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Determining whether the high-latitude Bering land bridge (BLB) was ecologically suitable for the migration of mesothermal plants is significant for Holarctic phytogeographic inferences. Paleobotanical studies provide a critical source of data on the latitudinal positions of different plant lineages at different times, permitting assessment of the efficacy of the BLB for migration. Here we report exceptionally preserved fossils of Firmiana and Tilia endochrysea from the middle Miocene of South Korea. This represents a new reliable record of Firmiana and the first discovery of the T. endochrysea lineage in the fossil record of Asia. The occurrence of these fossils in South Korea indicates that the two lineages had a distribution that extended much farther north during the middle Miocene, but they were still geographically remote from the BLB. In light of the broader fossil record of Asia, our study shows that, in the middle Miocene, some mesothermal plants apparently inhabited the territory adjacent to the BLB and thus they were possibly capable of utilizing the BLB as a migratory corridor. Some other mesothermal plants, such as Firmiana and the T. endochrysea lineages, however, are restricted to more southern regions relative to the BLB based on current fossil evidence. These lineages may have been ecologically unable to traverse the BLB, which raises questions about the efficacy of the BLB as a universal exchange route for mesothermal plants between Asia and North America during the middle Miocene., Highlights • A new reliable fossil record of Firmiana and the first fossil record of Tilia endochrysea lineages in Asia are described. • Firmiana and the T. endochrysea lineages had a more northernly distribution in the middle Miocene. • Our study shows that many, but not all, mesothermal lineages were ecologically capable of crossing the Bering land bridge in the middle Miocene.

International audience; The study and reanalysis of late Oligocene and middle Miocene dental material from Thailand provides evidence for long-distance stratigraphic correlations, and thus sheds new light on past terrestrial connections between Southeastern Asia and Europe. Here we report the oldest occurrence of Ursidae in southern Asia – a late Oligocene fossil from Nong Ya Plong previously referred to Mustelida but reattributed here to Cephalogale aff. geoffroyi (Ursidae, Hemicyoninae, Cephalogalini). We also describe a new Viverridae, Semigenetta cf. steinheimensis, from the middle Miocene carnivoran-rich locality of Mae Moh. The presence of these two taxa in Western Europe reinforces stratigraphic correlations of the MP29 and MN7–8 fossil sites with Southeast Asian localities. Members of the tribe Cephalogalini may have migrated several times from Asia to Europe, or vice-versa, during the Oligocene and early Miocene via either a northern route across northern China, or a southern route traversing southern Asia and the Middle East. Semigenetta could have dispersed along a corridor through Central Asia or a southern Asian route into Thailand during the middle Miocene. Our study thus indicates that medium- or large-sized carnivorans constitute a useful tool for reconstructing the paleobiogeography of extinct species.

Miocene deposits of South America have yielded several species-rich assemblages of caviomorph rodents. They are mostly situated at high and mid- latitudes of the continent, except for the exceptional Honda Group of La Venta, Colombia, the faunal composition of which allowed to describe the late middle Miocene Laventan South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA). In this paper, we describe a new caviomorph assemblage from TAR-31 locality, recently discovered near Tarapoto in Peruvian Amazonia (San Martín Department). Based on mammalian biostratigraphy, this single-phased locality is unambiguously considered to fall within the Laventan SALMA. TAR-31 yielded rodent species found in La Venta, such as the octodontoid Ricardomys longidens Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.), the chinchilloids Microscleromys paradoxalis Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.) and M. cribriphilus Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.), or closely-related taxa. Given these strong taxonomic affinities, we further seize the opportunity to review the rodent dental material from La Venta described in the Ph.D. volume of Walton in 1990 but referred to as nomina nuda. Here we validate the recognition of these former taxa and provide their formal description. TAR-31 documents nine distinct rodent species documenting the four extant superfamilies of Caviomorpha, including a new erethizontoid: Nuyuyomys chinqaska gen. et sp. nov. These fossils document the most diverse caviomorph fauna for the middle Miocene interval of Peruvian Amazonia to date. This rodent discovery from Peru extends the geographical ranges of Ricardomys longidens, Microscleromys paradoxalis, and M. cribriphilus, 1,100 km to the south. Only one postcranial element of rodent was unearthed in TAR-31 (astragalus). This tiny tarsal bone most likely documents one of the two species of Microscleromys and its morphology indicates terrestrial generalist adaptations for this minute chinchilloid.

A new species of a beaked whale that belongs to the extant genus Berardius is described from the Middle to Late Miocene boundary age Tsurushi Formation ( ca 12.3–11.5 Ma) on the Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The new species, Berardius kobayashii sp. nov. represents the oldest record of this genus and provides a minimum age for the emergence of this extant genus. Berardius kobayashii sp. nov. has the following generic characters: the ratio between the width of the premaxillary crests and the width of the premaxillary sac fossae is 1.0–1.25, nodular frontals make isolated protuberance on the posterior part of the vertex. Among the species within the genus, B. kobayashii sp. nov. shares a unique character with B. minimus : the apices of the left and right hamular processes of the pterygoids contact medially, forming together a posteriorly directed medial point. In addition, B. kobayashii sp. nov. displays a unique combination of the following characters: it is extremely small in size, and the nasals are short, the ratio between the length of the medial suture of nasals on the vertex and the maximum width of nasals is less than 0.4. Berardius kobayashii sp. nov. fills the gap between the origin of the genus and later diversifications of the extant species. This discovery is also key to elucidate the process of the emergence and dispersal of the genus during the Middle to Late Miocene. Based on the distributional patterns of the fossil and extant species of the genus, the western North Pacific including the Sea of Japan may have been one of the areas for the evolution and radiation of this genus at the time before 11 Ma.

The new fossil micromammal assemblage of capak represents a mixture of both Anatolian and European faunal elements. The locality is very important for understanding faunal evolution in the less well-known time interval at the end of the early Miocene of western Anatolia. In capak, nine species of rodents and one species of ochotonid were encountered: the hamsters Democricetodon gracilis, Megacricetodon primitivus, Eumyarion aff. E. montanus, Cricetodon cf. C. aliveriensis, Cricetodon sp., and Karydomys cf. K. strati, the mole-rat Debruijnia sp., the squirrel Aliveria luteyni, the dormouse Myomimus tanjuae n. sp., and the pika Albertona balkanica. The assemblage is referable to Anatolian local zone E or MN unit 4. The relative abundance of the various genera is markedly different from that of the older early Miocene assemblages, suggesting that the environment in Anatolia became drier and had a more open landscape. UUID: http://zoobank.org/75f3276c-dcd8-4090-b2f6-d8fc8d3c3f7c, National Geographic grant Palaeogeography of Mammals Following the Collision of the African and Eurasian Plates [GEFNE 140-15]; Ege University [TTM/001/2016, TTM/002/2016, UK/123/2019, UK/145/2020]; Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic [VEGA 1/0164/19, 1/0533/21]; Slovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-15-0575, APVV-16-0121]; FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion-Agencia Estatal de Investigacion [PGC2018-094122-B-I00], This work was funded by National Geographic grant Palaeogeography of Mammals Following the Collision of the African and Eurasian Plates (GEFNE 140-15). This study was supported by Ege University (TTM/001/2016) and (TTM/002/2016) to SM and MB. This study was also supported by grants UK/123/2019, UK/145/2020; Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic VEGA 1/0164/19, 1/0533/21, and by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract Nos. APVV-15-0575 and APVV-16-0121. This work was partially supported by project PGC2018-094122-B-I00 funded by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion-Agencia Estatal de Investigacion.

This paper describes a well-preserved hemimandible of Percrocuta miocenica from Brajkovac (Lazarevac municipality, Central Serbia). Based on the faunal remains recovered so far, the site is attributed to Mammal Zone MN6 (Langhian, middle Miocene). Apart from Prebreza, this is only the second site where remains of P. miocenica have been found in Serbia, and the third one in the Balkans. The newly discovered fossil, along with other taxa (e.g., Bunolistriodon meidamon, Giraffokeryx punjabiensis, Alloptox sp.), underlines the similarities between the middle Miocene Balkan and Anatolian mammal faunas. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved., Ege University Research Projects [2015/FEN/17, TTM/001/2016, TTM/002/2016]; Directorate of Antiquities, We thank senior geological conservator Milos Milivojevic ' (NHMBEO) for his valuable field and lab work, and Joshua Lindal (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada) for his help with English. Many thanks to the editors Gilles Escarguel and Gildas Merceron, the reviewers Michael Morlo (Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and Camille Grohe (University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France), as well as an anonymous reviewer for greatly improving the manuscript through their reviews. SM particularly thanks Prof. Berna Alpagut for inviting him to work with her on the Pasalar material. The Pasalar excavations were carried out on behalf of the T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Directorate of Antiquities, and the University of Ankara, Faculty of Language, History and Geography. Excavations were funded by the Directorate of Antiquities. SM was supported by Ege University Research Projects 2015/FEN/17, TTM/001/2016, and TTM/002/2016 during his visits to Pasalar locality.

