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International audience; The presence of “geological” amber (or “succin” in old French monographs) has been reported for several centuries in the Mesozoic deposits of Provence, southeastern France. Diverse amber-bearing sites were inventoried by the authors but their location and stratigraphical context remain unclear for most of them. In the past decades, various data concerning chemistry, palaeontological content and comparison with archaeological discoveries improved our knowledge of the ambers of Provence, but only those of Cretaceous age. The present paper aims at providing a comprehensive description of all the presently known amber-bearing deposits of Provence, including the description of new sites. We highlight the great potential of Provence ambers and allow to consider a wider time range, from the Early Cretaceous to the Miocene.; La présence d’ambre « géologique » ou « succin » a été signalée en Provence depuis plusieurs siècles. Un certain nombre de gisements ambrifères crétacés, plus ou moins bien localisés précisément, avaient été ainsi répertoriés. Plus récemment des données variées concernant la chimie, le contenu paléontologique, la comparaison avec des ambres archéologiques ont amené à mieux connaître les ambres, uniquement d’âge crétacé, de la région. La présente revue des gisements ambrifères de Provence, incluant la découverte de nouveaux sites ambrifères, permet de mettre en évidence le potentiel en ambre de la Provence et d’envisager un large éventail de temps jusqu’à présent inenvisagé allant du Crétacé inférieur au Miocène.

International audience; The Lophiodontidae are endemic perissodactyls from Europe that flourished during the Eocene. Despite their preponderance in the European fossil record, their exact origin and relationships within the perissodactyls remain unknown due to the rare and fragmentary material in the early Ypresian, the time of their earliest radiation. Lophiaspis maurettei is the oldest and earliest diverging lophiodontid known to date but is unfortunately poorly known. We describe here the results of new excavations of the type locality of Palette. Important new material including complete skulls, mandibles, post-cranial elements and juvenile specimens lead us to revise Lophiaspis maurettei from Palette and other localities and to describe novel morphology for this species. According to an original phylogenetic analysis, based on a revised matrix of dental, cranio-mandibular and postcranial characters, Ls. maurettei is an early diverging lophiodontid morphologically close to Protomoropus and Paleomoropus, two basal chalicotheres, known from Asia and North America, respectively. Our resulting topology does not support the previously proposed inclusion of the lophiodontids within the Ceratomorpha and supports a position within the suborder Ancylopoda, close to some Eomoropidae representatives. These results imply that Ls. maurettei was restricted to Southern Europe during the early Eocene, which would be compatible with an Asian origin for lophiodontids in accordance with the evolutionary history of other perissodactyls and placental mammals

The Abelisauridae are a family of mainly Cretaceous theropod dinosaurs with a wide distribution across the Gondwanan land masses. Although their presence in Europe was reported twenty-five years ago, it has often been considered as controversial largely because of the incompleteness of the available specimens. We report here the discovery of well-preserved abelisaurid material, including a highly diagnostic braincase, at a Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) locality in the Aix-en-Provence Basin, near the eponym city in south-eastern France. A new abelisaurid taxon is erected, Arcovenator escotae gen. nov., sp. nov., on the basis of cranial and postcranial material. A phylogenetic analysis reveals that the new Abelisauridae from Provence is more closely related to taxa from India and Madagascar than to South American forms. Moreover, Genusaurus, Tarascosaurus and the previous Late Cretaceous discoveries are identified as basal abelisaurids. Contrary to previously proposed palaeobiogeographical models of abelisaurid evolution, the presence of the new taxon in Europe suggests that Europe and Africa may have played a major role in abelisaurid dispersal, which apparently involved crossing marine barriers.

