New suid and sanithere material from Wadi Moghra, early Miocene, Egypt, is described and discussed. The new material greatly improves the sample size and diversity of suoids known from North Africa, and includes one species of Sanitheriidae and three species of Kubanochoerinae. The Moghra suoid assemblage most closely resembles that from Gebel Zelten, Libya, suggesting that at least part of the Moghra deposits may overlap in time with part of Zelten, i.e., is equivalent in age to MN 4–5 of the European mammal zonation, or PIII of the East African one. Information from suids and sanitheres is consistent with previous interpretations, that the Moghra deposits were formed under swampy and littoral paleoenvironmental conditions.

Here we describe the first record of a chalicothere from the Miocene of Myanmar. The chalicothere, documented by a partial mandible, was unearthed from the lower portion of the Irrawaddy Formation in the region of Magway, Central Myanmar. The Burmese material belongs to an early late Miocene fauna which recently yielded hominoid remains attributed to Khoratpithecus. The specimen, which is attributed to a chalicotheriine, does not reliably match with any described Miocene Eurasian species of this subfamily, suggesting the possibility it belongs to a new taxon. The discovery of a chalicotheriine in the surroundings of Magway contributes to the hypothesis that closed habitats were an important component of the paleoenvironment of Khoratpithecus.

We report a new specimen of the extinct procellariiform species Diomedeoides brodkorbi (Aves, Diomedeoididae) from the early Oligocene (Rupelian) of Rheinweiler in southwestern Germany. The well-preserved partial skeleton allows the recognition and reassessment of new osteological details that bear on the phylogenetic affinities of diomedeoidids. The presence on the coracoid of a deeply excavated, cup-like facies articularis for the scapula suggests a stem group position of the Diomedeoididae within Procellariiformes, because this trait also occurs in stem-group representatives of several avian groups, as well as in Mesozoic non-neornithine birds, and is a plesiomorphic character. We hypothesize that the similarities of Diomedeoides to extant southern storm-petrels (Oceanitinae), such as the long mandibular symphysis, the small processus supracondylaris dorsalis and the long legs are plesiomorphic for Procellariiformes.

Previously undocumented postcranial material from the Chipping Norton Limestone Formation (Middle Jurassic: Lower Bathonian) of Cross Hands Quarry, near Little Compton, Warwickshire represents a new large-bodied theropod dinosaur, distinct from the contemporaneous Megalosaurus bucklandii. Cruxicheiros newmanorum gen. et sp. nov. is diagnosed by a single autapomorphy, the presence of a proximomedially inclined ridge within the groove that marks the lateral extent of the posterior flange of the femoral caput (trochanteric fossa). C. newmanorum shows three tetanuran features: widely separated cervical zygapophyses, a swollen ridge on the lateral surface of the iliac blade and an anterior spur of the caudal neural spines. However, due to fragmentary preservation its affinities within Tetanurae remain uncertain: phylogenetic analysis places it as the most basal tetanuran, the most basal megalosauroid (= spinosauroid) or the most basal neotetanuran.

Fossil material from the lower Miocene collected in the basin lake of Beşkonak (Turkey) included 19 slabs showing 19 amphibian anuran tadpoles of rather large size, at Gosner stages 36–38. These well preserved specimens show many morphological and skeletal characters. They are here tentatively referred to the genus Pelobates. Two of these tadpoles show an unusual group of black roundish spots in the abdominal region, and a third similar group of spots is present in another slab but we were unable to state if it was associated with a tadpole or not. Several hypotheses can be proposed to account for these structures: artefacts; intestinal content (seeds; inert, bacterial or fungal aggregations; eggs); internal or external parasites; diseases; eggs produced by the tadpole. The latter hypothesis is discussed in detail and is shown to be unlikely for several reasons. However, in the improbable case where these spots would correspond to eggs, this would be the first reported case of natural paedogenesis in anurans, a phenomenon which has been so far considered impossible mostly for anatomical reasons (e.g., absence of space in the abdominal cavity).

Ichnotaxonomic revision of two extended sequences of large tetrapod footprints from the Westphalian A Bochum Formation of western Germany suggests assignment of the specimens to the well-known Permo-Carboniferous ichnogenera Ichniotherium and Dimetropus. Trackway parameters and imprint morphology strongly support basal diadectomorphs and “pelycosaurian” -grade synapsid reptiles, respectively, as the most likely trackmakers. The ichnofossils thereby extend the first appearance of these two important groups of basal tetrapods by about 5–10 million years, to the early Late Carboniferous, which is in accordance with the minimum age for the evolutionary origin of the clades following widely accepted phylogenetic analyses. These trackways provide not only direct evidence bearing on activity and behaviour of large terrestrial tetrapods close to the origin of amniotes, but also serve as a valuable benchmark for the assessment of controversially interpreted vertebrate tracks from other localities of similar age.

The Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) seep carbonate at Omagari (Hokkaido, Japan) yields a monospecific association of the terebratulide brachiopod Eucalathis methanophila Bitner sp. nov. The association is the only occurrence of brachiopods known from the post-Early Cretaceous history of chemosynthesis-based communities. Unlike many earlier rhynchonellide-dominated hydrocarbon seep associations—which disappeared in Aptian times—this association is composed of chlidonophorid terebratulides. It is hypothesised here that large rhynchonellide brachiopods have been outcompeted from chemosynthesis-based associations by large chemosymbiotic bivalves (especially lucinids) and that this seep association containing numerous terebratulide brachiopods originated as a result of immigration from the background fauna settling in a seep that lacked numerous large bivalves but offered some hard substrates for brachiopod attachment. Some living chlidonophorids are known to settle around seep/vent localities or more generally in deep-water hard-substrate settings. We review occurrences of brachiopods in chemosynthesis-based associations and show that brachiopods immigrated repeatedly to seep/vent environments. Eucalathis methanophila Bitner sp. nov. represents the oldest and single Mesozoic record of the genus. The new species is similar in ornamentation to three living species, Indo-Pacific E. murrayi, eastern Atlantic E. tuberata, and Caribbean E. cubensis but differs in having a higher beak and wider loop. Additionally the studied species is nearly twice as large as E. tuberata.

Ammonites are of outstanding importance in dating events of the Mesozoic and in the study of mechanisms, modes and timing of evolutionary processes. These applications rely on a detailed understanding of their morphology and the modes of variation. It has been known for a long time that their shape is composed of a number of highly correlated features. A new model, called the ADA-model, is introduced for the study of shell morphology (size and shape). The new model is based on classic dimensions which are stable parameters throughout ontogeny, giving very close agreement between predictions and actual observations. It was applied in the exploration of the morphospace occupied by the planispirally coiled and the regularly uncoiled Mesozoic Ammonoidea, based on two new reduced morphospaces introduced for the analysis. Results obtained expose close relationships between size and shape, and general patterns in the ammonite shell morphology and morphogenesis. (i) The relative apertural height of the whorl section relative to the diameter of the shell (H₂/D) is involved in definition of size and shape. (ii) This same dimension shows a strong tendency to be H₂/D = 0.3. (iii) There are some geometrically possible shell shapes (or morphotypes) which seem to have not been developed since they are not known in the current record. Assuming the known ranges of protoconch size and whorl number as constraints, the ADA-model strongly suggests that these morphotypes have not been developed for the too large or too small sizes the shells would have attained, well outside of the actual size range of the planispirally coiled Ammonoidea. (iv) The law of covariation is shown to be a general pattern within the planispiral ammonites which describes structured variation of the shell shape, (v) A large fraction of the non-structured variation seems originate in the lack of correlation between the relative umbilical diameter and width of the whorl section.

New ammonites collected bed-by-bed from the upper part of Ataxioceras hypselocyclum Chronozone deposits in the eastern Iberian Chain are described as Geyericeras gen. nov. The new genus includes micro- and macroconchiate Ataxioceratinae of small size, with moderate to loose coiling and subpolyplocoid ribs, a character crucial for its identification. Key points for the comparative identification of Geyericeras gen. nov. are: (i) microconchiate Geyericeras show morphological convergence with evolute specimens of the stratigraphically older genus Schneidia [m]; (ii) contemporary Ataxioceratinae genera such as Ardescia [m, M] and Lithacosphinctes [m, M] did not develop subpolyplocoid ribbing; (iii) smoothing of sculpture combined with short primary ribs are not realized in Geyericeras gen. nov. [M] and can be therefore used to separate the new genus from Ataxioceras [M]; and (iv) smaller shells, and weaker and less dense ribbing with no parabolic structures differentiate Geyericeras gen. nov. [m, M] from Parataxioceras [m, M], as well as the type of subpolyplocoid ribs seen among microconchiate specimens of these two genera. The new species Geyericeras aragoniense sp. nov. is the index and guide fossil for identification of a biohorizon occurring below the first occurrence of the genus Crussoliceras in the eastern Iberian Chain.

The La Voulte Lagerstätte is remarkable for its unique soft-bodied fauna (e.g., worms, coleoid squids) and its exceptionally preserved arthropods mainly found in small sideritic concretions. This arthropod fauna includes 30 different species assigned to the crustaceans, the thylacocephalans and the pycnogonids. Crustaceans are the most diversified group with 23 species distributed in a dozen families. Quantitative analyses based on 388 nodules reveals four dominant groups: (i) the enigmatic thylacocephalan arthropods (33%), (ii) the Solenoceridae shrimps (22%), (iii) the Coleiidae crustaceans (15%), and (iv) the Penaeidae shrimps (10%). Converging lines of evidence from depositional environment and modern analogues, indicate that this arthropod fauna probably inhabited a deep water setting most probably exceeding 200 m (= bathyal zone) under dysphotic or aphotic conditions. This new set of data sheds new light on the deep-sea colonisation by animal communities in the Mesozoic.

The synziphosurine horseshoe crab Pasternakevia was until now known only from a single specimen. Herein we describe three new specimens from the outcrop close to the type locality of monotypic P. podolica that show several features that were unknown or only assumed in this genus. These characters include: a smooth surface of the carapace; an opisthosoma composed of ten segments, the first one being a microtergite (strongly reduced first opisthosomal segment usually hidden under the carapace), two or three last segments fused into a metasoma, and the telson. Pasternakevia is included in Bunodidae due to a hypertrophied tergite 2, but it is linked to the Pseudoniscidae by the shape of the opisthosoma.

Palaeoscolecidan worms are an important component of many Lower Palaeozoic marine assemblages, with notable occurrences in a number of Burgess Shale-type Fossil-Lagerstätten. In addition to material from the lower Cambrian Kinzers Formation and Latham Shale, we also describe two new palaeoscolecidan taxa from the lower Cambrian Sirius Passet Fossil-Lagerstätte of North Greenland: Chalazoscolex pharkus gen. et sp. nov and Xystoscolex boreogyrus gen. et sp. nov. These palaeoscolecidans appear to be the oldest known (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 3) soft-bodied examples, being somewhat older than the diverse assemblages from the Chengjiang Fossil-Lagerstätte of China. In the Sirius Passet taxa the body is composed of a spinose introvert (or proboscis), trunk with ornamentation that includes regions bearing cuticular ridges and sclerites, and a caudal zone with prominent circles of sclerites. The taxa are evidently quite closely related; generic differentiation is based on degree of trunk ornamentation, details of introvert structure and nature of the caudal region. The worms were probably infaunal or semi-epifaunal; gut contents suggest that at least X. boreogyrus may have preyed on the arthropod Isoxys. Comparison with other palaeoscolecidans is relatively straightforward in terms of comparable examples in other Burgess Shale-type occurrences, but is much more tenuous with respect to the important record of isolated sclerites. These finds from Greenland provide further evidence that palaeoscolecidans possessed a complex anterior introvert directly comparable to a number of priapulid-like taxa from other Burgess Shale-type assemblages. Although these palaeoscolecidans have been allied with the nematomorphs, molecular data in conjunction with our observations suggest that this hypothesis is untenable. Palaeoscolecidans and similar priapulid-like taxa are probably primitive cycloneuralians and as such may indicate the original bodyplan of this important group of ecdysozoans. In addition, we describe another sclerite-bearing fossil from the Sirius Passet Fossil-Lagerstätte that may be related to the cambroclaves.

The epidermal anatomy of Pseudoctenis samchokense is described revealing non-bennettitalean characters of these leaves from the Permo-Carboniferous of China (and Korea). The specimens were originally described as Pterophyllum samchokense suggesting a bennettitalean affinity. They can no longer be considered bennettitalean since their cuticles lack the distinctive brachyparacytic stomata of that clade. Pterophyllum was originally erected as a morphogenus for segmented leaves from the Mesozoic and has subsequently been clearly assigned to the Bennettitales. The segmented leaves from the Permo-Carboniferous of Shanxi and Hebei, China described herein require a new ordinal and generic assignment since the non-bennettitalean cuticular characters documented reinforce the uncertainties in attribution of any foliage older than Late Triassic to the Bennettitales. Based on leaf-architecture and epidermal anatomical characters, the specimens are at best assigned to the cycadalean genus Pseudoctenis. This genus was formerly known only from Mesozoic rocks. Consequently, the specimens are highly significant, as they are among the oldest known vegetative remains of cycads. Re-evaluation of the affinities of all specimens assigned to Pterophyllum from Palaeozoic rocks is thus essential. Based on a review of other Permian—Carboniferous fossil leaves assigned to Pterophyllum, we conclude that none yet reveals definitive bennettitalean characters.

Coccolith debris in fossil Zooplankton faecal pellets and the mode of its preservation are the unique source of data on the mode of feeding and digestion by ancient zooplankters. The animals are virtually absent in the fossil record in another form than their coprolites. However, minute structural details of coccospheres and their debris in the coccolith limestone are much less legible than in modern sediments. This paper presents how clear SEM images of details of coccolith plates in complete and dismembered coccospheres from fossil Zooplankton faecal pellets can be obtained from thin sections of coccolith limestone. The images allow us to study the structural and compositional details of coccolith plates as well as their arrangements within the coccospheres and fossil faecal pellets.