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The fossil record of sciaenid fishes (based on both otoliths and osteological finds) from the Neogene of the Paratethys is reviewed. The species Labrax (=Morone) multipinnatus Gorjanović-Kramberger, 1882 from the Sarmatian of Croatia (Sv. Nedelja) that was originally described as a sea bass of the family Moronidae is re-assigned to the extant croaker genus Argyrosomus. Two new genera and species of sciaenid fishes are described based on a single skeleton each, namely Landinisciaena popovi gen. et sp. nov. from the Tarkhanian (Lower/Middle Miocene) North Shirvanskaya Formation exposed along the Pshekha River, North Caucasus, Russia, and Croatosciaena krambergeri gen. et sp. nov. from the Sarmatian s.s. (Middle Miocene) deposits of Dolje in the nearby of the city of Zagreb, Croatia. The holotype of the former taxon possesses a well-preserved saccular otolith in situ (first record of in situ croaker otolith in Europe) similar to the otoliths of the extant genus Atractoscion. The otolith-based Ottnangian species Atractoscion elongatissimus Schwarzhans, 1993 is transferred to the genus Landinisciaena gen. nov. A comprehensive revision of the Neogene otholith-based sciaenid record from Paratethys resulted in the recognition of three new genera (Chaoia gen. nov., Pontosciaena gen. nov. and Leptosciaena gen. nov.) as well as in the description of a new species L. caputoi sp. nov. from the uppermost Messinian (Lago-mare phase) of Italy. A number of known otholith-based species were either synonymized or assigned to a new generic affiliation. The complex biogeographic history of the Neogene Paratethyan sciaenids (based on both otoliths and skeletal records) is discussed, resulting in the recognition of a vanished “sciaenid bioprovince". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at studying the chronological evolution of the Neogene-Quaternary volcanic activity within the Çaldıran plain and its mountainous framing (Eastern Turkey). It is shown that the last pulse of continental-margin magmatism related to the subduction and closure of Neotethys oceanic basin occurred in the Middle Miocene (13.5-12.5 Ma). The post-collision volcanism proceeding simultaneously with large-scale regional tectonic rearrangement and initiation of the long-term Çaldıran fault began in the Late Miocene (7-6 Ma), and reached maximum activity in the Middle Pliocene (4.7-3.6 Ma). The Quaternary period in the region evolution was marked by the abundant within-plate magmatic activity restricted to the regional SW-NE trending zone, and the formation of Eastern Turkey’s largest Tendürek shield volcano (Late Pleistocene-Holocene). Petrological-geochemical data indicate that magmas during the overall evolution of young volcanism of the Çaldıran plain was generated from a single mantle reservoir, whose composition gently one-way evolved with time. Calculations show that melting occurred in the upper part of the asthenosphere (immediately near the boundary with thinned lithospheric mantle), which was metasomatized by pre-existing long-continued subduction. The chemical variations of mantle source with time (from the Middle Miocene to Quaternary) were mainly determined by a decrease of subduction component and the presence of aqueous phases, with a general trend from E-MORB to OIB-type for generated magmas. The composition of Late Quaternary basic lavas of Tendürek Volcano in terms of most petrological-geochemical characteristics corresponds to within-plate alkaline basalts. The main trend of geochemical evolution of mantle source is correlated with a systematic change of the predominant serial affinity of igneous rocks from calcalkaline through moderately alkaline to Na-alkaline varieties. Discrete character of young magmatism within the Çaldıran plain, and its subsequent evolution (sulrasubduction → post-collision → within-plate) were mainly determined by periodical large-scale changes in geotectonic setting within the Eurasian-Arabian collision zone: (1) cessation of subduction, (2) break-up and deepening of oceanic slab with its subsequent break off, (3) inferred emergence of incipient rift setting under conditions of intense submeridional compression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cocinetas Basin is located on the eastern flank of La Guajira Peninsula, northern Colombia (South Caribbean). During late Oligocene through Pliocene, much of the basin was submerged. The extensive deposits in this area suggest a transition from a shallow marine to a fluvio-deltaic system, with a rich record of invertebrate and vertebrate fauna. The elasmobranch assemblages of the early Miocene to late Pliocene succession in the Cocinetas Basin (Jimol, Castilletes and Ware Formations, and Patsúa Valley) are described for the first time. The assemblages include at least 30 taxa of sharks (Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes, Orectolobiformes, Lamniformes and Carcharhiniformes) and batoids (Rhinopristiformes and Myliobatiformes), of which 24 taxa are reported from the Colombian Neogene for the first time. Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental interpretations are based on the feeding ecology, and on estimates of paleosalinity using stable isotope compositions of oxygen in the bioapatite of shark teeth. The isotopic composition of studied specimens corroborates the paleoenvironmental settings for the studied units suggested on the basis of other proxies. These Neogene elasmobranch assemblages from the Cocinetas Basin, provide new insights of the shark and ray diversity inhabiting the coastal and estuarine environments of the northwestern margin of South America, both during the existence of the gateway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and following its closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we explore the potential of spring-related, surface and subsurface carbonates as an archive of paleoenvironmental change at Barrancas Blancas, located in the broadest and driest sector of the Atacama Desert at 24.5°S. From these deposits we present a new stable isotopic record of paleoenvironmental conditions over portions of the past ~ 11.5 Ma. U-Pb dates from the carbonates, both surface and subsurface, demonstrate that springs have discharged at this location over much of the last 11.5 Ma, attesting to the exceptional geomorphic stability of the central Atacama. Many of the sampled vein systems line vertical fissures, and formed within the aquifer before groundwater discharged at the surface. Carbonates in such circumstances should not undergo off-gassing and kinetic fractionation prior to formation, simplifying the interpretation of their isotopic composition. Oxygen isotopic compositions of carbonates are generally high (>− 5‰VPDB), and using paleospring water temperatures of 3–13 °C reconstructed from clumped isotopes, point to strongly (up to 50%) evaporated water isotope values, like those associated with the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert today. Carbon isotopic compositions are also high (≥+3‰ PDB), reflecting a recharge area essentially devoid of plants and dominated by volcanic CO 2 , as is the case today. Our isotopic results are very similar to those from the Calama Basin to the north, suggesting that the western face of the Andes between 21 and 25°S has been highly evaporative and nearly plantless when these springs discharged over the last 11.5 Ma. The spring carbonates at Barrancas Blancas strongly resemble those found at Devils Hole and Furnace Creek in Death Valley, USA, and as such warrant further exploration as potential archives of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amazonia covers nearly 50% of Brazil. The history of this biome is marked by many changes in the landscape caused mainly by the Central and Northern Andes uplift. This event has influenced the palaeogeography of the Amazon and therefore its biogeography and possibly biodiversity. Herein we present palynological and lithostratigraphical results from the Solimões Formation in the well 1AS-33-AM. It was drilled in the Solimões Basin, Amazonas State, Brazil, reaching 405 m in depth. We identified 152 palynomorphs, in 32 samples, among them some biostratigraphical markers, such asCrassoretitriletes vanraadshoovenii,Fenestrites spinosus,Cichoreacidites longispinosus,Ladakhipollenites?caribbiensisandEchitricolporites mcneillyi, allowing us to recognise four biozonessensuLorente (1986):CrassoretitriletesInterval Zone (399.10–276.70 m), Asteraceae Interval Zone (276.70–262.00 m),Psilatricolporites caribbiensisInterval Subzone (239.90–70.00 m) andEchitricolporites–AlnipollenitesInterval Subzone (70–32 m). The palynological and