Small-mammal remains are found in three outcrops in the open pit lignite mine near Bugojno (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Despite the low amount of specimens, two Democricetodon species, which differ in size, are identified. The co-occurrence of two Democricetodon species is common in many late early and middle Miocene European small-mammal assemblages. The presence of both D. mutilus and D. gracilis allows a correlation to MN4–MN6.

Paratethys, the lost sea of central Eurasia, was an anoxic giant during Oligocene – early Miocene (Maikop Series) times. With a size matching the modern-day Mediterranean Sea and a history of anoxic conditions that lasted for over 20 Myrs, the eastern part of this realm (Black Sea-Caspian Sea domain) holds key records for understanding the build-up, maintenance and collapse of anoxia in marginal seas. Here, we show that the collapse of anoxic Maikop conditions was caused by middle Miocene paleogeographic changes in the Paratethys gateway configuration, when a mid-Langhian (Badenian-Tarkhanian) transgression flooded and oxygenated the Eastern Paratethys. We present an integrated magneto-biostratigraphic framework for the early Middle Miocene (Tarkhanian-Chokrakian-Karaganian regional stages) of the Eastern Paratethys and date the lithological transition from anoxic black shales of the Maikop Series to fossiliferous marine marls and limestones of the regional Tarkhanian stage. For this purpose, we selected two long and time-equivalent sedimentary successions, exposed along the Belaya and the Pshekha rivers, in the Maikop type area in Ciscaucasia (southern Russia). We show that a significant but short marine incursion took place during the Tarkhanian, ending the long-lasting Maikop anoxia of the basin. Our magnetostratigraphic results reveal coherent polarity patterns, which allow a straightforward correlation with the time interval 15–12 Ma of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. The Tarkhanian flooding occurred during a relatively short normal polarity interval that correlates with C5Bn, resulting in an age of 14.85 Ma. The regional Tarkhanian/Chokrakian stage boundary is located within C5ADn at an age of 14.75 Ma and the Chokrakian/Karaganian boundary is tentatively correlated with C5ACn and an age of 13.9–13.8 Ma. Our new Tarkhanian flooding age reveals a paleogeographic scenario that is different from many previous reconstructions. Instead of envisaging marine connections to the Indian Ocean, we show that major changes in connectivity between the Eastern and Central Paratethys seas have caused the influx of marine waters during the Tarkhanian. An increase in marine connectivity with the Mediterranean during a short episode of rapid sea-level rise triggered mixing and ended the widespread anoxia in the Eastern Paratethys. The mixing episode was short-lived (~100 kyr) as the sea-level rise slowed down and connectivity degraded because of tectonic uplift in the gateway area.

19 pages; International audience; The first step of ice-sheet build-up on Antarctica at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary was followed by a phase of climate instability culminating during the Miocene with a warming event called the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), that ended with a marked cooling phase identified as the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT). While numerous benthic foraminifera δ18O and Mg/Ca data have been used to capture the global climate evolution during this interval of climate and ice-sheet instability, geochemical records from shallow-water carbonates still remain scarce. Yet such records are crucial to capture the diversity of regional environmental responses to global climate changes, and thus to better understand the behavior of our climate system during this critical interval. In this work, we test the potential of a multi-proxy approach (δ18O, clumped isotope (Δ47), strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr)) applied to bivalves recovered from the Liguro-Provencal Basin and Rhodano-Provencal basin (Northwestern of the Mediterranean Sea) to reconstruct the evolution of shallow seawater temperature and salinity in this region over the latest Oligocene to Middle Miocene interval (~10 Myrs). Our results highlight a local cooling in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea during the MMCO that contrasts with the warming observed in other regions, with seawater temperatures inferred from Δ47 analyses in the 13–18 °C range. These cool seawater temperatures recorded in the studied region during the MMCO are much cooler than those recorded in the open oceans, but are in agreement with the proliferation of bryozoan observed in the Castillon-Du-Gard area during this interval. Low bivalve δ18O values (−3.24‰ in average) are recorded during this episode are interpreted to reflect enhanced freshwater inputs, lowering local salinity and seawater δ18O. Such enhanced freshwater inputs point to a phase of enhanced hydrological cycle in the studied region, possibly linked to the global mid-Miocene warming event. Bivalve 87Sr/86Sr data mostly fall within the global seawater Sr isotope reference curve, but remain compatible with enhanced freshwater inputs during the Aquitanian and during the Langhian, as these inputs were probably not important enough to induce a large departure from the seawater curve at a regional scale.

Five different ruminant taxa were found in the Gra?anica coal mine: the tragulid Dorcatherium vindebonense, a palaeomerycid (Palaeomerycidae gen. et sp. indet.), the giraffe Giraffokeryx sp., and the bovids ?Tethytragus sp. and Eotragus ?clavatus. The ruminant fauna fits well to an early middle to middle middle Miocene age and is typical for a locality of the mammal units MN5 or MN6. The assemblage shows Asian as well as European affinities, represents the westernmost occurrence of Giraffokeryx known so far, and confirms the role of the Balkan Peninsula as a corridor between the two continents. As the ruminant assemblage from Gra?anica is not abundant, palaeoecological considerations are only tentative, but the determined taxa point to a predominantly forested environment. © 2018, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature., FR-TAF-1892 Seventh Framework Programme, FP7, G. R?ssner (Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns), C. Argot (Mus?um national d?histoire naturelle), M. Gross (Universalmuseum Joanneum) and R. Ziegler (SMNS) are thanked for providing access to comparison material. Many thanks go to P. Havlik (Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt), E. Heizmann (SMNS) and L. W. van den Hoek Ostende (Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden) for helpful discussions on material and manuscript and proof reading. Furthermore, we want to thank the reviewers, Dimitris S. Kostopoulos (Aristotle University Thessaloniki) and Bastien Mennecart (Naturhistorisches Museum Basel), for the useful comments that helped greatly to improve the manuscript. This research received support from the SYNTHESYS Project (FR-TAF-1892) which is financed by the European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 ?Capacities? Program. And last but not least, we want to thank U. G?hlich and O. Mandic (both NHMW) for the invitation to contribute to this special issue.

The evolution of the San Marino carbonate succession, developed on a wedge-top basin of the northern Apennines during the Middle Miocene (Torriana outcrop, Marecchia Valley), was studied through a high-resolution stable isotope analysis on different carbonate components. A marked positive carbon isotopic excursion is identified at ca. 16 Ma. The excellent correlation of the San Marino δ13C carbonates with the global δ13C reference curve from Zachos et al. (2008) allows to link the marked positive δ13C present in the San Marino section with the global carbon isotope maximum of the Monterey event. Subordinate long-eccentricity-driven δ13C cycles (~405 kyr) as recorded by Holbourn et al. (2007) were also identified. The correlation with carbon signatures of coeval successions of the Mediterranean region shows that this main carbon isotopic excursion at the Burdigalian–Langhian boundary is widely recorded and predates the crisis of these heterozoan shelves. The demise of the San Marino shelf resulted from a combination of global and regional factors that controlled the nutrient budget, the detrital input and the subsidence of the basin. The high-resolution chemostratigraphy of San Marino succession shows that even though the shelf evolved in the complex setting of a wedge-top basin, which should be largely influenced by local factors (i.e. tectonic subsidence and detrital input), it records the Monterey event and its eccentricity paced rhythms with high precision. This highlights the strong connection of the Monterey event with the development and subsequent demise of shallow water carbonate depositional systems in the Mediterranean, irrespective of variable and changing local conditions.

The silicoflgellate species Distephanopsis concavus Horvat is revised based on further research of the type material. This species is characterized by having a basal ring with strongly concave sides which reduce the basal ring area and by four symmetry planes which are morphological characteristics not known in other Distephanopsis species. The species was found in Middle Miocene deposits of the Central Paratethys. Its occurrence at type locality in SE Slovenia is dated to late Middle Badenian and is correlated to the upper part of the nannoplankton biozone NN5.

A new halfbeak species (Beloniformes, Hemiramphidae), Hyporhamphus tatjanchenkoi sp. nov., is described from the Lower Sarmatian fish-bearing deposits cropping out along the Pshekha River (Northern Caucasus). Comparative osteological analysis of this new fossil and extant representatives of Hyporamphus seem to indicate that Hyporhamphus tatjanchenkoi sp. nov. is in some ways related to the Indo–Pacific species H. affinis (Gunther) and H. gamberur (Ruppell).

