Notice of nodosaur (Dinosauria,Ankylosauria) remains from the mid-Cretaceous of Cambridge,England, with comments on cervical half-ring armour

Three pieces from cervical half-rings of an immature nodosaur, part of a nodosaurid presacral rod and some post-cranial osteoderms from the Cretaceous of Cambridge were studied at the Booth Museum of Natural History, Brighton, UK. Two of the three half-ring elements show dorsal ridge morphologies distinct from each other, and all three have unfused sutured lateral borders. It is possible they may be derived from the same animal. Comparison with other material from the Cretaceous of Europe, USA and Asia indicates the presence of a large nodosaurid in the Cambridge Greensand fauna, with cervical half-ring morphologies similar to North American taxa, but unlike any previously known from the European Cretaceous.     

A New Species of Huaxiapterus （Pterosauria： Pterodactyloidea） from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China with Comments on the Systematics of Tapejarid Pterosaurs

A new species of tapejarid pterosaur, Huaxiapterus coroUatus sp. nov. is erected on the basis of a nearly complete skull and postcranial skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. Huaxiapterus coroUatus sp. nov. is characterized by a hatchet-shaped rectangular process on the premaxilla, whose short axis is perpendicular to the anterior margin of the premaxillae. Except for this process, other characters of the skull such as the breadth of the snout between the anterior margin of the nasoantorbital fenestra and the anterior margin of the premaxilla are similar to that of Huaxiapterus jii. Huaxiapterus and a second Chinese tapejarid, Sinopterus, share several unique cranial characters in common with Tapejara and these three genera appear to be more closely related to each other than to other azhdarchoids. The Chinese tapejarids （Sinopterus and Huaxiapterus） have relatively elongate skulls and weakly developed cranial crests and seem to be less derived than Tapejara, with its shorter, deeper skull and large cranial crest. Tupuxuarids （Tupuxuara and Thalassodromeus） have often been associated with tapejarids in the family Tapejaridae, but this relationship is controversial because some phylogenetic analyses have supported the pairing of tupuxuarids with Azhdarchidae. We propose that Tapejaridae be restricted to Tapejara, Sinopterus and Huaxiapterus.     

A possible azhdarchid pterosaur from the Crato Formation (Early Cretaceous,Aptian) of northeast Brazil

The partially articulated, distal portion of a left wing finger of a pterosaur from the Crato Formation of northeast Brazil has a T-shaped cross-section to the second and third phalanges. This cross-sectional shape is one of several characters diagnostic of the pterodactyloid pterosaur family Azhdarchidae (Unwin & Lu 1997). Until now, this family of pterosaurs was known exclusively from the Late Cretaceous. The specimen described here may be the first recorded azhdarchid from the southern hemisphere and the earliest recorded member of the family.     

Theropod dinosaur diversity and palaeobiology in the Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous) of England: evidence from a previously undescribed tibia

A robust, partial right tibia of a theropod dinosaur (Natural History Museum London collections, BMNH R9385) is described for the first time. The specimen was collected at Hastings, Sussex (England) in the last century, and is among the oldest known of English Wealden Group theropods. It represents a tetanuran theropod that may have been about 3 m in total length, and is distinct from all currently known Wealden theropods for which tibiae have been described. The present specimen is significant palaeobiologically in exhibiting a series of theropod tooth marks on its caudal surface, indicating predation or scavenging by another theropod.     

Fossil caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of southern England

The first fossil caddis cases from the Early Cretaceous (Wealden) of SE England are described and named Conchindusia rasnitsyni ichnosp. nov., Piscindusia sukachevae ichnogen. et isp. nov., ?Ostracindusia vyalovi ichnosp. nov. and Pelindusia percealleni ichnosp. nov. In addition, the necrotauliid caddisfly Paratrichopteridium purbeckianum (Handlirsch) comb. nov. from the earliest Cretaceous (Purbeck Group) of Dorset is redescribed.     

First occurrence of azhdarchoid pterosaurs in the Gault Formation (Lower Cretaceous,Albian) of England,United Kingdom with a brief review of Gault pterosaurs

Pterosaurs are a rare component of the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Gault Formation of southern England. The only named taxon reported, ‘Pterodactylus’ daviesii Owen, 1874, is widely regarded as a nomen dubium or as Pterodactyloidea incertae sedis, while most other material can be referred to Pterodactyloidea indet. Here we describe a fragmentary humerus and elongate mid-series cervical vertebra both from the Gault Formation of Kent, southeast England that can be referred to the edentulous pterodactyloid clade Azhdarchoidea. The cervical vertebra is identified as being from a non-tapejaromorph azhdarchoid on account of its reduced neural spine, a neural arch confluent with the centrum, a neural canal that is subsumed into the centrum and the lack of foramina on the lateral surfaces of the centrum. The humerus is referred to Azhdarchoidea on account of its sub-rectangular distal end.     

