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The paleolithic site at Roc-en-Pail was discovered by chance between 1870 and 1871, in the context of quarrying activities when Prehistoric Science was at its youth. Nevertheless the lithic industries were immediate linked to the Moustier type with reference to the pioneer work of É. Lartet and H. Christy. The site was only latter largely excavated by Dr Michel Gruet, in the 1940s and 1950s then in 1969. Excavations archives from Dr Gruet together with the large collection he recovered allowed us to emphasize the scientific value of the site and to design a new field project. We aim to establish the history of researches carried at the site and to draw a knowledge review as a starting point to renewed fieldwork. We will try to determine why this site is so weakly visible in the literature whereas a five meters thick sequence with rich faunal and lithic assemblages was described by Dr Gruet. We first emphasize the confusion occurring in the literature between the Roc-en-Pail paleolithic site itself and close paleontological sites, from karstic structures. Secondly, we discuss the presence of a rockshelter, now destroyed, at Roc-en-Pail as proposed by Dr Gruet. Finally, we propose a critical review of the stratigraphy based on the preliminary results from our 2014 to 2018 excavations to highlight the interest of the site for our knowledge of Middle Paleolithic period in Western-Central France. Résumé. Le site paléolithique de Roc-en-Pail a été découvert fortuitement entre 1870 et 1871, en marge de l’exploitation d’une carrière alors que la science préhistorique n’en est encore qu’à ses débuts. Néanmoins, dès sa découverte, les industries lithiques sont rapportées au type du Moustier, en référence aux travaux pionniers d’É. Lartet et H. Christy. Il faudra attendre les recherches du Dr Michel Gruet dans les années 1940-1950 puis en 1969, pour que de véritables fouilles soient entreprises sur le site. La documentation qu’il a laissée et l’imposante collection qu’il a recueillie nous ont permis de mesurer l’intérêt du site et de mettre en place un nouveau projet de recherches de terrain. Préalablement à ces nouvelles fouilles, l’objectif de cette contribution est de dresser l’historique des recherches et d’établir un état des connaissances. Nous tenterons de cerner les raisons pour lesquelles la visibilité de ce site dans la littérature est si faible alors que le Dr Gruet avait décrit une séquence de près de cinq mètres d’épaisseur riche en vestiges lithiques et fauniques. Nous mettrons d’abord en évidence les confusions faites jusqu’à présent dans la littérature entre les occupations paléolithiques de Roc-en-Pail et des sites paléontologiques à indices d’occupation en contexte karstique. Ensuite, nous discuterons l’existence à Roc-en-Pail d’un abri-sous-roche, désormais détruit ainsi que proposé par le Dr Gruet. Enfin, les résultats préliminaires des nouvelles fouilles nous amènent à réviser les interprétations du Dr Gruet quant à l’organisation des dépôts et à la séquence archéologique afin de souligner son potentiel pour la connaissance du Paléolithique moyen dans le centre-ouest de la France.

International audience; The paleolithic site at Roc-en-Pail was discovered by chance between 1870 and 1871, in the context of quarrying activities when Prehistoric Science was at its youth. Nevertheless the lithic industries were immediate linked to the Moustier type with reference to the pioneer work of É. Lartet and H. Christy. The site was only latter largely excavated by Dr Michel Gruet, in the 1940s and 1950s then in 1969. Excavations archives from Dr Gruet together with the large collection he recovered allowed us to emphasize the scientific value of the site and to design a new field project. We aim to establish the history of researches carried at the site and to draw a knowledge review as a starting point to renewed fieldwork. We will try to determine why this site is so weakly visible in the literature whereas a five meters thick sequence with rich faunal and lithic assemblages was described by Dr Gruet. We first emphasize the confusion occurring in the literature between the Roc-en-Pail paleolithic site itself and close paleontological sites, from karstic structures. Secondly, we discuss the presence of a rockshelter, now destroyed, at Roc-en-Pail