Miocene Locality Research Articles

Insect Fauna of the Late Miocene Locality of Öhningen (Germany) Less Diverse than Reported: An Example of the Hydrophilid Beetles (Coleoptera)

The fossils originally assigned to the family Hydrophilidae (Coleoptera, Polyphaga) from the late Miocene locality of Öhningen (southern Germany) are revised. Nine hydrophilid species are recognized, most of them representing the tribe Hydrophilini. Five species are reliably assigned to genera: Hydrochara noachica (Heer, 1847), n. comb. (=Hydrophilus rehmanni Heer, 1847, n. syn.), Hydrobiomorpha braunii (Heer, 1847), n. comb. (=Hydrous escheri Heer, 1862, n. syn.), Hydrobiomorpha heeri n. sp., Hydrophilus spectabilis Heer, 1847 (=Hydrophilus knorrii Heer, 1847, n. syn., =Hydrophilus giganteus Heer, 1862, n. syn.), and Hydrophilus vexatorius Heer, 1847. Two taxa are treated as Hydrophilini incertae sedis: Hydrophilopsis elongata Heer, 1862, and Hydrous ovalis Heer, 1862. Two species represent Hydrophilidae incertae sedis: Escheria ovalis Heer, 1847 and E. bella Heer, 1862. The fossil genus Hydrophilopsis Heer, 1862 likely represents the modern genera Sternolophus Solier, 1834 or Hydrobiomorpha Blackburn, 1888, the fossil genus Escheria Heer, 1847 likely represents some modern genus within the Hydrophilini or Hydrobiusini. Six taxa are excluded from the Hydrophiloidea: Helophorus magnus Heer, 1862, H. exilis Heer, 1862 (possibly belonging to Curculionidae), Hydrobius couloni Heer, 1862 and H. godeti Heer, 1862 (both possibly belonging to Curculionidae: Zygopinae), Hydrophilus braunii var. minor Heer, 1862, and Hydrophilus stenopterus Heer, 1862 (likely a leaf fossil). Our revision revealed a rather high amount of inaccurate family and genus assignments and a moderate amount of species-level synonymy in the original treatment of Öhnigen fauna by O. Heer. The diversity of the hydrophilid beetles in Öhningen is thus lower than previously reported, but still being slightly higher compared to other European Paleogene and Neogene localities.

New species of Amphilagus (Lagomorpha, Mammalia) from the Miocene of the Valley of Lakes, central Mongolia

New lagomorph species, Amphilagus orientalis sp. nov., A. plicadentis sp. nov., and A. magnus sp. nov. from Lower Miocene localities (Biozone D) of the Valley of Lakes in Central Mongolia are described.

Petrology of Stewart Mountain basalt field in central Arizona, U.S.A.: A lithospheric source with small-scale trace element and isotopic heterogeneities

The Stewart Mountain basalt field in central Arizona is composed of three horizons of Miocene lavas over ~4 km 2 . The youngest lava is ~15.5 Ma. The field is in the southern Basin and Range at its transition to the Colorado Plateau. It is also at the northwestern margin of the ~8000 km 2 Goldfield-Superstition volcanic province (G-SVP), where basaltic lavas are ~20–19 Ma. Stewart Mountain basalts are alkalic, and most have from 6–8 weight percent (wt%) MgO, but more primitive and evolved lavas (10.7 and 4 wt% MgO, respectively) are also present. Most incompatible element abundances differ widely for basalts within the 6–8 wt% MgO range, and they distinguish the three horizons (e.g., ranges for P 2 O 5 are 0.5–1.4 wt%; Zr 125–250 ppm; La 40–80 ppm). One lava has quartz and plagioclase xenocrysts and even lower incompatible element abundances (e.g., P 2 O 5 0.25 wt%; La 25 ppm). All Stewart Mountain basalts, however, have Nb-Ta negative anomalies, consistent with a lithospheric mantle source that had subduction characteristics. Isotopic compositions differ across the three basalt horizons (e.g., ranges for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr are 0.7049–0.7061; 206 Pb/ 204 Pb 17.7–19.2; e Nd -3.5 to -6.2), where the xenocrystic lava has the lowest Sr and Pb isotopic ratios. Over its life, the Stewart Mountain field radiogenic isotope ratios decreased to reflect source heterogeneities, and its 206 Pb/ 204 Pb range is as wide as that formed by Oligocene–Miocene basalts collectively across the southern Basin and Range and transition zone. Incompatible-element abundances and ratios also reflect source heterogeneities, whereby the greatest differences are observed as abundances decreasing from middle to upper horizon basalts. Several abundance ratios, such as Zr/Nb, Th/Ta, Th/Nb, and Zr/Hf, record some of the source heterogeneities that are manifested over the short geologic time represented by the successive lava horizons. These temporal compositional changes likely reflect partial melts from a variably metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Compared to the compositions of the older, neighboring G-SVP basalts, Stewart Mountain lavas are generally evolved (MgO <8 wt%). The absence of mantle xenoliths in any Stewart Mountain lava and the xenocrystic lava both point to the compositional evolution having occurred in crustal reservoirs; however, based on the lowest isotopic ratios present in the xenocrystic lava, the upper crust was not a reservoir. Comparing Stewart Mountain basalt incompatible-element abundance ratios to those in the neighboring G-SVP shows enough difference to conclude that these two Miocene basalt localities had lithospheric sources with distinct trace element characteristics. The G-SVP source also had higher, distinguishing e Nd (-1 to -2). All characteristics combined, the Stewart Mountain field shows that lithospheric source heterogeneities can be manifested both temporally and spatially over only a small surface area. Stewart Mountain lithospheric source indicates that magmatism in central Arizona did not have asthenospheric sources by 15 Ma.

Нові рештки плітки Rutilus sp. (Cyprinidae: Leuciscinae) із відкладів пізнього міоцену півдня України

A new roach material from Late Miocene of Odesa Pontian Lectostratotype (MN 13), Southern Ukraine is presented. Fragment of pharyngeal bone and isolated teeth are described as Rutilus sp. Presented specimen is characterized by massive ceratobranchiale, thick bulkheads between septum on the cavernous surface, and considerable pharyngeal teeth size. A review on the fossil fish remains of the Rutilus genus from numerous Miocene and Pliocene localities in Europe (Austria, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria and Netherlands) and Asia (Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Armenia) is presented. Isolated pharyngeal teeth similar to those in Rutilus s p., are found in materials from several Late Miocene localities in Ukraine (e.g., Andriivka, Novoukrainka 1). Possibility of identification of the ichthyological material from Bezimenne locality (Late Pliocene, Khaprovian fauna) as R. sp. (contrary to Mylopharyngodon piceus Richardson, 1849) is discussed. General morphological similarity of this taxon to Rutilus frisii (Nordmann, 1840) can testify to their close phylogenetic relation. Keywords: Rutilus , ceratobranchiale, isolated pharyngeal teeth, Pontian Lectostratotype, Late Miocene, Southern Ukraine.

A New Primitive Species of the Flat-Headed PeccaryPlatygonus(Tayassuidae, Artiodactyla, Mammalia) From the Late Miocene of the High Plains

A new species of the Pliocene–Pleistocene flat-headed peccary,Platygonus pollenae, has been recovered latest Hemphillian (latest Miocene) localities from Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas. It can be distinguished from other tayassuids by its distally rounded wing-like zygomatic process, and its subzygodont cheek teeth. In contrast to more derived species ofPlatygonus, it is much smaller in size, its molars are relatively more bunodont, the talon and talonid cusps are retained on the premolars of most individuals, and the mandibular symphysis lacks a median keel on the chin. In these characters, it is the earliest and the most primitive species ofPlatygonusknown. It is more primitive than the typical Blancan species, or any of the species from the Pleistocene, and demonstrates the origin of this important Pleistocene mammal in the latest Miocene.

