Search

International audience; This article describes a rich and diversified elasmobranch fauna collected from the Upper Campanian Northumberland Formation, a part of the Nanaimo Group, exposed on Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada. This fauna consists of 30 species belonging to 26 genera and is characterised by a large number of new elasmobranch taxa (17 species, 7 genera and 2 families); all these principally belong to the usual deep-water squalomorphs (e.g. Chlamydoselachiformes, Hexanchiformes, Echinorhiniformes, Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes). This elasmobranch association displays two striking features: no batoid taxa have been found despite the extremely fine process of collection, and it is mainly composed of taxa living in a deep-water environment. The identified species have a large panel of body size estimated between about 50 cm (Eoetmopterus?) up to probably 3 to 4 metres long (eg. Xampylodon nov. gen., Carcharias) and maybe more for Dykeius nov. gen. The Hornby Island fauna represents by far the most diverse deep-water assemblage ever described in the Late Cretaceous, particularly rich in hexanchiforms and squaliforms, providing new insights into the history of the deep-water settlement of this period. ARTICLE HISTORY

International audience; This contribution contains the 3D models described and figured in the following publication: Georgalis, G.L., G. Guinot, K.E. Kassegne, Y.Z. Amoudji, A.K.C. Johnson, H. Cappetta and L. Hautier. 2021. An assemblage of giant aquatic snakes (Serpentes, Palaeophiidae) from the Eocene of Togo. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 140, 20, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-021-00236-w

We here describe a monospecific assemblage of giant aquatic snakes from the middle Eocene of Kpogamé, Togo. The material, consisting of large isolated vertebrae, is referred to Palaeophis africanus, an enigmatic palaeophiid species, which was so far otherwise known only from a limited number of vertebrae from the middle Eocene of Nigeria and Angola. Material from the late Eocene of the eastern USA that had been referred to the same species, is here instead considered too fragmentary for species-level determination and Palaeophis africanus is thus so far restricted to Africa. With the aid of micro-CT scanning, we present 3D models of 17 vertebrae, pertaining to different portions of the vertebral column. We provide detailed comparisons of the new material with all named African species of the genus Palaeophis. A tentative diagnosis of Palaeophis africanus is provided. With more than 50 vertebrae, the new Togolese specimens represent the most abundant known material attributed to Palaeophis africanus and significantly enhance our knowledge of the vertebral anatomy and intracolumnar variation for this taxon. Furthermore, this adds to the, as yet, extremely scarce fossil record of squamates from central western Africa, a region where Paleogene herpetofaunas are only rather poorly known.

International audience; The Quintanilla la Ojada section (Basque-Cantabrian Region, northern Spain) has yielded two assemblages of Late Cretaceous vertebrates, deposited during the Maastrichtian in coastal environments and related to a transgressive lag at the base of the Valdenoceda Formation. Numerous teeth of Elasmobranchii and Actinopterygii are the most prevailing fossil material, although scarce teeth of marine reptiles (Mosasauridae) and dinosaurs (Hadrosauridae) also occur. The presence of one hadrosaurian tooth, a terrestrial taxon, constitutes the first report of ornithischians in the Valdenoceda Formation. The fossil vertebrate association of Quintanilla la Ojada is similar to that discovered in Albaina (Treviño County, Burgos), also located in the Basque-Cantabrian Region, although relatively younger in age. Both fossil sites are characterised by a mixture of taxa from the northern and southern margins of the Mediterranean Tethys (north-European and north-African outcrops).; La coupe de Quintanilla la Ojada (Région Basco-Cantabrique, Nord de l’Espagne) a livré deux assemblages de vertébrés d’âge Crétacé supérieur, déposés durant le Maastrichtien dans des environnements côtiers et liés à un lag transgressif situé à la base de la Formation Valdenoceda. De nombreuses dents d’Elasmobranchii et d’Actinopterygii sont les plus fréquentes, bien que de rares dents de reptiles marins (Mosasauridae) et de dinosaures (Hadrosauridae) aient aussi été trouvées. La présence d’une dent d’hadrosaure, taxon terrestre, constitue la première mention d’ornithischiens dans la Formation Valdenoceda. L’association de vertébrés fossiles de Quintanilla la Ojada est similaire à celle découverte à Albaina (Comté de Treviño, Burgos), situé également dans la région Basco-Cantabrique, bien que d’âge légèrement plus jeune. Les deux sites fossilifères sont caractérisés par un mélange de taxons des marges nord et sud de la Téthys méditerranéenne (affleurements du Nord de l’Europe et du Nord de l’Afrique).

International audience; A mega-tooth belonging to a Miocene fossil shark was discovered along the shores of the Arabian Sea inside one of the Neolithic domestic settlements at Sharbithat (SHA-10) (Sultanate of Oman). Attributed to a representative of the extinct genus Otodus (Megaselachus), this tooth is the first ever discovered in the Arabian Peninsula. In the field, research permitted the localization and study, a few kilometres away, of the palaeontological deposit where this retrieval was made. The shark, traditionally extensively hunted on the shores of the Arabian Sea, is well attested in the region's Neolithic ichthyological assemblages. Moreover, during this period, some groups of seaborne hunters were specialized in this form of fishing, which was indeed quite dangerous. But why did an individual some 5,500 years ago collect this curio, an unusual fossil, but also one he could easily recognize? The fossils of large sharks sometimes played an important part in ancient societies. Could this also have been the case in SouthEastern Arabia?

International audience; We report here three new elasmobranch fossil taxa from Thanetian-Lower Lutetian nearshore marine deposits of northeastern (Matam region) and central-western (Sine-Saloum region) Senegal. These three new taxa represent the oldest species of the enigmatical elasmobranch Odontorhytis, the oldest putative representatives of marine potamotrygonid, and an uncertain dasyatoid genus with the smallest grinding dentition ever described. These new taxa, representing the second Cenozoic elasmobranch remains formally described from Senegal, broaden our understanding of their evolutionary and biogeographic history in the equatorial Eastern Atlantic during this time period. Their occurrences confirm hypothesised stratigraphically correlations between the top of Matam Fm. and the base of Lam Lam Fm., refine the marine connections between these two Senegalese regions, and suggest that these genera were broadly distributed within the shallow marine settings of the equatorial Eastern Atlantic during latest Paleoceneearly Middle Eocene.; Nous rapportons ici trois nouveaux taxa de fossiles d’élasmobranches des dépôts marins littoraux du Thanétien–Lutétien inférieur du Nord-Est (région de Matam) et du Centre-Ouest (région du Sine-Saloum) du Sénégal. Ces trois nouveaux taxa représentent les espèces les plus anciennes d’élasmobranches énigmatiques appartenant au genre Odontorhytis, aux potamotrygonides marins et à un dasyatoïde avec la plus petite denture broyeuse jamais décrite. Ces nouveaux taxons, complétant l’unique description d’élasmobranches cénozoïques nouveaux au Sénégal, élargissent notre compréhension de leur histoire évolutive et biogéographique de l’Atlantique Est équatorial au cours de cette période. Leurs occurrences confirment des corrélations stratigraphiques hypothétiques entre le sommet de la Formation de Matam et la base de la Formation de Lam Lam. Celles-ci affinent aussi les liens marins entre ces deux régions sénégalaises et leur comparaison avec des occurrences reconnues en Afrique du Nord et de l’Ouest suggèrent que ces genres étaient largement répartis et diversifiés dans les environnements marins peu profonds de l’Atlantique Est équatorial au cours du Paléocène terminal et du début de l’Éocène moyen.

