Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools

You are here: Home

Search results

RSS Subscribe to an always-updated RSS feed.

3237 items matching your search terms.
Filter the results.
Item type



































New items since



Sort by relevance · date (newest first) · alphabetically
Article Reference A new species of rorqual whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) from the Late Miocene of the Southern North Sea Basin and the role of the North Atlantic in the paleobiogeography of Archaebalaenoptera
Background The rich fossil record of rorqual and humpback whales (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) is mainly characterized by monotypic genera since genera including more than one species are extremely rare. The discovery of new species belonging to known genera would be of great importance in order to better understand ancestor-descendant relationships and paleobiogeographic patterns in this diverse group. Recent discoveries in the southern North Sea Basin yielded a number of reasonably well preserved fossil balaenopterids from the Late Miocene; this sample includes a balaenopterid skull from Liessel, The Netherlands, which shares key characters with Archaebalaenoptera castriarquati from the Pliocene of Mediterranean. This skull is permanently held by Oertijdmuseum, Boxtel, The Netherlands, with the number MAB002286 and is investigated here. Methods A detailed comparative anatomical analysis of the skull MAB002286 is performed in order to understand its relationships. The age of the skull is determined by dinocyst analysis of the associated sediment. A paleobiogeographic analysis is performed to understand paleobiogeographic patterns within the balaenopterid clade the new skull belongs to. Results Our work resulted in the description of Archaebalaenoptera liesselensis new species. The geological age of the holotype skull is between 8.1 and 7.5 Ma. The phylogenetic relationships of this species reveals that it is monophyletic with Archaebalaenoptera castriarquati from the Italian Pliocene. Moreover, in combination with a more basal species of Archaebalaenoptera from the late Miocene of Peru, our paleobiogeographic analysis suggests that the North Atlantic ocean played a major role as a center of origin of a number of balaenopterid clades including Protororqualus, Archaebalaenoptera and more advanced balaenopterid taxa. From a North Atlantic center of origin, two dispersal events are inferred that led to the origins of Archaebalaenoptera species in the South Pacific and Mediterranean. The distribution of Archaebalaenoptera was antitropical in the late Miocene. The role played by the Mediterranean salinity crisis is also investigated and discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Stratigraphy and palaeontology of the lower Miocene Kiel Sand Member (Berchem Formation) in temporary exposures in Antwerp (northern Belgium)
The stratigraphic position of the lower Miocene Kiel Sand Member of the Berchem Formation in the Antwerp area (northern Belgium) is not well constrained and its depositional environments are poorly known. Due to a spatial limited decalcification front, the Kiel Sand Member is completely decalcified in southern Antwerp and gradually becomes fossiliferous to the north-east of the city. The stratigraphy and palaeontology of the fossiliferous sediments in three temporary exposures are presented. The dinoflagellate cyst analysis of fossiliferous horizons shows the relative progress of a transgression in the southern North Sea Basin during the early–middle Burdigalian, that probably initiated in the late Aquitanian. The Kiel Sand Member contains an important mollusc fauna, with several species reported for the first time from this member. The taphonomy and fauna of the shell beds indicate a shallow marine, high energetic depositional environment, strongly influenced by storms, currents, waves and a rather low sedimentation rate. The climate was warm-temperate to subtropical. In all studied sections, the Kiel Sand Member could be clearly distinguished from the Antwerpen Sand Member: similarities and differences are discussed. Moving to the north of Antwerp, the erosive base of the Antwerpen Sand Member cuts deeper into the Kiel Sand Member. The Early Miocene Unconformity (EMU) is suggested at this contact.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference On the presence of an ocean sunfish (Tetraodontiformes, Molidae) in the Miocene Pietra Leccese formation of Southern Italy
