The Exploitation of Ungulate Bones in Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens

Analysis of ungulate bones recovered from a number of Upper and Middle Palaeolithic sites in southern Italy revealed differences in the presence of anatomical elements. There is a lack of clear evidence of carnivore activities, and differences can be attributed to human activity. Indeed, these differences were probably due to different patterns of skeletal exploitation between Homo neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. Small limb bones (carpals, tarsals, sesamoids, long bone epiphyses and especially phalanges) are rarely found in Middle Palaeolithic deposits, but are abundant in the Upper Palaeolithic. The observation of unidentified bone fragments at these sites indicates that during the middle Palaeolithic, marrow extraction regarded essentially the treatment of long bones. First and second phalanges were not frequently used for this practice, but they were often fragmented by H. sapiens. Lack of these bones among the remains of meals of Neanderthal suggests that these bones were probably destroyed by their utilisation as fuel.     

Further fossil cephalopods from Jamaica

Fossil cephalopods are rare in the Antillean region. A deformed conch of a kossmaticeratid ammonite,Pseudokossmaticerasl sp., from the Maastrichtian of the Blue Mountain Inlier is the first ammonite from southeastern Jamaica. This tentative systematic assignment is in agreement with the age otherwise assigned to these rocks.Cimomia sp. cf.C. vaughani (Gardner) is a hercoglossid nautiloid from the Lower-Middle Eocene Chapelton Formation of western central Jamaica. This is only the fourth nautiloid from this unit; all previous records were ofHercoglossa sp. The specimen is unusual amongst Antillean fossil cephalopods in including the sponge boringEntobia isp., probably indicating a period of post-mortem residence on the sea floor.      

L'indice thermique,un essai de méthodepour comparer et utiliser climatologiquement les gisements quaternaires. Application aux oiseaux du Pléistocène Français

The birds found in the Middle and Upper Pleistocene sites of France can be classified in four categories according to the thermic requirements of present forms. A «guide-number growing from 1 to 4 and corresponding to an increasing temperature has been ascribed to each category. The «Thermic index is calculated from this guide-number and takes into account the relative frequency of species.The different values obtained for the main fossilavifaunas allow to find climatic fluctuations that, in the whole, confirm the facts already known, which therefore allows to test the method.     

Integrated stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the Cenomanian-Lower Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of northern Westphalia, North Germany

Summary The present study provides an integrated stratigraphy of the Lower Cenomanian-Lower Turonian of the northwestern Münsterland Basin, Westphalia. This is important to establish a standard section allowing an interregional correlation as well as an interpretation of single environmental conditions, their changes through time and their geographical extent. Numerous sections have been investigated in northern Westphalia, in addition to data from other profiles in North Germany. Macrofossils and thin-sections have been sampled, stable isotope and gamma ray data have been obtained from a part of the sections. Investigation of the sedimentary sequence is based on a analysis of events. Many events are diachronous, whereas others are difficult to define and do not show a wide geographic distribution. For ecological or sedimentological reasons, correlation is not possible. The discussion of events leads to a compound picture of the evolution of the depositional sequence, allowing the reconstruction of palaeo-environmental changes. Sea-level changes and their influence on the fauna is discussed. During maximal sea-level rising, macrofossils occur more frequently for ecological reasons, however, some macrofossil accumulations are lag deposits. Some biostratigraphical problems find their origin in a tectonic separation leading to different habitats. The local tectonics was caused by the intial phase of transpression of the Osning Zone, that can be traced down to the Lower Cenomanian. A correlation of the Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary Event (CTBE) in Westphalia (Lengerich), Colorado (USA) and England (Eastbourne), is possible due to very dense sampling of carbon-isotopes (δ¹³C). In Westphalia, definition of the stage boundary is possible by correlation of carbon isotope curves only. A sequence from the upper Middle Cenomanian, up to the lower Upper Cenomanian, is investigated concerning the controlling factors of biogenic sedimentation. The cyclicity of lithology is investigated by Fast Fourier Trans-formation. It can be shown that sedimentation is forced by orbital cycles, mainly by the precession cycle of the Milankovitch band (P1 and P2, 18 500 and 22 300 years, respectively). This confirms the primary origin of the marlstone-limestone couplets that are obvious in the field. Calculation of sedimentation rates is based on these data. There is a high variability of sedimentation rates, maybe due to a strong variation of productivity in this epicontinental environment. Dedicated to the memory of Jost Wiedmann (1931–1993)     

A general approach to proving the minimality of phylogenetic trees illustrated by an example with a set of 23 vertebrates

Summary We have recently described a method of building phylogenetic trees and have outlined an approach for proving whether a particular tree is optimal for the data used. In this paper we describe in detail the method of establishing lower bounds on the length of a minimal tree by partitioning the data set into subsets. All characters that could be involved in duplications in the data are paired with all other such characters. A matching algorithm is then used to obtain the pairing of characters that reveals the most duplications in the data. This matching may still not account for all nucleotide substitutions on the tree. The structure of the tree is then used to help select subsets of three or more. characters until the lower bound found by partitioning is equal to the length of the tree. The tree must then be a minimal tree since no tree can exist with a length less than that of the lower bound.The method is demonstrated using a set of 23 vertebrate cytochrome c sequences with the criterion of minimizing the total number of nucleotide substitutions. There are 131130 7045768798 9603440625 topologically distinct trees that can be constructed from this data set. The method described in this paper does identify 144 minimal tree variants. The method is general in the sense that it can be used for other data and other criteria of length. It need not however always be possible to prove a tree minimal but the method will give an upper and lower bound on the length of minimal trees.     