International audience; Bulk sampling of an indurated glauconic sandstone horizon from Djebel el Kébar, Central Tunisia, yielded a moderately diversified assemblage of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), dating from the late Middle Eocene (mid Bartonian). Here, 10 new taxa (nine new species and three new genera) are described among a total diversity of 33 species. These new taxa highlight the rise of mid-large predator lineages of modern nearshore seas and fill a substantial gap in the sporadic fossil record of the late Middle Eocene. Comparisons of this assemblage with other Middle-Late Eocene faunas from the Tethys seaway indicate that this Tunisian fauna shares more similarities with Late Eocene than with early Middle Eocene assemblages. This suggests that the major shift observed in tropical elasmobranch communities from the Late Eocene, with for instance the appearance of large Carcharhinids replacing Lamniforms, began during the late Middle Eocene. Such a biotic shift could be linked to the warm conditions recorded ca. 41 Ma, known as the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO), which was characterized by a short temperature increase of all marine waters.

Resume Le Cretace superieur de la partie orientale des Monts des Ksour (Atlas saharien, Algerie) est classiquement subdivise en trois formations lithostratigraphiques fossiliferes : El Rhelida (Cenomanien inferieur), Mdaouer (Cenomanien inferieur-moyen) et Rhoundjaia (Cenomanien superieur-Turonien inferieur). La partie occidentale des Monts des Ksour, moins documentee et peu etudiee a ce jour, fait l’objet ici d’une etude sedimentologique et paleontologique detaillee. A Hassi Djeifa (region de Forthassa), le Cretace superieur est represente par la partie superieure de la Formation de Mdaouer puis par la Formation de Rhoundjaia. Les depots attribues a la Formation de Mdaouer sont constitues de marnes rougeâtres ou verdâtres, intercalees de calcaires bio-lamines, de calcaires bioclastiques a gasteropodes et bivalves et de gres. Les niveaux marneux ont livre une faune composee d’ostracodes (Damonella spp., Ilyocypris? sp., Cypridea sp. et Paracypria? sp.), de selaciens (Mafdetia tibniensis et Baharipristis bastetiae) et de pycnodontiformes. Les deux especes de selaciens (Ordre des Rajiformes) n’etaient jusqu’ici connues que du Cenomanien inferieur d’Egypte. Les donnees sedimentologiques et paleontologiques suggerent un âge cenomanien inferieur probable pour les depots etudies et indiquent un paleo-environnement de plaine cotiere continuellement influencee par l’action de marees.

International audience; The discovery of fossil fish and reptiles in the banks of the Conecuh River at the Point «A» Dam site, northwest of the town of Andalusia, Covington County, Alabama, has brought to light 38 selachian species belonging to 31 genera, from the Lisbon Formation (Middle Eocene, Lutetian). One new genus and three new species are described: Orectolobus ziegenhinei nov. sp., Tethylamna dunni nov. gen. nov. sp. and Scoliodon conecuhensis nov. sp. This study allows us to up-date the previous studies published on the selachians from this locality and to increase the faunal list. The oldest occurrence of the genera Orectolobus, Sphyrna and Scoliodon is noted. The genus Tethylamna nov. seems to appear during the Lutetian, before spreading all along the southern margin of the Tethys ocean during the Bartonian and the Priabonian. The Pristidae are particularly diversified, indicating coastal, shallow water conditions during deposition of the fossiliferous bed. The Lutetian fauna of Andalusia, Alabama shows more paleobiogeographic affinities with those of the southern Tethyan margin than with those of northwestern Europe.

The Oligocene selachian fauna of the Menilitic Formation (Oligocene) of the Carpathians is reviewed in the light of new material coming from the province of Moravia (Eastern Czech Republic). Several species previously described on the basis of incomplete teeth are here represented by well-preserved and more numerous specimens and allows to rectify the systematics of several taxa previ- ously recovered in the sediments of this Oligocene western Paratethys sea. The cetorhinid specimens of the species parvus, previously assigned to the genus Cetorhinus, are now assigned to the genus Keasius Welton, 2013. Its teeth are described for the first time from the Carpathian Flysch. Besides already published species, this new material includes taxa previously unknown in the Menilitic Formation, as Chlamydoselachussp. and Echinorhinus schoenfeldi. The elasmobranch fauna, characterized by the complete absence of batoids, confirms the deep-water environment that prevailed during the deposition of the Menilitic Formation.

Devil rays (genus Mobula) are pelagic elasmobranchs widely distributed throughout tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate waters. Their occurrence and distribution remains poorly documented in the Arabian Seas region. A review is provided of species occurrence in these water bodies along with a synthesis of regional information on their biology and ecology. Based on the available evidence, five Mobula species occur in the region (M. eregoodootenkee, M. japanica, M. kuhlii, M. tarapacana, and M. thurstoni). Of these, three (M. eregoodootenkee, M. tarapacana and M. thurstoni) were found to occur in the Red Sea, and three (M. eregoodootenkee, M. japanica, and M. kuhlii) were found to occur in the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Mobula japanica and M. kuhlii are reported here for the first time in Gulf waters. All five species were found in the Indian Ocean waters between the Gulf of Aden and Pakistan. To address the still uncertain taxonomy of M. kuhlii, a redescription of this species is provided based on a sample of fresh specimen material. Mobula diabolus is a nomen ambiguum, never used to unambiguously designate any newly described species, and its use should be avoided. Considering the life-history traits that make these species particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure, current levels of exploitation in by-catch fisheries are unlikely to be sustainable, despite the fact that the trade in gill plates does not seem to be prevalent in this region. Critical knowledge gaps unfortunately still exist, crippling effective management and conservation actions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Upper Maastrichtian deposits formed in a nearshore subtidal environment within the Valdenoceda Formation (Castilian Ramp, North Iberian margin) are described together with two recently found selachian assemblages. Rare earth element concentrations (REE) have been used to assess the degree of taphonomic mixing and reworking, observing that it is minor or non-existent, and differences in degree of preservation and ecologic mixing can be explained by biostratinomic processes. The patterns of REE also helped to obtain a better understanding of the depositional environment, including the diagenetic history from burial to final degree of bone preservation. The fossil assemblages here described are close to that of the late Maastrichtian of Albaina (in the enclave of Condado de Trevino, Burgos), both in the Basque-Cantabrian Region, but their age may be slightly older (early late Maastrichtian). In total, the new assemblages consist of 17 taxa, assigned to 11 genera of shallow-water dwellers combined with individuals from the outer shelf. They represent cosmopolitan taxa (Squalicorax pristodontus, Serratolamna serrata and Rhombodus binkhorsti) together with local species (Rhinobatos echavei, Rhinobatos ibericus). Although there are not significant differences between Albaina and Quintanilla la Ojada faunas, the new assemblages add interesting taphonomic and geochemical information to the few existing uppermost Cretaceous deposits with fossil sharks in southwestern Europe.