In Europe, the fossil record of Late Cretaceous eutherian mammals is very poor, being limited to only three genera (Labes, Lainodon, and Valentinella). Labes and Lainodon are well-supported members of Zhelestidae, a stem eutherian clade, whereas Valentinella is more problematic, being recently considered as a nomen dubium. Based on X-ray computed microtomography scan analysis of the holotype and thanks to the discovery of new specimens from the type locality (Vitrolles-La Plaine, south-eastern France, late Maastrichtian), we reassessed Valentinella. This genus is unique by the association of an enlarged and rounded jaw angle with an assumed relatively elevated angular process, a bulbous protoconid and an unbasined heel on p4, a p5 with a wide molariform talonid and a hypoflexid, a robust molar morphology with a potential specialized crushing-grinding function (bulbously constructed cusps, large talonid, and horizontal apical wear facet of the hypocone), a somewhat reduced m3 relative to m2, a premolariform ?P3 or ?P4 lacking a metacone, and a relatively large hypocone on upper molars. These characters reinstate Valentinella as a valid genus. We also describe Mistralestes arcensis gen. et sp. nov. from a newly discovered locality (La Cairanne-Highway, south-eastern France, late Campanian). Mistralestes is defined by a robust premolariform p5 with no cingulid, paraconid, or metaconid; molars with a transverse protocristid, a gradual compression of the trigonid from m1 to m3, and paracristid and protocristid probably confluent on m3. Based on comparisons and phylogenetic analyses, Valentinella and Mistralestes may belong to Zhelestidae but this systematic attribution remains poorly supported. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London

The synthesis of the stratigraphic data collected over more than a decade in the stratotypic area has made it possible to establish a composite section of the "Aptian marls" from the Grandis ammonite Subzone to the base of the Melchioris Zone, i.e., from the Schackoina (Leupoldina) gr. cabri foraminiferal Zone to the Globigerinelloides algerianus Zone. This composite section includes the partial sections from Clavaillan, South and East Pichouraz, La Tuilière, Les Gays and Gargas (Vaucluse, SE France). In particular, our revision has shown that the marly calcareous bed, which divides the marly series of Clavaillan and Pichouraz, compared with the Vocontian "Niveau blanc" and thought to be unique and isochronous, corresponds in fact to two stratigraphically distinct levels. The present study confirms that the visible series of marls in the stratotypic area, not taking into account the "A1" supra-Urgonian formation of Leenhardt (1883), includes only the uppermost terms of the Bedoulian and the lower terms (= Lower and Middle Gargasian) of the Aptian s.s. (i.e., sensu Orbigny, 1840). Based on the methods of integrated stratigraphy, a comparison of the series of the Apt Basin with the contemporary terms of the Cassis-La Bédoule Basin has also made it possible to detect and quantify important variations in the rhythms of sedimentary accumulation between the two sectors. In the end, the Clavaillan section, located 8 km WSW from the Gargas section, is the only outcrop where the boundary between the Grandis Subzone and the Furcata Zone is visible in a context which supports a proposal that this exposure be a candidate for the GSSP of the Gargasian substage (or of the Aptian s.s. in the initial concept of the creator of the stage), La synthèse des données stratigraphiques recueillies depuis plus d'une décennie dans la région stratotypique a permis d'établir une coupe composite des "marnes aptiennes" s'étageant de la Sous-Zone d'ammonites à Grandis jusqu'à la base de la Zone à Melchioris, soit depuis la Zone de foraminifères à Schackoina (Leupoldina) gr. cabri jusqu'à la Zone à Globigerinelloides algerianus. Cette coupe composite intègre les coupes partielles de Clavaillan, Pichouraz Sud et Est, La Tuilière, Les Gays et Gargas (Vaucluse, SE France). Notre révision a montré en particulier que le banc marno-calcaire, rapproché du "Niveau blanc" vocontien et jusqu'alors supposé unique et isochrone, qui divise la série marneuse affleurant dans les coupes de Clavaillan et de Pichouraz, correspond en fait à deux niveaux stratigraphiquement distincts. La présente étude confirme que la série visible des marnes aptiennes dans la région stratotypique, non compte tenu de la Formation supra-urgonienne "A1" de Leenhardt (1883), ne comprend que les termes sommitaux du Bédoulien et une partie inférieure (= Gargasien inférieur et moyen) de l'Aptien s.s. (i.e., sensu Orbigny, 1840). Étayée par une approche intégrée, la mise en parallèle de la série du Bassin d'Apt avec les termes contemporains du Bassin de Cassis-La Bédoule a également permis de détecter et de quantifier des variations importantes, non concomitantes, des rythmes d'accumulation sédimentaire entre les deux secteurs. Au final, la coupe de Clavaillan, située à 8 km à l'WSW de Gargas, constitue l'unique affleurement où la limite entre la Sous-Zone à Grandis et la Zone à Furcata est visible dans un contexte permettant de le proposer comme candidat à la fixation du GSSP du sous-étage Gargasien (ou de l'Aptien s.s. dans sa conception historique).