lithostratigraphical results indicate two environmental phases. The palynomorph association presents a change marked by the sudden appearance and predominance ofGrimsdalea magnaclavatafrom 239.90 m upwards and a general increase in the number of species. The lithostratigraphy shows from approximately the same depth greater amounts of sandstones towards the top of the well, suggesting a change from a paralic to a fluvial environment of higher energy. The first phase can be associated with the Pebas/Acre depositional systems, wetlands composed by lakes and swamps with seasonal floods that existed from 23 to 7–5 Ma. The second phase indicates a fluvial system that may be interpreted as a record of the modern Amazon transcontinental fluvial system, which was already established in the Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Our aim was to seek explanations for the differences in the diversity among the austral continents by comparing the diversification rates and patterns in the grass subfamily Danthonioideae. We asked specifically whether diversification is density dependent, whether it is different for each continent, and whether immigration rates impact on diversification rates. We attempted to account for intercontinental differences by comparing the Pleistocene climatic and Neogene geomorphological histories with the inferred diversification rates. Location Mainly the Southern Hemisphere, treated as four areas for the analyses: Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Methods We based our analyses on a densely sampled, dated phylogeny for the grass subfamily Danthonioideae. We compared 24 diversification models for these continental radiations, taking into account speciation models, and extinction and dispersal rates. We used available distribution data to infer the climates under which danthonioids are found, and used these to estimate the change in area and location of suitable habitats between contemporary and Last Glacial Maximum climates. We inferred the geomorphological history from the literature. Results We show that long-distance dispersal led to parallel radiations, which more than doubled the final standing diversity in the subfamily. Diversification models with the strongest support included separate time-varying diversification processes for each major geographical region. Pleistocene climatic fluctuation did not explain the intercontinental differences in diversification patterns. Main conclusions Although our results are consistent with density-dependent diversification, this explanation is not consistent with the time of arrival of danthonioids on each continent. The diversification patterns on the four major Southern Hemisphere landmasses are idiosyncratic. The two most important predictors of diversity may be the lineage-specific effect of time, and the general effect of topographical complexity and orogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A number of aberrant walruses (Odobenidae) have been described from the Neogene of the North Pacific, including specialized suction-feeding and generalist fish-eating taxa. At least one of these fossil walruses has been hypothesized to have been a specialized predator of other marine mammals, the middle Miocene walrus Pelagiarctos thomasi from the Sharktooth Hill Bonebed of California (16.1-14.5 Ma). Methodology/Principal Findings: A new specimen of Pelagiarctos from the middle Miocene "Topanga" Formation of southern California (17.5-15 Ma) allows a reassessment of the morphology and feeding ecology of this extinct walrus. The mandibles of this new specimen are robust with large canines, bulbous premolars with prominent paraconid, metaconid, hypoconid cusps, crenulated lingual cingula with small talonid basins, M2 present, double-rooted P3-M1, single-rooted P1 and M2, and a P2 with a bilobate root. Because this specimen lacks a fused mandibular symphysis like Pelagiarctos thomasi, it is instead referred to Pelagiarctos sp. This specimen is more informative than the fragmentary holotype of Pelagiarctos thomasi, permitting Pelagiarctos to be included within a phylogenetic analysis for the first time. Analysis of a matrix composed of 90 cranial, dental, mandibular and postcranial characters indicates that Pelagiarctos is an early diverging walrus and sister to the late Miocene walrus Imagotaria downsi. We reevaluate the evidence for a macropredatory lifestyle for Pelagiarctos, and we find no evidence of specialization towards a macrophagous diet, suggesting that Pelagiarctos was a generalist feeder with the ability to feed on large prey. Conclusions/Significance: This new specimen of Pelagiarctos adds to the knowledge of this problematic taxon. The phylogenetic analysis conclusively demonstrates that Pelagiarctos is an early diverging walrus. Pelagiarctos does not show morphological specializations associated with macrophagy, and was likely a generalist predator, feeding on fish, invertebrates, and the occasional warm-blooded prey item. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated precloacal vertebrae from the early to middle Miocene Gaillard Cut of Panama represent the first Central American fossil record of the extant boine snake Boa and constrain dispersal of the genus into Central America from South America as no younger than approximately 19.3 Ma. Boa from the Las Cascadas fossil assemblage and the Centenario Fauna represent the oldest record of terrestrial southern vertebrate immigration into Central America, and demonstrate American interchange by the earliest Neogene. Interchange of snakes precedes contiguous terrestrial connection between Central and South America by approximately 17 Ma, necessitating dispersal across an approximately 100 km wide marine strait. The biogeographic history of snakes across the Neotropics is distinct from the mammalian record, and indicates a more complicated assembly of New World vertebrate faunas than previously recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Isotopic and trace element compositions of Miocene and Pliocene phosphatic brachiopods (Lingulidae and Discinidae) from southern North Sea, the Central Paratethys and the Atlantic coast of Europe were investigated in order to trace past environmental conditions and marine connections between the northern boreal and the southern subtropical–tropical marine basins. The North Sea genus Glottidia yielded low εNd and high δ18OPO4 values through the Mio-Pliocene indicating cold habitat temperature where the local seawater was dominated by the Atlantic Ocean. In contrast, the Middle Miocene Lingulidae and Discinidae of the Paratethys inhabited warm subtropical seawater with the possible influence of the Indian Ocean via the Mediterranean, as supported by their average εNd value of −8.3. The combined geochemical data support a thermal and marine separation of the Paratethys from the North Sea with no direct connection or major exchange of water from the Miocene onwards. The temperature in the Paratethys was very similar to that inferred from brachiopods from the Middle Miocene of western France, but the seawater εNd value here is identical to that of contemporaneous Atlantic Ocean. A Late Miocene lingulid brachiopod from southern Portugal has a high δ18OPO4, similar to the specimens investigated from the North Sea, reflecting either a deep water habitat or formation after the onset of major global cooling that resulted in an increased δ18O value of seawater. The εNd value of −8.4 for this site is compatible with an influence of Mediterranean outflow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The last decade it has been realised that climate and global change can (and very likely will affect) groundwater reserves. This will have impact on both the economical (groundwater exploitation) and ecological (ecosystems) aspects of aquifer systems. A key issue is the intrinsic variability in hydrodynamics due to natural fluctuations of meteorological conditions. In this paper the results of a modelling study are presented that reconstructs the hydrodynamic evolution of the important Neogene aquifer system in North-East Belgium, between 1833 and 2005. Boundary conditions are defined on a monthly basis. The results show that besides the yearly seasonal fluctuations also multi-year to decadal variations occur. These are especially important in the topographic higher regions like on the Campine plateau and the Campine cuesta, and can severely affect local groundwater dependent ecosystems as found in some protected areas and nature reserves. The same cyclicity is recognized in the intensity, and extent of seepage of deep Neogene groundwater in the Nete basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of isolated