International audience

International audience

Mesozoic marine reptiles went through a severe turnover near the end of the Triassic. Notably, an important extinction event affected ichthyosaurs, sweeping a large part of the group. This crisis is, however, obscured by an extremely poor fossil record and is regarded as protracted over the entire Norian-earliest Jurassic interval, for the lack of a more precise scenario. The iconic whale-sized shastasaurid ichthyosaurs are regarded as early victims of this turnover, disappearing by the middle Norian. Here we evaluate the pattern of this turnover among ichthyosaurs by analysing the faunal record of two Rhaetian localities. One locality is Autun, eastern France; we rediscovered in this material the holotypes or partial `type' series of Rachitrema pellati, Actiosaurus gaudryi, Ichthyosaurus rheticus, Ichthyosaurus carinatus and Plesiosaurus bibractensis; a revised taxonomic scheme is proposed. The second assemblage comes from a new locality: Cuers, southeastern France. Both these assemblages provide several lines of evidence for the presence of shastasaurid-like ichthyosaurs in the Rhaetian of Europe. These occurrences suggest that both the demise of shastasaurids and the sudden radiation of neoichthyosaurians occurred within a short time window; this turnover appears not only more abrupt but also more complex than previously postulated and adds a new facet of the end-Triassic mass extinction.

Fossil biogenic apatites were studied for their geochemical composition across the late Cretaceous–early Eocene Moroccan phosphate series in the Ouled Abdoun and Ganntour basins in Morocco in order to characterize paleoenvironmental conditions and to improve stratigraphy. The vertebrate remains show particularly good structural, mineralogical and chemical preservations, which relate to the favorable depositional environment of the phosphorite. The main studied fossils – shark tooth enameloid and dentine, and coprolites – show large range in d13C values from - 14 to + 6‰, which can be coupled to different carbon sources. Enameloid yielded mostly positive d13C isotopic compositions that are comparable with values reported from modern teeth. Coprolites have the lowest d13C values that reflect burial conditions with intensive organic matter recycling. The large variation in d18OPO4 values of the shark teeth can be related to ecological differences. However, the mean d18OPO4 data reflect important temporal variation along the series, together with the corresponding average d13C values. Comparisons with the global isotope records allow identifying the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum in the top of the Ouled Abdoun series (above Bed 0'). The isotope data further suggest a sedimentary gap during the latest Thanetian and the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum. The top of the Paleocene series (Bed IIa) can be dated to late Selandian–early Thanetian, with the recognition of the Early Late Paleocene Event (ELPE). The Eritherium Bone Bed, that yielded the earliest known placental mammals from Africa, would be located below the ELPE and therefore, cannot be younger than late Selandian. The isotope data from the older Paleocene (Bed IIb) and Cretaceous (upper Bed III) beds in the Ouled Abdoun Basin can be correlated with the latest Danian–early Selandian and the latest Maastrichtian global isotope record, respectively. Based on the d18OPO4 data, the Cretaceous layers of the Ganntour Basin cover most of the Maastrichtian period except the very early part. All these early Paleogene and Cretaceous chemostratigraphic ages, however, need further confirmations from other proxies. Yet, the interpretations are in general agreement with the biostratigraphy derived from the selachian fauna.

A new locality in the poorly known “red beds” of Tendrara (High Plateaus, Morocco) has yielded four charophytes species ( Feistiella anluensis , Lamprothamnium stipitatum , Peckisphaera portezueloensis , Platychara caudata ) and dinosaur eggshells ( Pseudomegaloolithus atlasi ). These red beds, which overly the Cenomanian-Turonian marine deposits, generally assigned to “Senonian” based on geometric position, are directly dated by these fossils: the charophytes species and dinosaur oospecies association indicates a Campano-Maastrichtian or Maastrichtian age for these calm floodplain deposits.

The microstructure of neoselachian teeth is characterized by a triple-layered enameloid, despite its purported absence in batoids since their appearance during the early Jurassic. This feature is thought to have been secondarily lost, as an adaptation to durophagy in batoids. The monophyletic Myliobatiformes are an ecologically diverse clade of batoids that includes very specialized taxa such as the filter-feeding mobulids and the durophagous myliobatids. Their diversity and recent evolutionary history (Palaeogene) make them an ideal model for assessing adaptive constraints that influence enameloid microstructure. This first study focusing only on batoid enameloid shows a very reduced single-layered enameloid in the derived filter feeders. However, most other taxa show a double-layered enameloid, which is probably plesiomorphic for batoids. It is concluded that the triple-layered enameloid is not a synapomorphy of the neoselachii as a whole, but of Selachimorpha only, and that diet specialization in derived myliobatoids indeeds impact their enameloid microctructure, which is confirmed by their fossil diversity. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London

International audience; Marine vertebrate fossils from late Cretaceous-early Paleogene shallow marine phosphorites of Morocco were investigated for their trace element compositions and neodymium isotopic ratios in order to constrain marine and depositional conditions. The various analyzed fossils are separated into two groups with different geo-chemical compositions: (1) shark tooth enameloid with generally lower Cu, Ba, rare earth elements (REEs) and U, and higher Na, Zn and Sr concentrations than (2) dentine, bone, and coprolites. These differences are related to the originally different structures of these fossils. All the fossils revealed very similar shale-normalized REE patterns, with negative Ce anomaly and heavy REE enrichment mimicking the REE pattern of modern oxic-seawater. The results therefore suggest REE uptake by the fossils from an early diagenetic pore fluid that was dominated by seawater. Importantly, the Ce anomaly does not vary among the different types of fossil remains and the values are very similar in a given layer. Moreover, a step-wise shift towards lower Ce/Ce* values from older to younger beds is apparent. Nd isotope analyses across the phosphorite succession yielded minor variation with an average ε Nd (t) value of −6.2 ± 0.4 (n = 12) indicating no major changes in the REE source during the studied interval. The relatively radiogenic values reflect Tethy-an connection and/or important contribution of a mafic Nd source from weathering in the region. The age-related trend in the Ce anomaly is interpreted to be due to changes in redox and/or pH conditions of the upwelling seawater on the shallow shelf areas. The driving force of these changes was probably an extended global oceanic circulation, especially enhanced connection and water exchange between the North and South Atlantic.