Fossil caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of southern England II

The following new fossil trichopteran insects are described or revised from the Purbeck Limestone Group and Wealden Supergroup of southern England: Pteromixanum inviolatum gen. et sp. nov., P. ruderatum gen. et sp. nov., P. purbeckianum (Handlirsch) gen. et comb. nov. and P. poxwellense gen. et sp. nov. (Necrotauliidae);Purbimodus minor gen. et sp. nov., P. medius gen. et sp. nov., P. rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov. and P. saxosus gen. et sp. nov. (Vitimotauliidae);Palaeoludus popovi gen. et sp. nov. (Dysoneuridae);Palaeotarsus desertus gen. et sp. nov. (Plectrotarsidae);Eucrunoecia ridicula gen. et sp. nov. (Lepidostomatidae);Palaeocentropus placidus gen. et sp. nov. (Calamoceratidae) and Helicophidae gen. et sp. incertae sedis. The general composition of the fauna is compared with Early Cretaceous faunas of Asia. The early appearance of several living families is noted.     

A new hangingfly (Insecta,Mecoptera, Bittacidae) from the Purbeck Limestone Group (Lower Cretaceous) of southern England and a review of Cretaceous Bittacidae

Rapid radiation of the Bittacidae during the Jurassic resulted in high diversity within this family of Mecoptera. More than 40 species within 23 genera have been described from this period. However, around the end of the Jurassic the abundance and diversity of Bittacidae decreased and only seven species in five genera are known to date from the Cretaceous. A new specimen from the basal Cretaceous of England, Tytthobittacus jarzembowski sp. nov., described here, represents the eighth species and the second fossil representative of this family from the European Cretaceous. This hangingfly belongs to an extant and relictual genus previously known only from Australia. The paper also includes a review of all known Cretaceous bittacids and a re-examination of European species Antiquanabittacus nanus Petrulevičius and Jarzembowski, 2004.     

Archegocimicidae (Insecta: Heteroptera) from the Purbeck Limestone Group (Lower Cretaceous: Berriasian) of southern England

Four new genera and five new species of Archegocimicidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of England: namely Mortalia martini gen. et sp. nov., Tyrion lannister gen. et sp. nov., T. cersei sp. nov., Stannis baratheon gen et sp. nov., Daenerys khaleesi gen. et sp. nov. A transitional position of the complex between Asian Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous entomofaunas is indicated by this new material.     

辽西朝阳盆地早白垩世一新的无齿翼龙化石

采自辽西朝阳盆地早白垩世九佛堂组的一翼龙化石被记述。化石材料是一接近完整骨架的无齿的翼龙，带有一不完全的头骨。作者将其归于翼手龙类(Pteroclactyloidea)，并建一新属、新种一无齿吉大翼龙(Jidapterus edentus gen．et sp．nov．)。     

Eomatsucoccus andrewi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccinea) from the Lower Cretaceous of southern England

Eomatsucoccus andrewi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccinea: Matsucoccida) has been established on the basis of a wing impression from the Lower Weald Clay (Hauterivian, Lower Cretaceous) at Keymer Tileworks, West Sussex, southern England. It differs from the other two Lower Cretaceous species, E. sukachevae Koteja and E. popovi Koteja, in wing size (c. 3.3 mm long) and shape (gradually tapering towards apex). The taxonomy and palaeontology of the matsucoccids are discussed.     

Reassessment of Prejanopterus curvirostris,a Basal Pterodactyloid Pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Spain

Prejanopterus curvirostra, from the Early Cretaceous of La Rioja province, was the first pterosaur genus and species described from Spain. The material comprises disarticulated cranial and postcranial remains from several individuals. The fossil-bearing bed is assigned to the lacustrine Leza Formation (eastern Cameros Basin, NW margin of the Iberian Range). This unit is regarded as either Berriasian-Valanginian or Barremian-Aptian. Prejanopterus curvirostris (specific name emended) was originally diagnosed on the basis of several characters of which the most significant was a lateral curvature of the rostrum. Re-examination of the holotype (rostrum) and paratype (partial rostrum with teeth) indicates that there is no genuine sideways bend of the preserved premaxilla-maxilla segments, but a slight dorsal curvature. Prejanopterus is characterized by a unique combination of characters: an emended diagnosis is provided. In contrast with previous estimates, the wing span of Prejanopterus was probably not much (if ever) in excess of 2 m. A phylogenetic analysis suggests that Prejanopterus is a basal pterodactyloid positioned between Pterodactylus and Cycnorhamphus-Gallodactylus. Prejanopterus represents the first evidence of Pterodactylidae in the Early Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula.     

