The succession of the Maiella massif is analyzed, focusing on the colonial-coral bearing deposits occurring just below and immediately above the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. The Upper Cretaceous material is dominated by rudists and larger benthic foraminifera with a significant contribution from colonial corals. In the Lower Paleocene, the first two groups are absent and colonial corals dominate the skeletal assemblage. This supports the hypothesis of a good recovery of colonial corals carbonate production following the end Cretaceous extinction and their overall resilience. Similar to modern reefs, Lower Paleocene bioconstructions have a framework dominated by corals and red calcareous algae. However, unlike modern reefs, micrite makes up the vast majority of the internal sediment, suggesting a development into a low-energy environment. Compared to Upper Paleocene coral boundstones, those from the Lower Paleocene of Maiella display a higher abundance of corals, suggesting a reduction in coral carbonate production during the Late Paleocene. This decline is also reflected by a period of scarcity of coral-dominated facies throughout the Tethys, starting from the latest Paleocene and extending till the end of the Middle Eocene. This can be connected to global temperatures, which rise in the Thanetian and remain relatively high till the end of the Middle Eocene, however, other factors most likely played a role. The quantitative analysis of the skeletal assemblage turns out to be a useful instrument for tracking the effect of environmental changes. Further data, especially from long and extensive successions of neritic carbonates such as those of Maiella, may help in disentangling the effects of the other environmental variables.

A new sperm whale species is described from the late Zanclean (Early Pliocene) of Piedmont, northwest Italy, based on a partial vertebral column and parts of the forelimb. The new taxon, Eophyseter damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov., is characterized by elongated vertebral centra in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the vertebral column, wider and higher articular facets for the occipital condyles in the atlas, elliptical and dorsoventrally compressed posterior articular facet of the axis-bearing block, ulna with posteriorly convex margin. These characters distinguish Eophyseter damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov.from other physeteroids and show that the vertebral proportions are differently arranged with respect to those of the extant sperm whale species. A phylogenetic analysis was performed to understand the relationships of Eophyseter damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov. by adding 20 postcranial characters to a previous character x taxon matrix; it revealed that E. damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov. forms a clade with P. macrocephalus. A taphonomic analysis suggested that the carcass of the holotype specimen of Eophyseter damarcoi gen. nov. sp. nov. was exploited by sharks and colonized by barnacles and molluscs; however, a quick burial prevented its total destruction by other invertebrates, as usual in the cetacean fossil record from the Pliocene of Piedmont.

In the present work we describe the palaeoherpetofaunal remains from the Crevillente 2 (MN11) and Crevillente 15 (MN12) sites (Crevillente, Alicante, Spain), which is a key area for understanding the faunal turnovers during the Late Miocene. Crevillente 2 has yielded a diverse assemblage composed of anurans (Pelophylax sp.), crocodylians (Crocodylia indet.), lizards (cf. Scinciformata indet. 1 and 2, cf. Timon sp., Lacertidae indet. 1 and 2, Ophisaurus s.l. sp., and Pseudopus sp.) and ophidians (Colubridae indet. 1 and 2, Neonatrix sp., and Viperidae indet. Oriental morphotype). The probable presence of Timon is discussed; if confirmed, it would be the oldest occurrence of the genus. The faunal composition is consistent with that from other coeval Iberian sites. The assemblage includes European autochthonous taxa (Lacertidae and Ophisaurus s.l. sp.) and taxa that likely arrived from Asia or North America during the Oligocene-Miocene transition or the Early Miocene, such as Pseudopus, Oriental vipers and, probably, Neonatrix. The studied assemblage in Crevillente 15 is limited to turtles (Paleotestudo sp. and Testudines indet.) and crocodylians (Crocodylia indet.). At both localities, the surrounding landscape must have been dominated by open habitats with patches of forest/shrubland formations close to water bodies. The application of the Herpetological Ecophysiological Groups method to Crevillente 2 indicates that the mean annual rainfall must have been higher than currently recorded in the area. the Herpetological Ecophysiological Groups method to Crevillente 2 indicates that the mean annual rainfall must have been higher than that currently recorded in the area. Our results indicate that the Iberian palaeoherpetofauna of those chronologies were few barely affected by the Vallesian Crisis.