The exact affinities of the fossil teeth attributed to the devilrays (mobulids) are critical for resolving the debated origin of these giant pelagic rays amongst Myliobatiformes and the timing of their evolution toward planktivory. We performed the first detailed comparative description of teeth belonging to most of the living and fossil mobulids. Based on a survey of living devilrays, three dental morphologies are newly identified as cobblestone tooth plates, comb-like teeth, and peg-like teeth. In addition, all extinct mobulid species are reviewed with comments on their dentition, fossil record, and geographical distribution. As a result, three fossil mobulid taxa are newly described from the Late Eocene of south-west Morocco (Argoubia barbei gen. et sp. nov., Oromobula dakhlaensis gen. et sp. nov., and Eoplinthicus underwoodi sp. nov.). This has permitted the first assessment of the phylogenetic positions of extinct and extant species of mobulids, using cladistic analyses and a combined data set of nondental anatomical characters from the literature and the dental characters defined here. Our new results support the monophyly of mobulids including all living and most extinct species and indicate that mobulids are closely related to rhinopterids. They also indicate that there was a recent split within Mobulidae into the three tooth morphology groups that we describe in this paper. This work provides clues to the evolutionary history of this clade since the Early Eocene, including the gradual lack in tooth interlocking toward the filter-feeding strategy, whereas the preservation of cusped teeth without feeding function in modern filter-feeder mobulids is interpreted as a tool for precopulatory purposes. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166, 132–159.

Pseudo-toothed birds (Odontopterygiformes, Pelagornithidae) were highly specialized soarers with a massive bill bearing spiny osseous projections along the tomia. These enigmatic seabirds have been...

Two shark teeth from the Early Cretaceous limestone (Late Hauterivian, Pseudothurmannia ohmi Zone, Pseudothurmannia catulloi Subzone) of Nyons (Drome) in southeast France are reported here as Echinorhinus sp. They represent the oldest record of the family Echinorhinidae (Elasmobranchii), an enigmatic and primitive branch of living deep-sea sharks. This discovery has allowed completion of the fossil record of this family and revival of the debate about its origin as a result of recent advances in selachian phylogeny. The fossil record is now consistent with the assumption that the Echinorhinidae is the stem group of Squaliformes s.l. and the modern morphology of the first representatives does not support alternative hypotheses. Although the phylogenetic position of living bramble sharks remains unclear, the peculiar enameloid histology of fossil and extant echinorhinids is globally similar to those of some basal neoselachian sharks (e.g., Synechodontiformes). Considered as a plesiomorphic feature of modern Neoselachian sharks, this supports a basal position among the orbitostylic sharks. Although the precise origin of echinorhinids remains obscure, the environmental settings of the fossil discoveries suggest that the first representatives frequented the deep sea.

Bulk sampling of phosphate-rich horizons within the Late Cretaceous of the Anglo-Paris Basin yielded numerous teeth of members of the Squatiniformes. Along with isolated tooth remains, two museum specimens comprising partial articulated encoskeletal remains including the holotype of the species Squatina cranei Woodward, 1888a are described, and a new subgenus Cretascyllium is proposed for species of the genus Squatina with high degree of heterodonty and triangular anterior teeth. The species Squatina (Cretascyllium) cranei comb. nov. and Squatina (Cretascyllium) hassei comb. nov. are referred to this subgenus. The genus Parasquatina Herman, 1982 previously erected on a single tooth is valid, and two new species P. justinensis sp. nov. and P. jarvisi sp. nov. are described along with a third taxon Parasquatina sp. An enigmatic tooth referred to ?Neoselachii incertae sedis is also reported. The palaeoecology of these taxa is discussed.

Onchosaurus (Sclerorhynchidae, Batomorphii) is a Late Cretaceous cosmopolitan genus of extinct sawfish-like batoids. Sclerorhynchidae are highly modified rays that possess a long snout (rostrum) wi...

While the Middle/Late Eocene marine vertebrates in Egypt have been largely reported around the Fayumoasis, few reports were made elsewhere. Here we report a new fossil site (Km55) located near the Baha-riya Oasis in the Western desert of Egypt. This fossiliferous outcrop has yielded abundant fossil materialof invertebrates dated to the Middle/Late Eocene and some chondrichthyan remains that testify of a Pri-abonian age (MK11). More than twenty Selachian taxa were recovered in one level, including Cretolamnatwiggsensis, Misrichthys stromeri, Odontorhytis pappenheimi,?Jacquhermania attiai,and the fauna is quitesimilar to some recovered from the Fayum area. However, this new association is clearly distinctive of anopen marine environment during the extreme Late Eocene while the contemporaneous fossil sites farthereast are deposited in shallower (e.g. Wadi Hitan) or continental environments (e.g. BQ-2). This suggestsan E W diachronous change in relative sea level on the Egyptian coastal shelf during the Late Eocene per-iod, with a general deepening along strike to the West. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International audience; This paper describes the first hexanchid tooth from the Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of New Zealand. For the moment, this tooth represents the earliest representative of the fossil genus Notidanodon in the world and one of the most ancient neoselachians in the Southern Hemisphere. Despite the perfect state of preservation of the unique tooth, the species is left in open nomenclature, pending the discovery of additional specimens. Few nominal species have been assigned to the genus Notidanodon. Four from Cretaceous deposits: N. antarcti Grande & Chatterjee, 1987, Notidanodon dentatus (Woodward, 1886), Notidanodon lanceolatus (Woodward, 1886), Notidanodon pectinatus (Agassiz, 1843) and only two from Paleocene: Notidanodon brotzeni Siverson, 1995, and Notidanodon loozi (Vincent, 1876). Considering the important morphological variations observed between some of these species, it seems obvious that the genus Notidanodon is not monophyletic and will need a revision in the future.

The superorder Batomorphii is the most derived among elasmobranches and is composed of cartilaginous fishes with dorsoventrally flattened bodies. Myliobatiformes (rays) are one of the orders within...

