We describe an incomplete postcranial skeleton of Catopsbaatar catopsaloides from the?late Campanian red beds of Hermiin Tsav I, in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. The skeleton is fragmentary and the preservation of bone surface does not permit reconstruction of the musculature. The studied skeleton contains some parts not preserved or incompletely known in other multituberculate genera, such as a long spinous process in a single lumbar vertebra, which together with long transverse processes preserved in Nemegtbaatar, might indicate that at least some multituberculates had jumping ability. The calcaneus of Catopsbaatar is unusual, differing from most other multituberculates (where known) and other mammals by having a short tuber calcanei, with a large proximal anvil-shaped process strongly bent laterally and ventrally, arranged obliquely with respect to the distal margin of the calcaneus, rather than arranged at 90° to it, as in other mammals. This suggests the presence of strong muscles that attached to the tuber calcanei, perhaps further attesting to jumping abilities in Catopsbaatar. We also describe an unfused pelvic girdle and the first extratarsal spur bone (os cornu calcaris) known in multituberculates.

A unique dinosaur assemblage from the Cretaceous beds of western Inner Mongolia preserves geologic and paleontologic data that clearly delineate both the timing and mechanism of death. Over twenty individuals of the ornithomimid Sinornithomimus dongi perished while trapped in the mud of a drying lake or pond, the proximity and alignment of the mired skeletons indicating a catastrophic mass mortality of a social group. Histologic examination reveals the group to consist entirely of immature individuals between one and seven years of age, with no hatchlings or mature individuals. The Sinornithomimus locality supports the interpretation of other, more taphonomically ambiguous assemblages of immature dinosaurs as reflective of juvenile sociality. Adults of various nonavian dinosaurs are known to have engaged in prolonged nesting and post hatching parental care, a life history strategy that implies juveniles spent considerable time away from reproductively active adults. Herding of juveniles, here documented in a Cretaceous ornithomimid, may have been a common life history strategy among nonavian dinosaurs reflecting their oviparity, extensive parental care, and multi-year maturation.

The holotype of the brachyopoid temnospondyl Hadrokkosaurus bradyi, represented by a right lower jaw ramus, is re-examined based upon new data and revision of various morphological features. Additional fragmentary jaw material referred to this species is briefly described. Prominent features are a large postsymphyseal foramen that is anteriorly open, and prearticular and surangular buttresses for support of the articular. Brachyopoid characters include a long and robust postglenoid area formed by surangular and prearticular, anterior and posterior keels on at least some marginal dentary teeth, and subtriangular outline of the adductor fossa in dorsal view. Five features of the holotype ramus, long thought to be at odds with its brachyopoid or temnospondyl nature, are critically re-evaluated. A phylogenetic analysis of lower jaw characters in temnospondyls retrieves most of the clades found in more comprehensive data sets, but the statistical node support is low. Brachyopoids are monophyletic, with Hadrokkosaurus emerging as their most basal taxon.

We describe a new large species of marabou stork, Leptoptilus patagonicus (Ciconiiformes, Ciconiidae, Leptoptilini), from the late Miocene Puerto Madryn Formation, Chubut Province, Argentina. The specimen consists mainly of wing and leg bones, pelvis, sternum, cervical vertebrae, and a few fragments of the skull. We provisionally adopt the traditional systematic scheme of ciconiid tribes. The specimen is referred to the Leptoptilini on the basis of similarities in morphology and intramembral proportions with the extant genera Ephippiorhynchus, Jabiru, and Leptoptilos. The fossil specimen resembles in overall morphology and size the species of Leptoptilos, but also exhibits several exclusive characters of the sternum, humerus, carpometacarpus, tibiotarsus, and pelvis. Additionally, its wing proportions differ from those of any living taxon, providing support to erect a new species. This is the first record of the tribe Leptoptilini in the Tertiary of South America.

This paper describes a new nanhsiungchelyid turtle, Kharakhutulia kalandadzei gen. et sp. nov., based on two partial shells and additional shell fragments from the lower part of the Bainshire Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian—lower Turonian) of the Khara Khutul locality of Eastern Mongolia. Our phylogenetic analysis places Kharakhutulia kalandadzei as the most basal member of the Nanhsiungchelyidae and suggests new relationships within this group. Previously reported nanhsiungchelyid specimens from the Khara Khutul are reassigned to Nanhsiungchelyidae indet. and Hanbogdemys sp. indet. Thus the Khara Khutul includes at least two valid taxa of nanhsiungchelyids. Our analysis of the nanhsiungchelyid record in Asia shows that other localities have only a single representative of this clade, making Khara Khutul a unique site. The basal phylogenetic position of Kharakhutulia kalandadzei emphasizes the importance of the study of this and other Cenomanian—Turonian localities of Asia to better understand the basal diversification of the Nanhsiungchelyidae.