The ocean sunfishes of the family Molidae comprise one of the tetraodontiform clades with the least known fossil record. Here, we report on what appears to be an isolated paraxial ossicle likely pertaining to the Molidae from a widely known marine vertebrate-bearing deposit of Southern Italy, i.e., the Miocene Pietra Leccese formation of Apulia. Thus far, paraxial ossicles are exclusively known from the genus Mola; however, the possibility that some extinct species of Ranzania or Masturus developed paraxial ossicles cannot be definitively ruled out, hence the attribution of the fossil described herein to an indeterminate taxon of the family Molidae. A careful scrutiny of palaeoichthyological literature reveals that, besides contributing to the meagre Mediterranean and global fossil record of the Molidae, the Apulian ossicle may be regarded as the best candidate to represent the first fossil find of the genus Mola from the Mediterranean Basin. In light of the environmental preferences of extant molids, the occurrence of an ocean sunfish in the Pietra Leccese matches well the warm-water, highly productive, outer neritic setting witnessed by this sedimentary unit and its fossil content. Considering also that the Miocene has been recognised as a time span of increased abundance and diversity of ocean sunfishes worldwide, our find should encourage the quest for new, hopefully articulated specimens of molids in this celebrated fossiliferous limestone.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021 OA
Article Reference A Karethraichnus boring on a turtle shell bone from the Miocene of Italy is assessed as the attachment scar of a platylepadid symbiont
Among the turtle and whale barnacles, those included in the family Platylepadidae are mostly found partly embedded in the carapace and plastron of sea turtles. As a likely consequence of their fragile shell, the fossil record of these cirripede epizoans of marine chelonians is currently limited to two occurrences of Platylepas in Pleistocene strata. Here, we describe and refer to Karethraichnus cf. lakkos an isolated boring on a fossil cheloniid costal plate from the upper Miocene Arenaria di Ponsano Formation of Tuscany (central Italy). A scrutiny of palaeontological and neontological literature as well as new first-hand observations reveal that this boring was most likely produced by a platylepadid barnacle similar to Stomatolepas, Stephanolepas or Platylepas. Two other probable platylepadid attachment scars, both of which incise cheloniid shell bones, are noted from the Oligocene and Miocene, respectively. On the whole, these scanty data support the hypothesis that platylepadids have ancient evolutionary roots and a long story of symbiosis with sea turtles. Future research efforts in this field should focus on 1) further investigating the potential of bone damage of turtle-dwelling barnacles; 2) initiating a methodical quest for possible platylepadid attachment scars in Cenozoic marine turtle fossils; and 3) replenishing the still fragmentary Palaeogene fossil record of Coronuloidea.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference New pipimorph from the Late Cretaceous of Niger
tIn Becetèn, in southeast Niger, is one of the few mid-Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian-Santonian) fossil-iferous localities in Africa where multiple anuran taxa are known. Two of them, Pachycentrata taquetiand Inbecetenanura ragei, have been described from In Becetèn. Both are pipids, a clade composed ofexclusively aquatic anurans. Beside these two pipids, numerous isolated bones have also been referredto anurans within the site, but never referred to any known less inclusive taxa. Here we describe severalidentified cranial and postcranial bones referable to Pipidae or its stem-group, which together constitutePipimorpha. Among these elements, three cranial elements are referred to two unnamed pipimorphs.One of these has gondwanomorph affinities (pipids + South American and African extinct pipimorphs).These conclusions are supported by our phylogenetic analyses. Numerous postcranial elements are notreferable to any of the four pipimorph taxa identified at In Becetèn, although some ilia might be tenta-tively referred to ?Pachycentrata sp. The presence of at least four distinct anuran taxa makes In Becetènthe most diverse anuran site in Mesozoic Africa. It is also the first site in the Mesozoic where four pipi-morph taxa are identified. The dominance of pipimorphs in the anuran diversity of the site suggests thatIn Becetèn was likely more lacustrine than previously thought.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA
Article Reference Taxonomic revision of the genus Trictenotoma Gray, 1832 (Coleoptera: Trictenotomidae). Part 2 - Species from Hainan and Taiwan
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference The malacological contributions of Louis Carl Georg Pfeiffer (1805–1877): a bibliography, with a collation of the publication dates of the Malakozoologische Blätter
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference A Quasi-Monte Carlo based flocculation model for fine-grained cohesive sediments in aquatic environments
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Acoustic Seafloor Classification Using the Weyl Transform of Multibeam Echosounder Backscatter Mosaic.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Numerical Simulation of Deep-Sea Sediment Transport Induced by a Dredge Experiment in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021