Recent field work in the southern Moroccan Sahara (‘Western Sahara’), south of the city of ad-Dakhla, has led to the discovery of several new fossiliferous sites with fossil vertebrates in sedimentary deposits previously reported for the Mio-Pliocene. The sedimentology and geological setting of the studied area are briefly reported here, and at least three units have been identified in successive stratigraphical sequences according to their fossil content. The first preliminary list of vertebrate associations is reported and consists mainly of isolated teeth belonging to selachian and bony fishes, a proboscidean tooth currently assigned to ?Numidotherium sp. and many remains of archaeocete whales (Basilosauridae). At least 48 species of selachians are presently identified; many of them are new and others are recorded in the late Middle Eocene (Bartonian) and Late Eocene (Priabonian) of Wadi Al-Hitan (Egypt) or Wadi Esh-Shallala Formation (Jordan) as in other African localities (e.g. Otodus cf. sokolowi, ‘Cretolamna’ twiggsensis, Xiphodolamia serrata, Misrichthys stromeri, Hemipristis curvatus, Galeocerdo cf. eaglesomi, Propristis schweinfurthi), probably indicating a Late Eocene age for unit 2 of the bedrock successions. The evolutionary trend noticeable on the proboscidean tooth is in agreement with such an assumption, by comparison with the close relative species known from the Eocene of Egypt, Libya and Algeria. Indeed, the faunal associations from the Dakhla area clearly demonstrate the erroneous age of these deposits, previously thought to be Mio-Pliocene. It suggests a correlation in age (late Middle Eocene–Late Eocene) and a similar environment with the famous marine deposits from Egypt and Jordan. It opens new opportunities to understand the biogeography and the surprising similarity of landscape between West and Northeast Africa during the Bartonian–Priabonian period.

Resume Des gyrogonites de charophytes recoltees dans deux localites du synclinal d’Oudiksou (Moyen-Atlas marocain) sont etudiees. La formation Irbzer a livre, dans le site d’Achlouj-2, des charophytes ( Feistiella oblonga , F. globosa , Strobilochara apiculata , S. diademata ) qui suggerent un âge Campanien–Maastrichtien. Ce resultat concorde avec l’ensemble des donnees biochronologiques anterieures. La formation sus-jacente de Bekrit–Timahdit, supposee d’âge Thanetien a Lutetien, sans argument paleontologique, a livre des charophytes dans le site de Saf ( Peckichara cf. llobregatensis , Feistiella sp. 1, Maedleriella sp.). Cette association indique un âge Paleocene pour le membre intermediaire de cette formation.

Some elasmobranch teeth, belonging to the batoid genera Dnsyatis and Ouleclia, have been collected for the first time in three late middle Eocene localities of the Pondaung Formation from Central Myanrnar, which are known for their abundant continental vertebrate remains. Considering the environmental conditions, the occurrences of these elasmobranch teeth are indicative of the proximity of the sea shore andlor deltaic systems, which would have allowed to these rays to enter fresh waters.

The vertebrate-bearing beds of the Laño quarry (Condado de Treviño) are among the most relevant sites from the Late Cretaceous of Europe. Geologically, Laño and the adjacent region are set on the southern limb of the South-Cantabrian Synclinorium (SE Basque-Cantabrian Region, northern Iberian Peninsula). The Laño sites were discovered in 1984; thousands of bones and teeth, including microfossils, have been collected during the prospection in the field and excavation campaigns. The vertebrate remains occur at two different stratigraphic horizons within a continental to shallow marine succession of Late Campanian-Maastrichtian age. The lower horizon contains the Laño 1 and Laño 2 sites, whereas the upper horizon contains the Albaina site. In the Laño sites, three fossiliferous beds (called L1A, L1B and L2) are known within an alluvial system composed mainly of fluvial sands and silts. The sedimentary structures are consistent with channel areas within an extensive braided river system. Based mainly on stratigraphic correlations, the fluvial beds of Laño are regarded as Late Campanian to Early Maastrichtian in age. These deposits have yielded a very diverse vertebrate assemblage, which consists of nearly 40 species, including actinopterygians, lissamphibians, lepidosaurs, turtles, crocodyliforms, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and mammals. Seven genera and ten species have been erected to date in Laño. With reference to the marine vertebrate association of Albaina, it consists of at least 37 species, including sharks and rays, actinopterygians, mosasaurids, and plesiosaurs. Two genera and species of rhinobatoids (family indet.) and two new species of rhinobatids have been erected in Albaina. The fossil association indicates a Late (but not latest) Maastrichtian age. Recently, isolated turtle and dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the sublittoral beds of Albaina. The Laño quarry is one of the most noteworthy Campanian-Maastrichtian vertebrate localities of Europe by its taxonomic diversity, and provides useful information about the composition and affinities of both continental and marine vertebrate faunas from the latest Cretaceous of southwestern Europe, Los niveles con fósiles de vertebrados de la cantera de Laño (Condado de Treviño) se cuentan entre los más importantes del Cretácico Superior de Europa. Desde un punto de vista geológico, Laño y la región adyacente forman parte del flanco sur del Sinclinorio Subcantábrico (SE de la Región Vasco-Cantábrica). El descubrimiento de los niveles fosilíferos remonta a 1984; las prospecciones de campo y las campañas de excavación han proporcionado miles de huesos y dientes, incluyendo microfósiles. Los restos de vertebrados aparecen en dos horizontes estratigráficos diferentes formando parte de una sucesión continental a marina litoral de edad Campaniense superior a Maastrichtiense. El horizonte inferior contiene los yacimientos de Laño 1 y Laño 2, mientras que el superior contiene solo uno: Albaina. En los yacimientos de Laño, se reconocen tres niveles fosilíferos (llamados L1A, L1B y L2) formados en el seno de un sistema aluvial compuesto por arenas y limos fluviales. Las estructuras sedimentarias indican áreas de canal dentro de un sistema trenzado muy extendido. Según las correlaciones estratigráficas, los depósitos fluviales de Laño son de edad Campaniense superior a Maastrichtiense inferior. Estos depósitos han proporcionado una asociación muy diversa de vertebrados, que consiste en cerca de 40 especies, incluyendo actinopterigios, lisanfibios, lepidosaurios, tortugas, cocodrilos, dinosaurios, pterosaurios y mamíferos. En Laño se han definido hasta el momento siete géneros y diez especies. Por lo que respecta a la asociación de vertebrados marinos de Albaina, se han reconocido al menos 37 especies, que incluyen tiburones y rayas, actinopterigios, mosasaurios y plesiosaurios. Hasta la fecha se han definido en Albaina cuatro nuevos rinobatoideos: dos especies de rinobátidos y dos géneros y especies cuya familia es indeterminada. La asociación fósil es de edad Maastrichtiense superior no terminal. Recientemente se ha descrito el hallazgo de restos fósiles aislados de tortugas y dinosaurios en los niveles marinos de Albaina. La cantera de Laño es una de las localidades de vertebrados más destacadas del Campaniense-Maastrichtiense por su diversidad taxonómica, y proporciona información relevante sobre la composición y afinidades de las faunas de vertebrados continentales y marinos del Cretácico final del suroeste de Europa, Field research in the Laño quarry has been supported by financial aids of the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO projects CGL2010-18851/BTE and CGL2013-47521-P), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CGL2007-64061/BTE), Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CGL2004-02338/BTE, BTE2001-0185-C02-01, BOS2000-1369), Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Acción Integrada hispano-francesa 201-B), Diputación Foral de Álava/Arabako Foru Aldundia (93/23, 95/A23), Gobierno Vasco/Eusko Jaurlaritza (IT834-13, IT-320-10, IT-361-07, GV121.310-4/87), Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (9/ UPV00121.310-15303/2003), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France), Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU), The Dinosaur Society (research grant 1997) and the National Geographic Research (grant #6597-99). This work is part of a palaeontological collaboration (Convenio específico de colaboración) between the Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France) and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN, Paris). Contribution ISEM n° 2015-049

