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This paper presents a detailed description of the skull and part of the mandible of the crocodyliform reptile Hamadasuchus rebouli from the Kem Kem beds (Upper Cretaceous: Albian–Cenomanian) of south-eastern Morocco. This taxon of deep-snouted ziphodont crocodyliform can be diagnosed by a number of autapomorphies. Phylogenetic analysis of a diverse array of crocodylomorph taxa found strong support for a clade comprising H. rebouli, Peirosauridae, and Sebecus. The name Sebecia nom. nov. is proposed for this grouping, which is diagnosed by numerous characters, including the participation of the quadratojugal in the mandibular condyle. The distribution of this diverse and long-lived clade lends further support to the biogeographical hypothesis that faunal connections existed between Africa and South America well into mid-Cretaceous times. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 149, 533–567. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theraphosidae is the most diversified family of mygalomorph spiders, commonly known as tarantulas. Two genera inhabit the Mediterranean region: Chaetopelma in the east and Ischnocolus mostly in the western part of the Basin. Their phylogenetic position and the validity of some Ischnocolus species remain unclear. We implemented a multilocus target approach to shed new light on the position of both genera and further integrated molecular data with additional lines of evidence (morphology and ecology) to explore species boundaries in western Mediterranean Ischnocolus. Our results reveal that Ischnocolus and Chaetopelma are not closely related. Chaetopelma formed a clade with the African subfamily Eumenophorinae and Ischnocolus was recovered in a clade comprising all remaining theraphosids. The western Mediterranean Ischnocolus comprises two deeply divergent clades that separated during the Early Miocene and differ in both morphology and lifestyle. We found molecular, morphological and ecological evidence to restore the name Ischnocolus mogadorensis and revalidate this species. We also uncovered distinct allopatric lineages in Ischnocolus elongatus. However, the lack of males, the uniform morphology of females and low within-clade support hampered the assessment of their status and boundaries. Finally, our data support that I. elongatus should be considered a senior synonym of Ischnocolus hancocki and Harpactirella insidiosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic samples collected during several cruises from shelf areas along the West African coast from Morocco to Angola, have highlighted a huge diversity of magelonid species (over 20 species), many of which are undescribed. The majority of samples were taken as part of two large-scale projects in the region: the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem project (CCLME) and the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem project (GCLME). Six magelonid species bearing posterior thoracic pigmentation have been highlighted, Magelona alleni and five species new to science: Magelona fasciata sp. nov. Magelona guineensis sp. nov. Magelona mackiei sp. nov. Magelona nanseni sp. nov. and Magelona picta sp. nov. West African magelonids and comparative material from the UK and Norway have been investigated using COI , 16S and 28S markers. An integrated taxonomic approach is used to delineate species of Magelona carrying posterior thoracic pigmentation. These species from West African waters constitute a well-supported monophyletic group, with the species M. alleni being sister to the new species herein described. Our 41 COI DNA-barcode-sequences had between species distances from 9.3 to 26.8% and were allocated to ten different BINs in Boldsystems.org. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first known cranial remains of the fossil batoid † Onchopristis numidus. Based on two exceptionally well-preserved specimens collected from the 'Kem Kem Beds' (Albian–Cenomanian), south-east Morocco, an almost complete description of the rostral and cranial portions of the genus †O nchopristis is provided, together with new observations regarding the development and arrangement of the rostral denticle series for this genus. The comparison between the rostrum length of the specimens of † O. numidus with those of extant pristids, reveals a relatively large batoid species with an estimated total length between two and four metres. Overall, the cranial morphology of † Onchopristis resembles that of other sclerorhynchoids. Its robust hypertrophied rostrum, with the characteristic wood-like mineralization covering the inner layer of tessellate cartilage at the centre of the rostrum, in addition to the thick lateral layers of densely porous cartilage on the sides of the rostral cartilages, resembles that observed in † Ischyrhiza and † Schizorhiza , and differentiates † Onchopristis from other sclerorhynchoids (e.g. † Libanopristis , † Micropristis and † Sclerorhynchus). Aiming to determinate the phylogenetic relations of † Onchopristis within sclerorhynchoids, a cladistic analysis was carried out based on the remains described here; its results suggest a new taxonomic arrangement within the sclerorhynchoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Durophagous mosasaurs are rare members of Late Cretaceous marine faunal assemblages and new fossil discoveries can shed light on their anatomy, functional morphology and evolutionary history. Here we describe a new species in the durophagous genus Globidens from the Maastrichtian phosphate deposits of Morocco, based on a partial disarticulated skull and cervical vertebral series. This new species shares many anatomical similarities with the only other described Maastrichtian species, G. phosphaticus , but differs in several key features, including the absence of pronounced swellings and sulci on the crushing teeth and the absence of cervical zygosphenes and zygantra. Histological thin sections of a rib from the holotype show that this was not a juvenile individual and reveal osteosclerotic-like bone compactness for the first time in a paddle-bearing mosasaurine. We interpret the highly compact ribs, as well as several peculiarities of the temporal arcade and lower jaws, as adaptations to a diet of benthic, hard-bodied prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new dyrosaurid is described from the Ypresian of the phosphatic deposits of the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. It is based on numerous cranial and postcranial remains, allowing an almost complete reconstruction. This new Dyrosaurus species, Dyrosaurus maghribensis sp. nov., is currently only known from Morocco. It differs from D. phosphaticus, present in contemporaneous levels of Algeria and Tunisia, by several autapomorpies, including a smooth dorsal margin of the parietal and widely opened choanae. A phylogenetic analysis, using 47 taxa and 234 morphological characters, shows the dyrosaurids as the sister taxon of pholidosaurids, which include Elosuchus, Sarcosuchus, Terminonaris and Pholidosaurus, and the thalattosuchians. Goniopholididae is a non-monophyletic group; however, if dyrosaurids are not included in the analysis, the result differs and the goniopholidids form a distinct clade. If Thalattosuchia is excluded, both Goniopholididae and Pholidosauridae become paraphyletic assemblages. Thus, phylogenetic problems remain with respect to longirostrine clade, and more attention should be paid to resolving their evolutionary relationships amongst the crocodyliforms. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 148, 603–656. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]