The Lower Albian (Lower Cretaceous) Monk's Bay Sandstone Formation (formerly the Carstone) of the Isle of Wight: Its distribution, litho- and biostratigraphy

The Monk's Bay Sandstone Formation (MBSF) is the new name for the Lower Albian ferruginous sandstone that was formerly known as the Carstone of the Isle of Wight. The new term was proposed to remove any confusion with the Carstone, of similar age and lithology, described from the separate Lower Cretaceous sedimentary basin of Eastern England. This paper formalises the nomenclatural change outlined in the Lower Cretaceous Framework Report, ratified by the Geological Society Stratigraphy Commission.The MBSF, representing a major mid-Albian transgressive event, is described from a series of boreholes drilled by the British Geological Survey across the Isle of Wight, and from additional coastal exposures, together with reinterpretations of sections described in earlier works.The age range of the MBSF is determined in relation to recent biostratigraphical schemes supported with new data from the previously unknown presence of foraminifera. Deposits, belonging to the Leymeriella regularis Subzone, were previously considered to be absent from the succession and represent the stratigraphical gap separating the formation from the underlying Sandrock Formation. However a first occurrence of tubular foraminifera resembling Hyperammina/‘Rhizammina cf dichotomata’ suggest that the oldest part of the formation in the northeast of the island may be of regularis Subzone age. This unconformity is correlated with the sequence boundary LG4 of Hesselbo and the presence of the Sonneratia kitchini Subzone at the base of the MBSF on the Isle of Wight suggests that this boundary should be placed at the lower of two candidate horizons within the successions of the Weald.The formation is restricted to the Isle of Wight but is coeval with similar coarse-grained sediments, e.g. the Carstone and ‘JunctionBeds’ to the north. The palaeogeography of the formation and the relationship with these similar deposits and the implications for the timing of mid-Albian structural events is briefly discussed. The identification of older Lower Greensand Group sediments beneath the MBSF in boreholes north of the Isle of Wight structure, together with new survey data indicating north-south orientated faulting affecting the early Cretaceous implies a tectonic element to the distribution the Lower Greensand Group sediments. Taken together these imply a complex interaction of tectonics and transgressive events throughout the Aptian and Albian over this structural high.     

A tiny maniraptoran dinosaur in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Group: Evidence from a new vertebrate-bearing locality in south-east England

In contrast to the Barremian Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight, the remains of small theropods are rare in the Berriasian-Valanginian Hastings Group of the English mainland. Both units are part of the dinosaur-rich Wealden Supergroup (Berriasian-Aptian) of southern Britain. Here we report the cervical vertebra of a small dinosaur from the Pevensey Pit at Ashdown Brickworks, a site located northwest of Bexhill, East Sussex. The pit yields a rich assemblage of vertebrate fossils from the Valanginian Wadhurst Clay Formation of the Hastings Group. The new specimen, a near-complete but water-worn posterior cervical vertebra, is tiny (total centrum length = 7.1 mm) but evidently from an adult theropod. Its large hypapophysis, X-shaped neural arch and amphicoelous centrum suggest referral to Maniraptora, and the subparallel anterior and posterior articular surfaces imply that it does not belong to a deinonychosaur. The X-shaped neural arch recalls a similar condition seen in oviraptorosaurs while the high neural canal/articular surface ratio (0.70) is bird-like. The specimen is significant in representing the first maniraptoran to be reported from the Hastings Group but is otherwise indeterminate. By comparing the specimen to better known maniraptorans and estimating the proportions of the animal to which it belongs, we suggest that the total skeletal length of this maniraptoran was somewhere between 16 and 40 cm. It may therefore have been among the smallest of known Mesozoic dinosaurs.     

A long-necked pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea,Azhdarchidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Valencia,Spain

Fragmentary remains, including cervical vertebrae and limb bones, of a large pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Tous, province of Valencia (Spain), are described. The material was recovered from lacustrine beds in the upper part of the Calizas y Margas de Sierra Perenchiza Formation, which is probably Maastrichtian in age. Six fragments of vertebrae allow a reconstruction of the anatomy of the mid-series cervicals of the animal. The general morphology of the cervical vertebrae is closely similar to that of the long-necked Azhdarchidae. Compared to other azhdarchids, the Valencia pterosaur shows minor differences from the genera Azhdarcho and Quetzalcoatlus, and is here provisionally referred to as Azhdarchidae indet. A wingspan of about 5.5 m is calculated by comparison with other known azhdarchids. This is the second azhdarchid pterosaur described from the Iberian peninsula. It confirms the wide distribution of this group of large pterosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous.     