A platyrrhine talus from the early Miocene of Peru (Amazonian Madre de Dios Sub-Andean Zone)

The earliest platyrrhines have been documented from the late Oligocene of Bolivia (Salla) and from the early and early middle Miocene of middle and high latitudes (central Chile and Argentinean Patagonia). Recent paleontological field expeditions in Peruvian Amazonia (Atalaya, Cusco; Upper Madre de Dios Basin) have led to the discovery of a new early Miocene locality termed MD-61 (‘Pinturan’ biochronological unit, ∼18.75–16.5 Ma [millions of years ago]). Associated with the typical Pinturan dinomyid rodent Scleromys quadrangulatus, we found a well-preserved right talus of a small-bodied anthropoid primate (MUSM-2024). This new platyrrhine postcranial element displays a combination of talar features primarily found among the Cebidae, and more especially in the Cebinae. Its size approximates that of the talus of some living large marmosets or small tamarins (Cebidae, Callitrichinae). MUSM-2024 would thus document a tiny Saimiri-like cebine, with the body size of a large marmoset. Functionally, the features and proportions of MUSM-2024 indicate that this small primate was arboreal and primarily quadrupedal, agile, with frequent horizontal leaping and vertical clinging in its locomotor repertoire. This small talus is the first platyrrhine fossil to be found from Peru and the earliest primate fossil from northern South America. This new early Miocene taxon could be a stem cebid, thereby providing new evidence on the existence of some long-lived clades of modern platyrrhines.

Late Miocene Proboscidea (Mammalia) from Macedonia and Samos Island, Greece: preliminary results

The abundant Late Miocene proboscidean remains of Greece have never been studied in detail and compared with those of Eurasia in order to determine their taxonomy and their biostratigraphical and palaeoecological significance. The first results of such study are given in this article. During the past decades, several new proboscidean specimens have been added to the old collections, significantly enriching the available material. The Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) proboscidean fossils belong mainly to two species of Choerolophodon: C. anatolicus of early Vallesian age and C. pentelici of late Vallesian–Turolian age. Deinotherium giganteum is rare and recognized only in the late Vallesian locality Ravin de la Pluie of Axios Valley. A zygodont form has also been identified in the Turolian of Axios Valley, attributed to “Mammut” sp. The Late Miocene localities of Nikiti (Macedonia, Greece) revealed several remains of C. pentelici, which are similar to the Turolian ones of Axios Valley. The Samos proboscidean collection includes C. pentelici, “Tetralophodon” atticus, “Mammut” sp. and Deinotherium gigantissimum. The taxonomy of the Late Miocene peri-Mediterranean Choerolophodon is given, and the biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the Greek Late Miocene proboscideans are discussed.

A new species of Pseudopus (Squamata, Anguidae) from the early Miocene of Northwest Bohemia (Czech Republic)

ABSTRACT Three species of the genus Pseudopus are recognized in the Cenozoic of Eurasia: P. laurillardi (early–middle Miocene of Europe), P. pannonicus (late Miocene–middle Pleistocene of Central and Eastern Europe), and P. apodus (late Pleistocene–Recent, from Eastern Europe to Central Asia). Here, a new and oldest species of the genus Pseudopus, P. ahnikoviensis, sp. nov., is described from the early Miocene (MN 3) locality Merkur in Northwest Bohemia in the Czech Republic. The new species is distinguished from the other three species of the genus Pseudopus by five possible autapomorphies: length of sulcus between frontal and frontoparietal shields equals length of sulcus between frontal and interfrontal shields; ornamented surface of parietal consisting of densely arranged and very fine ridges, grooves, and pits; ventrolateral ridge of supratemporal process of parietal coincides with lateral margin of supratemporal process, hence no free ventrolateral surface of supratemporal process present; presence of surangular spine of dentary; and apices of crowns of robust bulbous teeth smooth. Pseudopus ahnikoviensis is most similar to P. laurillardi and represents the smallest species in the genus Pseudopus.

A rich community of Felidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) from the late Miocene (Turolian, MN 13) site of Las Casiones (Villalba Baja, Teruel, Spain)

ABSTRACT Several new fossil remains of Felidae from the late Miocene (Turolian age, MN 13, local zone M2) locality of Las Casiones (near the village of Villalba Baja, Teruel, Spain) are studied in the present paper. This felid community includes the machairodontines Amphimachairodus giganteus, Paramachaerodus orientalis, and Metailurus major, and the felines Pristifelis attica and a small, undetermined species, previously unknown in the late Miocene. With this high diversity of felids, the environment of Las Casiones was probably relatively vegetated, with shrubs and trees that allowed smaller felid species to avoid dangerous encounters with the larger ones.

Revision and new data on the Early and Middle Miocene soricids (Soricomorpha, Mammalia) from Central and South-Eastern France

New or poorly known Soricids from the Early Miocene of Central France (Limagne d’Allier) and from the Middle Miocene of South-Eastern France (near Lyon) are studied; one new genus (Viretia) and a new species (Carposorex burkarti) are described. The soricid assemblages of the Early and late Early/Middle Miocene localities are totally different from each other and new information about appearance and evolution of the taxa are introduced. The following are lists of studied taxa for the beginning of the Early Miocene: Clapasorex bonisi, Clapasorex aff. sigei, Carposorex burkarti nov. sp., Soricella cf. discrepans, Oligosorex aff. antiquus and Crocidosoricinae indet, and for the late Early/Middle Miocene Dinosorex sansaniensis, Dinosorex pachygnathus, Heterosorex delphinensis, Miosorex desnoyersianus, Miosorex grivensis, Lartetium dehmi, Lartetium ziegleri, Turiasorex pierremeini, Viretia nov. gen. gracilidens, Paenelimnoecus micromorphus, Paenelimnoecus crouzeli and Hemisorex robustus.

A tribute to Burkart Engesser

Burkart Engesser is one the most renowned specialists onCenozoic rodents and insectivores worldwide. His career aspalaeontologist started 50 years ago as he entered theNatural History Museum Basel (NMB) in 1962 to work asassistant of Johannes Hu¨rzeler. This period lasted until1968 when he decided to undertake a PhD thesis under thesupervision of Hu¨rzeler who was then head of theDepartment of Osteology at the NMB and honorary lec-turer at the University of Basel. He studied the famousMiddle Miocene locality of Anwil located in the vicinity ofBasel. Burkart then started to be interested in small animalsbecause the rich locality mainly yielded tiny teeth, whichhe started to fall in love with. There is indeed an impal-pable emotion in bringing tens of millimetre-sized speciesback to life that are extracted from tons of sedimentsthrough the hard and time-consuming collecting-sieving-picking process. He became Doctor in Zoology in 1971 andhis seminal work was published in a regional Swiss journala year later. His talents as scientific illustrator becamewidely known as he illustrated the hundreds of teeth him-self, with incredible accuracy and remarkable aesthetics.Right after this, he was invited to the United States, atthe Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh as a visiting museumspecialist for 9 months. There he further developed hisfield experience in various regions and met several mam-mal specialists including the curator for vertebrates, Dr.Mary Dawson, who participates in this volume.After coming back to Basel, he had the chance to takeover the curator position at the NMB after Hu¨rzeler’sretirement until his own retirement in 2007. His Museumwork includes research, for which he dedicated a large partof his time publishing more than 50 papers in variousjournals including the most prestigious ones. His contri-butions cover the fields of systematics, phylogeny, bio-chronology or palaeoecology mostly of the Europeancontinent and the Swiss Alpine foreland basin, but severalarticles and monographs also deal with faunas of the NewWorld and Asia (see publication list below). But Museumwork is also about conservation, in which he involvedhimself in keeping a high collection standard and in greatlyenriching the collection inherited from his famous prede-cessors Ru¨timeyer, Stehlin, Schaub and Hu¨rzeler amongothers. This enlargement is barely visible since tens ofthousands of teeth of rodents and insectivores take only acouple of compactor columns in the vast collection, thetons of sediments he brought to Basel being now washedaway, probably by the Rhine River! Working in collectionsalso means that you meet colleagues from the whole world,and this is the part Burkart always preferred. Most of thecontributing authors of this volume met him in the ‘‘Bun-ker’’ of the NMB (for those who do not know the expres-sion, it is a typical Swiss bomb shelter to protect scientificgoods) and developed projects with him while discussingbiochronology or systematics. Besides research and

Late Miocene capybaras (Rodentia, Cavioidea, Hydrochoeridae): skull anatomy, taxonomy, evolution and biochronology

Fossil capybaras are morphologically extremely varied, but previous studies have disagreed on whether this diversity reflects intraspecific variation or the existence of multiple species. Here, we review the capybaras from the classic Argentinian Late Miocene localities of Parana River cliffs (“conglomerado osifero” of the Ituzaingo Formation, Entre Rios), and Chillhue and Guatrache shallow lakes (Cerro Azul Formation, La Pampa), and perform a morphometric analysis of their upper cheek teeth and the posterior portion of the rostrum. Our results confirm that all of the specimens from the “conglomerado osifero” belong to the single species Cardiatherium paranense. In addition, we refer a specimen from Tupungato (Rio de los Pozos Formation, Mendoza) to C. paranense, thus expanding its geographical range. The material from La Pampa represents a different taxon, and is here preliminary referred to Cardiatherium aff. orientalis. Our systematic interpretation of Late Miocene capybaras suggests that the early rad...

Pre-Neogene non-marine diatom biochronology with new data from the late Eocene Florissant Formation of Colorado, USA

Studies of the non-marine diatom assemblages from Eocene deposits in North America extend the fossil record of a number of extant freshwater diatom lineages. These and other accounts show that the earliest documented appearances of non-marine diatoms consisted of 7 genera from late Cretaceous deposits, followed by 36 more from the Eocene, and 4 additional genera from Oligocene to early Miocene localities. A total of 47 diatom genera, 45 of which are extant, therefore, are known from pre-Neogene (&gt;23.8 Ma) non-marine deposits. The chronological extension of these first-occurrences of genera has implications for terrestrial diatom biostratigraphy, paleoclimate, and diatom phylogenetic studies. An overview of the pre-Neogene non-marine diatom biochronology from published records and original work provides the geologic and geographic context for the more current findings. Two geologic range charts synthesize the data from the pre-Neogene non-marine (fresh and brackish water) diatom floras from the 9 published localities, supplemented by additional findings from a recent floristics study of the Florissant site in Colorado. These charts allow easy comparison of the timing, floral composition, and taxon-richness at the genus level and higher for the 9 sites. Among the pre-Neogene sites discussed here are early and middle Eocene deposits in Canada and middle Eocene deposits in Idaho andWyoming that provide evidence of an early pulse in the post-Cretaceous radiation of freshwater diatoms. The survey of the fossil diatoms from lake sediments of the Florissant Formation in Colorado showed that this deposit contains the most diverse (genus-rich) early freshwater diatom flora on record. This late Eocene flora suggests a later pulse in freshwater diatom radiation during pre-Neogene time that contributed to the rich taxonomic diversity of today. The Florissant fossil diatom investigations yield a total of 33 freshwater diatom genera. This number exceeds by 20 genera any other single known non-marine diatom-bearing Eocene and older deposit. The Florissant diatom flora consists of taxa with decidedly modern affinities, has superior diversity (taxon-richness), and yields the first-reported occurrence in the geologic record of 14 freshwater genera. From the 9 featured pre-Neogene sites, genera of centric, araphid, biraphid, and monoraphid morphologic groups are represented. While the findings of these studies are not inconsistent with the previously predicted timing of the first appearance of the major morphological diatom groups, the actual known fossil record post-dates the presumed timing of such morphological differentiation. Although the first occurrences in these deposits must be treated as apparent first occurrences due to the innate incompleteness of the fossil record, such findings confirm that species of many of the modern non-marine diatom genera had evolved prior to the end of the Eocene. It is anticipated that this synthesis of the pre-Neogene non-marine diatom floras will provide necessary paleontological evidence for interpreting the true geologic ranges of several diatom lineages. This work could facilitate future application of diatoms in biostratigraphic studies of fossil lake beds in hydrologic and climate change studies and in hydrocarbon exploration. Perhaps such data will generate insights to diatom phylogenetics that may lead to a greater understanding of their evolutionary histories. Further research could potentially relate changes in diatom forms to global events that might include climate shifts.

