Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Natuursteen – Diestiaan ijzerzandsteen : een ijzersterk verhaal
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Characterization of the placoderm (Gnathostomata) assemblage from the tetrapod-bearing locality of Strud (Belgium, Upper Famennian)
- The placoderm fauna of the late Famennian tetrapod-bearing locality of Strud, Belgium, is studied on the basis of historical and newly collected material. It includes the previously described antiarch Grossilepis rikiki, the groenlandaspidid Turrisaspis strudensis sp. nov. and the actinolepidoideid Phyllolepis undulata. P. undulata is thoroughly described and joins the list of the valid Phyllolepis species confidently diagnosed. A morphometrical analysis performed on the centronuchal and anterior ventrolateral plates of the Phyllolepis material demonstrates that there is only one species of Phyllolepis in Belgium (thus, Phyllolepis konincki becomes a junior synonym of P. undulata), that P. rossimontina (Pennsylvania) is a synonym of P. undulata and that the unity of the genus Phyllolepis is strongly supported, although the characterization of several species within this genus is blurred. The strong resemblance between the faunal compositions in Strud and Red Hill (Pennsylvania, USA) suggests important faunal exchanges between these regions of the Euramerica landmass.
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First early Eocene tapiroid from India and its implication for the paleobiogeographic origin of perissodactyls
- The presence of cambaytheres, the sister group of perissodactyls, in western India near or before the time of collision with Asia suggests that Perissodactyla may have originated on the Indian Plate during its final drift towards Asia. Herein we reinforce this hypothesis by reporting two teeth of the first early Eocene tapiromorph Perissodactyla from the Cambay Shale Formation of Vastan Lignite Mine (c. 54.5 Ma), Gujarat, western India, which we allocate to a new genus and species, Vastanolophus holbrooki. It presents plesiomorphic characters typical of the paraphyletic “Isectolophidae,” such as small size and weak lophodonty. However, the weaker hypoconulid and low paralophid, higher cusps, lower cristid obliqua, and the lingual opening of the talonid are found in Helaletidae, the most primitive tapiroid family. V. holbrooki, gen. et sp. nov., may be the oldest and the most primitive tapiroid, suggesting that at least tapiroid perissodactyls originated on India.
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New dental elements of the oldest proviverrine mammal from the early Eocene of Southern France support possible African origin of the subfamily
- Here we describe and illustrate specimens of hyaenodont mammals from two early Eocene localities of Southern France: Fournes (Minervois) and Fordones (Corbières). Some of these specimens were previously described as cf. Hyracolestes sp. (Cimolesta, Sarcodontidae), a taxon only known from Asia, but new arguments allow their referring to the small proviverrine hyaenodont Parvagula palulae which was previously only recorded in Palette (Provence). The material notably includes the oldest p4 ever recorded for the European endemic subfamily Proviverrinae. This new material shows that, by the beginning of the early Eocene, proviverrines already displayed their typical combination of dental features characterized by the presence of a large paraconid and entoconid on p4. The comparison between the earliest European proviverrines and sinopines (a mostly North American radiation) supports the divergence of the two subfamilies by this time. Moreover, the early proviverrines are morphologically similar to the African hyaenodont Tinerhodon (late Paleocene). Consequently, the history of the European proviverrines is likely rooted in Africa. Finally, the new specimens support a similar age for the localities of Palette and Fordones, and a younger age for Fournes. Due to the ages of these localities Parvagula palulae must be regarded as the oldest proviverrine.
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De poot van de wolf aan de poort van het Steen (deel 2). Radiokoolstofdatering en genetisch onderzoek van een historisch curiosum
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Early and Middle Holocene human occupation of the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Sodmein Cave
- In this paper, we discuss human occupation during the Early and Middle Holocene in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, based mainly on the data provided by excavated deposits from the Sodmein Cave, which produced an important Holocene stratigraphic sequence. This sequence is dated by a large number of conventional and AMS 14C dates. It appears that the area was empty of human occupation during the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the earliest Holocene. With improved climatic conditions, humans arrived in the area, as hunter-gatherers using no ceramics, from around 7.1 to 6.4 Ka cal BC. Humans were absent from the cave during the Holocene 8.2 Ka event (ca. 6.3 Ka cal BC). From 6.2 to 5.0 Ka cal BC, herders visited the site on a regular basis importing caprines. The bone evidence for domesticated small stock is very limited at Sodmein but is nevertheless extremely important, as it contains the oldest known specimens for Africa to date. After 5.0 Ka cal BC, the area was almost entirely deserted.
