigned to the rodents (relative abundance: AR > 58 %). The latter constitute the most advantageous preys in biomass (61.4 ≤ B % ≤ 99.2). The most consumed prey is Meriones shawii, with variable rates between 31.9 % and 76.6 %. Generally, Tyto alba presents a diversified diet in the majority of the stations (0.69 ≤ E ≤ 0.76), except the station of Ain El-Hadjel (E = 0.35), with a low diversity and dominance of M. shawii (AR = 76.6 %).     

Dispersion du Genre Homo au sud d’Ibérie et au Maghreb. Nouvelles données à propos des fossiles VM-1960 et BL-0

In this article, there is a discussion about out-of-Africa models of Homo dispersal, considering new findings, specially a new site with Oldowan industry in Morocco (Ain-Beni-Mathar), found in 2005 by some of the authors (Gibert J, Gibert L, and El Hamouti). There is also a critical of the models of Homo dispersal only based on carrion consumption. We also discuss some objections about two human remains from Orce sites (VM-1960 and BL-0) based on morphometric data (that, in any case, move these remains away from genus Homo), on authority criteria and ad hoc hypothesis, ignoring the decisive anatomical data.     

Caractérisation de la production particulaire par l’oursin Echinometra mathaei sur les récifs Indo-Pacifiques : influence des peuplements coralliens et implications sur la dynamique sédimentaire

The characteristics of the sedimentary grains produced by the sea urchin Echinometra mathaei were described from two reef sites: a fringing Acropora-dominated reef at La Reunion island (Indian Ocean) and a barrier Porites-dominated reef at Moorea island (French Polynesia). The composition of the sediment produced by Echinometra was determined from SEM observations. The size and shape of the particles were measured by using image analysis method. The grain diameters range between a few micrometres and 2 mm, with a large predominance (more than 80 %) of particles smaller than 400 μm. The grain size distribution is dependent on the nature of the grazed substratum. Echinometra individuals collected at La Reunion on branching Acropora colonies produce a higher proportion of particles smaller than 200 μm compared to those collected at Moorea on massive Porites colonies. At Moorea, more grains having a diameter comprised between 200 and 500 μm are produced. The microstructure of coral substrata affects the mean particle diameter, which is 192,17 μm for a Acropora substratum and 244,69 μm for a Porites substratum. Since the sediment derived from Acropora erosion is finer, the proportion of suspended material that is exported from the reef is greater at La Reunion than at Moorea. We estimate that, for similar erosion rates and hydrodynamic conditions, the production of sands by Echinometra mathaei is higher and the retention of this erosional sediment more effective on reefs dominated by massive Porites than on Acropora-dominated reefs. This result is in accordance with the proportions of suspension-moving grains that have been previously measured on Moorea and La Reunion reefs. This study highlighted the effect of coral communities on the production of particles related to the bioerosion and on the sedimentary budget.     

Système Sétifère des Maxillipèdes des Gonodactyloidea (Crustacea, Stomatopoda)

Analysis of the setal system was conducted on the maxillipeds of Gonodactyloidea, which includes the smashers, a functional group of stomatopods. Generally, the homogeneity of the setal system is demonstrated in stomatopods. However, examination of maxillipeds of Gonodactyloidea reveals that some setal types are systematic characters at levels of families or species. The smashers group has a very homogeneous setal system in three families: Gonodactylidae, Odontodactylidae and Protosquillidae. The setal analysis of maxillipeds confirms the functional role of these appendages. Like other morphological characters, the setal system of stomatopods has co-evolved with behavioral patterns in both groups: spearers and smashers.     

Historique de la découverte et des recherches sur la calotte crânienne d’Homo erectus archaïque de Kocabaş, Bassin de Denizli,Anatolie, Turquie

In November 2002, during the study of the Plio-Pleistocene formations of Denizli Basin, containing significant active and fossil travertine deposits, during a visit to the Dalmersan factory, near the Kocaba? quarries, I identified a Hominid skullcap among bones retrieved during the cutting of travertine slabs. I immediately attributed this skullcap to a Homo erectus. I then handed over the study of this fossil, first to Professor John Kappelman from Texas University, then to a multidisciplinary study led by the Human Paleontology Institute in Paris.