International audience; An overview of upper pPliocene and Pleistocene otolith assemblages is compiled on the basis of both literature data and newly collected material from several sections located mainly in southern Italy. One hundred and five taxa are listed. Additional comments are provided for taxa subject to discussion. The composition and affinities of the Mediterranean Pleistocene otolith associations (consisting mainly of deep sea fishes) is checked against the available data for Pre-Messinian, Pliocene, and Recent Mediterranean fishes. This analysis is based on the recorded nominal species, but some taxa that could be identified at the generic level only are also included when they are relevant from a biogeographic point of view. Some new data on Piacenzian (middle Pliocene) and Gelasian (upper Pliocene) otoliths are also provided because this time interval still constitutes a major gap in the knowledge of the stratigraphic range of Plio-Pleistocene fish taxa. The Pleistocene deepwater fish fauna of the Mediterranean shows a markedly more oceanic character than the present-day one, a tendency that was all ready observed from early Oligocene till Pliocene times. Starting from the late Piacenzian, an increasing number of Atlantic taxa progressively invaded the Mediterranean including several subpolar and temperate forms. This invasion became stronger in the Gelasian. From this period up to the middle and late Pleistocene, the Mediterranean deepwater fish fauna (mesopelagic and benthopelagic) is enriched by taxa which today are typical for the north Atlantic cold deep water. This faunal shift seems to be correlated with the evolution of the Plio-Pleistocene. Mediterranean paleoceanographic setting as well as with the global climatic deterioration. (c) 2006 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Parmi les nombreux squaliformes recoltes dans le Lutetien des Landes (SO de la France), deux genres et especes nouveaux ont ete reconnus:Squaliodalatias weltoni n. gen. n. sp. etAngoumeius paradoxus n. gen. n. sp. La morphologie dentaire du premier permet de le rapprocher des Dalatiidae. Les relations phyletiques du second taxon sont pour 1’instant moins claires, en raison de sa denture superieure inhabituelle pour un Dalatiiforme aussi evolue au niveau de la denture inferieure. Ces taxa nouveaux viennent enrichir nos connaissances sur un groupe encore mal connu a l’etat fossile en raison de son habitat bathyal ainsi que sur la mise en place et la radiation, encore trop peu documentee, des faunes profondes.

International audience; Two new Squalicorax species, S. benguerirensis nov. sp. and S. microserratus nov. sp. are described from the Lower Maastrichtian of the Benguérir phosphate open mine, Ganntour deposit, Morocco. The species S.benguerirensis nov. sp. was classically assigned to S. yangaensis by Arambourg (1952) and has been also recognized in coeval deposits from eastern USA to Mid-East. The species S.microserratus nov. sp. corresponds to thelateral teeth of S. kaupi as reported by Arambourg (1952) and which is now referred to S. bassanii. The comparison of these two new species with other anacoracids, known from Morocco or elsewhere, allows the great taxonomic and ecological diversities of this family during the Cretaceous to be highlighted.

Early Paleogene mammals are rare in Africa. They are mainly found in the northwestern part of the continent. Nearshore marine deposits from the Ouarzazate basin, in the southern rim of the Central High Atlas (Morocco), have yielded diverse Thanetian and Ypresian selachian and mammalian faunas [Cappetta et al., 1978, 1987; Gheerbrant et al., 1993]. These faunas from the Paleocene/Eocene transition document the oldest known placental mammals of Africa [Gheerbrant, 1992, 1994, 1995; Gheerbrant et al., 1998; Sigé et al., 1990; Sudre et al., 1993]. New field work in the central part of the basin, near El-Kelaâ M’Gouna, has led to the discovery of a new locality with continental and marine remains, including some non-determinable ostracods and charophytes plus planktonic and benthic foraminifera. The tests of the planktonic foraminifera were globally poorly preserved and highly re-crystallized. However, we found Globigerapsis index (dominant in the sample), Globigerapsis aff. kugleri, Subbotina frontosa, Subbotina inaequispira, Acarinina bullbrooki, Acarinina aff. pentacamerata, Morozovella aragonensis, Morozovella caucasica, Morozovella crater and Pseudohastigerina sp. Following Berggren et al. [1995], the lowest occurrence of the genus Globigerapsis denotes the P10/P11 zonal boundary and the highest occurrence of M. aragonensis denotes the P11/P12 zonal boundary. Both these taxa were represented by several relatively well-preserved specimens. Then, we consider that the sample is correlative to the planktonic foraminiferal Zone P11, for which a biochronal equivalent has been dated between 45.8 and 43.6 Ma. Consequently, the middle Lutetian Aznag locality represents the only known Eocene mammalian site to be adequately dated in Africa. The selachian fauna is relatively rich with nearly 30 species, many of them being probably new. The genera Squatiscyllium, Protoginglymostoma, Ouledia and Garabatis are confidently identified; these taxa were unknown in the Lutetian. We mention the first occurrence in the Eocene of Morocco of « septentrional » taxa Protoginglymostoma, Hemiscyllium and Rhinobatos bruxelliensis and we confirm the presence of genera Eomobula and Rhynchobatus. These data suggest significant North to South faunal exchanges, that contrast with the South to North tendency observed during the early Eocene [Noubhani and Cappetta, 1997]. Nevertheless, the selachian fauna from Aznag is clearly tropical with the occurrence of endemic taxa only known from Morocco (Garabatis, Orectolobiformes nov. gen.) and from the equatorial Tethys-Central Atlantic (Chiloscyllium aff. meraense, Ginglymostoma aff. angolense, Squatiscyllium, « Dasyatis » aff. sudrei, Ouledia, Arechia, Odontorhytis). Only 15 mammalian teeth have been recovered, most of them are very fragmentary and of small size; they document at least 7 species. A probable soricomorph “insectivore” documented by a complete lower molar is very atypical by its tiny size and the entoconid and hypoconulid poorly differentiated from the postcristid. Another “insectivore” is documented by a trigonid of p4, it is reminiscent to the zalambdodont groups. An incisor of rodent shows an enamel microstructure with uniserial Hunter-Schreger bands ; this structure is observed in several Eocene rodents from Eurasia and could be related to the pauciserial to uniserial transition observed in Zegdoumys sebtlai from Chambi (early Eocene, Tunisia) [Martin, 1999]. An upper molar of chiropteran cannot be assigned to one of the known microchiropteran superfamilies; the species from Aznag is characterized by derived traits (e.g. crestiform protocone, hypocone present) and primitive ones such as the presence of a paraconule which evokes the “eochiropteran” grade and the primitive vespertilionoids (paleochiropterygids). A small primate is documented by two fragmentary lower molars and characterized by a well-marked bunodonty and a large paraconid ; this form differs from contemporaneous anthropoids but is very similar to Altiatlasius from the Thanetian of the Adrar Mgorn 1. Two “condylarths” evoke European taxa; a M3 is tentatively assigned to the genus Paschatherium and a DP3or4 is reminiscent to that of Microhyus. This specimen shows also affinities with the ?DP4 of Chambius, a primitive macroscelidid from Chambi. The presence of these mammals strengthen the hypothesis of faunal exchanges between Africa and Europe during the early Eocene. During the middle Eocene, in the south of the Central High Atlas, palynologic data suggested a fairly dry, scarcely vegetated hinterland, and a tropical coastal vegetation (mangrove swamp and salt-marsh) [Fechner, 1988]. The mammals of Aznag, which are characteristic of a closed environment (chiropterans, primate, small ungulates), were certainly confined to a thin belt of coastal vegetation (forest gallery). The fossiliferous level is characterized by a cyclicity of the deposits which could suggest a seasonal variation. Among the selacians, the abundance of the batoids, the absence of both macrofauna and deep-water selacians, and the fragmentary elements indicate hydrodynamical transport in a shallow channel or delta.