Apres avoir evoque les contraintes propres a l’inventaire des collections d’etude, les auteurs detaillent les partis pris retenus pour le tri et le classement des collections de paleontologie et d’herbiers du museum d’Aix-en-Provence, decrivant les differentes etapes du processus depuis la collecte jusqu’a la numerisation et la mise en ligne des specimens.

Resume Hgulichthys spinus nov. gen. nov. sp. du Cenomanien inferieur marin de Hgula (Liban) est etudie et integre dans la sous-famille des Lissoberycinae au sein de la famille des Trachichthyidae. Les relations phylogenetiques des taxons de la super-famille des Trachichthyoidea sont revues a la lumiere des caracteres de ce nouveau genre: les dernieres donnees publiees sont critiquees et modifiees.

Our Neuchatel meeting of Lower Cretaceous ammonite workers was the last to be organized by Philip Hoedemaeker over a 15 year period. All members of the Kilian Group thank him for his contribution as chairman of: (1) the Lower Cretaceous Cephalopod Team (IGCP: International Geoscience Programme, projects 262: Digne, France, 1990; Mula, Spain, 1992, and 362: Piobbico, Italy, 1994; London, UK, 1997); (2) an independent group (Vienna, Austria, 2000); and (3) the IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences) Lower Cretaceous Ammonite Working Group, the Kilian Group (Lyon, France, 2002).Progress in constructing the Lower Cretaceous standard ammonite zonation for the Mediterranean region can be followed by reading the successive reports. Fil: Reboulet, Stéphane. Universite´ Lyon 1; Francia Fil: Hoedemaeker, Philip J.. National Museum of Natural History; Países Bajos Fil: Aguirre-Urreta, Maria Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina Fil: Alsen, Peter. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca Fil: Atrops, François. Universite´ Lyon 1; Francia Fil: Baraboshkin, Evgenij Y.. Moscow State University; Rusia Fil: Company, Miguel. Universidad de Granada, Facultad de Ciencias; España Fil: Delanoy, Gérard. Universite Nice; Francia Fil: Dutour, Yves. Universite´ Lyon 1; Francia Fil: Klein, Jaap. No especifica; Fil: Latil, Jean-Louis. No especifica; Fil: Lukeneder, Alexander. Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna; Austria Fil: Mitta, Vasily. Paleontological Institute Of Russian Academy Of Sciences; Fil: Mourgues, Francisco A.. Observatoire Midi-pyrénées; Fil: Ploch, Izabela. Redakcja Serwisu Państwowego Instytutu Geologicznego; Fil: Raisossadat, Seyed Naser. University Of Birjand; Irán Fil: Ropolo, Pierre. Universite de Provence; Francia Fil: Sandoval, José. Universidad de Granada; España Fil: Tavera, José M.. Universidad de Granada; España Fil: Vasicek, Zdenek. Vsb – Technical University Of Ostrava; Fil: Vermeulen, Jean. No especifica; Fil: Arnaud, Hubert. Universite Grenoble Alpes; Fil: Granier, Bruno. Univ de Breragne Occidentale; Fil: Premoli-Silva, Isabella. Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra A. Desio

A short guide to the main classes of plastics is given together with a discussion of their properties which enable them to replace metals in specialised applications.