During the Middle Miocene, the northern Croatian Medvednica Mt. was an island within the Pannonian Basin System, situated on the SW margin of the Central Paratethys Sea. Miocene sedimentary rocks (the Late Badenian Bulimina–Bolivina Zone and Ammonia beccarii ecozone), from the SW slopes of Medvednica Mt. clearly reflect a transgressive-regressive cycle with emersion during the Badenian/Sarmatian boundary. After the initial phase of transgression, the pioneer Elphidium–Asterigerinata–Ammonia benthic foraminiferal assemblage is present in bioclastic limestones, such as those at the Borovnjak locality. This marginal marine assemblage from a highly energetic, normally saline environment is characterized by poor preservation of foraminiferal tests, low diversity and strong domination. Advanced transgression is followed by establishment of the Elphidium–Asterigerinata assemblage, which is found in biocalcsiltites from the laterally deeper and more sheltered environment at Gornje Vrapče. This diverse assemblage is typical for inner/middle shelf environment with sufficient oxygen content. A general shallowing upward trend can be recognized at both localities, followed by visible interchange of different sedimentological and biotic features. Successive and oscillatory regression in the marginal marine environment was followed by salinity fluctuations and final brackish conditions with Ammonia–Elphidium assemblage. The laterally deeper environment reacted to regressive trends on finer scale with almost regular changes of benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the laminae (Heterolepa–Bolivina assemblage/Bolivina–Cassidulina assemblage/Elphidium–Asterigerinata assemblage). It might reflect sea-level oscillations with periodically increased siliciclastic and nutrient input from land or influence of seasonality on benthic assemblages, which occurred in the advanced phase of the regression near the Badenian/Sarmatian boundary.

During the Oligo‐Miocene, major phases of phosphogenesis occurred in the Earth's oceans. However, most phosphate deposits represent condensed or allochthonous hemipelagic deposits, formed by complex physical and chemical enrichment processes, limiting their applicability for the study regarding the temporal pacing of Miocene phosphogenesis. The Oligo‐Miocene Decontra section located on the Maiella Platform (central Apennines, Italy) is a widely continuous carbonate succession deposited in a mostly middle to outer neritic setting. Of particular interest are the well‐winnowed grain to packstones of the middle Miocene Bryozoan Limestone, where occurrences of authigenic phosphate grains coincide with the prominent carbon isotope excursion of the Monterey event. This unique setting allows the analysis of orbital forcing on phosphogenesis, within a bio, chemo, and cyclostratigraphically constrained age‐model. LA‐ICP‐MS analyses revealed a significant enrichment of uranium in the studied authigenic phosphates compared to the surrounding carbonates, allowing natural gamma‐radiation (GR) to be used as a qualitative proxy for autochthonous phosphate content. Time series analyses indicate a strong 405 kyr eccentricity forcing of GR in the Bryozoan Limestone. These results link maxima in the GR record and thus phosphate content to orbitally paced increases in the burial of organic carbon, particularly during the carbon isotope maxima of the Monterey event. Thus, phosphogenesis during the middle Miocene in the Mediterranean was controlled by the 405 kyr eccentricity and its influence on large‐scale paleoproductivity patterns. Rare earth element data were used as a tool to reconstruct the formation conditions of the investigated phosphates, indicating generally oxic formation conditions, which are consistent with microbially mediated phosphogenesis., Key Points: Phosphogenesis during the Monterey event forced by 405 kyr eccentricity controlled paleoproductivityGamma radiation is directly linked to phosphogenesis via U enrichment of authigenic phosphateTrace elements show the phosphates formed under microbially mediated and well‐oxygenated conditions

2 95 71 34 M20 М21 The timing and mode of the marine flooding of the southern margin of the Pannonian basin in SE Europe is still a matter of debate. In central Serbia, integrated bio-magnetostratigraphic data and quantified high-resolution records are completely missing. Here, we provide paleoenvironmental and paleoecological constraints from the Slanci section located near Belgrade that has an excellent preservation of micro-fauna and flora, i.e., planktonic and benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton. We integrate their quantified records with sedimentological, natural gamma radioactivity and magnetic susceptibility logs and include the non-quantified records of mollusks, corals, and ostracods to reconstruct the regional depositional history. The section shows upper bathyal to outer shelf depositional settings and alternating nutrient bottom conditions. The shallowing upwards trend marked by increasing terrestrial input, attributes it to the early Highstand Systems Tract of the first marine third order sequence in this part of the Pannonian Basin. We infer that the marine flooding in central Serbia took place at an age of ~ 14 Ma, slightly predating the Langhian/Serravallian boundary (13.82 Ma) and the Badenian Salinity Crisis (~ 13.8–13.4 Ma) in the Central Paratethys. Our results support an eastwards directed, tectonically forced, flooding of the southern Pannonian Basin. This major paleoenvironmental turnover was forced by syn-rift tectonics in the Pannonian Basin system, which started in the late early Miocene in the Styrian Basin (SE Austria) and ended more than 3 Myr later in the late middle Miocene in the Morava depression (E Serbia).

A nearly complete pinniped skeleton from the middle Miocene Okoppezawa Formation ( ca 16.3–13.9 Ma), Hokkaido, northern Japan, is described as the holotype of Allodesmus uraiporensis sp. nov. The new species is distinguishable from other species of the genus by having the palatine fissure (incisive foramen) that is located anterior to the canine, an anteriorly located supraorbital process of the frontal, and by having the calcaneum with a developed peroneal tubercle. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that the subfamily Allodesminae are represented by two genera, Atopotarus and Allodesmus , and the latter genus is represented by at least six species; Al . kernensis , Al . sinanoensis , Al . naorai , Al . packardi, Al. demerei and Al. uraiporensis sp. nov. Allodesmus uraiporensis sp. nov. is one of the oldest and the northernmost record of the genus in the western North Pacific, and it suggests that the diversification of the genus in the western North Pacific was synchronous to the time of their diversification in the eastern North Pacific.

Amber is nearly ubiquitous in lignites from Otago and Southland and cornmon throughout New Zealand; however, no amber inclusions have been reported previously. We studied amber from 22 Cretaceous to Miocene sites in southem New Zealand, recovering inclusions at three localities: Cosy Dell (late Oligocene), Roxburgh (early Miocene), and Hyde (?early Miocene). Preparation of New Zealand amber to expose inclusions for study under incident and transmitted light is challenging and time-consuming, with most samples brittle and opaque. Thus, we stabilize and clear the amber lumps using epoxy preparation under vacuum before grinding and imaging under light microscopy. To date we have recovered 63 arthropods, as weIl as plant remains, fungi, and nematodes. Arachnids include diverse mites (Mesostigmata, Oribatida, Astigmata, and Prostigmata), a variety of spiders and web remains with prey, and a pseudoscorpion. Sorne Collembola were identified as belonging to the family Entomobryidae (Entomobryomorpha). Insects include members of the families Dermestidae (Coleoptera), Mymaridae and Scelionidae (Hymenoptera), Veliidae (Heteroptera), Ceratopogonidae (Forcipomyia) and Mycetophilidae (Diptera), as well as Psocoptera, and Lepidoptera. The most abundant fungi in New Zealand amber are hyphomycetes similar to the genus Casparyotorula from European Palaeogene ambers and we discovered similar fungi growing on resin of the extant Agathis australis, the iconic New Zealand Kauri. Furthermore, specimens of the genus Metacapnodium (Capnodiales) represent the first Southem Hemisphere fossil sooty moulds; saprophytic ascomycetes with brown hyphae, often forming extensive subicula on living plant surfaces. These fungi are ubiquitous and diverse in New Zealand today. Many of these new amber fossils represent groups with an otherwise poor fossil record for the entire Southem Hemisphere. The systematic and ecological diversity of the inclusions highlights the potential of New Zealand amber for reconstructing past terres trial ecosystems of Zealandia, one of the biogeographically crucial former Gondwanan landmasses.

