A new spiriferid brachiopod species, Quiringites arensentiae, has been identified in Eifelian strata from the Maïder and the Dra Valley (Morocco). The new species is the first report of representatives of Quiringites from North Africa, which have hitherto only been known from Europe and questionably from the Canadian Arctic Islands. Quiringites arensentiae differs from the type species, Q. elegans, in a stronger development of secondary shell material in the apical region, an elevated ventral muscle field, partly imbedded crural plates, and two spirals less in each spiralium. Computer-supported 3D reconstructions from digitized acetate peels of articulated specimens are used for the first time, giving new insights into the internal morphology of this genus and emphasizing the differences between the type and the new species. A reconstruction of the phylogeny of the genus Quiringites is introduced. The occurrence of the genus first in Europe and later also in North Africa indicates faunal exchange between Laurussia and northern Gondwana, starting with the loss of Emsian provincialism at the end of the Early Devonian.

The Northern Curlytail Lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus armouri) is a native species of the northern Bahamas. It is also an established exotic species in southern and central Florida. We report on a new population found in the harbor at Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Florida, USA. This population is isolated and extensive searches in the adjoining area failed to find this species elsewhere in the Fort Pierce area. The locality where this population is found also includes a dock where boats from the Bahamas deliver citrus to Florida. We propose this route for the establishment of this new population and discuss the proximity of shipping facilities to several other sites where this lizard has been reported.

Surveys of the Palauan saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, were conducted in 2003 to determine population, genetic, morphological and ecological parameters of this species. A total of 45 crocodiles were observed over 32 survey treks: 42 over 103.06 km of coastline (average of 0.44 crocodiles per kilometer), and 3 in an inland survey of 1.61 ha (0.54 crocodiles per hectare). Age classes from one-year-old to adult crocodiles were observed, and all nonhatchling size classes were represented in the population. No crocodiles over 3.3 m total length and no hatchlings smaller than 35 cm total length were observed. Particularly favored localities were Tayo Bay and coast, Ngkeklau coast, and Airai coast. We estimate 500 to 750 animals are present in all size classes. Genetic analysis confirmed our field observations that only the saltwater crocodile species C. porosus inhabits the Republic of Palau and there is no evidence to suggest that the genetic integrity of the wild population has been compromised by the introduction of other crocodilian species. There is, however, evidence suggesting that nonnative C. porosus have contributed genetically to the population.

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University has one of the world's largest and most comprehensive archaeological collections from the Caribbean. Our objectives in this paper are to provide a brief history of Caribbean archaeology at Yale, describe the characteristics and research potential of the collections, and acknowledge the contributions of the scholars who acquired this vast archive of Caribbean prehistory. We focused on surveys, excavations and collections from 1933 to 1974 acquired as part of the Peabody's Caribbean Archaeology Program, writing historically rather than analytically, reflecting the managerial role of the authors. The information is based on Peabody Division of Anthropology records, Yale publications and personal conversations with the late Professor B. Irving Rouse.

This paper discusses the physiographical characteristics, prehistoric cultural development and ethnohistory of Trinidad. It concludes that both the island's cultural sequence and its Contact Period sociography closely resemble those of the lower Orinoco valley and delta, showing that Trinidad can be seen both as a physical and cultural continuation of the South American continent. The pivotal role Trinidad played in the patterns of interaction, exchange and transmittance of culture from the mainland to the West Indies and vice versa is also analyzed. Finally, the fragmented nature of Trinidad's Contact Period Amerindian population, seen in its ethnicity, linguistic affiliation and sociopolitical organization, is contrasted with the uniformity shown by the archaeologically reconstructable tradition of indigenous pottery manufacture characterizing the island until as late as the middle 18th century.

In 1956 Paul Hahn excavated two trenches at the preceramic site of Las Obas near Manzanillo in southeastern Cuba. Our analysis of vertebrate faunal remains from this site shows that while the assemblage from Las Obas is dominated by the remains of hutia, bones of fish, birds and reptiles are also well represented. This paper focuses on the ecological and economic implications of the vertebrate faunal assemblage from Las Obas and also presents two new radiocarbon dates for the site.

