A new actinopterygian species from lacustrine Lower Permian deposits of the Krkonoše Piedmont Basin (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic) is assigned to the genus Igornichthys Heyler, 1972. Present study of this new species reveals several anatomical structures that markedly advance our knowledge and make the generic diagnosis of Igornichthys more precise. Characters that include sharply pointed spines on the scales, a supraorbital sensory canal continuing from the frontal on to the dermopterotic, a maxilla with the maxillary plate protruding at a ventro-posteriorly angle, dentition forming a single row of similar conical teeth, and an oblong operculum are diagnostic of the new species. Igornichthys is placed within Igornichthyidae Heyler, 1977 together with Igornella Heyler, 1969, Setlikia Štamberg & Zajíc, 1994 and Commentrya Sauvage, 1888 from the Stephanian and Lower Permian of the French Massif central and the Bohemian Massif. Analysis of the anatomical features of Igornichthys and other members of Igornichthyidae demonstrates clear differences from other actinopterygians occurring in the lacustrine basins of the Carboniferous and Lower Permian. The occurrence of very closely related species within Igornichthys and genera included in Igornichthyidae and Amblypteridae Romer, 1945, documents an extensive interconnection among the lacustrine basins of the French Massif central, the Saar Nahe Basin and the Bohemian Massif in the Late Carboniferous and particularly in the Early Permian.

We describe here a new Lawrenciella Poplin, 1984 specimen from the Upper Carboniferous (Missourian, Pennsylvanian) from Oklahoma, USA. This specimen is three dimensionnally preserved in a phosphatic nodule. It was scanned by X-Ray microtomography. The neurocranium shows some morphological differences from Lawrenciella schaefferi Poplin, 1984, which might represent individual variability. The parasphenoid and a pair of intercalar bones are associated with the braincase. The presence of intercalars as an anterior extension covering the otico-occipital fissure have not been yet documented in “paleonisciforms” and may have a phylogenetic signal. A discussion about the evolutionary role of such intercalars in the closure of the otico-occipital fissure in modern actinopterygians is provided.

The Toarcian ammonite genus Porpoceras Buckman, 1911 is a cosmopolitan taxon with an uncertain stratigraphic range. The oldest known occurrence of the genus was reported from the Falciferum Subzone (Early Toarcian) in Morocco, although based on a unique specimen whose taxonomic assignment to the genus Porpoceras remains doubtful. The youngest occurrence was a simple mention of Porpoceras sp. from the Variabilis Subzone (Middle Toarcian) of the Thouars area (Western France), but it was later regarded as doubtful because no specimen was figured. We here provide the first robust evidence for the youngest known occurrence of the genus Porpoceras, from the Variabilis Subzone of the Thouars area. The known revised stratigraphic range of the genus therefore extends from the Falciferum Subzone to the Variabilis Subzone. In turn, the genus Porpoceras likely went extinct in the Illustris Subzone together with the genera Catacoeloceras Buckman, 1923 and Mucrodactylites Buckman, 1928, coinciding with the drastic loss of diversity observed between the Bifrons and Variabilis Zones in northwestern Europe (also known as the Bifrons-Variabilis extinction). Finally, in the light of our new data and of previous reports, the genus Porpoceras is not a foolproof biostratigraphic marker of the NW European Bifrons Horizon, although it remains an important taxon for identifying this biostratigraphic unit.

Erymid lobsters (Crustacea, Decapoda, Erymidae) are relatively common and abundant in Jurassic rocks (c. 70 species) but are far less common in the Early Cretaceous with about 20 species only listed in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctic, Japan, and Madagascar. A study of the twelve species of erymid lobsters from the Early Cretaceous of Europe (France, United Kingdom) is here presented. Based on new observations, the concepts of some erymid genera are updated and new diagnoses are proposed for Eryma Meyer, 1840, Enoploclytia M'Coy, 1849, Palaeastacus Bell, 1850, Pustulina Quenstedt, 1857, and Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928, including carapace groove pattern, first pereiopods and also a new structure - the post-orbital area - located in front of the cephalic region. The new genus Tethysastacus n. gen. is erected with Tethysastacus tithonius n. comb. (Valanginian, France) as type species. Five new species are described: Eryma vocontii n. sp. (Albian, France), Enoploclytia augustobonae n. sp. (Barremian, France), Enoploclytia gigantea n. sp. (Albian, Texas), Pustulina occitana n. sp. (Berriasian, France), and Pustulina colossea n. sp. (Hauterivian, France).

