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Foreword for the thematic volume of the PalEurAfrica project international symposium Evolution and paleoenvironment of early modern vertebrates during the Paleogene
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Original articleSystematics and diversity of the giant soft-shelled turtles (Cryptodira,Trionychidae) from the earliest Eocene of Belgium
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In 1909, the famous paleontologist Louis Dollo identified two putative new species of giant soft-shelled turtles from the lowest Eocene record of Belgium, ‘Trionyx erquelinnensis’ and ‘Trionyx levalensis’, from Erquelinnes and Leval, respectively. However, these proposals did not meet the requirements of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, so they were considered as nomina nuda. The information on these specimens or about any other specimen of this lineage of giant turtles from the Belgian record is currently extremely limited. Relatively scarce material from giant trionychids has been described for the lower Eocene record of other European regions. Considering the available information, all the European material has recently been recognized as belonging to the genus Axestemys, which has a North American origin, and possibly attributable to a single species, Axestemys vittata, which currently lacks a diagnosis. Numerous and well-preserved Belgian specimens are deposited in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. In addition to the cited individuals from Erquelinnes and Leval, additional specimens from both localities, as well as others from Orp-le-Grand, are part of this collection. These specimens, found between the decades of 1910 and 1930, have been recently restored, and their study is carried out here. The presence of Axestemys vittata in Belgium (in Leval and Orp-le-Grand) is confirmed. Knowledge about this species is significantly improved, and a diagnosis is proposed. However, the hypothesis proposed by Dollo is here confirmed, this species being not the only identified in the Belgian record. So, Axestemys erquelinnensis nov. sp. is defined based on the carapace from Erquelinnes known by Dollo, suggesting that the genus probably reached Europe during the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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New Neandertal fossils from Trou Magrite, Belgium, and their contribution to our understanding of Neandertal diversity
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Belgium has yielded an exceptional Neandertal fossil record that has played a major role in Neandertal studies since the 19th century. Here we present the outcome of a new multidisciplinary project that aimed at re-assessing the skeletal collections from the Belgian site of Trou Magrite. This site yielded rich archeological assemblages spanning from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Iron Age. We revised the already known human collection, conducted a systematic sorting of the faunal material, and combined the use of morphometrics, taphonomy, stable isotopes, dating, and genetic analyses to perform taxonomic and chronocultural identifications. This resulted in the identification of two new Neandertal fossils among the faunal material excavated in the 19th century: an upper right permanent canine representing an adult individual, and the left femur diaphysis of a ca. 8-10-month-old infant. We will present the biological characteristics and mitochondrial DNA phylogenetic position of the Trou Magrite Neandertals, in particular with regard to the other Northern European Neandertals. Our project adds a ninth site to the list of Belgian sites that have yielded Neandertal fossils, and emphasizes the existence of a low genetic diversity among Late Neandertals, which is to be compared to their significant behavioral (mortuary and technical) variability. As such, Belgian Neandertals continue to contribute significantly to our understanding of the population processes that resulted in the disappearance of this group. This research was funded by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences of CSUN and the CSUN Competition for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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(U-Th)/He Dating of Supergene Iron (Oxyhydr-)Oxides of the Nefza-Sejnane District (Tunisia): New Insights into Mineralization and Mammalian Biostratigraphy.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Trace-element imaging at macroscopic scale in a Belgian sphalerite-galena ore using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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A large meteoritic event over Antarctica ca. 430 ka ago inferred from chondritic spherules from the Sør Rondane Mountains
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Large airbursts, the most frequent hazardous impact events, are estimated to occur orders of magnitude more frequently than crater-forming impacts. However, finding traces of these events is impeded by the difficulty of identifying them in the recent geological record. Here, we describe condensation spherules found on top of Walnumfjellet in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Antarctica. Affinities with similar spherules found in EPICA Dome C and Dome Fuji ice cores suggest that these particles were produced during a single-asteroid impact ca. 430 thousand years (ka) ago. The lack of a confirmed crater on the Antarctic ice sheet and geochemical and 18O-poor oxygen isotope signatures allow us to hypothesize that the impact particles result from a touchdown event, in which a projectile vapor jet interacts with the Antarctic ice sheet. Numerical models support a touchdown scenario. This study has implications for the identification and inventory of large cosmic events on Earth.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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A New Species of the Genus Thinophilus Wahlberg from the River Banks of the Mekong River in Thailand (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2017
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Cross-taxa generalities in the relationship between population abundance and ambient temperatures.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2017
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Carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios in archaeological and modern Swiss fish as possible markers for diachronic anthropogenic activity in freshwater ecosystems
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The aim of this study is to investigate isotopic variability in archaeological (n=85) and modern (n=29) freshwater fish specimens from Switzerland. Here, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratio analysiswas performed on bone collagen samples of pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis), barbel (Barbus barbus), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and carp (Cyprinus carpio) fromeleven archaeological (11th to 18/19th centuries CE) andmodern sites. The archaeological vs. modern fish data revealed significant isotopic differences for pike, perch and barbel (δ13Cp≤ 0.03; δ15Np≤ 0.008), and provides possible evidence for a temporal change in Swiss aquatic ecosystems from Medieval to modern times. In comparison to archaeological fish (δ13C mean ± SD; −23.3 ± 1.6‰; δ15N mean ± SD; 8.3 ± 1.8‰), the modern fish samples show decreased δ13C and increased δ15N values (δ13C mean± SD; −27.4 ± 2.3‰; δ15N mean± SD; 12.5± 4.1‰) that can be associated with anthropogenic effects: fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and organic waste in the form of sewage and fertilizers. The isotopic signatures of archaeological fish remains indicate a local fishery practice, but also the exploitation of distant fishing grounds and freshwater fish transportation. Furthermore, a diachronic isotopic trend is observed in young perch from sites in Basel, dating between the 12th and 15/16th centuries CE, and the isotopic data from the Rhine freshwater fish (18/19th century CE) suggests that a significant shift in the river's trophic state was possibly caused by organic pollution fromurban and industrial wastewater. This retrospective research illustrates possible natural processes and human activitieswhich can cause differences in fish stable isotope data and highlights the ability to elucidate changes in past bodies of water. Furthermore, this study provides an interpretative framework for additional palaeoenvironmental studies and modern restoration projects focused on freshwater ecosystems.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
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Pyrops auratus, a new lanternfly from the Philippines and taxonomic note on Bornean P. gunjii (Satô & Nagai, 1994) (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