La asociación de carnívoros miocenos de Grecia

La asociación de carnívoros miocenos de Grecia incluye un gran número de taxones, descritos en numerosos artículos desde las primeras décadas del siglo XIX. El presente artículo supone un esfuerzo de síntesis de todos estos taxones, suministrando información sobre su historia, localidad, edad, así como su distribución estratigráfica e inferencias paleoambientales. El registro de los carnívoros del Mioceno inferior y medio es pobre, debido a que las localidades existentes y los fósiles son raros. Sin embargo, el Mioceno superior es considerablemente rico, incluyendo numerosos taxones. Las localidades miocenas con carnívoros y su edad se exponen en un cuadro estratigráfico que abarca las Zonas de Mamíferos Europeas desde la MN4 a la MN 13. La localidad tipo, holotipo y algunas notas históricas y morfológicas se suministran para cada taxón. Algunos taxones de carnívoros fueron definidos sobre material griego, nuevas fotografías de los holotipos sonfiguradas. La distribución estratigráfica de los taxones de carnívoros griegos cubren un lapso de tiempo comprendido entre los 19,0 a los 5,3 Ma. La mayoría de los taxones miocenos (Adcrocuta, Hyaenictitherium, Plioviverrops, Protictitherium, Ictitherium, Indarctos, Dinocrocuta, Promephitis) desaparecen al final del Mioceno. La composición de la asociación de carnívoros miocenos de Grecia incluye principalmente vivérridos (Lophocyon, Euboictis), mientras que los hiénidos, percrocútidos, félidos y mustélidos son más escasos. Por el contrario la asociación del Mioceno superior es más rica, incluyendo más subfamilias y más especies; dominando hienas y mustélidos, mientras que los vivérridos están ausentes. La estructura de la comunidad (gremio) de carnívoros del Mioceno superior es similar a la del actual Serengeti, indicativo de un ambiente relativamente abierto, similar a la sabana, de acuerdo con los resultados de otros trabajos realizados en el área.

Musteloidea (Carnivora, Mammalia) del Mioceno Superior de Venta del Moro (Valencia, España)

Se describen los Musteloidea procedentes del Mioceno terminal (MN13) de Venta del Moro (Valencia, España). Se han determinado los siguientes taxones: Martes ginsburgi nov. sp., Lutra affinis Gervais, 1859, Plesiogulo monspessulanus Viret, 1939 y Promephitis alexejewi Schlosser, 1924. Exceptuando a P. monspessulanus, que ya se ha citado también en la MN13 de Las Casiones (Teruel), se trata de una asociación inédita en el Mioceno de la Península Ibérica. Martes ginsburgi nov. sp. se asemeja en talla y morfología del m1 a las especies asiáticas del mismo género M. anderssoni y M. zdanskyi, pero se diferencia de ellas por la posesión del un M1 muy ancho, con una plataforma lingual muy desarrollada. La presencia de Lutra affinis supone la tercera cita de esta especie en el registro fósil, ya que sólo se conocía en el Plioceno de Montpellier (Francia) y en el Mioceno terminal de Maramena (Grecia). Promephitis alexejewi supone la primera cita para Europa de esta especie registrada hasta ahora sólo en dos yacimientos de Mongolia y China. Se diferencia del resto de especies afines por la posesión de un m1 más estrecho, con trigónido muy sectorial.

Spatiotemporal Signals and Palaeoenvironments of Endemic Molluscan Assemblages in the Marine System of the Sarmatian Paratethys

The present study is the first quantitative comparison of Sarmatian mollusc assemblages from the Central and Eastern Paratethys seas. The assemblages (47,840 shells, 32 samples, 84 species) derive from eight Middle and Upper Miocene localities covering an interval from 12.7–11.0 Ma, when a highly endemic mollusc fauna flourished in the entire Paratethys. Cluster analysis of samples yields two major clusters: one composed of late Sarmatian (Bessarabian) collections and the other composed of early Sarmatian (Volhynian) collections. The Volhynian cluster includes two subclusters: the first reflects a strong stratigraphie signal because it combines samples from the Mohrensternia Zone of the Vienna Basin and the western Ukraine. The second combines samples from the Upper Ervilia Zone of the Vienna Basin with samples from the Mohrensternia Zone of the Vienna Basin and Romania. Cluster analysis of species indicates that the sample clusters represent different palaeoenvironments with distinct molluscan assemblage...

