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First detailed study of the Belgian Eocene sea turtle ‘Oligochelone rupeliensis’
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In 1909, the famous palaeontologist Louis Dollo announced, in a paper about the Belgian fossil vertebrates, a new Oligocene (Rupelian) genus and species of sea turtle, ‘Oligochelone rupeliensis’. He indicated that it was established for a specimen that preserved the complete carapace and several appendicular bones, being characterized as “a typical marine turtle”. No further information, but neither photographs or drawings, were provided by him. He planned to publish the study of this species in the future, but this did not happen. Only a schematic drawing of the plastron of that specimen, as well as a photograph of a tibia attributed to this taxon without justification, were presented, by another author, seventy years later. The first-hand study of the specimen considered by Dollo allows us to observe that it does not preserve any tibia, so that attribution cannot be supported. Therefore, except for that imprecise drawing of the plastron published more than four decades ago, no additional information was available so far. In fact, ‘Oligochelone rupeliensis’ was recognized as a nomen nudum. After a preliminary analysis of the specimen considered by Dollo, one of us (APG) and other collaborators recently indicated, without justification, that, although ‘Oligochelone rupeliensis’ could be closely related to the Eochelone representatives, it differs from all defined members of Cheloniidae. Therefore, we point out that a detailed anatomical study of this form, as well as its comparison with other species, would be necessary to propose, for the first time, a diagnosis, if its specific validity can be confirmed. Taking this into account, that partial skeleton has been analyzed in detail by us. To improve the comparative framework, both the type material and additional individuals from all Eocene and Oligocene cheloniid taxa recognized for the Belgian record have also been analyzed first-hand. The preliminary results are presented here.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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A Neogene succession in the city centre of Antwerp (Belgium): stratigraphy, palaeontology and geotechnics of the Rubenshuis temporary outcrop
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A temporary outcrop near the “Rubenshuis” in the centre of Antwerp (northern Belgium) facilitated the study of the Neogene glauconitic sand of the Berchem and Kattendijk formations, west and south of their respective stratotype sections. In contrast to the latter sections, the exposed Kiel Member of the Berchem Formation contains a relatively silty interval in its upper part, which is also reflected in Cone Penetration Tests. This silty interval is rich in molluscs, including the subspecies Glossus lunulatus cf. lunulatus and Ennucula haesendoncki haesendoncki, previously unknown from this member. Dinoflagellate cysts indicate that the main body of the Kiel Member was deposited during the middle Burdigalian, while only the upper part was deposited during the late Burdigalian. The Kiel Member is covered by the shell-rich, silty sand of the Langhian Antwerpen Member (Berchem Formation). Both members display soft-sediment deformation structures, probably caused by differences in silt content between and within these units. The Antwerpen Member is incised by the Lower Pliocene Kattendijk Formation, which reduced the thickness of the former to only 1.1 m, compared to 7 m in northeastern Antwerp. As a result, the basal gravel of the Kattendijk Formation contains many fossils reworked from the Antwerpen Member, in addition to autochthonous molluscs and Ditrupa. The Zanclean fauna resembles associations known from the highest part of the Kattendijk Formation in the former Oosterweel outcrop north of Antwerp, while it differs from the fauna of the lowermost Kattendijk Formation near Doel and Kallo. Hence, the palaeontological observations corroborate the regional depositional model of this unit, suggesting that only the youngest gully sequence of the Kattendijk Formation was deposited across the city of Antwerp.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024 OA
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Early Evolution and Paleobiogeographic Distribution of Pipimorphs Reflects the Opening of the South Atlantic
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Pipimorpha and its crown-group Pipidae possess one of the most extensive fossil records among anurans, which extends into the Early Cretaceous in both Laurasia and Gondwana. This is probably linked to the highly aquatic lifestyle of pipids, which is probably also characteristic of early pipimorphs. In South America, pipids are currently represented only by Pipa, but the fossil record documents an evolutionary radiation of Shelaniinae (a taxon endemic to South America) in the Cretaceous; shelaniines seem to have become extinct in the Eocene. Fewer pipimorph fossils are known from Africa. Our recent redescription of the mid-Late Cretaceous (Coniacian–Santonian) taxon Pachycentrata taqueti from In Becetèn (Niger) partly fills this gap. Our new phylogenetic analysis of Cretaceous and Paleogene pipimorphs shows that this taxon diversified in a West Gondwanan block until about the mid-Cretaceous, but after that, pipimorphs show two distinct evolutionary radiations, one in South America (Pipinae), and the other (Xenopodinae) in Africa. This pattern appears to reflect the breakup of West Gondwana simultaneously with the opening of the South Atlantic during the Cretaceous. This probable vicariant pattern yields slightly different ages for the South Atlantic opening depending on the accepted topology. The tree constrained to reflect the topology of extant taxa supported by molecular data shows a last dispersal between both continents before the Cenomanian (more than 100 Ma), whereas the unconstrained topology that reflects only morphological data is compatible with a more recent last faunal dispersal among pipids. Under this unconstrained topology, the fossil record is too poor to give a reliable minimal age for this last dispersal, but molecular dating analyses suggest that this event harks back to the Mesozoic.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024 OA
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Annual (2024) taxonomic update of RNA-directed RNA polymerase-encoding negative-sense RNA viruses (realm Riboviria: kingdom Orthornavirae: phylum Negarnaviricota)
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In April 2024, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was expanded by 1 new order, 1 new family, 6 new subfamilies, 34 new genera and 270 new species. One class, two orders and six species were renamed. Seven families and 12 genera were moved; ten species were renamed and moved; and nine species were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as currently accepted by the ICTV, providing an essential annual update on the classification of members of this phylum that deepen understandings of their evolution, and supports critical public health measures for virus identification and tracking.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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The new stick insect genus Pterulina gen. nov., a second winged Clitumninae genus from Vietnam with a new combination and a new species (Phasmida, Phasmatidae, Clitumninae, Clitumnini)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
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Publications
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Novel shrew-borne orthonairoviruses from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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MOnitoring en MOdellering van het cohesieve sedimenttransport en evaluatie van de effecten op het mariene ecosysteem ten gevolge van bagger- en stortoperatie (MOMO). Activiteitsrapport (1 januari – 30 juni 2020).
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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A note on the genus Rugosophysis Komiya & Drumont, 2008 (Contribution to the knowledge of Indonesian Prioninae - 1) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
