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Article Reference The Aktulagay section, west Kazakhstan: a key site for northern mid-latitude Early Eocene stratigraphy.
A section at Aktulagay (west Kazakhstan), in the Peri-Tethys realm, exposes mid-neritic to upper bathyal Ypresian marls, clays and silts. These range from Zone NP10 to early Zone NP14, with abundant and diverse microfossil assemblages. Multidisciplinary analysis has identified dinoflagellate cyst, calcareous nannofossil, planktonic and benthic foraminiferid and pteropod zones and events. Calibration of a key interval in the evolution of the shark Otodus has been possible for the first time. Episodic low-oxygen facies, including sapropelic clays widely distributed in Peri-Tethys, are represented here and can be placed within a detailed biostratigraphic framework. The current lithostratigraphic terminology is modified, with the introduction of the Aktulagay Formation. Paleoenvironmental aspects are discussed; five depositional sequences are tentatively identified. This section can be correlated in detail with the succession in the North Sea Basin, with implications for paleogeographic reconstructions. High-resolution biostratigraphic calibration between disparate fossil groups makes this a key reference section for northern mid-latitude Ypresian biostratigraphy.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The ancient fish fauna from Asa Koma (Djibouti) and modern osteometric data on 3 Tilapiini and 2 Clarias catfish species
The fi sh fauna is presented from Asa Koma; a prehistoric site dated around 1800 cal BC and located in Djibouti near Lake Abhé. The site comprises numerous hearths from which the fi sh bones that form the majority of the faunal remains were recovered. Only two fi sh species occur, namely Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus, which are also the two major taxa occurring in the saline lake today. The skeletal element distribution and the frequency of charred remains were analysed and, in addition, detailed size reconstructions were carried out. On the basis of modern skeletons from 47 tilapia and 39 Clarias, the metrical relationship between fi sh length and individual bone measurements (32 measuring distances for tilapia and 40 for Clarias) was established with the aid of the “least squares method”. The equations are all listed for future use by other researchers. The fi sh and other fauna do not allow a precise environmental reconstruction, but the large size of the Clarias possibly indicates less saline conditions than today. Using the reconstructed sizes of the fi sh from Asa Koma, modern data on the behaviour of the species, ethnographic and archaeological parallels, and palaeohydrological data, attempts are made to establish the most likely season of fi shing, the possible location of the fi shing grounds, and the fi shing methods that may have been used. Finally, the possible fi sh preparation and fi sh processing methods are discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The ants of the Galápagos Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): a historical overview, checklist, and identification key
The Galápagos ant fauna has long been understudied, with the last taxonomic summary being published almost a century ago. Here, a comprehensive and updated overview of the known ant species of the Galápagos Islands is provided with updated species distributions. The list is based on an extensive review of literature, the identification of more than 382,000 specimens deposited in different entomological collections, and recent expeditions to the islands. The ant fauna is composed of five subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Dorylinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, and Ponerinae), 22 genera, 50 species, and 25 subspecies, although three species (Crematogaster crinosa Mayr, 1862, Camponotus senex (Smith, 1858), and Solenopsis saevissima (Smith, 1855)) are considered dubious records. Finally, an illustrated identification key of the species found in the archipelago is presented.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference The Australian issid planthopper genus Orinda Kirkaldy, 1907: New subgenera, new species, host plant and identification key (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference The bats of the Congo and of Rwanda and Burundi Revisited (Mammalia: Chiroptera)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Inproceedings Reference The biodiversity of the Eocene Messel Pit
The Messel Pit is a Konservat-Lagerstätte in Germany, representing the deposits of a latest early to earliest middle Eocene maar lake, and one of the first palaeontological sites to be included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One aspect of Messel that makes it so extraordinary is that its sediments are rich in different fossilised organisms – microfossils, plants, fungi, invertebrate animals and vertebrates – that are rarely preserved together. We present an updated list of all taxa, named or not, that have been documented at Messel, comprising 1409 taxa, which represent a smaller but inexactly known number of biological species. The taxonomic list of Labandeira and Dunne (2014) contains serious deficiencies and should not be used uncritically. Furthermore, we compiled specimen lists of all Messel amphibians, reptiles and mammals known to us. In all, our analyses incorporate data from 32 public collections and some 20 private collections. We apply modern biodiversity-theoretic techniques to ascertain how species richness tracks sampling, to estimate what is the minimum asymptotic species richness, and to project how long it will take to sample a given proportion of that minimum richness. Plant and insect diversity is currently less well investigated than vertebrate diversity. Completeness of sampling in aquatic and semiaquatic, followed by volant, vertebrates is higher than in terrestrial vertebrates. Current excavation rates are one-half to two-thirds lower than in the recent past, leading to much higher estimates of the future excavation effort required to sample species richness more completely, should these rates be maintained. Species richness at Messel, which represents a lake within a paratropical forest near the end of the Early Eocene Climate Optimum, was generally higher than in comparable parts of Central Europe today but lower than in present-day Neotropical biotopes. There is no evidence that the Eocene Messel ecosystem was a “tropical rainforest.”
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Inproceedings Reference The Bony Labyrinth of Neandertals: Additional Results.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The Botanic Garden Jean Massart as a reference site for the diversity of flies in Belgium (Insecta: Diptera)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference The Botanic Garden Jean Massart (Brussels-Capital Region): a hotspot for long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) in Belgium or not?
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference The boundary between the Middle Eocene Brussel Sand and the Lede Sand Formations in the Zaventem-Nederokkerzeel area (Northeast of Brussels, Belgium).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications