Berriasian (Lower Cretaceous) brachiopods from the Crimea

Four successive assemblages of Berriasian brachiopods distinguished for the first time in the Crimea are correlated with concurrent subdivisions of the ammonoid scale. Berriasian brachiopods are represented by 44 species of 27 genera and 14 families, which are most complete in terms of taxonomic composition as compared to other concurrent brachiopod faunas known elsewhere. The assemblages are dominated by local species. As is proved, the Berriasian brachiopods studied are appropriate for age determination, subdivision and correlation of their host deposits. Their geographic distribution that has been analyzed elucidates connections of the Berriasian sea basins within the Mediterranean paleozoogeographic region.     

Leptolepid otoliths from the Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) Lower Weald Clay (southern England)

Teleostean saccular otoliths from the upper part of the late Hauterivian Lower Weald Clay Formation of the Wealden Supergroup exposed at Langhurstwood Quarry, West Sussex, UK, and Clockhouse Brickworks, Surrey, UK are described for the first time. Two new species of the genus Leptolepis, Leptolepis wealdensis and Leptolepis toyei are described. Many of the specimens are densely packed on individual bedding planes and they are interpreted as coprocoenotic accumulations. Additional mechanisms of deposition and concentration are discussed, in particular wave action. Ontogenetic series show isometric growth of the otoliths, and some specimens show growth rings on two orders of magnitude.     

New Cretaceous Scoliidae (Vespida=Hymenoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain and Brazil

A new genus, Cretaproscolia, and three new species of scoliid wasps, Archaeoscolia hispanica, Cretoscolia montsecana and Cretaproscolia josai, are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain and Brazil. The species representing the new genus is attributed to the plesiomorphic extant subfamily Proscoliinae, while the two other new species are assigned to two previously described genera in the extinct, archaic subfamily Archaeoscoliinae. The Brazilian species is the first Mesozoic scoliidid to have been described from the New World.     

Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) biostratigraphy and cephalopods from north central Tunisia

Thick Aptian deposits in north central Tunisia comprise hemipelagic lower Aptian, reflecting the sea-level rise of OAE 1a, and an upper Aptian shallow marine environment characterized by the establishment of a carbonate platform facies. Carbon stable isotope data permit recognition of the OAE 1a event in the Djebel Serdj section. Cephalopods are rare throughout these successions, but occurrences are sufficient to date the facies changes and the position of the OAE1a event. Ammonite genera include lower Aptian Deshayesites, Dufrenoyia, Pseudohaploceras, Toxoceratoides and ?Ancyloceras; and upper Aptian Zuercherella, Riedelites and Parahoplites. Correlation of carbon isotope data with those of other Tethyan sections is undertaken together with the integration of planktonic foraminiferal data.     

Lithornithid birds (Aves,Palaeognathae) from the Lower Palaeogene of Denmark

An incomplete sternum and imprints of a right part pelvis and an associated left femur from the uppermost Palaeocene/lowermost Eocene (Fur Formation) of Denmark are assigned to the extinct palaeognath bird order Lithornithiformes Houde 1988, and to the single described family thereof, the Lithornithidae. Morphological features indicate that both individuals were adult birds, smaller than Lithornis cf. nasi, which is represented by an incomplete humerus from the largely contemporaneous, marine Olst Formation in Denmark, and corresponding in size to the smallest known lithornithid, Lithornis hookeri. Lithornithiformes, common in the Palaeocene and Eocene of North America and Europe, were terrestrial birds capable of flight whose remains are often found in aquatic sediments. Both the depositional environment in which the Danish lithornithids were found, and the associated faunal components suggest that the birds were not transported by rivers. Some of the lithornithid species inhabiting NW Europe may have lived and foraged along the shores of the North Sea Basin.     

Histological bone structure of Lower Cretaceous dinosaurs from southwest Istria (Croatia)

Recently discovered dinosaur bones in submerged near-shore deposits of southwest Istria include one vertebra, one femur, and two rib fragments. They all show well-developed vascularization. The large amounts of primary bone tissue in the vertebral and femoral compacta as well as in one rib fragment suggest that they belong to sub-adult animals which were growing rapidly. The structure of a second rib fragment differs in that it consists of secondary bone. The absence of lines of arrested growth is evident in all investigated bones. This suggests a sustained manner of bone deposition.     