The vertebrate fauna of Draa Ubari (Libya), previously regarded as Santonian–Campanian in age, is considered to be of Cenomanian age. This age is based on the presence of Onchopristis , Distobatus , Carcharias amonensis and Simoliophis .

The Maastrichtian of Benguerir (eastern part of the Ganntour Basin, Morocco) consists of about 20 m of phosphates displaying an alternance of soft phosphate levels, marly horizons and hard phosphatic limestones. Isolated teeth of selachians, actinopterygians and marine reptiles are extremely numerous in these phosphatic deposits and have been used for biostratigraphical, palaeodiversity and palaeoecological purposes. Detailed field work allowed to establish an exhaustive list of the Benguerir marine vertebrate faunas with their biostratigraphical distribution through five main fossiliferous levels (L6 to L2) spanning all the Maastrichtian. Their importance for biochronological purposes and correlations with other Maastrichtian phosphate deposits worldwide appears noteworthy. The selachians are currently represented by 60 species belonging to 32 genera and 7 orders. Among them, the genus Squalicorax is one of the most interesting concerning high-resolution biostratigraphy and correlations with other phosphate basins because of important rates of change noted between the 5 species recovered from base (e.g. occurrence of S. africanus ) to top (e.g. strong representation of S. pristodontus ) of the Maastrichtian. The marine reptiles include mainly mosasaurids but also scarcer plesiosaurs, chelonians and crocodyliforms, representing at least 14 taxa. The mosasaurid squamates are the most abundant and diversified with at least 8 species ranging all along the succession. The actinopterygians include mainly teleosts but also pycnodonts, also common in all levels and representing at least 7 taxa. Selachians and reptiles show the same trends, in terms of species richness per level, even if the reptiles are less informative due to a less diversified assemblage. For sharks, L6 and L2 show a high percentage of genera and species occurring only in the layer concerned. The evolution of diversity in actinopterygian fishes is less clear because of their low diversity. The use of dissimilarity indices and agglomerative method underscores two distinct associations: a lower one including the levels L6 and L5, and an upper one comprising the levels L4 to L2. These two associations allow to separate a lower and an upper Maastrichtian level and are important for correlations all around the southern and eastern margins of the Tethys. Another clear faunal turnover occurs between L3 and L2, because of a high appearance rate in L2 (at least in sharks) suggesting an increase in prey abundance, as testified by the rapid increase of marine predator density. Indeed, and through L6 to L2, a possible signal of an environmental damage affecting the predator community can be noted by faunal turnovers, even if no significant change in prey association was clearly detected. From a palaeobiogeographical point of view, the faunal associations of Benguerir appear typical of the southern and eastern margins of the Tethys, with several typical species not occurring in the northern Tethys.

Bulk sampling of a Valanginian indurate limestone horizon from southern France yielded a very high-diversity shark and ray assemblage. Thirteen new species and eight new genera ( Antrigoulia circumplicata gen. et sp. nov., Gladioserratus dentatus sp. nov., Occitanodus sudrei gen. et sp. nov., Echinorhinus vielhus sp. nov., Pseudorhina crocheti sp. nov., Paracestracion pectinatus sp. nov., Ornatoscyllium rugasimulatum sp. nov., Garrigascyllium aganticensis gen. et sp. nov., Magistrauia unicaplicata gen. et sp. nov., Parahemiscyllium underwoodwardi gen. et sp. nov., Archaeogaleus lengadocensis gen. et sp. nov., Thiesus concavus gen. et sp. nov., Cadiera camboensis gen. et sp. nov.) are described among a total diversity of 26 species, 24 genera and one undetermined taxon. This is the second Valanginian elasmobranch assemblage known so far and is a rare evidence of Mesozoic outer-platform marine chondrichthyan diversity. Comparison of this assemblage with 16 other Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous faunas indicates that the French fauna shares more similarities with Jurassic faunal compositions. The number of new familial occurrences (Carcharhinidae, Echinorhinidae, Pseudorhinidae) and uncommon dominance of hexanchiform taxa (mainly Welcommia bodeuri and Paraorthacodus jurensis ) are due to the poor representation of corresponding depositional settings in the Mesozoic elasmobranch fossil record.

Lutetian lower middle Eocene phosphate deposits of Kpogamé-Hahotoé in Togo yield new information about whales and sea cows in West Africa. Most specimens are individual teeth and bones, collected as isolated elements, but some appear to have been associated. Most are conservatively interpreted to represent a new 300–400 kg protocetid archaeocete, Togocetus traversei. This genus and species is distinctly primitive for a protocetid in retaining a relatively small mandibular canal in the dentary and retaining a salient metaconid on the lower first molar (M1), but it is derived relative to earlier archaeocetes in having large, dense, osteosclerotic tympanic bullae. Mandibular canal size and large dense bullae are not as tightly linked in terms of function in hearing as previously thought. Postcranially Togocetus traversei had many characteristics found in other semiaquatic protocetids: a relatively long neck, mobile shoulder, digitigrade manus, large pelvis, well-developed hind limbs, and feet specialized for swimming. Loss of a fovea on the head of the femur indicates loss of the teres ligament stabilizing the hip, which is a derived specialization consistent with life in water. Protocetid specimens distinctly smaller and larger than those of Togocetus traversei indicate the presence of at least three protocetids at Kpogamé. Sirenian vertebral and rib pieces indicate the presence of a protosirenid and a dugongid. Finally, a vertebral centrum and piece of humerus appear to represent a large land mammal. A diverse fauna of archaic whales and early sirenians inhabited the western margin of Africa and the eastern Atlantic Ocean as early as 46–44 million years before present, showing that both cetaceans and sirenians were widely distributed geographically by this time.

Squaliformes comprise the major proportion of modern deep-water sharks, yet their fossil history and phylogenetic relationships are still poorly understood. New analyses have been undertaken, however, and new living and fossil species have been discovered during the past 10 years. A cladistic analysis involving 29 dental characters has been made and most living and fossil genera are included. On the basis of their dental morphology, the monophyly of the Squaliformes can be supported if the fossil genus Protospinax is excluded. The traditional phylogenetic positions of most living genera, Protosqualus, Cretascymnus and Eoetmopterus, are confirmed despite the fact that the Oxynotidae, Etmopterinae, Palaeomicroides, Proetmopterus and Microetmopterus have some atypical phylogenetic relationships within the Squaliformes. The addition of the palaeontological data in a phylogenetic tree including fossil and living Squaliformes demonstrates some gaps in the fossil record. Nevertheless, and as a consequence of that stratigraphy-phylogeny inference, two particular events can be pinpointed in the history of the Squaliformes: the first one occurs after the major Cenomanian-Turonian anoxic event and the second one after the Cretaceous/Tertiary crisis. The first radiation involves the majority of the living Squaliformes (Somniosinae, Centrophorinae, most of the Etmopterinae, Oxynotinae) in deep-sea waters, the second, the more epipelagic sharks (most of the Dalatiidae), suggesting a secondary adaptation to more shallow environments.

The Pajcha Pata fossil locality in south central Bolivia, in the upper part of the Lower Member of the El Molino Formation, is the first late Cretaceous fauna in South America which has yielded, in addition to some invertebrates and plants, all kinds of vertebrates except birds, but including dinosaurs and mammals. Its middle Maastrichtian age, indicated by geochronologic data, is consistent with the fauna, including the marine ichthyofauna. The vertebrate fossils reported here come from the main fossiliferous level which includes terrestrial, freshwater and marine taxa: vertebrates, Mammalia (both tribosphenic and non-tribosphenic therians), Theropoda (Coelurosauria and Sauropoda), Crocodylia, Squamata (Serpentes), Chelonia, Amphibia (Anura, Gymnophiona, Caudata) and fish (Dipnoi, Teleostei, Actinopteri, Cladistia, Chondrostei); invertebrates (Gastropoda, Bryozoa) and plants (charophytes). Amongst these taxa are the earliest records of some fish, Amphibia and tribosphenic Mammalia in South America and/or in the world. The fish concerned are: Polypteriformes (Latinopollia suarezi), Siluriformes of the family Andinichthyidae (Andinichthys) and two new families, Osteoglossiformes of the subfamily Heterotidinae (Osteoglossidae), Perciformes of the family Latidae, Dipnoi of the family Lepidosirenidae (Lepidosiren cf. paradoxa). The Amphibia concerned are: indeterminate Gymnophiona, Noterpetontidae (Noterpeton bolivianum). Pajcha Pata is the only known locality in South America with both non-tribosphenic and tribosphenic therian mammals. The depositional environment was probably estuarian or lagoonal as indicated by a mixed continental, freshwater, and marine fauna. Comparison of this local fauna with faunas of the same age at localities belonging to the same proximal part of the El Molino basin on one hand, and with others belonging to the distal part on the other hand, shows that the two continental areas seem to have their own endemic freshwater fish fauna (except the Characidae and the Lepisosteidae, known in all levels of Bolivia). However, these two areas have the same marine taxa. This implies some influence of the sea in the whole basin. Calculated temperatures of the marine waters range from 13 to 17° for a latitute of about 22°S, implying a southern Pacific upwelling. The El Molino Basin could have been also connected with the open sea through present-day Argentina and not only Venezuela as thought until now.

A new skate, Walteraja exigua gen. et sp. nov., is described from the lowermost Maastrichtian Belemnella lanceolata Zone of Balsvik quarry, Kristianstad Basin, southern Sweden. It is the earliest known skate with a largely modern tooth morphology and the only known pre-Cenozoic rajoid displaying a very marked gynandric heterodonty, comparable to that in many living forms. The occurrence of W. exigua in the basal Maastrichtian at Balsvik coincides with a mass occurrence of the small ‘deep-water’ squaloid shark Proetmopterus hemmooriensis. Most living skates, and virtually all extant squaloids closely related to P. hemmooriensis, inhabit deep and/or cool water environments and do not occur in warm temperate to tropical coastal waters. The Walteraja/Proetmopterus association in a marginal, relatively shallow-water facies of the B. lanceolata Zone adds to other, recently described, unexpected occurrences of Late Cretaceous rajoids and etmopterids/centroscymnids in warm temperate to subtropical shelf environments.

Die Zahnmorphologie des rezenten Squali-formenTrigonognathus kabeyai wird zum ersten Mal detailliert abgebildet und beschrieben. Einige ratselhafte, vor kurzem im Lutet der Landes (Sudwest-Frankreich) gefundene Zahne konnten im Vergleich mit der rezenten Art interpretiert und als neue Art (T. virginiae n. sp.) bestimmt werden. Die Entdeckung einer stark spezialisierten Gattung im Lutet zeigt eine fruhzeitige Besiedlung des bathyalen Lebensraumes an. La morphologie dentaire du Squaliforme actuelTrigonognathus kabeyai est decrite et figuree pour la premiere fois en detail. Quelques dents enigmatiques recemment recoltees dans le Lutetien des Landes (sud-ouest de la France) ont pu etre interpretees et determinees grâce a l’etude du genre actuel. La decouverte d’un genre tres derive des le Lutetien atteste d’une mise en place precoce des faunes bathyales. The dental morphology of the Recent squaliformTrigonognathus kabeyai is described and figured in detail for the first time. Some enigmatic teeth recently collected in the Lutetian of Landes (southwestern France) can be interpreted and identified as a new species (T. virginiae n. sp.) thanks to the study of the Recent genus. The discovery of a very specialized genus as early as the Lutetian indicates an early colonization of the bathyal habitat.