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Madagascar, the real Treasure Island! Malagasy uncharted diversity of a rare ancient lineage of armored harvestmen (Opiliones, Laniatores, Buemarinoidae)

Zoosystema 47 (14)

Buemarinoidae Karaman, 2019 is an ancient lineage of armored harvestmen that comprises six genera with a widely disjunct distribution: Arbasus (Simon, 1911) from some caves in France, Buemarinoa Roewer, 1956, from some caves in Sardinia, Italy, Flavonuncia Lawrence, 1959, endemic to Madagascar, Fumontana Shear, 1977, found in the southern Appalachians, United States, Turonychus Derkarabetian Prieto & Giribet, 2021, from a cave in Spain and Phocyx Porto, Monnod & Pérez-González, 2024, from Australia.

Late Eocene-early Oligocene snakes from the Transylvanian Basin (Romania)

Comptes Rendus Palevol 24 (13)

We report herein the fossil record of snakes recovered from one late Eocene (Priabonian) and two early Oligocene (Rupelian) localities from western Romania. The only late Eocene fossil vertebrate site with snake content is Treznea, which yielded a small sized booid snake assigned to Ungaliophiidae indet. The early Oligocene locality of Cetățuia Hill, Cluj-Napoca, documents an ungaliophiid (cf. ­Messelophis variatus Baszio, 2004), while that of Suceag 1 yielded an ungaliophiid (cf. M. variatus), a member of Alethinophidia incertae sedis (Falseryx cf. neervelpensis) and an indeterminate alethinophidian snake.

Four new species of Atrichopogon Kieffer, 1906 (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from Peruvian Amazonia and a key of Neotropical species of this genus with pigmented wings

Zoosystema 47 (13)

Four new Neotropical species of the biting midge genus Atrichopogon Kieffer, 1906 (Ceratopogonidae, Forcipomyiinae) with distinctive pigmented wings are described, photographed and illustrated from males and females collected at light in the Department of Cuzco in southern Peru. Atrichopogon (Atrichopogon) tricuspis Rossi, Marino & Spinelli, n. sp. can be distinguished by the pair of bunches of setae in the posterior margin of the scutum, with a heavily sclerotized spermatheca in female and lacking of secondary sexual dimorphism in male; Atrichopogon (Atrichopogon) trochantispina Rossi, Marino & Spinelli, n. sp.

Vulnérabilité des habitats subalpins face aux changements climatiques : suivi des syrphidés (Diptera) dans la Réserve naturelle nationale des Hauts de Chartreuse (France, Isère) entre 2008 et 2020

Naturae 2025 (5)

As part of the management plan for the Hauts de Chartreuse National Nature Reserve (Savoie-Isère, France), surveillance of the syrphid fauna (Diptera) was initiated in 2008, with the sampling programme repeated in 2019-2020. Sampling was conducted using four Malaise traps, on two remarkable sites in high-altitude habitats (subalpine grassland/heath and mountain pine forest). A significant reduction in species richness and diversity was observed at one site (Mont Granier) over the decade between surveys, while at the other (Dent de Crolles) both parameters were more stable. But at both sites there were clear changes in species composition between the two surveys, the changes exhibiting similar characteristics on each site.

Heirs without descendants, but not without consequences

Comptes Rendus Palevol 23 (12)

In 1967, Camille Arambourg and Yves Coppens reported the discovery of an edentulous adult mandible from the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia. A year later they made it the type specimen of Paraustralopithecus aethiopicus (Arambourg & Coppens, 1968), claiming its morphology differed from other early hominins, including Paranthropus boisei (Robinson, 1960). Most researchers now include the type specimen and the hypodigm in the genus Paranthropus Broom, 1938 as either a separate species, or as part of an inclusive interpretation of P. boisei (i.e., P. boisei sensu lato). After briefly reviewing what is known about P. boisei and P.

Reporting marine mammal strandings in Uruguay: a characterization of people’s perceptions, interests and motivations

Anthropozoologica 60 (5)

In recent decades, human impacts on marine ecosystems have become more evident, shaping public perceptions and wildlife management practices. Marine mammals, often seen as charismatic and flagship species, attract attention due to their conservation status and frequent strandings. In Uruguay, where pinniped and cetacean strandings are common, public awareness and knowledge about stranding response is limited. Coastal citizens who use the coast as a recreational area, are often the first to detect a stranding, so their response (or lack of response), the reporting, and the quality of information mostly depend on them. To address this, a Stranding Network project was launched in 2018, focusing on outreach and data collection.