Thoracican cirripedes (Crustacea) from the Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) of Hannover,northern Germany

Diverse thoracican cirripedes from the Hauterivian of the Hannover district of northern Germany are described, including seven species, belonging to five genera. Of these, a new genus belonging to the Scalpellidae, Jaegerscalpellum, includes one Hauterivian species, J. elegans sp. nov., an Aptian species, J. comptum (Withers, 1910) and an Albian species, J. politum (Darwin, 1851) are also referred to it. A new Cretiscalpellum, C. mutterlosei sp. nov. is described from the Hauterivian, and C. matrioni sp. nov. is described from the Middle Albian of France. The oldest record of the Unilatera Gale, 2018, Pedupycnolepas pulcher sp. nov. is described from the Hauterivian; this displays typical shell structure of the group, retained by living Verrucidae. Finally, four species of Zeugmatolepadidae, subfamily Martillepadinae, are recorded from the Hauterivian, including Martillepas hausmanni (Koch and Dunker, 1836), M. decoratus sp. nov., M. auriculum sp. nov. and Etcheslaepas borealis (Collins, 1990). The Hauterivian fauna from Hannover shows affinities both with Late Jurassic and later Cretaceous (Aptian-Cenomanian) forms, and includes the earliest scalpellids, unilateran (Pedupycnolepas) and Cretiscalpellum species known. It constrains the age of the Cretaceous cirripede evolutionary radiation to the earliest Cretaceous.     

The earliest pygidicranid (Insecta: Dermaptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of China

A new earwig genus with a new species, Cylindopygia falcata gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on two well-preserved, nearly complete female specimens from the Lower Cretaceous, Yixian Formation in Huangbanjigou, Liaoning Province, China. C. falcata is assigned to Pygidicranidae mainly due to the following characters: head obtuse-triangular with posterior margin straight, abdomen robust, subcylindrical and densely setose, and femora compressed and carinate. The new finding represents the earliest fossil record of Pygidicranidae and the first record of Pygidicranidae in China.     

A new afrograptid (Diplostraca: Estheriellina) from the Lower Cretaceous of southern England

The Family Afrograptidae is a ‘conchostracan’ group with multiple radial costae reaching to the umbo on their carapaces. It comprises four described genera: Afrograpta, Camerunograpta, Congestheriella and Graptoestheriella with a total of thirteen described species which are occasionally reported from the Jurassic and the Cretaceous in Africa, Europe and South America (i.e. Afrograpta from the Upper Cretaceous of Cameroon; Camerunograpta from the Jurassic to Cretaceous of Cameroon; Congestheriella from the Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous of the Congo Basin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Venezuela and Argentina; and Graptoestheriella from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous of Brazil). A new genus and a new species, Surreyestheria ockleyensis gen. et sp. nov., belonging to the Family Afrograptidae from the Lower Cretaceous (lower Barremian) Upper Weald Clay Formation of Ockley Village, Surrey County, southern England is described in this paper. The new genus mainly differs from the other four genera by the special reticulate ornamentation on its carapace. It indicates that the Family Afrograptidae was more diverse and more widely distributed in the late Mesozoic than previously supposed. Afrograptidae is a special branch of Estheriellina the latter originating in the late Palaeozoic and the former in the early Mesozoic. Afrograptids, as a whole had been widespread across Pangea in the Early Jurassic.     

New genus and species of Cerophytidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Baissa (Siberia)

One new genus and two new species of fossil Cerophytidae, Baissophytum convexus gen. et. sp. nov. and Baissophytum amplus sp. nov. are described and illustrated from Zaza Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Eravnensky (Bauntovsky) District, Buriatskay Autonomous Republic (Transbaikalia), Russia.     

First false jewel beetle (Coleoptera: Schizopodidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of China

A new false jewel beetle, Mesoschizopus elegans n. gen. n. sp., is described and illustrated based on a well-preserved impression fossil from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. It represents a definitive Mesozoic fossil belonging to the recent small buprestoid family Schizopodidae, which is now endemic to the western North America. Mesoschizopus is placed in Schizopodidae based on its overall body shape and size, short prosternum in front of procoxae, wide metanepisternum, and wing venation. The discovery of the first schizopodid from the Early Cretaceous not only highlights the antiquity of the small family, but also provides an example of a now narrowly distributed group whose ancestral groups were probably more widespread in the Mesozoic.     

First fossil insect from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber in Syria (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Lebanoculicoides bloudani a new species of Ceratopogonidae from the Lower Cretaceous ambers of Syria and Lebanon is studied. The new species is characterized, described, illustrated, and compared with the other fossil taxa of the same extinct genus. A key to the species of the genus Lebanoculioides is proposed.     