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The groundwater oligochaetes (Annnelida, Clitellata) from the "Parc du Mercantour" (France)
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New diverse Early Eocene snake assemblage from Tadkeschwar Lignite Mine, Western India
- A diverse snake fauna has been described from the early Eocene Cambay Formation of the Vastan lignite mine, Gujarat, western India, among which early colubroid caenophidians were the most remarkable. Here we describe a new snake assemblage from the approximately contemporary nearby Tadkeshwar mine situated about 10 km southwest of Vastan. As at Vastan, the material from Tadkeshwar is represented only by vertebrae. There are several species in common with Vastan, such as the small madtsoiid gen. et sp. indet. that possesses a haemal keel, the co-occurring palaeophiids Palaeophis sp. and Pterosphenus sp., the same indeterminate boid, and Thaumastophis missiaeni (Caenophidia incertae sedis). However, the most abundant snakes in Tadkeshwar are the madtsoiids. Among them is a new giant madtsoiid that exhibits morphology broadly similar to Gigantophis and Madtsoia. However, it differs in having dorso-ventrally compressed vertebrae with oval cotyles and condyles and a strong notch on the posterior part of the neural arch. The major axis of the prezygapophysis is transverse in dorsal aspect and the parapophysis is very developed and extends beyond the lateral extremity of the prezygapophysis. The haemal keel is absent. While the composition of the Tadkeshwar fauna, like that from Vastan, is reminiscent of the early Eocene of Europe, the large madtsoiid suggests a Gondwanan paleogeographic origin. Indeed, such large madtsoiids are known only from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene of South America, Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and the late Paleogene and Neogene of Australia. More importantly, the snake assemblage from Tadkeshwar indicates that Laurasian taxa of European affinities were still mixed with relict taxa from Gondwana during the early Eocene before or near the India-Asia collision. Grant Information National Geographic Society, Leakey Foundation, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Belgian Science Policy Office
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An exceptionally well preserved primate petrosal from the Early Eocene of India
- The Early Eocene (~54.5 Ma) Cambay Shale Formation at Vastan lignite mine (Gujarat, India) has yielded remains of both adapoid and omomyoid primates. The collection of primates includes not only jaws and teeth, but numerous exquisitely preserved postcranial elements. We report on the first cranial specimen for a primate from these deposits: an isolated left petrosal that preserves a partial stapes in anatomical position. The petrosal is identified as a primate based on the remnants of a petrosal bulla, and the presence of an ossified tube for the stapedial artery. The specimen documents a posterolateral entry of the internal carotid artery to the middle ear and a lateral course for the promontorial artery across the promontorium, characters most consistent with an attribution to Adapoidea. Of the adapoids published from the Vastan mine, body mass estimates based on the radii of the semicircular canals, calculated from high resolution microCT data, are most in line with previously calculated estimates for Marcgodinotius indicus, so the specimen is provisionally attributed to that species. Preserved anatomy is largely consistent with that described for Cantius. In particular, although the stapedial artery passed through a bony tube, the promontorial artery ran in an open groove from its origin off the internal carotid artery. This contrasts with the condition in omomyoids and most other adapoids, in which the promontorial artery was carried in a bony tube. The identification of an open groove for this artery in Cantius has been somewhat controversial, based on the state of preservation of published specimens. The petrosal from Vastan is extremely well preserved, demonstrating a clear opening in the internal carotid artery bony tube for the exit of the promontorial artery, and a well-demarcated groove on the promontorium for the latter artery that was clearly not enclosed. The absence of a bony tube for the promontorial artery in the oldest known adapoids suggests that the tube arose independently, in parallel, in Omomyoidea and Adapoidea. The promontorial artery is always enclosed in modern haplorhines, but when this artery is retained in living strepsirrhines it is often not fully enclosed by bone. Therefore, the primitive adapoid condition is more similar to that observed in Strepsirrhini. The antiquity and fine quality of preservation of this specimen make it relevant to reconstructing auditory morphology near the base of the primate tree. Grant Information Supported by an NSERC Discovery Grant to MTS and grants from the National Geographic Society and the Leakey Foundation to KDR.
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New Early Eocene mammal assemblage from Tadkeshwar Lignite Mine, Western India
- The Ypresian Cambay Formation at Vastan and Mangrol mines in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna with a large proportion of small to middle-sized mammal taxa of European affinities. Here we report a new, approximately contemporary mammal assemblage from the nearby mine of Tadkeshwar. Two fossil layers have been discovered. The older one is a grey clayey sand situated a few meters above the lower major lignite seam and represents a fluvial deposit. The younger layer is a lenticular dark clayey silt, lignitic and rich in organic remains situated just below the upper major lignite seam. This younger layer is sedimentologically similar to the famous fossiliferous lenses known from Vastan. These two fossil layers have yielded a mammal fauna similar to that of Vastan with the co-occurrence of the perissodactyl-like cambaytheriid Cambaytherium thewissi, the adapoid primates Marcgodinotius indicus and Asiadapis cambayensis, and the hyaenodontid Indohyaenodon raoi. The presence of these species in both mines and at different levels suggests that the deposits between the two major lignite seams represent a single mammal age. Apart from the aforementioned classic species there are at least two new species. A new smaller but abundant cambaytheriid is represented by upper and lower jaws, many isolated teeth and postcranial bones. A new esthonychid tillodont is described based on a dentary with m3, an isolated m2, two upper molars and two lower incisors. This new fauna from Tadkeshwar also contains the first large early Eocene vertebrates from India including an unidentified perissodactyl-like ungulate, a mesosuchian dyrosaurid-like crocodiliform and a giant madtsoiid snake. This latter group is particularly diversified in Tadkeshwar. Among the Tadkeshwar vertebrates, several taxa are of Gondwanan affinities attesting that the early Eocene was a crucial period in India during which Laurasian taxa of European affinities coexisted with relict taxa from Gondwana before the India-Asia collision. Grant Information Fieldwork and research supported by National Geographic Society, Leakey Foundation, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Belgian Science Policy Office.
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Evolution of the European mesonychid mammals and theur bearings on the European Paleoecosystems and biostratigraphy
- European mesonychids are represented by few specimens found only in late Paleocene and early Eocene localities. Recent field works in Palette and La Borie (Ypresian of France) resulted in the discovery of new mesonychid specimens. Additionally, our review of the mesonychids housed by European scientific institutions allowed establishing the occurrence of Dissacus in Berru (Thanetian) and Sézanne-Broyes (Ypresian). Only the genera Pachyaena and Dissacus are recognized in Europe. Furthermore, two new Dissacus species can be defined from the Ypresian localities of Palette, Sézanne-Broyes and La Borie. We also identified from three localities several postcranial elements that could be referred to Dissacus. The preliminary study of this postcranial material suggests a cursorial locomotion. As a result of our study, we propose a scheme of evolution comprising three phases for these particular mammals in Europe. (1) The mesonychid Dissacus dispersed into Europe during Thanetian, probably from North America; it survived the PETM event and even possibly experienced a dwarfism during this global warming. (2) The very large mesonychid Pachyaena migrated into Europe shortly after the Paleocene–Eocene boundary, but it seems that it did not coexist with Dissacus: it was restricted to Northern Europe, while Dissacus was possibly present at that time only in southern areas. (3) However, Pachyaena rapidly disappeared from the European environments, while Dissacus dispersed subsequently into Northern Europe. These data support the existence of a faunal turnover in Northern Europe shortly after the PETM event: it has been notably proposed for explaining the disappearance from Europe of the carnivorous oxyaenids and hyaenodont sinopines, and their subsequent replacement by taxa from the southern areas. The persistence of Dissacus in Europe shows that size was not the main selective factor during this dramatic period. Dissacus has evolved endemically during Thanetian and Ypresian in Europe where it reached a very large size, especially in southern France and Spain. Due to its size, dental, and locomotor adaptations, Dissacus was probably the top mammal predator in Europe. It survived in Europe after its disappearance from North America, possibly due to its ecologic position and the lack of competitors. Grant Information This abstract is a contribution to the project BR/121/A3/PALEURAFRICA funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office.
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Palaeolithic dogs and Pleistocene wolves revisited: a reply to Morey
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L’origine paléolithique du chien
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Molecular Phylogeny of the Extinct Giant Deer, Megaloceros giganteus
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Analysis of postcranial elements of cave bear material (Ursus spelaeus) from Goyet (Condroz/Belgium)
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Influence of climate on sexual segregation and cub mortality in Pleniglacial cave bear
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The Pleniglacial cave bears from Goyet, Belgium
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Systematics and osteometry of Late Glacial foxes from Belgium
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Two cave bear assemblages from Goyet (Chamber A, horizon 1 and 3), Belgium
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Sexual dimorphism and morphometric variability of cheek teeth of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus)