Fishes of the genus Malacanthus , also known as blanquillos are widespread circum-tropically in shallow waters with sandy bottoms. Blanquillos are diurnal territorial and sedentary fishes that build burrows in open and flat sandy areas near coral and rocky reefs and seagrass beds. The burrows are roofed by mounds constructed of shell and coral fragments, creating a peculiar habitat for benthic invertebrates and fishes on the sand-flat. A new species of blanquillo, † Malacanthus carosii sp. nov., is described from the Middle Miocene (Badenian, about 14 Ma) laminated marls of the Leitha Limestone cropping out in the nearby of the town of St. Margarethen in Burgenland, Austria. The three specimens of this Paratethyan taxon are the first articulated skeletons belonging to the malacanthid genus Malacanthus ever recorded as fossils. † M. carosii sp. nov. is typified by a unique combination of morphological and meristic features, including dorsal-fin with three or four spines and 48–49 rays, anal-fin with a single short spine and 44–45 rays, predorsal formula //2/1 + 1/, first haemal spine above the eighth anal-fin ray, and caudal-fin emarginated. The presence of fishes of the genus Malacanthus in the laminated marls of the Leitha Limestone is indicative of a depositional depth located at about 30 m. The fossil record and the complex Cenozoic palaeogeographic and biogeographic history of the Tethys Realm concur to suggest that the modern fragmented distribution of blanquillo species probably originated during the Miocene, with the emergence of the Western Atlantic, Paratethyan, and Indo-Pacific species.

Amphilagus tomidai n. sp. is a new species of the genus Amphilagus (Lagomorpha, Mammalia) erected on the fossil materials from the deposits of Aya Cave (Middle Miocene, Aya Bay, mid-western coast of Baikal Lake, south-eastern Siberia), previously identified as Amphilagus cf. fontannesi (Erbajeva MA, Filippov AG. 1997. Miocene small mammalian faunas of the Baikalian region. In: Actes du Congrès BiochroM'97. Aguilar J-P, Legendre C, Michaux J, editors. 21. Mémoires et Travaux de L'Institut de Montpellier, E.P.H.E. p. 249–259). Amphilagustomidai n. sp. is the northernmost Eurasian record of the genus. It differs from the other Asian species of the genus by its larger size and slightly higher crown, by some peculiar advanced features of the upper teeth the evidence of which are: width of teeth became significantly larger with wear stage, hypostria became deeper, flexids on the occlusal surface of teeth covered by deep cement; in P3 both anterior folds filled with cement. The main trend in the evolutionary development of Amphilagus lineage probably is an enlargement of size and crown height, increasing hypsodonty, rather high developing of cement.

Additional specimens of the poorly known African shrew Lartetium africanum (Lavocat, 1961) are described and complete our knowledge of this tiny animal. The results of this study justify the elevation of material originally described as a subspecies to the species rank. Soricids are hitherto unknown in older African localities. Like many other soricids, L. africanum lived in a rather humid habitat, close to a body of freshwater, as testified by the intercalations of travertines with reeds in the lacustrine lenses that yielded the fauna. However, the presence of associated vertebrate taxa also attest to more open environments in the surroundings and a tropical climate. Various hypotheses on the date of arrival of this taxon in Africa have been proposed since migration routes between Eurasia and Afro-Arabia were not always open during the Middle Miocene and also because magnetostratigraphic data are now known and can be compared. These hypotheses are discussed here. Recent advances in our knowledge of the palaeogeography and the comparison of L. africanum with western European Lartetium taxa suggest that Beni-Mellal could be older than previously proposed, possibly early Middle Miocene.

© 2018 Nataša Crossed D signoković et al., published by De Gruyter Open. This paper describes the section and fossil content of a former gravel pit in the Eastern Styrian Basin (SE Austria), which exposes sediments of a fluvial system, ranging from within channel to overbank environments. A predominately terrestrial gastropod fauna of 15 species so far, was recovered from a palaeosol formed in a moist and vegetated, floodplain or abandoned channel. Up-section, a shallow freshwater pond/lake developed within the floodplain, settled by fishes, molluscs and ostracods. By integrating regional geological and biostratigraphical data derived from the terrestrial gastropod fauna as well as from the other recovered biota, these strata are of late middle Miocene (late Sarmatian s.str.) age. Hence, this fossil site provides a rare insight into the terrestrial habitats in the hinterland of the Sarmatian Sea and their biota, which are otherwise barely known in Central Europe. ispartof: GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA vol:69 issue:1 pages:30-50 status: published

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 359 cored sediments from eight borehole locations in the carbonate platform of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The expedition set out to unravel the timing of Neogene climate changes, in particular the evolution of the South Asian monsoon and fluctuations of the sea level. The timing of these changes are assessed by dating resultant sedimentary alterations that mark stratigraphic turning points in the Neogene Maldives platform system. The first four turning points during the early and middle Miocene are related to sea-level changes. These are reliably recorded in the stratigraphy of the carbonate sequences in which sequence boundaries provide the ages of the sea-level lowstand. Phases of aggradational platform growth give precise age brackets of long-term sea-level high stands during the early Miocene and the early to middle Miocene Climate Optimum that is dated here between 17 to 15.1 Ma. The subsequent middle Miocene cooling coincident with the eastern Antarctic ice sheet expansion resulted in a long-term lowering of sea level that is reflected by a progradational platform growth. The change in platform architecture from aggradation to progradation marks this turning point at 15.1 Ma.& para;& para;An abrupt change in sedimentation pattern is recognized across the entire archipelago at a sequence boundary dated as 12.9-13 Ma. At this turning point, the platform sedimentation switched to a current-controlled mode when the monsoon-wind-driven circulation started in the Indian Ocean. The similar age of the onset of drift deposition from monsoon-wind-driven circulation across the entire archipelago indicates an abrupt onset of monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean. Ten unconformities dissect the drift sequences, attesting changes in current strength or direction that are likely caused by the combined product of changes in the monsoon-wind intensity and sea level fluctuations in the last 13 Ma. A major shift in the drift packages is dated with 3.8 Ma that coincides with the end of stepwise platform drowning and a reduction of the oxygen minimum zone in the Inner Sea.& para;& para;The strata of the Maldives platform provides a detailed record of the extrinsic controlling factors on carbonate platform growth through time. This potential of carbonate platforms for dating the Neogene climate and current changes has been exploited in other platforms drilled by the Ocean Drilling Program. For example, Great Bahama Bank, the Queensland Plateau, and the platforms on the Marion Plateau show similar histories with sediment architectures driven by sea level in their early history (early to middle Miocene) replaced by current-driven drowning or partial drowning during their later history (Late Miocene). In all three platform systems, the influence of currents on sedimentations is reported between 11 and 13 Ma. German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [03S0405, 03G0236A]; New Zealand institute for Geological and Nuclear Sciences; US National Science Foundation (NSF); Ministry of Earth Sciences (India); European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD); Australian Research Council; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT); Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Science and Technology (People's Republic of China) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Understanding how the Antarctic ice sheet will respond to global warming relies on knowledge of how it has behaved in the past. The use of numerical models, the only means to quantitatively predict the future, is hindered by limitations to topographic data both now and in the past, and in knowledge of how subsurface oceanic, glaciological and hydrological processes interact. Incorporating the variety and interplay of such processes, operating at multiple spatio-temporal scales, is critical to modeling the Antarctic’s system evolution and requires direct observations in challenging locations. As these processes do not observe disciplinary boundaries neither should our future research.

BackgroundThe family Pontoporiidae (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Inioidea) is currently represented in our oceans by just one species of diminutive dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei,franciscana). AlthoughP. blainvilleiis limited to coastal waters of the South Atlantic along Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, multiple Miocene and Pliocene fossils indicate the past presence of members of the family in the South Atlantic, South Paciifc and North Atlantic oceans. Our comprehension of the origin and diversity of this clade and of the relationships of its members with other inioids is hampered by the fact that part of the described fossil specimens, especially from the North Atlantic realm, are cranial fragments often associated to limited stratigraphic information.MethodsBased on an almost complete fossil cranium of pontoporiid from the Westerschelde estuary, The Netherlands, whose preservation allows for detailed morphological observations, we describe a new genus and species. The latter is compared to other pontoporiids, as well as a few non-pontoporiid inioids. A phylogenetic analysis is performed to investigate the relationship of S. vandokkumiwith the best-known extinct and extant inioids. Palynological analysis of the sediment associated to the holotype is used to assess its geological age.Results and discussionThe new genus and speciesScaldiporia vandokkumiis characterized among others by greatly thickened premaxillary eminences reaching the level of the antorbital notch. Palynologically dated from the late Tortonian—earliest Zanclean (7.6–5 Ma, Late Miocene—earliest Pliocene), this new pontoporiid confirms the surprising past diversity of marine inioids in the North Atlantic area. Finally the content of the pontoporiid subfamily Brachydelphininae is briefly discussed.

BackgroundDiscovered on the southern margin of the North Sea Basin, “Phoca”vitulinoidesrepresents one of the best-known extinct species of Phocidae. However, little attention has been given to the species ever since its original 19th century description. Newly discovered material, including the most complete specimen of fossil Phocidae from the North Sea Basin, prompted the redescription of the species. Also, the type material of “Phoca”vitulinoidesis lost.Methods“Phoca”vitulinoidesis redescribed. Its phylogenetic position among Phocinae is assessed through phylogenetic analysis. Dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy is used to determine and reassess the geological age of the species. Myological descriptions of extant taxa are used to infer muscle attachments, and basic comparative anatomy of the gross morphology and biomechanics are applied to reconstruct locomotion.ResultsDetailed redescription of “Phoca”vitulinoidesindicates relatively little affinities with the genusPhoca, but rather asks for the establishment of a new genus:Nanophocagen. nov. Hence, “Phoca”vitulinoidesis recombined intoNanophoca vitulinoides. This reassignment is confirmed by the phylogenetic analysis, grouping the genusNanophocaand other extinct phocine taxa as stem phocines. Biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy expand the known stratigraphic range ofN. vitulinoidesfrom the late Langhian to the late Serravallian. The osteological anatomy ofN. vitulinoidesindicates a relatively strong development of muscles used for fore flipper propulsion and increased flexibility for the hind flipper.DiscussionThe extended stratigraphic range ofN. vitulinoidesinto the middle Miocene confirms relatively early diversification of Phocinae in the North Atlantic. Morphological features on the fore- and hindlimb of the species point toward an increased use of the fore flipper and greater flexibility of the hind flipper as compared to extant Phocinae, clearly indicating less derived locomotor strategies in this Miocene phocine species. Estimations of the overall body size indicate thatN. vitulinoidesis much smaller thanPusa, the smallest extant genus of Phocinae (and Phocidae), and than most extinct phocines.

BackgroundProphocaandLeptophocarepresent the oldest known genera of phocine seals, dating from the latest early to middle Miocene. Originally,Prophoca rousseauiandProphoca proximawere described based on fragmentary remains from the Miocene of Belgium. However, several researchers contested the union ofProphoca rousseauiandProphoca proximainto one genus, without providing evidence. The stratigraphic context ofProphocaremained poorly constrained due to the lack of precise data associated with the original specimens collected in the area of Antwerp (north of Belgium).MethodsProphocaandLeptophocaare redescribed and their phylogenetic position among Phocidae is reassessed using PAUP. Dinoflagellate biostratigraphy has been carried out on sediment samples associated with specimens fromProphocaandLeptophocato elucidate their approximate ages.ResultsWhereas the speciesProphoca rousseauiis redescribed,Prophoca proximais considered synonymous toLeptophoca lenis, with the proposal of a new combinationLeptophoca proxima(Van Beneden, 1877). Sediment samples from specimens of both taxa have been dated to the late Langhian–early Serravallian (middle Miocene). Following a reinvestigation ofLeptophoca amphiatlantica, characters from the original diagnosis are questioned and the specimens ofLeptophoca amphiatlanticaare consideredLeptophocacf.L. proxima. In a phylogenetic analysis,Prophoca rousseauiandLeptophoca proximaconstitute early branching stem-phocines.DiscussionLeptophoca proximafrom the North Sea Basin is younger than the oldest known find ofLeptophoca proximafrom North America, which does not contradict the hypothesis that Phocinae originated along the east coast of North America during the late early Miocene, followed by dispersal to Europe shortly after. Morphological features of the appendicular skeleton indicate thatProphoca rousseauiandLeptophoca proximahave archaic locomotory modes, retaining a more prominent use of the fore flipper for aquatic propulsion than extant Phocidae.

Deep marine Miocene deposits exposed sporadically in the Medvednica Mt. (northern Croatia) comprise pelagic organisms such as coccolithophores, planktic foraminifera and pteropods. The pteropod fauna from yellow marls at the Vejalnica locality (central part of Medvednica Mt.) encompasses abundant specimens ofVaginella austriacaKittl, 1886, accompanied with scarceClio fallauxi(Kittl, 1886). Calcareous nannoplankton points to the presence of NN5 nannozone at this locality. Highly fossiliferous grey marls at the Marija Bistrica locality (north-eastern area of Medvednica Mt.) comprise limacinid pteropods:Limacina valvatina(Reuss, 1867),L. gramensis(Rasmussen, 1968) andLimacinasp. Late Badenian (NN5 to NN6 nannozone) age of these marls is presumed on the basis of coccolithophores. Most of the determined pteropods on species level, exceptV. austriacahave been found and described from this region for the first time. New pteropod records from Croatia point to two pteropod horizons coinciding with the Badenian marine transgressions in Central Paratethys. These pteropod assemblages confirm the existence of W–E marine connection (“Transtethyan Trench Corridor”) during the Badenian NN5 nannozone. Limacinids point to the possible immigration of the “North Sea fauna” through a northern European marine passage during the Late Badenian (end of NN5-beginning of NN6 zone), as previously presumed by some other authors.

In the Early to Middle Miocene, a series of lakes, collectively termed the Dinaride Lake System (DLS), spread out across the north-western part of the Dinaride-Anatolian continental block. Its deposits, preserved in numerous intra-montane basins, allow a glimpse into the palaeoenvironmental, palaeobiogeographic and geodynamic evolution of the region. Lake Gacko, situated in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, is one of the constituent lakes of the DLS, and its deposits are excellently exposed in the Gračanica open-cast coal-mine. A detailed study of the sedimentary succession that addresses facies, sediment petrography, geophysical properties, and fossil mollusc palaeoecology reveals repetitive changes in lake level. These are interpreted to reflect changes in the regional water budget. First-order chronologic constraints arise from the integration of radio-isotopic and palaeomagnetic data. (40)Ar/(39)Ar measurements on feldspar crystals from a tephra bed in the upper part of the sedimentary succession indicate a 15.31 ± 0.16 Ma age for this level. The reversed magnetic polarity signal that characterises the larger part of the investigated section correlates to chron C5Br of the Astronomically Tuned Neogene Timescale. Guided by these chronologic data and a detailed cyclostratigraphic analysis, the observed variations in lake-level, evident as two ~ 40-m and seven ~ 10-m scale transgression-regression cycles, are tuned to ~ 400-kyr and ~ 100-kyr eccentricity cycles. From the tuning, it can be inferred that the sediments in the Gacko Basin accumulated between ~ 15.8 and ~ 15.2 Ma. The economically valuable lignite accumulations in the lower part of the succession are interpreted to indicate the development of swamp forests in conjunction with lake-level falls corresponding to ~ 100-kyr eccentricity minima. Pedogenesis, rhizoliths and palustrine carbonate breccias in the upper part of the section reveal long-term aridity coinciding with a ~ 400-kyr eccentricity minimum. Eccentricity maxima are interpreted to trigger lake-level high-stands. These are accompanied by eutrophication events caused by enhanced denudation of the surrounding basement and increased detrital input into the basin. The presented age model proves that Lake Gacko arose during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum and that the optimum climatic conditions triggered the formation of this long-lived lake.

Background The family of true seals, the Phocidae, is subdivided into two subfamilies: the southern Monachinae, and the northern Phocinae, following the subfamilies’ current distribution: extant Monachinae are largely restricted to the (sub-)Antarctic and the eastern Pacific, with historical distributions of the monk seals of the genus Monachus in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and around Hawaii; and Phocinae to the northern temperate and Arctic zones. However, the fossil record shows that Monachinae were common in the North Atlantic realm during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Until now, only one late Pliocene record is known from the Mediterranean, Pliophoca etrusca from Tuscany, Italy, but none from farther north in the North Atlantic. Methods We present the description of one partial phocid humerus collected in the early 20th century from the Antwerp area (Belgium), with an assessment of its stratigraphic origin using data from the literature. Results The studied humerus was recovered during construction works at the former Lefèvre dock in the Antwerp harbour (currently part of the America dock). Combining the information associated to the specimen with data from the literature and from local boreholes, the upper Pliocene Lillo Formation is ascertained as the lithological unit from which the specimen originates. Morphologically, among other features the shape of the deltopectoral crest and the poor development of the supinator crest indicates a monachine attribution for this specimen. The development of the deltopectoral crest is closer to the condition in extant Monachinae than in extinct Monachinae. Discussion The presented specimen most likely represents a monachine seal and a literature study clearly shows that it came from the latest early to late Pliocene Lillo Formation. This would be the first known monachine specimen from the latest early to late Pliocene of the North Sea, and more broadly from the northern part of the North Atlantic realm. This humerus differs from the humerus of P. etrusca and suggests a higher diversity of Monachinae in the latest early to late Pliocene than previously assumed.