First record of Early Cretaceous pterosaur from the Ordos Region,Inner Mongolia,China

A new dsungaripterid pterosaur, Ordosipterus planignathus gen. et sp. nov., is established on the incomplete articulated lower jaws from the Lower Cretaceous Luohandong Formation in Otog Qi, Ordos Region, Inner Mongolia, China. It differs from other dsungaripterids mainly by having broad and low dentary at and just behind the mandibular symphysis, flat dentary dorsal plane forming the distinct lateral ridge with the curved dentary lateral side, and lower alveoli arranged along the dentary dorsolateral margin with wide spacing that increases from rostral to caudal. It represents the first diagnostic pterosaur from the Ordos Region in Inner Mongolia, and further enlarges the geographical distribution of the family Dsungaripteridae from northwestern China (together with western Mongolia) to central North China.     

First record of a weevil (Coleoptera: Nemonychidae) from the Lower Cretaceous (Wealden) of southern England

A new weevil, Oxycorynoides bucklowae sp. nov. is described from the lower Barremian Upper Weald Clay Formation of south Surrey, UK. The new species differs from other species of the nominative subgenus in the large body size; large, elongate eyes; and distinctly curved rostrum. It approaches but is also distinguished from the Berriasian-Hauterivian Oxycorynoides mongolicus Zherikhin, 1986 and O. gurvanensis Legalov, 2010 from Mongolia by the long metaventrite from the former species, and by the short rostrum from the latter.     

A new species of Platanus from the Cenomanian(Upper Cretaceous) in eastern Heilongjiang,China

The stratigraphic division and sequence of the Upper Cretaceous sediments in eastern Heilongjiang Province,China,have been ambiguous and controversial,mainly due to a lack of biostratigraphically useful fossils and related radiometric dating.A new species of angiospermous fossil plant.Platanus heilongjiangensis sp.nov.,from Qitaihe in eastern Heilongjiang has been found in sediments conformably above which zircons from a rhyolitic tuff has been dated by U-Pb radiometric methods as 96.2± 1.7 Ma.indicating that the Upper Houshigou Formation is of Cenomanian age.This discovery not only provides new data to improve our stratigraphic understanding of the Houshigou Formation,but also shows that Platanus flourished in the early Late Cretaceous floras of the region.This new study also indicates active volcanism taking place in the eastern Heilongjiang region during the Cenomanian of the Late Cretaceous.     

Reef development on a deepening platform: two Early Cretaceous coralgal patch reefs (Catí, Llàcova Formation, eastern Spain) compared

Two coralgal patch reefs of the Hauterivian Llàcova Formation (Maestrat Basin, eastern Spain), exposed at two consecutive stratigraphic levels within a single section, have been studied to document taxonomic implications of a changing environment. These two reefal palaeocommunities differ substantially in coral taxonomic composition, microbialite formation pattern and in abundance and composition of encrusters and bioeroders. Of a total of 14 coral species, just one (Stylina parvistella) occurs in both reefs, yet is abundant in the (lower) reef A and rare, occurring near the reef base, in the reef B assemblage. Reef A is dominated by a phototrophic fauna and coral species with small corallites and imperforate septa (a stylinid-thamnasteriid-heterocoeniid-actinastreid association), along with an encruster association dominated by Bacinella and Lithocodium. Reef B is characterised by a balanced phototrophic-heterotrophic fauna that gradually passes into a heterotrophic-dominated assemblage. During this latest growth stage, microsolenid corals dominated the assemblage. The encruster fauna is characterised by sponges, polychaetes and bryozoans. Moderate deepening during a transgressive systems tract (TST) depositional sequence and elevated nutrient supply are interpreted to represent the driving environmental parameters that caused faunal compositions to differ between these two reefal palaeocommunities. Nine coral taxa, previously known only from younger (Barremian–Cenomanian) strata, have been identified, namely Dimorphocoenia? rudis, Eocomoseris raueni, Eocomoseris sp., Holocoenia jaccardi, Latusastrea irregularis, Mesomorpha sp., Microsolena kugleri, Polyphylloseris mammillata and Polyphylloseris sp. This observation emphasises the importance of the Hauterivian Stage as a period of evolutionary transition in Late Jurassic–Cretaceous coral faunas.