Morphological diversity of the exine sculpture of some Frasnian spores from the northern Timan: Applications for taxonomy and significance for spore dispersal

Microspores and megaspores from micro-and megasporangia of a Late Frasnian plant from the northern Timan are identified as the genus Cristatisporites and Ancyrospora, respectively. The exine sculpture is studied in in situ spores, as well as in dispersed miospores of Cristatisporites, Ancyrospora, and Hystricosporites, found in the rock enclosing the plant. The use of exine appendages as a generic level character is proposed. The shape of appendage extremities and the presence of irregular holes in the exine that are considered to be probable insect feeding damage, allowing us to consider wingless insects as main dispersal agents of the spores.     

Reduction index of the upper M2 in marmosets

Marmosets have reduced second molars of which size and shape are varied in different species. Mesiodistal and buccolingual diameter of the first and second upper molars in 16 species were measured, and molar area (molar rectangle) and M2 reduction index were calculated by the equation,R=(M2 area/M1 area) × 100. This index ranged from 36.1 inSaguinus oedipus geoffroyi to 70.6 which was the largest found inCebuella pygmaea. Species ofSaguinus showed relatively wide variation as well as a consistantly smaller index. The index forCallithrix registered around 60 andLeontopithecus rosalia was positioned within this genus. There was no relationship between this index and body size of each form. The sizes of the first molar and second molar may not significantly correlate either with body size across species, becauseLeontopithecus rosalia had exceptionally large molars for its body size and contrarily genusSaguinus had relatively small molars. When the shape of the mandible was expressed as length/width ratio, the reduction index significantly correlate with this ratio in genusSaguinus andCallithrix, indicating that longer jaw in shape had relatively large M2. The reduction indices of two possible subspecies,S. oedipus geoffroyi andS. o. oedipus, were 36.1 and 47.3, respectively. This difference suggested that there was a difference in diet or function of jaw apparatus beyond subspecies level.     

Halorina cryptica nov. ichnogen., nov. ichnosp., mass-occurrence of Upper Triassic crustacean microcoprolites from neptunian dikes and sills cutting the Dachstein-type carbonate platform and their paleoenvironmental significance (Northern Apuseni Mountains,Romania)

The new crustacean microcoprolite Halorina cryptica nov. ichnogen., nov. ichnosp., is reported from cryptic cavities cutting the Upper Triassic (Carnian to lower Rhaetian) Dachstein-type limestones from the Northern Apuseni Mountains, Romania. The new ichnotaxon is extremely abundant in cavities, neptunian dikes and sills filled with red ferruginous carbonate sediment. The associated microfauna consists of ostracods and rare foraminifera. The microfacies is represented by bioclastic coprolite-bearing wackestone-packstone to grainstone. The red ferruginous carbonate fillings are strongly bioturbated. The neptunian sill located at the top of the studied section contains a rich ichnofauna associated with brachiopod accumulations. It is dominated by the dimerelloid rhynchonellid Halorella, indicating a late Norian-early Rhaetian age. Although neptunian dikes and sills are rather common in the Dachstein-type carbonate platform that extended on the northwestern Tethyan margin, we report here the first record of mass-occurrence of crustacean microcoprolites in neptunian dikes and sills filled with red carbonate sediments of marine origin. They are interpreted here as cryptic cavities with specific palaeoenvironmental features (e.g., lack of light, abundant nutrients, intensive microbial activity) where crustacean arthropods thrived.     

Litho- and biostratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic Mozduran Formation,Kopet-Dagh,Iran, and its paleoenvironmental implications

The Upper Jurassic Mozduran Formation at Baghak section, Kopet-Dagh area northeast Iran, characterized by multiple units of carbonates and evaporates intercalated with siliciclastic deposits, yielded benthic foraminifera, calcareous algae, and crustacean coprolites, including Alveosepta jaccardi, Charentia aff. nana, Deloffrella quercifoliipora, Marinella cf. lugeoni, Favreina, and Solenopora sp. The almost consistent occurrence of Alveosepta jaccardi in the studied section, i.e., the Alveosepta jaccardi Zone, indicates late Oxfordian to the Kimmeridgian in age. Facies analysis of the formation reveals depositional settings of a peritidal zone, a lagoon, and a high-energy shoal of a carbonate ramp. Terrigenous and evaporites are found in eastern parts of Kopet-Dagh, representing a more proximal sedimentary environment. These siliciclastic inputs are associated with tectonic events during Oxfordian to Tithonian in the region.     

Les nouveaux sites paléolithiques de la vallée de Ferghana

The paper aims to present recent discoveries of Paleolithic sites in the Ferghana oasis. Until now, the Upper Paleolithic sites were unknown in this part of Uzbekistan. The archaeological deposits mentioned in this paper and preliminarily attributed to the Upper Paleolithic period fill a gap in the Prehistory of this zone. The Upper Paleolithic industries from the Tachkent oasis sites (Kulbulak, Kyzylalma 2, Obirahmat) are here presented as analogies ofrecently discovered sites.