teeth of gulper sharks (genus Centrophorus Mailer & Henle, 1837) have been recovered from Neogene sands in the Antwerp area, marking the first occurrence of the genus Centrophorus in the fossil record of Belgium and the North Sea Basin. The precise stratigraphic origin of these teeth could not be established, but the taphonomic condition strongly suggests a Late Miocene or Early Pliocene age, although reworking from older Miocene strata cannot be excluded. These teeth are remarkable for the presence of serrated cutting edges of both upper and lower teeth as well as their large size. The teeth, that measure up to 1 cm, are the largest fossil Centrophorus reported in literature. The subtle differences between the teeth of different Centrophorus species and the paucity of comparative extant material prohibit specific attribution, but the teeth pertain to individuals that equalled the largest extant species. The occurrence of these large Centrophorus in the Belgian deposits is remarkable as Centrophorus usually prefers deeper waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geobiotic history of landscapes can exhibit controls by tectonics over biotic evolution. This causal relationship positions ecologically specialized species as biotic indicators to decipher details of landscape evolution. Phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, including fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution, notably where geochronological resolution is insufficient. Where geochronological resolution is insufficient, phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, notably fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution. This study evaluates paleo-environmental causes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) based phylogeographic records of tigerfishes, genus Hydrocynus, in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history in relation to landscape evolution across Africa. Strong geographical structuring in a cytochrome b (cyt-b) gene phylogeny confirms the established morphological diversity of Hydrocynus and reveals the existence of five previously unknown lineages, with Hydrocynus tanzaniae sister to a clade comprising three previously unknown lineages (Groups B, C and D) and H. vittatus. The dated phylogeny constrains the principal cladogenic events that have structured Hydrocynus diversity from the late Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene (ca. 0-16 Ma). Phylogeographic tests reveal that the diversity and distribution of Hydrocynus reflects a complex history of vicariance and dispersals, whereby range expansions in particular species testify to changes to drainage basins. Principal divergence events in Hydrocynus have interfaced closely with evolving drainage systems across tropical Africa. Tigerfish evolution is attributed to dominant control by pulses of geotectonism across the African plate. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence estimates among the ten mtDNA lineages illustrates where and when local tectonic events modified Africa's Neogene drainage. Haplotypes shared amongst extant Hydrocynus populations across northern Africa testify to recent dispersals that were facilitated by late Neogene connections across the Nilo-Sahelian drainage. These events in tigerfish evolution concur broadly with available geological evidence and reveal prominent control by the African Rift System, evident in the formative events archived in phylogeographic records of tigerfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents one of the richest and most complete vertebrate faunas of the late Middle Miocene (~12 Ma) of Central Europe. Up to now, sixty-two vertebrate taxa, comprising all major groups (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals), have been recorded. Based on sedimentological and palaeobiological evidences, this Fossillagerstätte is assumed to originate from a floodplain paleosol formed on top of a braided river sequence. The fauna points to a highly structured, somewhat vegetated landscape with a wide array of habitats (e.g., fluvial channels, sporadically moist floodplains, short-lived ponds, savannah-like open areas and screes). It was preserved due to a rapid drowning and the switch to a freshwater lake environment. Palaeoclimatological data, derived from pedogenic features as well as from biota, indicate an overall semi-arid, subtropical climate with distinct seasonality (mean annual precipitation 486 ± 252 mm, mean annual temperature ~15°C). This underlines the late Middle/early Late Miocene dry-spell in Central Europe. From taphonomical point of view, the irregularly distributed but roughly associated larger vertebrate remains refer to an in situ accumulation of the bone bed. Splintered bones, gnawing marks as well as rhizoconcretions and root corrosion structures record some pre- and post-burial modification of the taphocoenose. However, the findings of pellet remains argue for a very fast burial and thus to a low degree of time-averaging. For this reason, the fossil fauna reflects the original vertebrate community rather well and is a cornerstone for the understanding of late Middle Miocene terrestrial ecosystems in this region. Certainly, Gratkorn will be one of the key faunas for a high-resolution continental biostratigraphy and the comprehension of Europe's faunal interchanges near the Middle/Late Miocene transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of extant neotropical biodiversity has been a controversial topic since the time of Darwin. In this review, I discuss the timing of, and potential driving factors associated with, diversification using recent evidence from molecular phylogenetics. Although these studies provide new insights into the subject, they are sensitive to dating approaches and targets, and can eventually lead to biased conclusions. A careful analysis suggests that the origin of extant neotropical biodiversity cannot be attributed to the action of one or few events during key time intervals. Rather, it is the result of complex ecological and evolutionary trends initiated by Neogene tectonic events and palaeogeographical reorganisations, and maintained by the action of Pleistocene climatic changes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper contributes to the concept that during the late Tortonian, Messinian and early Pliocene (c. 7.5–4.6Ma) in addition to the Nile the Sahabi rivers also crossed the Sahara, having originated from tropical Neogene Lake Chad. Examination of two hamadas lying just to the north of the Libya–Chad border using Landsat images and SRTM topographic data enables one of them, Hamada Ibn Battutah West, to be recognised as an uplifted palaeosurface which preserves late Miocene/early Pliocene fluvial activity. This surface is referred to as the Yangara Palaeosurface. Of particular interest on the hamada are two long (c. 50km), wide (c. 4km) channels, a 50km2 relic landscape and a short well defined 5km channel about 1km wide. The location of Hamada Ibn Battutah West is significant because the hamada provides evidence of extensive fluvial activity part way between the place of origin of the Sahabi rivers and their preserved record at the Gulf of Sirt. The Yangara Palaeosurface is considered to extend southwards to the adjacent hamada in northeastern Chad. The total palaeosurface extends 165km in an approximate north–south direction and averages 45km in width. It lies in the central part of an area of complex post-Miocene uplift involving four hamadas at the Libya–Chad border. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The family Caviidae is represented in modern faunas by cavies and maras, whereas the family Hydrochoeridae is represented by capybaras. The evolutionary origin of these families has been related to a diversity of plesiomorphic fossil forms (recorded from the late Oligocene up to the middle Miocene) traditionally grouped in the family 'Eocardiidae'. These fossil forms were included, together with Caviidae and Hydrochoeridae, within the Cavioidea s.s. (sensu stricto), because they share high crowned cheek teeth, double-hearted occlusal surface, short lower incisors, and moderate hystricognathy. Within Cavioidea s.s., caviids and hydrochoerids were interpreted as forming its crown group, because they have unique craniomandibular and dental features. In this contribution, a new taxon of Cavioidea s.s. from the middle Miocene of central Patagonia, Argentina, is described, and its phylogenetic position is determined on the basis of a morphological cladistic analysis in which 'eocardiids' were included. The study permits the understanding of the sequence of appearance of characters that originated the highly divergent morphology of crown-group cavioids. The analysis of the sequence of appearance of the characters that traditionally diagnosed the crown group indicates that these changes did not occur at the same time. On the contrary, many of these features seem to have appeared at different nodes of the evolutionary history of Cavioidea s.s. The remarkably derived morphology of modern cavioids is the result of a stepwise appearance of a mosaic of evolutionary innovations that originated gradually along the history of Cavioidea during the late-middle Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traits, such as resprouting, serotiny and germination by heat and smoke, are adaptive in fire-prone environments. However, plants are not adapted to fire per se but to fire regimes. Species can be threatened when humans alter the regime, often by increasing or decreasing fire frequency. Fire-adaptive traits are potentially the result of different evolutionary pathways. Distinguishing between traits that are adaptations originating in response to fire or exaptations originating in response to other factors might not always be possible. However, fire has been a factor throughout the history of land-plant evolution and is not strictly a Neogene phenomenon. Mesozoic fossils show evidence of fire-adaptive traits and, in some lineages, these might have persisted to the present as fire adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to develop paleoecological studies involving many fossil sites, there is a need to establish a consistent time framework, which enables us to arrange the fossil associations according to a sequence of biotic events and subsequently to test a relationship with paleoenvironmental changes. The nature of the continental fossil record has given rise to much controversy with regard to the establishment of general biostratigraphical scales. Additionally, biochronological scales are sometimes all that can be proposed. The primary goal of the present paper is to present a time arrangement for the Iberoccitanian micromammalian fossil sites from the latest Middle Miocene to the Mio–Pliocene boundary, spanning around 7millionyears (approximately 12.61–4.95Ma). Herein we study over one hundred faunal lists of rodents from the Iberoccitanian Region, compiled from the literature. Previous research has described two biogeographical provinces in our study area: a northern one (Vallès–Penedès and southeast France) and a southern one (all the Iberian basins, except the Vallès–Penedès). We therefore conducted Alroy''s Maximum Likelihood Appearance Event Ordination (ML AEO) methodology, applying it to the database compiled for each province. Finally, using available numerical dates for a quarter of the sites, we obtained a calibrated ordination for all localities. In each analysis, the results obtained are roughly coherent with the Mammalian Neogene units (MN) and allow estimation of the numerical ages for the entire set of fossil sites included in the study. Nevertheless, our results show severe diachrony between the two biogeographic provinces of the Iberoccitanian Region in relation to the MN boundaries, which might be linked to the existence of a refuge area associated with more humid environments in the northern province. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Late Neogene and Quaternary changes of climate and vegetation in the Carpathian Basin can be reconstructed using some ecological parameters of mammalian communities. This study is based on mammalian faunal data from 156 layers of 64 Upper Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene localities from the Carpathian Basin. Some of the applied methods analyse the species composition of mammalian faunas (cluster analysis, similarity and longevity studies, and reconstruction of evolutionary lineages). These methods allow the documentation of the first-, second- and third-order events in the mammalian fauna. The other group of analyses consists of taxon-free methods which are based on the ecological parameters (body size, trophic preferences, number of species) of mammalian species and communities. The distribution of ecotypes in a fauna (ecological variables) is primarily determined by the climate and vegetation. Therefore the ecological variables (distribution of body size and the trophic preferences, diversity index) together define the ecological unit which is characteristic to the community. In the Carpathian Basin 10 ecological units are distinguished and interpreted in the studied period. The succession of these ecological units provides a useful framework for tracking Late Pliocene and Quaternary changes in climate and vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are one of the most common geologic hazards in the Loess Plateau of northwest China, especially with some of the highest landslide densities found in Shaanxi and adjacent provinces. Prior to assessing the landslide hazard, a detailed landslide inventory map is fundamental. This study documents the landslides on the northwest Loess Plateau with high accuracy using high-resolution Quickbird imagery for landslide inventory mapping in the Changshou valley of Baoji city. By far the majority of landslides are in loess, representing small-scale planar sliding. Most of the large-scale landslides involve loess and bedrock, and the failure planes occurred either along the contacts between fluvial deposits and Neogene argillites, or partially within the bedrock. In the sliding zones of a large scale landslide, linear striations and fractures of the soils were clearly developed, clay minerals were oriented in the same direction and microorganism growths were present. From the analysis of microstructure of sliding soils, it is concluded that the Zhuyuan landslide can be reactivated if either new or recurring water seepage is caused in the sliding surface. It can be concluded that most landslides are attributed to the undercutting of the slope associated with gullying, and numerous ancillary factors including bedrock-loess interface, slope steepness, vegetation cover and land utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Investigations of previously undescribed material from the early Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) Walbeck flora in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany provide the first evidence for the occurrence of fossil Metasequoia in continental Europe. The material consists of a few fragmentarily preserved seed cones. This record confirms a long-held assumption that the genus was present in mid-latitude areas in central Europe as was proved before in similar regions in North America and Asia. Its disappearance from central European palaeovegetation during the early Palaeogene might have been caused by palaeoclimatic conditions, while the reasons for the putative absence in the (Atlantic-) Boreal province of Central Europe during the Neogene are still unknown. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since the proposition in 1975 of the European Neogene Mammal (MN) scale by Pierre Mein, the amount of taxonomical, stratigraphical and chronological information around Europe has increased exponentially. In this paper, the stratigraphical schemes of three of the best studied areas for the Lower and Middle Miocene, the Aragonian type area in Spain and the Upper Freshwater Molasse from the North Alpine Foreland Basin in Switzerland and Bavaria, are compared. The correlation of their local biostratigraphies are discussed. Sixteen rodent''s events are studied and ranked in the three areas according to their local biostratigraphy. This study shows, and quantifies for the first time, the significant asynchronies of the different included rodent events. The MN-system is discussed in the light of those results. In accordance, we propose that it is still useful but only in a biochronological way, as a sequence of time-ordered reference localities allowing coarse long-distance correlations. In order to obtain better temporal resolution, this system has to be combined with local biostratigraphies that are well calibrated to the time scale, implementing the information about synchrony and diachrony of mammal events in different areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we report on the results of a paleontological and paleomagnetic sampling carried out in the Miocene of the central Ebro Basin. It includes the sections of Albalatillo, Lanaja, La Almolda and San Caprasio in the Sierra de Alcubierre, which delivered six new micromammal levels ranging from the MN3 to MN5 mammal units. The magnetobiostratigraphic study of the Sierra de Alcubierre enables one to shed light on the chronology of the Early to Middle Miocene European mammal biozonation (e.g., the Ramblian-Aragonian boundary). As a result, the first occurrence of the “Miocene Cricetids” and, therefore, the lower boundary of MN4 – zone B, is set back to the lower part of chron C5Cr, thus reducing significantly the supposed discrepancy of the First Occurrence of Democricetodon in the Swiss Molasse and the Aragonian type-section. Another significant result is the persistence of Vasseuromys in the Ebro Basin up to the Middle Miocene (MN5). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The number of sinkholes (locally known as obruks) has increased rapidly in recent years near Karapınar, located in the semi-arid Konya Closed Basin in Central Anatolia. Nineteen sinkholes have formed in the last 33years (1977–2009) as a result of the collapse of cavity roofs in the Neogene lacustrine limestone in the Obruk Plateau and beneath Quaternary lake sediments in the Karapınar-Hotamış Plain. Of these, 13 have formed within the past 4years (2006–2009). The Obruk Plateau takes its name from the presence of several hundred paleo-sinkholes which formed as a result of natural processes during the Quaternary period. More recently, human activity has induced the formation of new sinkholes, which presents a hazard to life and property. Changing agricultural patterns have led to the opening of thousands of deep wells in recent years, and increased water pumping currently exceeds the sustainable yield of the aquifer. Thus the formation of sinkholes has been triggered by a combination of natural and human causes. The groundwater level has dropped almost 24m in the vicinity of Karapınar during the last 26years (1983–2008). Approximately 8m of this drop occurred within the 4years prior to the study (2005–2008). Legally-binding precautions must be taken to prevent further water table decline, in order to decrease sinkhole formation within the basin in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posilović, H., & Bajraktarević, Z. 2010: Functional morphological analysis of evolution of ribbing in pliocene viviparid shells from Croatia. Lethaia, 10.1111/j.1502-3931.2009.00209.x. This paper provides a functional analysis of Pliocene freshwater gastropods from the phylogenetic lineage of Viviparus neumayri to Viviparus ornatus. On this section of the phylogenetic line, it is possible to follow the continuous evolution of the shell ornamentation (shouldering and rib formation) from ancestral V. neumayri with smooth shell to V. ornatus with spiral ribs. The shell morphology and possible structural function of rib development is discussed from the analytical point of view, but also by Finite Element Modelling. Spiral rib development in the viviparids is not correlated with shell thickening, but rather with strengthening of the shell is achieved through development of spiral ribs, with direct biomechanical and evoloutionary significance. □ Croatia, functional morphology, gastropod shell evolution, Pliocene, viviparid evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new vertebrate faunal assemblage was recently discovered from the uppermost part of the late Miocene Puerto Madryn Formation. These deposits crop out along the southwestern coast of the Península Valdés area near Punta Delgada (Chubut Province, Argentina). The exhumed vertebrate fauna includes a range of fish, bird and mammal taxa, of which the latter are most varied and abundant. The new findings represent the first record of continental fossil vertebrates in the Puerto Madryn Formation and this is the first assemblage of late Miocene continental vertebrates recorded to the south of Río Negro Province. It also includes the southernmost record of Hydrochoeridae rodents, Dendrocygninae birds and Loricariidae fishes. The mammals suggest that the fossil-bearing sediments are Huayquerian in age. The climate during the accumulation of late Miocene deposits in this region is inferred to have been warmer and seasonally drier than that of today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bony-toothed birds (Pelagornithidae) were among the largest volant birds, but their representatives from the upper size range have so far been known only from very fragmentary fossils. Here we report an exceptionally well-preserved giant species from the late Miocene of the Bahia Inglesa Formation in northern Chile, in which most major limb bones are complete and uncrushed. The fossil has the longest wing skeleton of any bird, and its wingspan in life was at least 5.2 m. Mass estimates of 16-29 kg are, however, surprisingly low and within the range of large extant volant birds, or only moderately above. The fossil constitutes the most substantial record of the Pelagornithidae (bony-toothed birds), and is assigned to a new species, Pelagornis chilensis. It is one of the largest known pelagornithids and the three-dimensionally preserved bones allow recognition of many previously unknown osteological features, especially concerning the vertebrae, pectoral girdle, and limb elements. We revise the taxonomy of Neogene pelagornithids and propose classification of all Miocene and Pliocene species into a single genus, Pelagornis. Osteological features are highlighted in which giant Neogene Pelagornithidae differ from their smaller Palaeogene relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyses the stratigraphical features and fossil associations (ostracod and planktonic foraminifer) of the late Miocene deposits in the Adana Basin. In this research, numerous samples were collected from the sediments, both below and above the Messinian evaporitic layers which cropped out in the western and middle part of the Adana Basin, due to paleoenvironmental changes during the Messinian salinity crisis. The fine-grained sediments below the gypsum layers surrounding Topçu and Karayayla villages located in the western part of the Basin are sterile. Nodular anhydrite and enterolithic structures are well developed in these selenitic gypsum layers, which are supposed to represent a sabkha environmental condition. In the middle part of the Adana Basin, some re-sediment detritic gypsum deposits cropped out around Semiramis village houses. The lithological characteristics and faunal assemblages of the sediments both below and above these evaporites are more or less similar to each other. Fossil fauna (ostracod and planktonic foraminifera) demonstrate that these sediments are not older than latest Tortonian, as suggested by the presence of Neogloboquadrina humerosa, and not younger than earliest Messinian, as suggested by the last occurrence of Globigerinoides bulloideus. Similar planktonic assemblages were found in the drill log bored east of the Adana Basin, where there was no evaporitic occurrence. Both the planktonic species and the presence of Globorotalia suterae (from 7.81Ma to 7.24Ma) point that also these fine granied sediments a late Tortonian-early Messinian in age. The quantity of kaolinite recorded is relatively higher in the Tortonian-early Messinian than in the late Messinian sediments. All data show that, during the latest Tortonian-earliest Messinian time interval, the area was characterised by shallow marine environments and humid climatic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Late Neogene aridification in the Southern Hemisphere caused contractions of mesic biota to refugia, similar to the patterns established by glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere, but these episodes also opened up new adaptive zones that spurred range expansion and diversification in arid-adapted lineages. To understand these dynamics, we present a multilocus (nine nuclear introns, one mitochondrial gene) phylogeographic analysis of the Bynoe's gecko ( Heteronotia binoei), a widely distributed complex spanning the tropical monsoon, coastal woodland, and arid zone biomes in Australia. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, estimates of divergence times, and demographic inferences revealed episodes of diversification in the Pliocene, especially in the tropical monsoon biome, and range expansions in the Pleistocene. Ancestral habitat reconstructions strongly support recent and independent invasions into the arid zone. Our study demonstrates the varied responses to aridification in Australia, including localized persistence of lineages in the tropical monsoonal biome, and repeated invasion of and expansion through newly available arid-zone habitats. These patterns are consistent with those found in other arid environments in the Southern Hemisphere, including the South African succulent karoo and the Chilean lowlands, and highlight the diverse modes of diversification and persistence of Earth's biota during the glacial cycles of the Pliocene and Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A group of nearly 400 pipe structures from the continental slope of northern Namibia are analysed for their spatial and temporal distribution. The pipes most likely formed as a result of highly focused fluid venting, and understanding the factors controlling their distribution in space and time is key to their genesis. We analysed their spatio-temporal distribution using an arbitrary chronostratigraphic timescale, from which it is concluded that the pipes did not form at the same time. Pipe formation is shown to be intermittent and persistent, with 2–29 pipes forming in each of the >20 arbitrary time intervals that are considered to span the Neogene period. The spatial distribution of these pipes is clustered to dispersed. Spatial statistics conducted on the distribution of pipe formation timings have shown that two statistically significant groups of pipes exist within the population, (1) in the North and West and (2) in the South, with the former occurring prior to the latter. Locally, pipe formation is sporadic with clusters and outliers occurring during the same time period. A conceptual model is proposed whereby pipe formation in specific locations is the result of localised breaching of the seals for isolated pressure cells which are locally independent yet broadly controlled. An inferred basinal fluid source is thought to determine the broader patterns of pipe formation, and the focus of this fluid source shifts from North to South with time. At a local scale, multiple local factors interact producing a sporadic pipe formation distribution through a prolonged period of highly focused fluid migration. Once formed, the pipes continued to focus fluids intermittently, leading in some cases to later pockmark formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Xenarthrans (also called edentates) include modern armadillos, sloths, and numerous extinct clades (e.g., glyptodonts and ground sloths) that lack enamel on their teeth. In contrast to mammals with tooth enamel, which oftentimes preserves geochemical proxy data, paleoecological interpretations of xenarthrans based on geochemical analyses (e.g. stable isotopes) have been limited. Xenarthrans have evolved a distinctive outer dentine layer that seems to be the functional analog of enamel. Here we evaluate the physical and chemical properties of xenarthran outer dentine to understand its potential use for investigating geochemical proxies. The mean hardness (H) of xenarthran outer dentine (3.8) is significantly less than that of enamel (5.7) and there is no difference in H between the two main groups, i.e., armadillos (cingulates) and pilosans (sloths). Although the mean H does not change significantly during diagenesis, its range increases, indicating the replacement of secondary minerals (e.g., carbonate representing the lower range) within the original hydroxylapatite mineral lattice. Results of FT-IR analyses indicate that xenarthran outer dentine has a high degree of organics and H2O, similar to normal dentine, and its crystallinity index and carbonate content are affected in varying degrees during diagenesis. Thus, although xenarthran outer dentine functions like enamel, it retains compositional similarities to dentine. The uptake of rare earth elements (REE) was analyzed from three late Neogene localities in Florida as a proxy for understanding diagenesis in xenarthrans as compared to other mammals. Relative to modern specimens, the fossils have about two orders of magnitude higher concentrations of REE. Uptake rates vary significantly among different dental tissues, i.e., bone>dentine (both inner and outer)>enamel. REE concentrations of fossil vertebrate specimens vary significantly between different localities. The REE Index (ratio of outer dentine/bone or enamel/bone for a given specimen) is proposed here to evaluate relative diagenesis in xenarthrans and other mammals, respectively. Other (non-xenarthran) mammals tend to have a lower REE Index, interpreted to represent less diagenesis. Nevertheless, many xenarthrans likewise have a low REE Index relative to other mammals at the same locality, indicating a similar degree of diagenesis. While the REE Index will likely be a reliable indicator of relative diagenesis in xenarthrans, the outer dentine provides challenges to the ultimate goal of interpreting proxy geochemical (e.g., stable isotope) data from these extinct mammals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A revision of the Early-Middle Miocene anguine, Pseudopus laurillardi (Lartet, 1851), is presented based on a detailed anatomical analysis of one newly discovered articulated specimen and numerous disarticulated cranial and postcranial elements from several localities in Germany, as well as on the restudy of the original skeletal material of Lartet. The articulated specimen represents the first record of an articulated anguine from the Neogene. We demonstrate that the contemporaneous anguine Propseudopusfraasii (= Pseudopusfraasi, Pseudopus mogunhinus or Ophisaurus moguntinus) from Germany and elsewhere in Europe represents a junior synonym of P. laurillardi. Three species of Pseudopus can by discriminated in the Cenozoic of Eurasia: P. laurillardi (Early-Middle Miocene of Europe), P. pannonicus (Late Miocene-Middle Pleistocene of central and eastern Europe) and P. apodus (Late Pleistocene-Recent, from Eastern Europe to central Asia). Eleven morphological characters of the skull have been identified that distinguish Pseudopus laurillardi from P. pannonicus and P. apodus. Four of these characters regard the frontal and parietal bones, whereas all other characters regard the dentary.and dentition. The geniis Pseudopus represents the largest and most robust taxon in the subfamily Anguinae and first occurs in central Europe at the beginning of MN 4 (∼18.5 Ma). In contrast to the extant species, P. apodus, the fossils P. laurillardi and P. pannonicus had a greater ecological plasticity and lived in various types of environments. The fossil remains of these taxa are most frequently found in localities characterized by sub-humid to humid climate, which may indicate that their preferential habitats include forested environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Clay mineral assemblages in sediments from ANDRILL drill core AND-2A were used to reconstruct the Neogene palaeoenvironment. For the first time a clay mineral data set can be presented for southern McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica, that covers an expanded and fairly continuous Lower and Middle Miocene section. Although the occurrence of some authigenic smectites, zeolites and opal-CT documents diagenetic processes, the clay mineral assemblages allow a subdivision of the core into three intervals that reflect changes in provenance and volcanic activity. Interval I (1000–440mbsf, 20.0–16.5Ma) is characterised by a dominant sediment source in the Transantarctic Mountains. Frequent and short-term changes in the illite and smectite concentrations were caused by the influx of volcanic sediment components from southern McMurdo Sound and by diagenesis. Interval II (440–225mbsf, 16.5–15.0Ma) has much more uniform illite and smectite contents. The assemblage is derived from the Transantarctic Mountains. Interval III (225–0mbsf, 15.0–0Ma, containing major hiatuses) shows a distinctly enhanced volcanic influence and sediment components that come from the south of McMurdo Sound. The AND-2A clay mineral assemblages indicate persistent physical weathering conditions and do not mirror the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. They indicate that the climatic changes were probably not strong enough to cause a modification in the weathering regime on the Antarctic continent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Here we compare dental microwear textures from specimens of the fossil genus Mesopithecus (Cercopithecidae, Colobinae) from the late Miocene of Eastern Europe with dental microwear textures from four extant primate species with known dietary differences. Results indicate that the dental microwear textures of Mesopithecus differ from those of extant leaf eaters Alouatta palliata and Trachypithecus cristatus and instead resemble more closely those of the occasional hard-object feeders Cebus apella and Lophocebus albigena. Microwear texture data presented here in combination with results from previous analyses suggest that Mesopithecus was a widespread, opportunistic feeder that often consumed hard seeds. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that early colobines may have preferred hard seeds to leaves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we present sedimentologic, petrographic, and paleoecologic data from a ~810-m-thick section of late Neogene (ca. 9–7 to 1Ma) fluvio-lacustrine deposits in the high-elevation Zhada Basin of SW-Tibet. The tectonic evolution of the Zhada Basin region, located between the Himalayan Mountains in the S and the Transhimalayan Mountains in the N, is poorly understood, but sediment accumulation was probably initiated in response to the middle/late Miocene uplift of the Gurla Mandhata and Leo Pargil domes in the E and W, respectively. The sedimentary record can be subdivided into five stratigraphic units with distinctly different lithofacies associations (LA); these are, from bottom to top: a bedload-dominated fluvial LA (Unit 1, 0–90m); a nearshore lacustrine, deltaic LA (Unit 2, 90–220m); an offshore lacustrine LA (Unit 3, 220–500m); a nearshore lacustrine, fan-delta LA (Unit 4, 500–600m); and a fan-delta/alluvial fan LA (Unit 5, 600–810m). Clast and heavy mineral compositions revealed sediment supply from two different provenance areas, one from the south and one from the north/east, based on catchment geology of the Himalaya and Transhimalaya. Ostracode faunal assemblages are largely comparable to those of modern Tibetan lakes and allow the reconstruction of paleo-lake environments, including lake-level changes and salinity. The sedimentary pattern shows strong cyclicity at various scales (m, 10s m, and >100m). Small-scale cycles are interpreted as intrinsically-controlled depositional processes of deltas (lobe switching), whereas medium- and large-scale cycles are most likely forced by climate fluctuations. The overall evolution of the sedimentologic record includes: a strong and rapid increase in fluvial discharge in the uppermost portion of Unit 1, a transition from fluvial to lacustrine deposition during deposition of Unit 2, rhythmic variations in the style of lacustrine sedimentation during deposition of Unit 3, an increase in the supply of coarse clastics starting with deposition of Unit 4, and a transition from lacustrine to alluvial sedimentation during deposition of Unit 5. We speculate that the increase in discharge and, presumably, precipitation leading to the establishment of lacustrine conditions in the lower part of the section (Unit 2) is largely due to regional summer monsoon intensification during the late Miocene, and that the transition from lacustrine to alluvial sedimentation in the uppper part of the section reflects the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation and winter monsoon strengthening at ~2.6Ma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

New species of the fungal form-genus Mediaverrunites Jarzen & Elsik 1986 ex Nandi & Sinha 2007 are described from tropical to warm temperate Neogene strata. Mediaverrunites fournierii sp. nov. and Mediaverrunites magnus sp. nov. occur in the Lower Miocene of Colombia. Mediaverrunites invaginatus sp. nov. is from the Upper Miocene to Lower Pleistocene, offshore Louisiana. The form-genus is also represented by an apparently undescribed extant species occurring in recent sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the life and works of palynologist John H. Wrenn and captures the essence of his character. It mentions that Wrenn was deeply committed to the American Association of Stratigraphical Palynologists (AASP) for much of his professional life. It stresses that Wrenn was born in Jackson, Michigan, and spent his younger years in Arlington, Illinois. It states that Wrenn's involvement with AASP began in 1986 when he organized and chaired the First Symposium on Neogene Dinoflagellate Cyst Biostratigraphy during AASP's 20th Annual Meeting in New York City.

Abstract: The emergence of C4 photosynthesis in plants as a significant component of terrestrial ecosystems is thought to be an adaptive response to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration and/or climate during Neogene times and has had a profound effect on the global terrestrial biosphere. Although expansion of C4 grasses in the latest Miocene and Pliocene has been widely documented around the world, the spatial and temporal variations in the C4 expansion are still not well understood and its driving mechanisms remain a contentious issue. Here we present the results of carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of fossil and modern mammalian tooth enamel samples from the central Inner Mongolia. Our samples represent a diverse group of herbivorous mammals including deer, elephants, rhinos, horses and giraffes, ranging in age from the late Oligocene to modern. The δ 13C values of 91 tooth enamel samples of early late-Miocene age or older, with the exception of two 13 Ma rhino samples (−7.8 and −7.6‰) and one 8.5 Ma suspected rhino sample (−7.6‰), were all less than −8.0‰ (VPDB), indicating that there were no C4 grasses present in their diets and thus probably few or no C4 grasses in the ecosystems of the central Inner Mongolia prior to ~8 Ma. However, 12 out of 26 tooth enamel samples of younger ages (~7.5 Ma to ~3.9 Ma) have δ 13C values higher than −8.0‰ (up to −2.4‰), indicating that herbivores in the area had variable diets ranging from pure C3 to mixed C3–C4 vegetation during that time interval. The presence of C4 grasses in herbivores'' diets (up to ~76% C4) suggests that C4 grasses were a significant component of the local ecosystems in the latest Miocene and early Pliocene, consistent with the hypothesis of a global factor as the driving mechanism of the late Miocene C4 expansion. Today, C3 grasses dominate grasslands in the central Inner Mongolia area. The retreat of C4 grasses from this area after the early Pliocene may have been driven by regional climate change associated with tectonic processes in central Asia as well as global climate change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It has been suggested that the Recent zoogeography and diversification of the killifish Aphanius is a result of the palaeogeographic reorganisation of the Mediterranean area during the Neogene. However, little is known about the fossil distribution of killifishes in the Mediterranean, and literature data are scattered. This paper summarizes the data on the stratigraphic range and palaeoecology of the Aphanius and Aphanolebias species from three time intervals in the Miocene of southwestern Europe, the Paratethys, and the Aegean based on previously described otoliths and articulated skeletons, and newly collected otoliths from Spain. Moreover, the mollusc palaeocommunities that co-occur with the otoliths from Spain are considered. Our data indicate that species-diversity and zoogeography of fossil killifishes is closely linked to those palaeogeographic and climate conditions that affect the abundance of brackish and swamp habitats. The appearance of fossil Aphanolebias or Aphanius in continental deposits of Early and Middle Miocene age can be considered indicative of a warm palaeoclimate with seasonal or interannual aridity. The relatively wide geographic distribution of the Late Miocene Aphanius crassicaudus is strikingly different from the zoogeographic pattern exhibited by the Early and Middle Miocene Aphanius species, and probably resulted from (i) increased numbers of brackish and swamp habitats due to the Messinian event, and (ii) the closure of the deep seaway between the former island of Italy and the mainland to the north. We hypothesize that the wide geographic distribution of the present-day A. fasciatus in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the limited zoogeography of A. iberus and A. baeticus along the Spanish coast, is a result of zoogeographic history of their ancestors in the Late Miocene. Moreover, the present-day ability of Aphanius to survive under extreme conditions probably represents a vestige of the broad ecological tolerance of the Miocene Aphanius species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Abstract: Previous estimates of molluscan biodiversity during the Neogene in New Zealand have revealed a pattern of significant diversity decline during the latest Miocene. This study uses an occurrence-based dataset (derived from published literature) to examine this pattern in further detail with both traditional synoptic measures and subsequent sampling standardization. Synoptic analyses of regional-scale data reveal diversity trajectories similar to those previously established, and rarefaction techniques demonstrate that the inferred pattern of Late Miocene diversity decline and Early Pliocene rebound is only somewhat biased by variations in sampling intensity. The pattern is also affected by temporal variations in the preservation of shelf paleoenvironments, with representation of