A new protictithere from the late Miocene hominoid locality Ravin de la Pluie of Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece)

This article concerns the study of a protictithere from the late Miocene of Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece). The material was found in the hominoid-bearing mammal locality Ravin de la Pluie (RPl), which is corellated with the late Vallesian, MN 10. The available material, including maxillary and mandibular elements, is described and compared morphologically and metrically with the known Eurasian protictitheres. The small size, the low cusps(-ids) of the teeth, the protocone of the P4, which is in line with the mesial border of the parastyle, the large molars (especially the M2), the small buccal projection of the M1 paracone, the strongly molarized p4, the strong metaconid and large talonid with high entoconid of the m1 separate the RPl protictithere from the known Eurasian protictitheres and allow the erection of a new species, named P. thessalonikensis n. sp.

Ptychoptera deleta Novák, 1877 from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic: redescription of the first fossil attributed to Ptychopteridae (Diptera)

The first fossil that was described in Ptychopteridae, Ptychoptera deletaNovák, 1877 from the classical Early Miocene locality Mokřina (Krottensee) in western Bohemia is re-examined. The re-description of the holotype including a new line drawing and remarks summarizing the scarce fossil record of this group is provided.

A Middle Miocene endemic freshwater mollusc assemblage from an intramontane Alpine lake (Aflenz Basin, Eastern Alps, Austria)

The mollusc fauna of the early Middle Miocene (Langhian) intramontane Alpine Lake Groisenbach is described for the first time. The shells derive from the Feistring Formation in the Aflenz Basin in Austria, which was covered by Lake Groisenbach. The assemblage is moderately diverse with 12 gastropod and 2 bivalve species, suggesting shallow lacustrine and fluvial settings. Among the gastropods, only Theodoxus crenulatus (Klein, 1853) is known from other Miocene localities, whilst all other species are documented so far only from Lake Groisenbach. None of the Early and Middle Miocene lake systems of the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep and the Balkan Peninsula displays any faunistic resemblance with this new fauna. Even coeval lake faunas from the close-by Graz Basin have no species in common with Lake Groisenbach. This pattern points to a surprising endemicity and biogeographic fragmentation in the Central European freshwater systems during the Early and Middle Miocene. The uniqueness of the newly described fauna is also indicated by the completely erratic occurrence of the otherwise African-Mediterranean genus Bulinus, which is unknown from all other central European Miocene freshwater systems. Emmericia roetzeli Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Nematurella zuschini Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Romania fastigata Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia groisenbachensis Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia pompatica Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia styriaca Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Planorbis austroalpinus Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Gyraulus sachsenhoferi Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Bulinus corici Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Ferrissia crenellata Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp. and Stagnicola reinholdkunzi Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp. are introduced as new species.

Redescription of Tyto sanctialbani Lydekker, 1893 (Aves, Strigiformes), from its type locality of La Grive-Saint-Alban (middle Miocene, France)

ABSTRACT A redescription of the bones of Tyto sanctialbani from its type locality of La Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère, France) is presented. Tyto sanctialbani is the oldest species of the genus Tyto known so far, and the possible ancestor of the succeeding European taxa. Tyto sanctialbani is reported from Miocene localities in France and elsewhere in Europe and is cited as a well-known species, although it has never been described in detail. This work is based on morphological description of the type series in the Natural History Museum, London, with the selection of a lectotype and paralectotypes. In addition, we describe other fossil bones from La Grive-Saint-Alban housed in the Natural History Museum, London, in the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Lyon, and in the Faculté des Sciences de Lyon (= Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne), France. The detailed morphology of all the major long bones of Tyto sanctialbani, some of them previously unknown for this species, is presented. Tyto sanctialbani is compared with all the European fossil species of the genus, and in detail with the extant Tyto alba, the species that is closest in size. The validity of Tyto campiterrae is discussed and confirmed, whereas Miocene records of T. balearica should be considered as invalid.