Plio-pleistocene mammals from Gidhniya village Western Nepal

Recently collected vertebrate fossils from the Himalayanfoothills of western Nepal comprise the first diverse Plio-Pleistocene mammal assemblage known from Nepal. Specimens representing Stegodon insignis, Elephas planifrons, Equus sivalensis, Hexaprotodon sivalensis, Cervus sp., and two taxa of bovids are present in this collection from Gidhniya Village. The Gidhniya assemblage is biostratigraphically correlated with the «Pinjor fauna of India and Pakistan; it is between 1.5 and 2.9 million years old.     

Le Campanien-Maastrichtien du bassin des Aurès,Algérie : biostratigraphie,paléoenvironnements et leurs implications

An integrated study of the lithological, micropaleontoligical, sedimentological and statistical data has been done on samples taken from four geological sections (El Gaaga, Tighanimine and El Kantara) spread in different sea areas. This allowed to redefine the stratigraphy of the studied area to provide information about the benefits of some kinds of foraminifera, planktonic and ostracods in knowing the palaeoenvironment and identifying the types referring to the latter during the late cretaceous. The late creataceous appeared in Aures in a form of two hills separated by a light lowness. This morphology corresponds generally to the tripartite composition of the Campanian-Manstrichtian with lower member of limestone-marl (Haraoua Member), a median marl member (Akhdar Member) and an upper member of massive limestones (Ncham member). The regularity of this trilogy changed in the anticline of Dj. El Azereg through a reduction, visibly affecting the tree members. The study of the foraminifera in the late cretaceous (Campanian-Manstrichtian) in the Aures proved the existence of 141 species (48 planktonic and 93 benthic foraminifera). Applying the concepts of biostratigraphy mainly on the foraminifera allowed to distinguish different bizones, ranging from lower Campanian of El Gaaga and El Kantara cuts (Globotruncanita elevata biozone) and Maastrichtian (Contusotruncana contusa biozone). The biostratigraphical framework is thus relatively precise and helps precising for instance the position of some inconsistent boundaries.     

Les Lagomerycidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) de FranceThe French Lagomerycidae (Cervoidea, Artiodactyla, Mammalia)

The Lagomerycidae, a small family of the Cervoidea, is known in France by the genera Lagomeryx, Ligeromeryx and Stephanocemas. Lagomeryx contains three species, the other two genera one species only. This family is known from MN3 to MN5.     

Comparaison de l'expression de certains caractères crâniens sur les hominidés chinois du Pléistocène récent et de l'Holocène (grotte supérieure de Zhoukoudian, sites de Longxian et de Yanqing)

The human remains recovered from “Grotte supérieure de Zhoukoudian” are the best-preserved Late Pleistocene human fossils in East Asia. For decades, as the representative of the Late Pleistocene human in East Asia, the Upper Cave skulls have been playing important role in the research of origins of modern Mongoloids and American Indians. With the advance of the origin and evolution of modern humans, more attention has been paid to the details and the mechanisms for the late Pleistocene human evolution and the formation of modern human populations. Both the origin and diversification of modern humans have been stressed. Some studies further trigger the debaters on the Upper Cave Man concerning its evolutionary level and its role in the formation of modern human populations in East Asia. To further explore these problems, we examined and compared 12 non-metric features on the 3 Late Pleistocene Upper Cave skulls and 162 Holocene individuals earthed from two archaeological sites of North China (Longxian and Yanqing). Our results indicate that 8 on the 12 features have different expression patterns between Upper Cave Man and recent Chinese leading the authors to believe that more primitive expressions appeared on the Upper Cave Man than on recent Chinese populations. Based on these findings, some problems on the intragroup variation in Late Pleistocene and Holocene populations are discussed.     

CONSÉQUENCES DE L'ALIMENTATION ARTIFICIELLE SUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT LARVAIRE DE LA TEIGNE DU POIREAU,ACROLEPIOPSIS ASSECTELLA

L'importance des pressions de sélection au cours des premières générations, dans des élevages en alimentation artificielle, est mise en évidence par l'étude de souches d 'Acrolepiopsis assectella Zeller soumises à des changements de régime alimentaire. l'évolution du taux de survie et de la durée du développement des larves a été suivie pendant les premières générations après le changement, et ultérieurement contrôlée au cours de plusieurs années d'élevage dans les mêmes conditions. Le taux de survie semble atteindre assez rapidement un équilibre, dont le niveau n'est pas indépendant de l'aliment consommé, tandis qu la durée du développement larvaire devient identique pour toutes les souches dès la quatrième génération. Ces phénomènes semblent correspondre à une adaptation des insectes à leurs conditions d'élevage, qui provoquent une sélection dans les populations d'origine.     