New aquatic vertebrate and ichnological remains from the Upper Carboniferous of Decazeville (Aveyron, France): implications for the paleofauna of the French Variscan basins

Comptes Rendus Palevol 24 (11)

The Decazeville Basin (Aveyron, France) is an Upper Carboniferous intra-Variscan basin of the ­southern part of the French Massif Central. Its geology and paleontological content (fauna and flora) have been the subject of regular studies before and during its coal mining activities, but unfortunately not since they ceased: no fossil from the Decazeville Basin has been described over the past 50 years. Recent fieldwork at the La Découverte locality led to the rediscovery of a vertebrate-rich deposit in the Bourran Formation, of which we describe new material here. This material consists of numerous specimens including new skeletal remains of the xenacanthiform Orthacanthus sp. and the acrolepid cf. Progyrolepis, two taxa never before reported in the Decazeville Basin.

Austinograea chubacarc n. sp. from the Manus and Woodlark Basins (western Pacific), and new records of A. alayseae Guinot, 1990 and A. hourdezi Guinot & Segonzac, 2018 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Bythograeidae)

Zoosystema 47 (12)

Collected in the Woodlark Basin and Manus Basin during the French CHUBACARC 2019 cruise, a species of the genus Austinograea Hessler & Martin, 1989 (Bythograeidae Williams, 1980) was found to be distinct from its four congeners from the western Pacific: A. williamsi Hessler & Martin, 1989, A. alayseae Guinot, 1990, A. hourdezi Guinot & Segonzac, 2018, and A. jolliveti Guinot & Segonzac, 2018. Established here as A. chubacarc n. sp., it displays an original and unique character, which is regarded as having specific importance, namely in the male a narrow depression on the upper margin of the dactylus of the major chela (but not in the female). The presence of A. chubacarc n. sp.

Biostratigraphic revision and systematic discussion of Granorotalia sublobata Benedetti, Di Carlo & Pignatti, 2011

Geodiversitas 47 (7)

Granorotalia sublobata Benedetti, Di Carlo & Pignatti, 2011 is studied in detail regarding the biostratigraphic range and systematic paleontology. Its biostratigraphic range extends from Cuisian to early Lutetian with the associated fauna in Memlik area, Central Anatolia and some former studies from Spain, Italy, Slovakia and Israel. In addition, the boundary between early and middle Lutetian (SBZ 13/14) is determined by reinterpreting data formerly obtained from Gölbayırı section. Also the close resemblance to Neorotalia alicantina Colom, 1954 in early Lutetian is discussed regarding the specific and generic characteristics.

From just a few to the most type-rich herbarium for Veronica L. (Plantaginaceae) – The effect of digitization of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle herbarium in Paris

Adansonia 47 (7)

Digitization of herbaria has revolutionized taxonomy, bringing type specimens dispersed globally to within a mouse-click of the researcher. Still, it requires in-depth taxonomic knowledge to identify the specimens as type and often determination on the species level is difficult or impossible due to the limitations of the resolution of photos online. The digitization of the herbarium Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris (P) has brought some of the oldest and type-rich collections of plants online. After investigation and redetermination of the about 16 000 specimens of Veronica L. in P, I checked the type status of these.

The cave hyena den of Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy): first faunal and environmental data from the MIS 4 deposit

Comptes Rendus Palevol 24 (10)

Grotta Guattari (San Felice Circeo, central Italy) is a key site of Italian and European prehistory. The cave was a Late Pleistocene hyena den that became famous in 1939 following the discovery of one of the best-preserved Neanderthal skulls in the World. New archaeological investigations were carried out between 2019 and 2023 in a peripheral chamber previously unexcavated, known as the Antro del Laghetto. Thousands of bone remains, tens of coprolites and a small lithic collection were recovered from a deposit dating to 66-65 ka. This paper presents the archaeological investigations conducted and the recently uncovered large mammal assemblage.