Philodendronis the second most diverse genus of the Araceae, a tropical monocot family with significant morphological diversity along its wide geographic distribution in the Neotropics. Although evolutionary studies ofPhilodendronwere conducted in recent years, the phylogenetic relationship among its species remains unclear. Additionally, analyses conducted to date suggested the inclusion of all American representatives of a closely-related genus,Homalomena, within thePhilodendronclade. A thorough evaluation of the phylogeny and timescale of these lineages is thus necessary to elucidate the tempo and mode of evolution of this large Neotropical genus and to unveil the biogeographic history ofPhilodendronevolution along the Amazonian and Atlantic rainforests as well as open dry forests of South America. To this end, we have estimated the molecular phylogeny for 68Philodendronspecies, which consists of the largest sampling assembled to date aiming the study of the evolutionary affinities. We have also performed ancestral reconstruction of species distribution along biomes. Finally, we contrasted these results with the inferred timescale ofPhilodendronandHomalomenalineage diversification. Our estimates indicate that AmericanHomalomenais the sister clade toPhilodendron. The early diversification ofPhilodendrontook place in the Amazon forest from Early to Middle Miocene, followed by colonization of the Atlantic forest and the savanna-like landscapes, respectively. Based on the age of the last common ancestor ofPhilodendron, the species of this genus diversified by rapid radiations, leading to its wide extant distribution in the Neotropical region.

The family Cetotheriidae has played a major role in recent discussions of baleen whale phylogenetics. Within this group, the enigmatic, monotypicMetopocetus durinasushas been interpreted as transitional between herpetocetines and other members of the family, but so far has been restricted to a single, fragmentary cranium of uncertain provenance and age. Here, we expand the genus and shed new light on its phylogenetic affinities and functional morphology by describingMetopocetus hunterisp. nov. from the Late Miocene of the Netherlands. Unlike the holotype ofM. durinasus, the material described here is confidently dated and preserves both the tympanic bulla and additional details of the basicranium.M. huntericlosely resemblesM. durinasus, differing primarily in its somewhat less distally expanded compound posterior process of the tympanoperiotic. Both species are characterised by the development of an unusually large fossa on the ventral surface of the paroccipital process, which extends anteriorly on to the compound posterior process and completely floors the facial sulcus. In life, this enlarged fossa may have housed the posterior sinus and/or the articulation of the stylohyal. Like other cetotheriids,Metopocetusalso bears a well-developed, posteriorly-pointing dorsal infraorbital foramen near the base of the ascending process of the maxilla, the precise function of which remains unclear.

International audience; The palynological analysis in the Karpatian–Sarmatian (late Early-Middle Miocene) interval of the cores Tengelic-2 and Hidas- 53 (Hungary) reveals the existence of a forest organized in altitudinal belts, developed in a subtropical–warm temperate humid climate, reflecting the so-called Miocene climatic optimum. Pollen changes from the late early Miocene to the late middle Miocene have been observed and are related to climatic changes. The vegetation during the Burdigalian and the Langhian was dominated by thermophilous elements such as evergreen trees and Engelhardia, typical of a present day rain and evergreen forest at low altitudes (i.e. SE China). During the Serravallian several thermophilous elements strongly decreased, and some of them disappeared from the central European area. Thus, the rain and evergreen–deciduous mixed forest suffered a great transformation due to the loss and decrease in the abundance of several evergreen plants. This kind of vegetation was progressively substituted by deciduous and mesothermic plants such as deciduous Quercus, and Fagus, Alnus, Acer, Carpinus, Ulmus, Zelkova, etc. At the same time, the presence of altitude coniferous trees increased. This climatic cooling is correlated with global and regional climatic changes.

The Middle Miocene has been identified as a time of great diversification in modern lineages now distributed in tropical South America, and when basic archetypal traits defining Amazonia appear, including climatic humid conditions, basic floral physiognomy and phylogenetic composition of modern rainforests. Nonetheless, Middle Miocene localities in South America are poorly known, especially at low latitudes where only one species-rich locality, La Venta in Colombia, has been extensively studied. The present contribution describes the mammal fauna of Fitzcarrald, a new Middle Miocene local fauna from western Amazonia in Peru. Fitzcarrald is correlated with the Laventan South American Land Mammal Age based on the presence of taxa defining the 'Miocochilius assemblage zone' in La Venta. The mammalian fauna of Fitzcarrald comprises 24 taxa among cingulates, folivores, astrapotheres, notoungulates, litopterns, rodents, odontocetes and a possible marsupial. At this time, tropical South America was characterized by the presence of the Pebas megawetland, a huge lacustrine complex that provided unique ecological and environmental conditions most likely isolating northern South America from southern South America. These isolating conditions might have come to an end with its disappearance in the Late Miocene and the establishment of the subsequent Acre system, the predecessor fluvial system of modern Amazonia. Results of faunistic similarity between Fitzcarrald and other Miocene faunas throughout South America support these scenarios. The Fitzcarrald mammal fauna exhibits first appearance datums and last appearance datums of various taxa, showing that tropical South America has played a crucial role in the evolutionary history and biogeography of major clades, and revealing a more complex biological history than previously proposed, based on the record from the southern cone of the continent. Fil: Tejada Lara, Julia V.. University of Florida; Estados Unidos. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Perú. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia Fil: Salas Gismondi, Rodolfo. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université Montpellier 2; Francia. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Perú Fil: Pujos, François Roger Francis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina Fil: Baby, Patrice. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université Paul Sabatier; Francia Fil: Benammi, Mouloud. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université de Poitiers; Francia Fil: Brusset, Stéphane. Université Paul Sabatier; Francia Fil: De Franceschi, Dario. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Francia Fil: Espurt, Nicolas. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Aix-Marseille Université; Francia Fil: Urbina, Mario. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Perú Fil: Antoine, Pierre Olivier. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université Montpellier 2; Francia

Middle Miocene remains of giant megatheriine ground sloths (Tardigrada: Megatherioidea) are scarce and generally located in southern South America. The discovery of a well-preserved edentulous dentary of Megathericulus sp. from the Middle Miocene (Laventan South American Land Mammal Age - SALMA; 13.5–11.8 Ma) of the Amazonian Peru increases our knowledge of this genus, which had previously been recognized in Argentina. A preliminary revision of the earliest Megatheriinae allowed clustering the four middle Miocene species within the genus Megathericulus Ameghino: M. patagonicus Ameghino, M. primaevus Cabrera, M. andinum (Kraglievich), and M. cabrerai (Kraglievich). This small-sized genus is mainly characterized by a lateral depression that borders m1, a posterior external opening of the mandibular canal anterior to the base of the ascending ramus that opens anteriorly or anterodorsally, the base of the symphysis located anteriorly to the m1, important anteroposterior compression of the teeth, elongation of the region of the maxilla anterior to the M1, humerus elongated and gracile, patellar trochlea of femur contiguous with medial and lateral articular facets for tibia, strongly developed odontoid tuberosity, and astragalus with prominent odontoid process. The genus Eomegatherium Kraglievich is therefore restricted to the Huayquerian SALMA of Argentina and represented by a single species, E. nanum Burmeister. Megatheriinae constitute the first clade of Tardigrada in which the caniniform tooth has been secondarily modified into a molariform tooth. Three molariform patterns can be observed during megatheriine evolution in relation to tooth compression and loph or lophid orientation. Middle Miocene Megatheriinae occur only in the westernmost part of South America. These giant ground sloths might have dispersed latitudinally from Colombia/Patagonian Argentina before colonizing eastern areas of Andean South America (Bolivia, Venezuela, north, and east of Argentina) during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Fil: Pujos, François Roger Francis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Institut Français d’ Etudes Andines; Perú Fil: Salas Gismondi, Rodolfo. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Museo de Historia Natural. Departamento de Paleontología de Vertebrados; Perú Fil: Baby, Guillaume. Université de Toulouse; Francia Fil: Baby, Patrice. Université de Toulouse; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Laboratoire de Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie; Francia Fil: Goillot, Cyrille. Université de Toulouse; Francia. Centre national de la recherche scientifique. Laboratoire de Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie; Francia Fil: Tejada, Julia. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Museo de Historia Natural. Departamento de Paleontología de Vertebrados; Perú Fil: Antoine, Pierre Olivier. Université Montpellier. Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution; Francia

The taxonomy of Paratethyan Middle Miocene calcareous nannofossils is reviewed and revised. Two new species, Syracosphaera croatica and Syracosphaera horvati, are proposed. Comparative study of coeval Neogene nannofossils from NHM and ODP (Ocean Drilling Project) reference collections give differences and similarities between the investigated areas (first occurrence, theirmorphology and dimensions). Other studies data on taxonomy are reviewed including palaeoecological and biostratigraphic applications.