Les industries moustériennes de la Rouquette (Puycelci, Tarn, France)

The open-air site la Rouquette, located at the foot of a cliff, was excavated by André Tavoso (1979-1988). The seven Mousterian archaeological levels are all in place, but of different richness. The sedimentological and faunal studies define a series of dates between isotopic stages 4 and 3, maybe even at the end of stage 5 for the lowest levels. The industrial complexes represent three broad types of “Bordian” facies, with technological, typological and lithological evolution. The industries from levels E to B display interesting evolutionary traits in so far as technological and typological behaviour are concerned, in a general Charentian Quina type Mousterian from the south of France continuum. After a “classical” facies in the “western” sense of the term (levels E to C), an atypical form of this facies (levels Bb and B) displays characteristics generally marked in the Quina Mousterian of the Grands Causses in more eastern or Mediterranean Quina Mousterians. Level Bb presents a Mousterian facies with a Ferrassie tendency, characterizing a short-term occupation. Level A contains a Mousterian defined as “non classical denticulates”, in which typical Mousterian and Charentian Mousterian influences are clearly marked.     

Discussion sur la variabilité intraréférentiel d’accumulations osseuses de petits prédateurs

At present, the characterization of bone assemblages produced by small predators (carnivores and owls) is hampered by existence of strong intrareferential variability. A significant proportion of this variability results from methodological problems. Indeed, not taking into account the prey to predator size ratio has serious consequences on coprocoenose characteristics since this relation directly controls the predator's capacity of acquisition, transport and ingestion. Moreover, without a strict control of sampling protocols, it is impossible to minimize variations engendered by spatiotemporal changes in predator eating activities.     

Révision d'un site paléontologique célèbre : Saint-Prest (Chartres, France)

The site of Saint-Prest is located in a karstic depression opened in the upper part of a slope of the Eure Valley. This depression is first filled by periglacial alluvial sands and gravels of the river Eure (very high terrace), then covered by a clayey sand where the interglacial fauna has been found. Above there are two formations: periglacial sands and cailloutis deriving from the plateau-deposits and a sandy loess. This complex older than 800 Kyr, restricted to the depression, is covered by saalian and weichselian loesses. Many papers have been written about the fossiliferous site of Saint-Prest since its discovery one and and half century ago: its age is not far from the upper boundary of the Villafranchian period, and some scholars thought to recognize in it numerous trails of activity from an early man ancestor. A new analysis of the fauna shows that 11 mammalian species are actually present: the Deperet's Mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis depereti COPPENS and BEDEN; the evoluted form of the Etruscan Rhino Dicerorhinus etruscus brachycephalus (SCHROEDER), GUÉRIN; the Stenon's Horse Equus stenonis COCCHI; the Carnute Elk Alces carnutorum (LAUGEL); the Verticornis Deer Praemegaceros verticornis (DAWKINS); a large relative to the Red Deer, Cervus sp. 1 cf. elaphus LINNÉ; a small relative to a specifically undetermined Fallow Deer, Cervidae sp. 2 aff. Dama sp.; the Forest Bison Bison schoetensacki FREUDENBERG; the large European Hippo Hippopotamus major CUVIER; the Boisvillette's giant Beaver Trogontherium cuvieri boisvilletti (LAUGEL); the Short-faced Hyeana Pachycrocuta brevirostris (AYMARD). The mammoth is the most common species (174 remains), followed by the Rhino (21 remains) and the forest Bison, other Mammals being always less than 10 remains each. Saint-Prest is the type-locality for three of these taxa, the mammoth, the Elk and the Giant Beaver. Such a fauna allows us to date the site from the MNQ 20 standardzone, with an absolute age of roughly 1 My. The mammalian community of Saint-Prest clearly indicates an open forest landscape under a temperate wet climate, near a river (Eure).     

Identification des zones biostratigraphiques méditerranéennes dans le Pliocène du Cap-Bon (Tunisie)

The Nabeul-Hammamet series analysis allows to recognize the six biozona known in the Mediterranean realm, as specified by Cita (1975a). These are: the Sphaeroidinellopsis subdehiscens BANNER & BLOW acme biozone equivalent to MPL1; the Globorotalia margaritae margaritae BOLLI & BERMUDEZ interval zone (= MPL2); the Globorotalia margaritae BOLLI & BERMUDEZ, Globorotalia puncticulata (DESHAYES), concurrent range zone (= MPL3); the Sphaeroidinellopsis subdehiscens BANNER & BLOW interval zone (= MPL4); the Globigerinoides elongatus (D’ORBIGNY) interval zone (= MPL5); the Globorotalia inflata (D’ORBIGNY) interval zone (= MPL6). There is no similarity between these biozones and those established by Berggren and al. (1995) for the atlantic and the indo-pacific realms. The MPL1, MPL2, MPL3 and MPL4 zones are especially englobed in argillaceous and yellow sandy lithological units specified in north-eastern Tunisia, such as ‘Argiles des Potiers’, ‘Sables Jaunes de Nabeul’ and ‘Argiles de Sidi Barka’. These units are together equivalent to the Raf-Raf Formation developed towards the North, in the Bizerte area. Besides, the MPL5 and the MPL6 zones are included in sands and sandstones composing the Hammamet unit, equivalent to the Porto-Farina Formation.