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Amber and plant remains were discovered in the lower Cenomanian lignitic clay from La Gripperie-Saint-Symphorien (Charente-Maritime, western France). The amber mainly consists of scarce and infracentimetric pieces showing a wide range of sizes and colours. The shape of the amber grains greatly varies, including more or less cylindrical fragments of flows and spherical drops. Plants consist of foliar remains corresponding to isolated pinnae and pinnules of ferns (Matonia sp., Weichselia reticulata (Stokes & Webb, 1824) Fontaine emend. Alvin, 1971), leafy axes of conifers (Geinitzia reichenbachii (Geinitz, 1842) Hollick & Jeffrey, 1909, Pagiophyllum sp.) and leaves of angiosperms (including cf. Eucalyptolaurus depreii Coiffard, B.Gomez, Thiébaut & J.Kvaček and three morphotypes of undeterminable leaves). They are preserved as isolated cuticles, charcoalified compressions without cuticle, and external casts. Angiosperms are clearly the most abundant and diverse remains of the plant assemblage. This latter contrasts with most of Albian-Cenomanian coastal floras from the Aquitaine Basin, which are dominated by gymnosperms characterised by xeromorphic adaptations and tolerating halophytic conditions. Similar to the coeval sites of Puy-Puy (Charente-Maritime) and Jaunay-Clan (Vienne), the plant-rich clay from La Gripperie-Saint-Symphorien was probably deposited in innermost coastal environments heavily influenced by inland/continental freshwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossils belonging to Ripidiinae are rare. Here, we describe and figure a remarkable new genus and species of Ripidiinae, Protoripidius burmiticus gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. Protoripidius can be placed in the extant subfamily Ripidiinae based on the widely separated and abbreviated elytra (in male), unfolded hind wings, simple claws and the absence of tibial spurs. Protoripidius bears many transitional features shedding new light on the relationships of the two extant tribes of Ripidiinae. The discovery also highlights the palaeodiversity of the subfamily Ripidiinae in the mid-Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species from the subfamily Pemphredoninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is described from the Upper Cretaceous amber of Myanmar, commonly known as Burmese amber. A complete, illustrated description is provided. Colmepsiterona cumcarena n. gen. et sp. represents the third record of the subfamily in the deposit, as well as the tenth of the family Crabronidae in Mesozoic. This taxon is morphologically close to Cretospilomena familiaris , previously described in the same deposit. However, although numerous features are shared, a number of unique features justify the proposition of a new genus. The co-occurrence of three specimens belonging to the same taxon could be interpreted as an example of a social behavior, compact nesting behavior, or possibly a sexual congregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant odonatans have been discovered from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, and Burma has played an important role in early damselfly diversification during the mid-Cretaceous. In this paper, a new damselfly, Palaeodisparoneura cretacica sp. nov., is described from Burmese amber. It is the second species of the extinct genus Palaeodisparoneura Poinar, Bechly et Buckley, 2010. P. cretacica sp. nov. differs from P. burmanica Poinar, Bechly et Buckley, 2010 in having more postnodal and postsubnodal crossveins, the base of IR1 being more cells distal of the base of RP2, a hyaline pterostigma and a longer RP3/4. Our find increases the diversity of damselflies during the mid-Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A remarkably specialized parasitoid wasp of the family Scelionidae (Platygastroidea) is described and figured from mid-Cretaceous (Cenomanian) amber of the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. Geoscelio mckellari Engel and Huang, gen. et sp. nov., is unique for its combination of a compact body, 12 antennal flagellomeres, a 1-2-2 tibial spur formula, a distinct malar sulcus, deeply impressed notauli, complete reduction of the wings, and basal crenulae on the metasomal terga and sterna, among many other features, and is placed within a separate tribe, Geoscelionini Engel and Huang, trib. nov. This is the first flightless species of Platygastroidea known from the Mesozoic, and its affinities with other Mesozoic and extant lineages are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Some isolated teeth of theropod and sauropod dinosaurs from the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Charentes are described. Two new teeth of Troodontidae confirm the presence of this theropod family, previously based on a single specimen. New dental morphotypes are recognized within Dromaeosauridae and Brachiosauridae in comparison with those already known from Charentes. Lastly, a very small tooth is tentatively assigned to an embryonic or neonatal sauropod. The palaeobiogeographical history of European hadrosauroids is briefly discussed. This history was probably more complex than it appears, involving exchanges with both North America and Asia as early as the mid-Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The exploitation of a third part of the sand quarry of Font-Benon (Archingeay–Les Nouillers, southwestern France) has exposed a clay lens bearing a massive accumulation of plant macro- and mesoremains. From the stratigraphic point of view, this lens corresponds to sub-unit A2sm1–2 dated as Lowermost Cenomanian in age. The plant assemblage is remarkable by low fragmentation, association of vegetative and reproductive organs of the same taxa, and by the quality of histological cuticle preservations. The plant remains were accumulated close to the producing plants and deposited in paralic, calm and brackish environment, probably of conifer-dominated type mangrove. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new continental and coastal vertebrate locality in the Early Cenomanian of Fouras (Charente-Maritime, southwestern France). The Cretaceous period represents crucial times in vertebrate evolution, notably with the emergence of modern mammal groups. In Europe, continental formations are restricted to the basal and Latest Cretaceous (Wealdian and Campano-Maastrichtian). Concerning the middle part of the Cretaceous, continental vertebrate faunas are poorly known, generally through some particular assemblages deposited in paralic environments and mostly composed of microremains. Such a deposit, recently found in the Early Cenomanian of Fouras (Fouras-Vauban locality, Charente-Maritime, southwestern France), has yielded a rich association, improving our knowledge. Beside abundant coastal fish remains, tetrapods are represented by chelonians, crocodilians, ophidians, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs. The occurrence at Fouras-Vauban of certain typical Gondwanan forms (the freshwater shark Tribodus and a zyphodont crocodilian close to Hamadasuchus) allows us to discuss about the palaeobiogeographical affinities of faunas living in the European archipelago during the Mid-Cretaceous and the trans-Tethyan ways of communication between Western Europe and North Africa. To cite this article: R. Vullo et al., C.R.Palevol 4 (2005) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Oysters from lignitic deposits of the Mid-Cretaceous of southwestern France (Charentes and Sarladais regions). The study of the Aquitaine Basin border (Charentes and Sarladais) makes the census of several lignitic outcrops in the Albo-Cenomanian series. Three oysters species are usually associated with these paralic deposits. These taxa are revised for their systematic and palaeoecological features. Acutostrea lingularis is the most-typical brackish species and is especially abundant in massive lignitic wood accumulations. Gyrostrea delettrei is a small robust species that is able to colonize high-hydrodynamics estuarine channels with wood deposits. Striostrea sp., belonging to a Recent genus, is well developed on various terrigenous substrates with wood fragments from euryhaline palaeoenvironments. To cite this article: B. Videt, J.-P. Platel, C. R. Palevol 4 (2005) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]