Two new species of weaver ant are described from the Eocene of Germany. Males and gynes of Oecophylla longiceps Dlussky sp. nov. are found in the middle Eocene (about 47 Ma) of Grube Messel, Germany. Males, gynes and two workers of O. eckfeldiana Dlussky sp. nov. are recorded from the middle Eocene (about 43 Ma) of Eckfeld maar, Germany. The two new species are among the oldest records of the extant genus Oecophylla. First adaptations for moving in the forest canopy are present in the workers of O. eckfeldiana. Even more specialized adaptations for arboreal life are found in the workers of O. brischkei from Baltic amber. The coexistence of two species in Baltic amber and in the Bembridge marls suggests that in these cases different ecological niches were realised by sympatric species. Comparisons of the queens from different fossil and extant species indicate morphological trends, partly connected with increasing fertility. Most likely Oecophylla originated in the early Paleogene in the Palaearctic realm, radiating strongly during the climatic changes of the Eocene—Oligocene transition.

Of the 30 extant orders of insects, scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) have one of the best fossil records among insects that probably extends to the early Mesozoic. Most fossil Coccoidea records are of adult males which have been trapped in amber, whereas adult females are less common, probably because of their sedentary occurrence on plants. Descriptions, photos, and SEM micrographs are presented of over 250 well-preserved scale covers of adult females and nymphal stages of armoured scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Diaspididae) which were found on dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous fossil leaves in Middle Eocene deposits from Germany. The structure of these fossil scale covers closely agrees with that of extant Diaspididae. These armoured scale insects belong to the subfamily Aspidiotinae. The age of this insect-plant association—47 to 44 million-year-old—indicates that the Diaspididae have a long history in the Palaearctic region.

Ostracods from the Arche quarry at Frasnes are analysed. Twenty-seven species are recognised in the Chalon Member and in the very base of the Arche Member of the Moulin Liénaux Formation. Three new species: Scrobicula gracilis, Microcheilinella archensis, and Bairdia (Rectobairdia) chalonensis, and one subspecies Plagionephrodes laqueus praelaqueus, are proposed. The fauna is in the Favulella lecomptei Zone based on metacopid ostracods and belongs to the Eifelian Mega-Assemblage. Ostracods are indicative of a regressive trend from a moderately deep poorly oxygenated marine environment below fair weather wave base to very shallow well oxygenated and agitated environments. Comparison of the ostracod fauna present in the Arche quarry with faunas described from the Frasnes railway section and from the Lion quarry shows that ostracods did not suffer a crisis during the Palmatolepis punctata Conodont Zone and close to the Early—Middle Frasnian boundary.

Three species of bradoriid arthropods from the lower to middle Cambrian transitional interval of Scania, southern Sweden, are described and illustrated: Beyrichona tinea from the top of the traditional lower Cambrian (Gislöv Formation; Ornamentaspis? linnarssoni Zone), and Hipponicharion eos and Alutella sp. from the basal portion of the traditional middle Cambrian (lowermost part of the Alum Shale Formation). The bradoriid fauna compares most closely with others previously described from western and eastern Avalonia (New Brunswick and England). The record of B. tinea suggests a correlation between the “Protolenus Zone” (Hupeolenus Zone) of western Avalonia and the O.? linnarssoni Zone of Scandinavia. Hipponicharion eos appears to be a fairly long-ranging species as it has previously been recorded from upper lower Cambrian or lower middle Cambrian strata in New Brunswick, Poland, and probably Sardinia. The record of H. eos from the lowermost part of the Alum Shale Formation suggests that this largely unfossiliferous interval in the Scanian succession is not younger than the Acadoparadoxides oelandicus Superzone. The genus Alutella has not previously been recorded from the Acado-Baltic Province.

Shells of Bouchardia rosea (Brachiopoda, Rhynchonelliformea) are abundant in Late Holocene death assemblages of the Ubatuba Bight, Brazil, SW Atlantic. This genus is also known from multiple localities in the Cenozoic fossil record of South America. A total of 1211 valves of B. rosea, 2086 shells of sympatric bivalve mollusks (14 nearshore localities ranging in depth from 0 to 30 m), 80 shells of Bouchardia zitteli, San Julián Formation, Paleogene, Argentina, and 135 shells of Bouchardia transplatina, Camacho Formation, Neogene, Uruguay were examined for bioerosion traces. All examined bouchardiid shells represent shallow-water, subtropical marine settings. Out of 1211 brachiopod shells of B. rosea, 1201 represent dead individuals. A total of 149 dead specimens displayed polychaete traces (Caulostrepsis). Live polychaetes were found inside Caulostrepsis borings in 10 life-collected brachiopods, indicating a syn-vivo interaction (Caulostrepsis traces in dead shells of B. rosea were always empty). The long and coiled peristomial palps, large chaetae on both sides of the 5th segment, and flanged pygidium found in the polychaetes are characteristic of the polychaete genus Polydora (Spionidae). The fact that 100% of the Caulostrepsis found in living brachiopods were still inhabited by the trace-making spionids, whereas none was found in dead hosts, implies active biotic interaction between the two living organisms rather than colonization of dead brachiopod shells. The absence of blisters, the lack of valve/site stereotypy, and the fact that tubes open only externally are all suggestive of a commensal relationship. These data document a new host group (bouchardiid rhynchonelliform brachiopods) with which spionids can interact (interestingly, spionid-infested sympatric bivalves have not been found in the study area despite extensive sampling). The syn-vivo interaction indicates that substantial bioerosion may occur when the host is alive. Thus, the presence of such bioerosion traces on fossil shells need not imply a prolonged post-mortem exposure of shells on the sea floor. Also, none of the Paleogene and Neogene Bouchardia species included any ichnological evidence for spionid infestation. This indicates that the Spionidae/ Bouchardia association may be geologically young, although the lack of older records may also reflect limited sampling and/or taphonomic biases.