Fifty-two ostracod taxa were identified from two sediment cores collected from the early Badenian Židlochovice stratotype. Ostracod assemblages were analyzed with a focus on taxonomy, paleoecology, distribution of taxa along the sediment cores, quantification of valve/carapace ratios, and species richness by Simpson’s Reciprocal Index. The changes in ostracod assemblages identified in these cores reflect a shallowing of the marine water-depth from circalittoral/epibathyal to shallow infralittoral, and an increase in the sedimentation rate upwards through time. A comparison of all Badenian ostracod assemblages in the Carpathian Foredeep indicates a high proportion of deep-water ostracod species in Židlochovice and its surroundings, suggesting that the deepest part of the Carpathian Foredeep was probably situated in this part of the Czech Republic.

Palaeoenvironmental changes in the upper Middle Miocene Central Paratethys were reconstructed by using qualitative and quantitative palaeontological analyses of foraminifera and ostracods, coupled with trace elemental (Mg/Ca) and stable isotope (δ18O and δ13C) analyses of their carbonate skeletons and of gastropod shells. Mean annual air temperatures were estimated using the oxygen isotope composition of contemporaneous rodent teeth. The studied aquatic fossils come from two boreholes in the Zsámbék Basin (northern central Hungary), while the terrestrial ones are from localities in NE Hungary and E Romania. In the studied Sarmatian successions, three zones could be distinguished, based on palaeontological and geochemical results. At the Badenian/Sarmatian boundary, faunal diversity decreased markedly. In the lower zone a transgressive event culminated in a seawater incursion into the semi-open basin system of the Central Paratethys. Stable bottom-water temperature (~15 °C) and variable salinities (20–32 ‰) are estimated for the Early Sarmatian Sea. The faunal changes (notably a strong reduction in biodiversity) occurring at the boundary between the lower and the middle zone can be explained by a sea-level highstand with dysoxic conditions. A relative sea-level fall is documented at the end of this middle zone. After a short regressive event, a marine connection between the Paratethys and the Mediterranean was established at the beginning of the upper zone. This is indicated by an increased microfaunal diversity and the re-appearance of marine Badenian ostracods and foraminifera, which are completely absent from the older Sarmatian series. During the upper zone, the temperatures and salinities are estimated to have fluctuated from 15 °C to 21 °C and from 15 ‰ to 43 ‰, respectively.

The Sava Depression lies at the very south-western margin of the Pannonian Basin. There are 20 hydrocarbon fields altogether and 17 are still in production. The organic geochemistry data and their statistical analysis from the 25 exploration wells, indicate source rock formations in two stratigraphic levels, an older one of Middle Miocene age (Badenian and Sarmatian) and a younger one of Upper Miocene age (Lower Pannonian). Both source rock formations are composed of marls, calcitic marls, clayey limestones and shales. Source rock intervals lay at depths from 1200 to 3362 m. The Total Organic Carbon (TOC) of analyzed samples varies from 0.39 to 4.94%, while their total generative hydrocarbon potential is from 2.40 to 37.40 mg HC/g rock. The mean thickness of the intervals is 100–150 m. There is a regular linear increase of the maturity level with depth. Source rocks are mature, in the catagenetic phase of transformation that enables hydrocarbon generation. A favourable organic facies, mostly kerogen type II, (organic facies AB and B), with good hydrocarbon potential, dominates the north-western and central part of the depression. It can be connected with the deeper parts of the depression and/or protected, anoxic to dysoxic stagnant environments with a gradual transition from marine (Badenian/Sarmatian) to brackish depositional environments (Lower Pannonian). In the south-eastern part of the depression, the dominant kerogen type is II–III, (organic facies BC), which indicates a stronger influx of terrestrial material from the uplifted parts that are generally closer to the margins of the depositional basin. The Fisher test (F-test) of the variance similarity (homogeneity), clearly indicates that the Badenian/Sarmatian samples belong to a statistically different population from the Lower Pannonian ones, due to their different depositional environments.

Middle Miocene peralkaline ignimbrites constitute a specific geodynamic marker of the early stage of opening of the Gulf of California, preserved either in central Sonora or the Puertecitos area, in Baja California. Very uniform ages (12-12.5 Ma) obtained on these rocks show that this volcanic episode corresponds to a specific stage in the tectonic evolution of the proto-gulf area. Field observations and slightly different Sr and Nd isotopic signatures support eruptions from several small volume magma batches rather than from a large-volume caldera forming event. Isotopic ratios help to constrain the petrogenesis of the peralkaline liquids by fractional crystallization of transitional basalts in a shallow reservoir, with slight contamination by Precambrian upper crustal material. Less differentiated glomeroporphyritic icelandites erupted at about 11 Ma, mark an increase in the magma production rate and highlight an easier access to the surface, illustrating an advanced stage in the weakening of the continental crust. The tilting of the Middle Tertiary sequences results from a major change in the tectonic regime, from E-W extension giving rise to N-S grabens, to NNW-SSE strike-slip motion that can be related to the transfer of Baja California from North America to the Pacific plate. The location of peralkaline volcanism coincides with the southern edge of the Precambrian crust and the southernmost extension of the California slab window at 12.5 Ma.

In this regional ocean model study, we explore the effect of the Early to Middle Miocene shoaling and closure of the Indian Gateway on Mediterranean circulation and its exchange with the adjacent oceans. For this we use the regional ocean circulation model “sbPOM” and a collection of bathymetries created from an early Burdigalian paleogeographical base map in which the depth of the Indian Gateway is set to 1000, 450, 200, or 0 m. A significant improvement of this work relative to previous regional modeling studies is that we also consider the possibility that the Indian and Atlantic gateways accommodated net westward flow—as reported in many global climate model studies. To this end, we superimpose net westward flows of different magnitudes to the gateways. Because the Early–Middle Miocene climate is uncertain, we start with atmospheric conditions based on the present and subsequently explore alternative atmospheric forcings. Similarly, we first assume a relatively shallow Atlantic Gateway of 500 m depth and then study the effect of a connection of 900 m. The extensive set of experiments performed allows us to gain detailed physics-based insight into the effect of the above-mentioned factors on the thermohaline circulation and water properties, and provides a solid background to interpret observational evidence. By comparing our modeled exchange patterns to data we are able to propose the flow configurations consistent with observations—some of them not considered until now—during the different stages of closure and infer the conditions (climate, presence/absence of net flow, Atlantic Gateway depth) under which these patterns arise.

International audience; The marine sediments of the Badenian (Middle Miocene) of Hungary (Pannonian Basin, Central Paratethys) are composed of abundant bryozoan skeletal grains. Seventy-one bulk samples collected at 18 localities (outcrops and boreholes) yielded a total number of 238 bryozoan species. In order to reconstruct the Badenian palaeoenvironments, the present study investigates the composition of this very diverse fauna using a combination of statistical and palaeoecological methods. The statistical analyses make use of Cluster Analysis and Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling. The palaeoecological approaches are based on the known ecological requirements of the bryozoan colonial growth forms and of the numerous extant species. Five facies have first been differentiated on the basis of sedimentological and palaeontological features: coral buildups, coralline algal limestones, biocalcarenites, sands, and marls. Each of them is characterized by the abundance, the diversity and the types of growth forms of the bryozoans. The palaeoecological, statistical and facies analyses further permitted to identify four depositional settings: carbonate platform (distal and proximal), terrigenous platform, slope, and basin. These environments developed at depths between 0 to about 300 m in a mixed carbonate–siliciclastic depositional system. Skeletal production and spatial distribution of carbonate factories were predominantly controlled by terrigenous input. This resulted in a complex mosaic of facies/habitats where rich bryozoan faunas could thrive. Many warm-water organisms, among them foraminifers, zooxanthellate corals, molluscs, bryozoans, and echinoids, were recorded from the study sites. The coexistence of coralgal and bryomol carbonate skeletal assemblages in this subtropical setting is explained mostly by variations in the productivity of surface waters. Periods of nutrient enrichment and increased benthic eutrophication affected coral diversity and abundance in favour of bryozoans.

International audience; We describe here a mammalian assemblage originating from the locality of Chaungtha (Irrawaddy Formation, Myanmar). It represents one of the rare descriptions of a precisely located, in space, vertical section and time, fossil mammal fauna from the Irrawaddy Formation. Classically the fossil record of Irrawaddy Formation is essentially known from isolated fossils of imprecise or unknown provenance, especially concerning the stratigraphic position of the fossils along several hundred meter thick sections. The Chaungtha faunal association consists of the rhino Brachypotherium fatehjangense, the pig Conohyus thailandicus, the ruminants cf. Siamotragulus sanyathanai, cf. Siamotragulus sp. and a gomphotheriid proboscidean. This assemblage indicates that the locality is Miocene in age, and not Late Eocene as previously claimed, and roughly contemporaneous with the Chinji Formation of India-Pakistan (ca. 14 to 11 Ma) and with the Mae Moh Group of northern Thailand. The Chaungtha fauna, even if it displays regional characteristics, shows a strong resemblance to those of the Middle Miocene of India-Pakistan and of Thailand and reinforces the idea that South-East Asia and Pakistan were part of the same biogeographical province during the Middle Miocene.

