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Article Reference Reassessment of the Morphology and Taxonomic Status of the earliest Herpetotheriid Marsupials of Europe
The earliest Eocene locality of Dormaal (Belgium) has provided the oldest Cenozoic herpetotheriid marsupials of Europe. No herpetotheriid has ever been reported earlier than the Eocene in Europe, except for a questionable single upper molar from the Upper Cretaceous of the Belgian/Dutch border. The systematics of the herpetotheriids of Dormaal was formerly based on only a dozen dental specimens, which were assigned, after several revisions, to two species Peratherium constans and Amphiperatherium brabantense. Most importantly, these two species were considered at the root of most of the hepetotheriid lineages of the European Paleogene. Here we report a large sample of about 400 new dental remains that allow a better definition of both species as well as a testing of their systematic status. The evidence of significant morphological variability leads us to reconsider the diagnosis of Peratherium constans and to question the validity of Amphiperatherium brabantense. This study highlights that the primitive species Peratherium constans and Amphiperatherium brabantense are hardly distinguishable from each other, and therefore conclude that Peratherium constans was the only marsupial present at Dormaal. The important morphological variation exhibited by this herpetotheriid is similar to the variability observed in the type-species Peratherium elegans and in other fossil and extant metatherians. Consequently, our results suggest that several Amphiperatherium species from the Eocene could represent variants of the genus Peratherium. The question of the Amphiperatherium presence in Europe is therefore raised and a thorough discriminate analysis of both genera should be conducted in later works.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Reassessment of the small "arctocyonid" Prolatidens waudruae from the Early Paleocene of Belgium, and its phylogenetic relationships with ungulate-like mammals
‘Arctocyonids’ are generally considered as including some of the most primitive ‘ungulates’ from the Paleocene. Although more than 15 genera are known from North America, European members of this order are less common and mainly belong to derived genera such as Arctocyon. However, one species of primitive arctocyonid, Prolatidens waudruae, was described from the early Paleocene of Hainin, Mons Basin, Belgium. Here we describe new dental positions of this small taxon, including for the first time upper molars and upper fourth premolar. Morphological comparisons confirm the position of P. waudruae among primitive ‘ungulates,’ with the closest North American arctocyonids being Prothryptacodon furens and Oxyprimus galadrielae. Oxyprimus galadrielae features slightly more primitive morphological traits than both other species. Apheliscids share several characters with Prolatidens, but the latter lacks the apomorphies defining the family. Among ‘arctocyonids,’ Prolatidens shares with only Protungulatum and Oxyprimus the incomplete lingual cingulum at the base of the protocone of M1. Prolatidens waudruae is unique among Procreodi in its combination of primitive and derived characters. The cladistic analysis places P. waudruae close to the base of the ingroup, indicating that this species is among the most primitive members of the Paleocene ‘ungulates.’ However, the lower nodes of the trees are not well supported and definitive conclusions should await more complete specimens and analysis. Apheliscids are situated relatively far from Prolatidens, suggesting that the resemblances between them are better considered as convergences. Based on the morphological comparisons, the arctocyonid from Hainin correlates best with North American Torrejonian taxa.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Reassignment of Pentamerus davyi Oehlert to Zdimir robustus (Barrande) (Brachiopoda, Devonian): Stratigraphic and palaeogeographic implications
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference Recent advances in heteromorph ammonoid palaeobiology
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Book Reference Recent Advances in Sponge Biodiversity Inventory and Documentation. Xth Workshop on Atlanto-Mediterranean Sponge Taxonomy
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Recent and old records of the rare myrmecophilous beetle Haeterius ferrugineus (Olivier 1789) in Belgium, Luxembourg and North-East of France
Haeterius ferrugineus (Olivier 1789) is a rarely observed histerid beetle which lives permanently in ant nests. We provide the first records of this species in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, and give an overview of the scattered records for this species in Belgium, Grand-Duché of Luxembourg and the border region in the North of France gathered over the past 150 years.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Recent Belgian records of the hornet rove-beetle Quedius (Velleius) dilatatus (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Recent Belgian records of the hornet rove-beetle Quedius (Velleius) dilatatus (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Recent Belgian records of the hornet rove-beetle Quedius (Velleius) dilatatus (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Recent data on the enigmatic family Raoellidae: how aquatic…how cetacean?
At the beginning of the 21st century, the discovery of an involucrum on the auditory bulla of Indohyus, a small raoellid artiodactyl from the Indian subcontinent, triggered the phylogenetic gathering of Raoellidae with the Cetacea clade, making them pivotal in addressing questions surrounding the land-to-water transition in Artiodactyla. Micro CT scan investigations and newly collected material from the Kalakot area (Jammu and Kashmir, India), recently greatly increased our knowledge of the cranial and dental features of this group. Here we present new data on cranial morphology of Raoellidae deriving from micro CT scan investigations of Indohyus indirae and Khirtharia inflata. This new body of data comprises investigations of the endocast of the braincase, the complete middle ear including the ossicles and auditory bulla, the petrosal bone, and the cast of the bony labyrinth. It also includes the reconstruction of the complete anterior dentition. This study gives us a comprehensive picture of the features of the Raoellidae head and improves our understanding of their semiaquatic habits. This increased knowledge of raoellids further extends the list of features they share with the first archeocetes, calling into question the definition of the clade Cetacea.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA