Asaphellus Callaway, 1877 is the earliest widespread genus of the family Asaphidae Burmeister, 1843, and although its systematics bears several problematic issues, an input to overcome these difficulties has been attempted. Our main focus is a group of strongly effaced Asaphellus species from the Cordillera Oriental (NW Argentina), including new material from the Santa Rosita Formation (Furongian-Tremadocian), mainly belonging to Alfarcito and Rupasca members (Quebrada del Arenal, Perchel, Jujuy Province). Asaphellus is reconsidered herein in order to restrict some features and discuss others not taken in account before. Moreover, several problematic Argentinean species are revised. The poorly known, but extensively cited, A. catamarcensis Kobayashi, 1935 is assessed here upon the type series in order to clarify its taxonomy and previous assignments. A reappraisal of A. stenorhachis (Harrington, 1938), another enduring problematic taxon, is proposed. Besides, A. isabelae n. sp., a unique species within the genus mainly due to its extreme effacement is defined herein. Other species left in open nomenclature are also described. Regarding local random occurrences in the Furongian, the genus radiated locally from the early Tremadocian (Tr1) onwards, however, taxonomic diversification was not mirrored by the abundance of Asaphellus in local communities. From the middle Tremadocian (Tr2) this diversification is associated with an increase in abundance, and even dominance of the taxon in numerous assemblages, further expanding its environmental range into shallower settings. The increase of Asaphellus diversity (Tr1- early Tr2) is decoupled from the records of local increase in Asaphidae diversity since the late Tremadocian (Tr3) and Floian, underscoring the complex pattern of diversification at different taxonomic levels.

A bryozoan fauna from the Mississippian (Visean) of Roque Redonde (Montagne Noire, southern France), contains 38 species (12 cystoporates, 2 trepostomes, 6 cryptostomes [rhabdomesines], and 18 fenestrates). Of them 9 are new: Fistulipora tolokonnikovae n. sp., Dybowskiella rotunda n. sp., Dybowskiella piriforme n. sp., Eridopora suarezi n. sp., Volgia deftera n. sp., Cystodictya gallensis n. sp., Megacanthopora enodata n. sp., Fabifenestella macrofenestrata n. sp., and Baculopora redondensis n. sp. Beside them, one new genus with a new species is established: Gorjunopora gallica n. gen., n. sp. Furthermore, 23 species characteristic of the Mississippian of Eurasia and North America were identified. The bryozoan species show various palaeobiogeographic connections. The closest connections are to the Mississippian (Visean) of the British Isles and the Russian Platform. Moreover, some connections to the Mississippian of Germany, Ukraine, Spain, Kuznets Basin, North America and Kazakhstan can be traced. The studied bryozoan assemblage is represented mainly by delicate growth forms and suggests a calm water environment.

The osteology of the fossil fish Paranursallia spinosa n. gen., n. sp., from the marine Upper Cenomanian of Tunisia, is studied in details. The new species belongs to the family Pycnodontidae and the subfamily Nursalliinae. It is closely allied to “Nursallia” gutturosa (Arambourg, 1954), a species from the Cenomanian of Morocco, but differs from it by some cranial characters, by the lesser number of scutes in the dorsal ridge and the ventral keel and by the lesser number of principal caudal rays. Paranursallia spinosa n. gen., n. sp. differs more markedly from Nursallia veronae Blot, 1987 (Middle Eocene, Italy), the type-species of the genus Nursallia Blot, 1987, and from Nursallia tethysensis Capasso, Abi Saad & Taverne, 2009 (Cenomanian, Lebanon). It is proposed to include “Nursallia” gutturosa in the new genus Paranursallia n. gen.

Des squelettes en connexion de poissons Gobioidei provenant de la Formation de Campagne-Calavon, d'âge Rupélien (= Stampien) sont décrits dans deux gisements des environs de Céreste (Alpes de Haute-Provence). Ils partagent avec les Eleotridae et les Butidae actuels plusieurs caractères anatomiques. Ces poissons, qui sont étroitement apparentés à l'espèce Lepidocottus aries (Agassiz, 1839), de l'Oligocène terminal saumâtre d'Aix-en-Provence, en diffèrent cependant légèrement par la composition de leurs nageoires dorsale postérieure et anale. C'est pourquoi ils sont désignés comme Lepidocottus cf. aries (Agassiz, 1839). Leur présence dans ces sédiments lacustres s'accorde parfaitement avec le mode de vie des Eleotridae et des Butidae actuels.

The paleontological site of Fouvent-Saint-Andoche (Fouvent-le-Bas, Haute-Saône, France) is a large bone accumulation in a karstic context known since the early nineteenth century. This article focuses on the analysis of 14977 remains from both the historical collection (excavations in 1842) and the material of the recent excavations (1989–1992). A faunal list of 18/19 large mammal species has been established: 12 carnivores (Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfüss, 1832), Panthera (Leo) spelaea (Goldfüss, 1810), Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller & Heinroth, 1794, Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758, Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758, cf. Alopex, Gulo gulo Linnaeus, 1758, Meles meles Linnaeus, 1758, Martes sp., Mustela eversmanii Lesson, 1827, Mustela sp.) and seven/eight ungulates (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799, Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799), Megaloceros giganteus Blumenbach, 1799, Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758, Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758), Equus germanicus Nehring, 1884, Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827 and/or Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827). The palaeontological analysis allows us to characterize the evolutionary stage related to each species and to comment their biochronological significance. The detailed study of particular species, such as C. c. spelaea, E. germanicus, or C. antiquitatis improves our knowledge on species associations and their implication in Late Pleistocene hyena dens.