highly diverse shallow-water facies varying considerably between biostratigraphic stages. The sampling and corresponding synoptic genus richness of biogeographic areas within the New Zealand region is also uneven. Within a single sedimentary basin sampled at high temporal resolution (Wanganui Basin), new data suggest that Late Miocene faunas were as diverse as those of the Early Pliocene, contrasting with the pattern of diversity decrease and subsequent increase observed at the regional spatial scale in prior studies. However, an ecological analysis of the new data demonstrates that turnover and restructuring of benthic communities did take place at the end of the Late Miocene. These findings suggest that spatial scale and temporal resolution are important considerations in determining the magnitude of diversity and ecological change observed in paleontologic studies. Contemporaneous biodiversity may not be similarly expressed at varying spatial or temporal scales in the fossil record. Rather, regional patterns of diversity change are governed by a complex interplay of not only large-scale environmental factors (e.g. temperature control), but also independent basin-scale processes (e.g. basin subsidence) and local sampling intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An integrated stratigraphic study of a Neogene lacustrine succession on the Pag Island (Croatia), combining quantitative pollen analysis, magnetostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and gamma-ray measurements, provides new insights into orbitally controlled variations in palaeo-vegetation and depositional patterns in the Dinaride Lake System. The quantitative palynological record shows a cyclical pattern of vegetation changes that closely corresponds to sedimentological patterns. The intervals with a high abundance of thermophilous and xeric indicators, suggesting a warm and dry climate, generally coincide with intervals of frequent lignite deposition and shallow lake facies. This suggests that both records are dominantly controlled by variations in past climatic conditions and lake level. Our data show two large-scale warming and shallowing-upward cycles, which are interpreted to be forced by the ~100 kyr eccentricity cycle of the Earth''s orbit. Magnetostratigraphic data of the examined section reveal a long (113 m) reversed polarity interval, followed by a 7 m thick interval of normal polarity at the top. The inferred depositional rate of ~0.3 mm/yr, combined with biostratigraphic constraints by mollusks, suggests that the most logical correlation of the reversed interval is to chron C5Cr. This indicates that the Pag succession was deposited between 17.1 and 16.7 Ma and that it corresponds to the Burdigalian Stage of the Early Miocene, and the regional Karpatian Stage of the Central Paratethys. The high relative percentage of thermophilous pollen taxa, Engelhardia and Taxodium-type being the most prominent, generally indicates a subtropical humid climate for the SW Croatian part of the Dinaride Lake System. The observed warming trend is possibly related to the onset of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fossil teeth of the genus Megachasma Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 are recorded for the first time in Europe. Isolated teeth have been recovered from the transgressive layer at the base of the Belgian Pliocene, extending the known paleogeographic range of this genus. These teeth are compared with fossil specimens from Greece, Chile, USA and extant specimens. The Belgian teeth seem to fit well in the gap between the early Miocene teeth from California and those of the extant taxon Megachasma pelagios Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983; while the megamouth teeth found in Late Miocene to Early Pliocene sediments worldwide (Chile, North Carolina, Florida, and Greece) appear to be giant versions of modern teeth. Juvenile teeth of modern Megachasma pelagios are illustrated for the first time, showing a distinct ontogenetic variation in the roots and crown surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The sedimentary evolution of the Ñirihuau Formation (late Oligocene–middle Miocene) was studied along the southern margin of the Ñirihuau River, in the North Patagonian Andes. The 1300-m-thick section includes 15 epiclastic and volcaniclastic lithofacies which are grouped into five lithofacies associations: deep lacustrine, shallow lacustrine, fluvial channels, subaerial floodplains and volcaniclastic flows (lahar). Syn-eruptive and inter-eruptive stages are recorded along the Ñirihuau River section. The former consist of highly aggradational packages several tens of meters thick of ash-fall beds and lahar deposits. During inter-eruptive periods sedimentation took place mostly in shallow and deep lacustrine environments, with four cycles of lake expansion and contraction, and a minor proportion of fluvial deposits. Sedimentary supply originated from the northeast and northwest in the lower part of the unit through low to moderate sinuosity fluvial systems, flowing into a lake with high-gradient margins, and forming Gilbert-type deltas. The younger sections were sourced from the northeast, east and southeast, indicating changes in the basin morphology. Basic and intermediate volcanic rocks similar to those of the Ventana Formation (Oligocene) are interstratified at the beginning of the sedimentation. The syn-orogenic nature of the Ñirihuau Formation is evidenced by the changes in the basin shape, but mainly by the differences in styles and intensities of deformation between the Ñirihuau River section and the overlying outcrops of La Buitrera Hill, both separated by a folded unconformity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The systematics of the order Tubulidentata is poorly known. Its phylogeny has never been thoroughly analysed and only a single review has ever been performed, which was over 30 years ago. This situation has hampered palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical studies of these Neogene mammals. The present revision of the Orycteropodidae deals with the phylogeny and systematics of all African and Eurasian species over the last 20 Myr. The first comprehensive cladistic analysis of the family is presented here. The results of this analysis, based on 39 coded morphological characters, supplemented by non-coded features taken from all over the skeleton, was used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the order Tubulidentata. Two distinct lineages within the genus Orycteropus are recognized and characterized. The new genus Amphiorycteropus is subsequently created, in order to harmonize taxonomy and phylogeny. The fossil genera Leptorycteropus and Myorycteropus are validated, bringing the number of genera in the order Tubulidentata to four. Moreover, within the family Orycteropodidae, the number of confirmed species is now 14. The outcome of this study allows us to propose a consistent palaeobiogeographical scenario for aardvarks. Finally, this revision represents the most comprehensive work on the evolutionary history of the order Tubulidentata to date, and provides a new framework for future studies. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155, 649–702. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Neogene diatomaceous floras collected from marine sediments exposed in northeastern Japan provide evidence of diatom evolution, stratigraphic correlation and the geologic and paleoceanographic history of this region. Middle to late Miocene diatom zones (younger than the early middle Miocene Denticulopsis lauta Zone) have been established in the Oga Peninsula section, an onshore sequence regarded as the Neogene reference section for northeast Japan. Correlative middle and late Miocene diatom floras are not preserved in sediments recovered by Ocean Drilling Program Legs 127 and 128 in the Japan Sea, emphasizing the importance of the time-equivalent onshore deposits. Initial marine sedimentation is represented by lower middle Miocene (16–15 Ma) littoral and shelf deposits exposed along the southern and eastern margins of the Japan Sea. Subsequent middle and late Miocene deposition was marked by widespread deposition of bathyal diatomaceous sediments as recorded in the Onnagawa and correlative formations in onshore sequences. The major global cooling event at 13 Ma is signaled in the Japan Sea area by the disappearance of subtropical warm-water diatoms and the appearance of subarctic cold-water floras, an event coincident with a period of rapid subsidence in the Japan Sea. The zonal marker species and the species mentioned in the text are illustrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]