New Aetheogrammatidae (Insecta: Neuroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation,China

Two new genera and three new species of the Mesozoic family Aeotheogrammatidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Yixian Formation (Liaoning Province, China): Cyclicogramma rotundum gen. et sp. nov. and Aetheogramma bistriatum sp. nov. from Huangbanjigou, and Curtogramma ovatum gen. et sp. nov. from Dawangzhangzi. The hind wing of Cyclicogramma rotundum gen. et sp. nov. differs from that of other species by its smaller size, its overall shape, RP bearing only two oblique radial branches, and its configurations of CuP, AA1, and AA2. Aetheogramma bistriatum sp. nov. is closely related to A. speciosum Ren and Engel, 2008, but distinguished from the latter by its distinctive configuration of RP1, and the narrower and longer AA2 space in the hind wing. Curtogramma ovatum gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of the family by the forewing with M forking very far from the wing base.     

Turtles from the Lower Cretaceous of the Cameros Basin (Iberian Range, Spain)

Knowledge of the turtle fauna from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula has been very limited until now. There are several fossil sites where Lower Cretaceous associations of continental vertebrates have been found. Although turtles have been identified in some of them, most of these specimens have not been studied, so the diversity is unknown. Among all these findings, the turtles from the Cameros Basin are considered particularly relevant, both in their abundance and diversity. Their study has allowed the identification of several taxa. At least one representative of Solemydidae and three taxa of Eucryptodira are recognized. This study establishes kinship and biogeographic relationships between the taxa in Cameros with those found in other Spanish fossil sites and with those of other European regions.     

New Eoptychoptera (Insecta: Diptera,Ptychopteridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain

A new species, Eoptychoptera cantabrica sp. nov. is described from the Albian El Soplao amber-bearing deposits based on a single male with an elongated proboscis, unknown among extant members of Ptychopteridae. It represents the youngest record of the species-diverse genus Eoptychoptera. A pupa of Eoptychoptera sp. with a long respiratory horn, typical of extant ptychopterids, is described from Las Hoyas limestones, where adult fossil ptychopterids have yet to be discovered. A key to species of Eoptychoptera, based on wing venation, and a distribution map of Cretaceous Ptychopteridae are provided. The climatic preferences and mouthparts of Mesozoic and recent Ptychopteridae are discussed.     

The harp seal (Phoca groenlandica Erxleben) in Denmark, southern Scandinavia, during the Holocene

The harp seal ( Phoca groenlandica ) is a low-arctic species that is currently a rare visitor to Danish waters. However, bone remains from archaeological and geological deposits in Denmark and the Baltic Sea testify to a regular presence of harp seals in this region during the mid-Holocene. The paradox of the presence of a low-arctic seal species in southern Scandinavia during the mid-Holocene thermal maximum has been widely discussed. In order to improve the Holocene chronology for the presence of harp seal in Denmark, 24 bone remains of the species were radiocarbon dated. The oldest date is around 4100 cal. yr BC, indicating that the harp seal arrived several millennia after fully marine conditions were established in Danish waters. The majority of the dated specimens fall within two age groups, one centred around 3900 cal. yr BC (11 dates), the other around 2700 cal. yr BC (7 dates). It is argued that these two groups may reflect periods with suitable living conditions for the harp seal in Danish waters and that this is connected with an enhanced inflow of high-salinity North Sea water and higher biological productivity. Six dates show a scattered distribution between c . 1400 cal. yr BC and c . AD 1000, suggesting sporadic visits of the harp seal to Danish waters during the late Holocene.     

New protodiplatyids (Insecta: Dermaptera) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of northeastern China

A new genus Barbderma gen. nov. with a new species, Barbderma oblonguata sp. nov., and a new species, Sinoprotodiplatys ellipsoideuata sp. nov., of the family Protodiplatyidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at the Huangbanjigou Village, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China. Both new species are assigned to Protodiplatyidae mainly based on their diagnostic characters of antenna, pronotum, tegmina, tarsi and the distinct long, slender, multi-segmented cerci. These findings of fossil Protodiplatyidae provide more evidence to confirm the existence of these basal earwigs in the Early Cretaceous. Key diagnostic characters for genera of Protodiplatyidae are compared to highlight the generic variations and similarities. Evolutionary trend of cerci morphology suggests that it is likely that the cerci were evolved from long, slender and segmented to the stout terminal forceps without segmentation.