Specimens of the belemnitellid Praeactinocamax Naidin, 1964 are described from the Upper Cretaceous of NW Siberia (Taimyr Region, Lower Agapa River, Russia). The rostra determined as Praeactinocamax aff. plenus consist of an aragonitic anterior part and a calcitic posterior part with a sharp boundary in between. This boundary surface is referred to as the “alveolar fracture”, and it is a typical morphological feature of early belemnitellids and not a result of diagenetic processes. The occurrence of Praeactinocamax in Arctic areas shows a wider palaeobiogeographical distribution of the genus in the Late Cenomanian—Early Turonian interval than previously known. This finding suggests that migration of the late Cenomanian—early Turonian fauna occurred across Turgai channel. The geographic position of these new records may also explain the occurrence of Praeactinocamax in the Turonian of the US Western Interior Seaway, the origin of which has been hitherto unclear.

Fourteen gastropod species from 16 Mesozoic hydrocarbon seep carbonate deposits of the Great Valley Group and Franciscan Complex in California are described. Two genera are new: Bathypurpurinopsis has a fusiform shell with a siphonal fold, and variable Paskentana has turbiniform or littoriniform shells with spiral and/or scaly sculpture and convex or shouldered whorls. Due to the lack of data on shell microstructure and protoconch morphology, many of our taxonomic assignments have to remain tentative at present. Species that are described as new include: Hokkaidoconcha bilirata, H. morenoensis, H. tehamaensis (Hokkaidoconchidae), Abyssochrysos? giganteum (Abyssochrysidae?), Paskentana globosa, P. berryessaensis, and Bathypurpurinopsis stantoni (Abyssochrysoidea, family uncertain). The total fauna represents a mixed bag of taxa that were: (i) widely distributed during the late Mesozoic (Amberleya); (ii) restricted to late Mesozoic seep carbonates in California (Atresius, Bathypurpurinopsis, Paskentana); and (iii) members of seep/deep-sea groups with a long stratigraphic range (abyssochrysids, hokkaidoconchids).

Foraminiferal assemblages from the neritic environment reveal the palaeoecological impact of nutrient types in relation to shore distance and sedimentary setting. Comparatively proximal siliciclastic settings from the Boreal Domain (Brora section, Eastern Scotland) were dominated by inner-shelf primary production in the water column or in sea bottom, while in relatively seawards mixed carbonate-siliciclastic settings from the Western Tethys (Prebetic, Southern Spain), nutrients mainly derived from the inner-shelf source. In both settings, benthic foraminiferal assemblages increased in diversity and proportion of epifauna from eutrophic to oligotrophic conditions. The proximal setting example (Brora Brick Clay Mb.) corresponds to Callovian offshore shelf deposits with a high primary productivity, bottom accumulation of organic matter, and a reduced sedimentation rate for siliciclastics. Eutrophic conditions favoured some infaunal foraminifera. Lately, inner shelf to shoreface transition areas (Fascally Siltstone Mb.), show higher sedimentation rates and turbidity, reducing euphotic-zone range depths and primary production, and then deposits with a lower organic matter content (high-mesotrophic conditions). This determined less agglutinated infaunal foraminifera content and increasing calcitic and aragonitic epifauna, and calcitic opportunists (i.e., Lenticulina). The comparatively distal setting of the Oxfordian example (Prebetic) corresponds to: (i) outer-shelf areas with lower nutrient input (relative oligotrophy) and organic matter accumulation on comparatively firmer substrates (lumpy lithofacies group) showing dominance of calcitic epifaunal foraminifera, and (ii) mid-shelf areas with a higher sedimentation rate and nutrient influx (low-mesotrophic conditions) favouring potentially deep infaunal foraminifers in comparatively unconsolidated and nutrient-rich substrates controlled by instable redox boundary (marl-limestone rhythmite lithofacies).

Two new species of sphenophyllalean strobili with in situ spores are proposed from the Radnice Basin of the western and central Bohemian Carboniferous continental basins of the Czech Republic. Bowmanites brasensis sp. nov. from Břasy (Matylda Mine) and B. pseudoaquensis sp. nov. from Ovčín locality are determined mainly on the basis of their spores, which are about 100 µm in diameter. The thick-walled exine of the miospores is laevigate or sometimes very finely scabrate on the proximal contact area. Spores resemble the dispersed species Punctatisporites obesus. Cones of B. brasensis and B. pseudoaquensis are organically connected with stems having prominent blade leaves and represent a new group of sphenophyllalean strobili.