The upper Miocene sites of Hadjidimovo and Kalimantsi in southwestern Bulgaria have yielded fossils of three musteloids: the ailurid Simocyon Wagner, 1858, the mustelid Promeles Zittel, 1890, and several skulls of Promephitis Gaudry, 1861, an Eurasian member of the Mephitidae. Extant mephitids are represented by three New World and one South-Asian genera. Palaeomephitis Jäger, 1839, Miomephitis Dehm, 1950, and Proputorius Filhol, 1890, from the Middle Miocene of Europe, as well as several American Clarendonian to Hemphillian (late middle to late Miocene) genera have also been ascribed to the Mephitidae. We show that the mephitid status of Palaeomephitis, Miomephitis, and Proputorius is doubtful, and that the late Miocene Promephitis is at a lower grade of encephalization than modern Mephitidae and could be the sister taxon of Pleistocene and modern forms, which can be called Mephitinae. Within this subfamily, the American Pleistocene and modern taxa form the sister group of the Asian Mydaus Cuvier, 1821, which displays numerous autapomorphies. A major, previously unnoticed characteristic of the Mephitinae and Promephitis is that their P4 lingual cusp is an hypocone, unlike that of the Clarendonian American forms, in which it is a protocone. The latter taxa should therefore be excluded from the Mephitidae, although they are probably closely related.

L'examen de 19 espèces de foraminifères à test uniloculaire présentant une structure interne à la base du tube oral et recueillis dans les dépôts littoraux du Pliocène et du Pléistocène inférieur de la France occidentale, de la Cornouaille et de l'Essex anglais permet une nouvelle description des genres Favulina Patterson & Richardson, 1988, Homalohedra Patterson & Richardson, 1988, Oolina d'Orbigny, 1839. Le genre Entosolenia Williamson, 1848 est réhabilité en accord avec Knight (1986) et un nouveau genre Pseudofavulina n. gen. est proposé. L'analyse des diagnoses et descriptions données par les auteurs montre la grande confusion qui entoure ces groupes. L'étude de la structure interne du canal oral permet de distinguer la présence d'un anneau (endoanulus) chez les espèces des genres Favulina, Homalohedra et Oolina et la présence d'un tube entosolénien (endosolen) chez les espèces des genres Entosolenia Williamson, 1923 et Pseudofavulina n. gen. Ces genres ont été placés dans la sous-famille Oolininae (Loeblich & Tappan, 1961) amendée. Trois espèces, Oolina barkeri n. sp., O. falsoscalariformis n. sp. et Entosolenia intermillerelineata n. sp. sont créées. Les synonymies entre les genres Favulina et Pseudofavulina n. gen. et entre les genres Homalohedra et Oolina sont discutées.

Croizet & Jobert (1828) described as Rhinoceros elatus a large rhinoceros from the late Pliocene deposits of the Puy-de-Dôme District (Auvergne, France). In the following century and a half, the species had been sporadically recognized and its name had been almost forgotten. Guérin (1972) described as Dicerorhinus jeanvireti the remains of the same species from the locality of Vialette (Haute-Loire, France), pretending that “elatus” was a nomen oblitum. After that, the name “jeanvireti” was used by most of the following authors. At present, there is general agreement in the literature that the two names are synonyms but some authors prefer “elatus” while others use “jeanvireti”, thus leading to increasing confusion. The present investigation reveals that “elatus” deserves the right of priority because in 1972 it was not a nomen oblitum. The younger synonym “jeanvireti”, according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, cannot be considered a valid name. Furthermore, most of the rhinoceros remains described by Croizet & Jobert (1828), namely the syntypes of the species, are still existing and are housed at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. Since this material has never been described in detail after Croizet & Jobert's work, it is revised in modern key and compared to close fossil species. Among this material, an articulated anterior leg is hereby designated as lectotype of the species Stephanorhinus elatus Croizet & Jobert, 1828.