Mollusc shells are composite structures made of calcite and/or aragonite crystals and biopolymers, arranged in a great variety of microstructures. The formation of shell microstructures is affected by environmental and physiological factors and differences among microstructural types are believed to be of phylogenetic and adaptive biomechanical significance. Here, we characterise and illustrate for the first time, through SEM and XRD analyses, the shell microstructure and mineralogy of specimens of the bivalves Anadara uropigimelana (Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1827) and Tivela stefaninii (Nardini, 1933), and of the gastropod Oliva bulbosa (Röding, 1798), collected in the Upper Holocene HAS1 settlement and in a shell midden in the Khor Rori Archaeological Park (Oman). Anadara uropigimelana shows an aragonitic shell with an outer crossed lamellar layer, an inner complex crossed lamellar layer and an irregular simple prismatic pallial myostracum; periodic bands of dendritic nondenticular composite prisms occur in the outer part of the outer layer, reflecting seasonal changes in water temperatures and growth rates. Shells of Tivela stefaninii are aragonitic with an outer composite prismatic layer, a middle crossed lamellar layer and an inner complex crossed lamellar layer, whereas those of Oliva bulbosa are characterised by an irregular alternation of aragonitic crossed lamellar layers; a transitional layer defined by the occurrence of tidally controlled growth lines, a crossed lamellar callus and a myostracal layer are also described are also described in Oliva bulbosa. With this investigation, we provide novel microstructural and mineralogical data on these poorly known mollusc species, providing useful characters for phylogenetic, evolutionary, crystallographic, and palaeoenvironmental studies.

We carried out a biostratigraphic study based on calcareous nannofossils in sediments from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 651, drilled in the basalt-floored Vavilov sub-basin of the Tyrrhenian Sea (western Mediterranean) during Leg 107. The expedition achieved its primary objective to collect basement samples to date the ocean crust and obtain new data for reconstructing the geological evolution of the area. Studies on the ODP Site 651 succession determined the nature of the basement and provided time constraints for tectonic and magmatic processes in the basin, but contradictory lines of evidence emerged for the age of the basalts based on radiometric ages, paleomagnetic signature and planktonic foraminifera data. In an attempt to clarify the basement age, we performed detailed sampling for calcareous nannofossil analysis to update the biostratigraphy and chronology of the sediments overlying the basement. We determined the sediment accumulation rate using reliable nannofossil biohorizons that have a robust chronology, which increases up-section from ~ 2 cm/kyr to 3.4 cm /kyr. The age of the basalt/sediment contact was obtained through extrapolation of the sedimentation rate from the deepest datable portion of the sediments down to the top of basement. The inferred age for the top of the basalt is at least 4.1-4.2 Ma and differs from previous evaluations. This age for the basalt in the Vavilov Basin basement is consistent to a reversed interval C2Ar within the Gilbert magnetochron, supporting one of the chronologies previously proposed.

New evidence for a biostratigraphic assessment of the limestone succession comprising K‐bentonite levels exposed in the Yılanlı Formation of the Istanbul-Zonguldak Terrane are provided from conodonts at the Gavurpınarı quarry in Bartın area (NW Turkey). The succession depicts a shallow marine, nearshore facies setting that comprises rare and low diversity conodont associations mainly exemplified by the species of Ctenopolygnathus, Icriodus and Polygnathus. Conodont faunas from the lower part of the section are of late Frasnian age, including the taxa Icriodus subterminus Youngquist, 1947, Polygnathus aff. xylus Stauffer, 1940, Icriodus iowaensis iowaensis Youngquist & Peterson, 1947 and Ctenopolygnathus brevilaminus Branson & Mehl, 1934, and the upper part is assigned to early Famennian marked by the first appearance of Icriodus cornutus Sannemann, 1955. The local biostratigraphic framework of the Yılanlı Formation is correlated with the upper Frasnian Lower rhenana to the lower Famennian Middle triangularis standard conodont zonations. Considering the described species, the Frasnian-Famennian boundary corresponds to a slight change in conodont fauna and is assigned within the local Icriodus iowaensis iowaensis Zone. Accordingly, the novel K-bentonite age data potentially indicates the evidence for the Kellwasser events in northern Turkey, improving paleogeographic correlations of the Istanbul-Zonguldak Terrane with other terranes in Laurasia and Peri-Gondwana.

The Messinian-Zanclean boundary in the Mediterranean basin marks the end of the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) at approximately 5.33 Ma. The mechanism behind the return to normal marine conditions after the MSC are debated, with two main hypotheses proposed: an instantaneous reflooding of the Mediterranean at the base of the Zanclean, following its near-complete desiccation, or a gradual sea level rise in a non-desiccated basin during the late MSC phase (Lago-Mare). Our objectives are to refine the age model of the Pollenzo section in the Piedmont basin, Italy, and to elucidate environmental variability during this phase. We employ high-resolution biomagnetostratigraphic and cyclostratigraphic analyses, integrated with statistical multivariate and cluster analyses, and tie the results with other Italian Mediterranean reference sections of the basal Zanclean. The proposed age model is based on biostratigraphic markers (planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils), alongside the identification of the base of the Thvera subchron. Although no astrochronological tuning was proposed, the influence of orbital parameters variation on calcareous plankton was noted, especially at tie of eccentricity maxima. Our results indicate a gradual restoration of open marine conditions after the MSC, spanning from 5.33 to 5.23 Ma. We observe a transition from a more marginal environment to more open marine conditions at the termination of MSC. Our findings challenge the notion of an abrupt transition at the end of the MSC, emphasizing the gradual nature of environmental change in the northernmost Mediterranean basin, from the late Messinian to the early Zanclean.