In their 1958 monograph, Cruxent and Rouse suggested that the lower levels of the Ronquin site could be subdivided into more than one period, possibly a developmental change from Saladeroto Barrancas-style ceramics. This paper examines evidence for this suggested revision based on reanalysis of the existing Ronquin collection, as well other available information. Evidence from new radiocarbon dates and additional archaeological sites with paleosol horizons containing related ceramic complexes suggest that Cruxent and Rouse's observation is inaccurate; the lower levels of the Ronquin site, termed Early Ronquin by Howard, is best seen as a single occupation dating to the middle of the first millennium AD. It is part of a widespread stylistic interaction sphere extending from the Lower Orinoco up to the Atures Rapids.

In 1951, the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University and the St. Croix Museum Commission conducted a joint archaeological survey on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. This survey was led by Gary Vescelius, who at that time was a student at Yale University. The ceramics recovered from these investigations were used to refine the island's prehistoric chronology and for a settlement pattern analysis. This article presents the results of Vescelius' 1951 survey of St. Croix and compares his settlement pattern analysis with the results of more recent investigations. A geographic information system was created and analysis with ArcGIS^® Spatial Analyst software used elevation, soil type and slope for a path distance (or least cost path) analysis. Second, the Vescelius ceramic collections, housed at the Yale Peabody Museum, were inventoried and studied. As a result, a better understanding of the island's prehistory, the potential roles of prehistoric Crucian settlements in inter-island interaction spheres, and the actions and behaviors involved in processes of settlement and social organizational change has been gained.

Irving Rouse's chronological model greatly influenced archaeological interpretation of the Caribbean region for more than 50 years. Recent work indicates a need for revising the Rouse model, on theoretical grounds and as a practical matter for analysis of Caribbean ceramics collections. We suggest two strategies for revising Rouse's model: the deconstruction of its theoretical premises and how these reveal themselves in the archaeological record; and a systematic revision of the ceramic collections used by Rouse to define his ceramic styles.

Ceramics of multiple styles from five archaeological sites on Antigua were analyzed at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center to obtain a better understanding of ceramic compositional variability within Antigua. Bulk chemical characterizations of pottery were determined by neutron activation analysis. Findings suggest that all of the ceramics in our sample were made from locally available, naturally tempered clays, and that there is compositional continuity through time despite the different stylistic and locational attributes of the sherds.

During the 1980s the artifacts from the St. Croix collections at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University were analyzed and compared with other St. Croix collections from four other major institutions and their typology established. A few years ago 50 ceramic samples from the Yale collections were chosen for instrumental neutron activation analysis, which to date is the most accurate and precise chemical technique available for ceramics. Finally, these collections have recently been researched in conjunction with a doctoral dissertation.

This is a brief survey of some physical and potentially cultural traits found in the archaeological record along the Antilles chain. Continuity and change in physical attributes such as body size and robusticity are discussed in light of apparent population expansion from the South American mainland up into the Caribbean basin. A comparison of overall health between islands and what may represent social behavior is examined using the skeletal remains of prehistoric Caribbean individuals at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.

In 1934, as part of a survey organized by the New York Academy of Sciences, in association with the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Froelich Rainey excavated several infant burials at Barrio Coto and Monserrate in which the infant is either under, or contained in, a pottery vessel. Documented urn burials in the Virgin Islands are noted. This practice is unusual and seems to be limited to a few locations in the Caribbean.

The 1953 excavations by Rouse and Goggin at St. Joseph, Trinidad, yielded a mix of Amerindian and European materials. The historical assemblage reflects the presence of the Spanish and English in the town of St. Joseph over two centuries, from the early 17th century into the 19th century. This report presents a detailed description of the English ceramics recovered from the mixed midden site and discusses the context of the assemblage in regards to the English Colonial period. Socioeconomic analysis of the ceramics reveals parallels between the St. Joseph assemblage and an assemblage recovered from English regimental sites in Canada and confirms the nature of the British presence. Future reports will address the nonceramic artifacts of the historical assemblage and comment on the Spanish majolica wares.

Well-curated archaeological collections can be used as sources of information in developing new research programs or to complement established ongoing projects. In addition, with the pace of modern development and subsequent archaeological site destruction, museums may become increasingly important as the only repositories of an obliterated cultural patrimony. I review the papers presented here from the perspective of current issues in Caribbean archaeology.