International audience; A study of the Badenian (Middle Miocene) marine deposits of Hungary yielded a rich bryozoan fauna of 238 species comprising 59 cyclostomes, 176 cheilostomes, and 3 ctenostomes. Six palaeobiogeographic groups have been identified among this fauna on the basis of the present-day and fossil distribution of the species. Similarities within the Central Paratethys and between the Central Paratethys, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic have then been calculated using Jaccard's index. The results indicate strong affinities between the Central Paratethyan basins of Hungary, Austria, Poland, and Romania. The higher number of species and the lower level of endemism observed in Hungary is explained by the vicinity of this basin to the entrance of the water seaway connecting the Mediterranean to the Paratethys. A decrease in taxonomic diversity between the Early and the Late Badenian is also observed, accompanied by the absence of most tropical taxa from the Late Badenian. This points towards a less optimal climate and a more pronounced isolation of the Badenian sea from the oceanic waters. The major result of the comparative study between Central Paratethyan and Mediterranean bryozoan faunas is the presence of numerous common species. The number of endemic Paratethyan species is however relatively high, indicating that the bryozoan faunas of both seas evolved in a relative isolation. The exchange of faunas between the Mediterranean and the Paratethys was probably regulated by an anti-estuarine circulation permitting an easier incursion of Mediterranean species into the Paratethys, but hindering the Paratethyan endemics from entering the Mediterranean. The stronger affinity between Hungarian and Mediterranean faunas also shows that this basin was closer to the entrance of the water seaway connecting the two areas and thus the Mediterranean species entered more easily. The similarity index between Central Paratethys and Atlantic faunas is much lower than with the Mediterranean. This indicates that the palaeobiogeographic domain formed by the Mediterranean and the Paratethys was relatively homogeneous during the Middle Miocene and that the relationships with the Atlantic were weaker. Exchange of benthic organisms between the Central Paratethys and the Indo-Pacific during the Middle Miocene is considered here as extremely improbable.

Resume Des grains de pollen d'un paletuvier du genre Avicennia , typique des mangroves neogenes d'Europe, ont ete observes dans des facies marins de la serie deltaique du Miocene moyen de Châteauredon (Sud-Est de la France). Le cadre stratigraphique conduit a proposer pour ces niveaux un âge entre 15,8 et 16,5 Ma. L'âge et la position de ces grains dans des facies transgressifs sont en accord avec le developpement connu de la mangrove en Mediterranee occidentale, rapportee a l'intervalle N8 et NN4 pro parte , et associee au haut niveau marin du Langhien. Cette mangrove, a une paleolatitude de 42°N, est un temoin plus septentrional que celle connue au Miocene moyen en Provence. Elle implique un gradient latitudinal climatique plus faible que l'Actuel. Pour citer cet article : J.-J. Châteauneuf et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).

Zusammenfassung: Ardiç-Mordogan ist ein neue Fundstelle in die Karaburun Halbinsel von Westtürkei. Unter ihre Fauna, das ist hier beschreibt, sind die Carnivoren besonders interessant, mit die vollständigste bekannten Exemplaren von Percrocuta miocenica und von eine primitiv Hyänen-Art, von welche ein neue Unterart, Protictitherium intermedium paralium, beschreibt ist. Die Fauna stark gleicht die von mehrere anderen Mittelmiozän Lagerstatten in derselben Gebiet: Çandir, Paşalar und Inönü in Türkei, und Prebreza in Serbien, und sie mussen sich allen zu dieselben Mammal-Zone gehören. Seinen Huftieren bezeugen ein offenes Umwelt, das bei der Türko-Balkanisch Gebiet in Serravallien Zeit verbreiten mussten., Ardiç-Mordogan is a new fossil Mammal locality in the Karaburun Peninsula of Western Turkey. Among its fauna, which is described here, the carnivores are especially interesting, with the most complete specimens ever found of Percrocuta miocenica and of a primitive species of hyaenid, of which a new subspecies is described, Protictitherium intermedium paralium. This fauna is strongly reminiscent of those of several other Middle Miocene localities in this area, Çandir, Paşalar and Inönü in Turkey, and Prebreza in Serbia, and they must all belong to the same mammalian zone. Their ungulates attest an open environment which must have been widespread in the Turko-Balkanic area in Serravallian times.

International audience; In the Muğla area, southwestern Turkey, where the earliest known Mammalian fauna is of late Astaracian age, a new late Orleanian/early Astaracian mammalian fauna is recognised in Kultak (Milas-Muğla). The fauna occurs at the top of a marine to continental succession known to be as old as Aquitanian in age. The fauna includes Anchitherium aurelianense hippoides (LARTET 1851), Ancylotherium (Metaschizotherium) fraasi (KOENIGSWALD 1932), Tethytragus koehlerae AZANZA & MORALES 1994 and Gomphotherium sp. All these genera are known in Europe. Anchitherium and Tethytragus are common constituents of the Middle Miocene faunas of Turkey, but Ancylotherium (Metaschizotherium), which is known in central Europe, is the first record in Turkey.; En Anatolie Orientale, où les plus anciennes faunes Mammaliennes connues dataient de la fin de l'Astaracien, nous avons reconnu une nouvelle faune datant de la fin de l'Orléanien / début de l'Astaracien à Kultak (Milas-Muğla). La faune provient de dépôts gréseux au sommet d'une série marine supposée être d'âge Aquitanien. Elle comprend Anchitherium aurelianense hippoides (LARTET, 1851), Ancylotherium (Metaschizotherium) fraasi (KOENIGSWALD, 1932), Tethytragus koehlerae AZANZA & MORALES, 1994 et Gomphotherium sp. Tous ces genres sont connus en Europe; Anchitherium et Tethytragus sont des constituants habituels des faunes du Miocène moyen de Turquie, mais Ancylotherium (Metaschizotherium), surtout connu en Europe centrale, est signalé pour la première fois en Turquie.

We describe here the first fossil otoliths from the Middle Miocene (Badenian and Sarmatian) of Belgrade, Serbia. They were obtained from Lower Badenian outcrops at Slanci and from upper Badenian and Sarmatian sediments recovered from four shallow wells near the village of Barajevo. The otoliths from the Lower Badenian of Slanci represent fishes typical for an open marine environment, characterized primarily by the mesopelagic families Myctophidae and Bregmacerotidae, a faunal composition that is also well known from other time equivalent locations in the Central Paratethys. The upper Badenian and Sarmatian composition of the fish fauna, in contrast, is dominated by otoliths of the family Gobiidae, indicating a sharp environmental shift from open marine to shallow water, probably slightly brackish environments, which is also confirmed by the faunal composition of mollusks, foraminifera, and ostracods. Most of the gobiid genera identified in the samples from Barajevo represent small fishes of the so-called sand gobies with Ponto-Caspian affinities, such asEs werden die ersten fossilen Otolithen aus dem Mittel-Miozän (Badenien und Sarmatien) von Belgrad, Serbien beschrieben. Sie stammen von Aufschlüssen des unteren Badenien nahe Slanci und aus vier Bohrungen nahe Barajevo, in denen oberes Badenien aund Sarmatien durchteuft wurden. Die Otolithen aus dem unteren Badenien von Slanci repräsentieren Fische des offenen marinen Environments, primär charakterisiert durch die mesopelagischen Familien Myctophidae und Bregmacerotidae, eine Faunenassoziation wie sie aus anderen zeitgleichen Lokationen der Zentralen Paratethys gut bekannt ist. Im Gegensatz dazu wird die Fischfauna des oberen Badenien und des Sarmatien dominiert von Otolithen der Familie Gobiidae, die somit einen scharfen ökologischen Wechsel von offen marin zu Flachwasser, möglicherweise sogar Brackwasser, anzeigen, was durch Untersuchungen an Mollusken, Foraminiferen und Ostracoden bestätigt wird. Die meisten der nachgewiesenen Gobiiden-Gattungen in den Proben von Barajevo stammen von den sogenannten „Sand-Grundeln“, die auch heute im Ponto-Kaspischen Raum häufig anzutreffen sind, wie zum Beispiel