as proposed by Dr Gruet. Finally, we propose a critical review of the stratigraphy based on the preliminary results from our 2014 to 2018 excavations to highlight the interest of the site for our knowledge of Middle Paleolithic period in Western-Central France.; Le site paléolithique de Roc-en-Pail a été découvert fortuitement entre 1870 et 1871, en marge de l’exploitation d’une carrière alors que la science préhistorique n’en est encore qu’à ses débuts. Néanmoins, dès sa découverte, les industries lithiques sont rapportées au type du Moustier, en référence aux travaux pionniers d’É. Lartet et H. Christy. Il faudra attendre les recherches du Dr Michel Gruet dans les années 1940-1950 puis en 1969, pour que de véritables fouilles soient entreprises sur le site. La documentation qu’il a laissée et l’imposante collection qu’il a recueillie nous ont permis de mesurer l’intérêt du site et de mettre en place un nouveau projet de recherches de terrain. Préalablement à ces nouvelles fouilles, l’objectif de cette contribution est de dresser l’historique des recherches et d’établir un état des connaissances. Nous tenterons de cerner les raisons pour lesquelles la visibilité de ce site dans la littérature est si faible alors que le Dr Gruet avait décrit une séquence de près de cinq mètres d’épaisseur riche en vestiges lithiques et fauniques. Nous mettrons d’abord en évidence les confusions faites jusqu’à présent dans la littérature entre les occupations paléolithiques de Roc-en-Pail et des sites paléontologiques à indices d’occupation en contexte karstique. Ensuite, nous discuterons l’existence à Roc-en-Pail d’un abri-sous-roche, désormais détruit ainsi que proposé par le Dr Gruet. Enfin, les résultats préliminaires des nouvelles fouilles nous amènent à réviser les interprétations du Dr Gruet quant à l’organisation des dépôts et à la séquence archéologique afin de souligner son potentiel pour la connaissance du Paléolithique moyen dans le centre-ouest de la France.

Perotrochus pseudogranulosus sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: CE972B51-FB50-4C06-B1B2-DD01A6BC737D Figs 1D, 5 A–F, 6A–J Etymology The specific epithet emphasizes the beaded spiral sculpture of the species. Material examined 40 lots comprising 84 specimens (Table 1). Type material Holotype NEW CALEDONIA: a sequenced specimen, MNHN-IM-2009-7495. Paratypes NEW CALEDONIA: MNHN-IM-2007-32058 (Fig. 6 A–B); MNHN-IM-2007-32066 (Fig. 6 C–D); MNHN-IM-2009-7485 (Fig. 6 E–F); MNHN-IM-2009-7491 (Fig. 6 G–H); MNHN-IM-2009-7493 (Fig. 6 I–J). Type locality Coral Sea, Capel Bank, 24°45’ S, 159°42’ E, 348–354 m (EBISCO sta. CP2494). Description (holotype) Shell of medium size, light, thin, general profile rather conical, with weakly convex to straight-sided whorls with weakly impressed suture, diameter significantly exceeding height (H/D = 0.78), numbering 8 teleoconch whorls, with a mean spire angle of 80°. Protoconch ivory white, depressed. Dominant sculpture of teleoconch consisting of numerous lightly beaded spiral cords, with microsculptural pattern of fine radiating threads, giving the entire whorl surface a shiny metallic luster. On last whorl, 11 spiral cords above selenizone, 7 below and 3 major cords in the selenizone itself. Slit long, about 1/5 th the circumference of the last whorl, situated below midwhorl, and rather narrow. Aperture depressed. Basal disc rather flattened, with angular edge, with a relatively narrow (extending over 30% of base diameter) light nacreous callus pad which is finely ridged radially and ends in a raised porcellaneous edge. Inside the aperture inner slit lips nearly completely covered by nacre, leaving a narrow area (approximately 15% of the surface) parallel to the inner slit lips uncovered, showing only porcellaneous layer. Background colour yellowish beige, with intense reddish crimson colour markings arranged in very regular checkerboard pattern, overall reinforcing color intensity; basal disc showing some contrasting reddish crimson flammulations, particularly visible at its periphery, and more yellowish tan towards the center. Operculum small, multispiral, circular, light yellowish (fallen off/missing in holotype). Measurements Maximum basal diameter (D) 64.9 mm, minimum diameter 59.1 mm. Height (H) 50.7 mm. H/D = 0.78. Depth of slit at upper margin 42.1 mm, depth of slit at lower margin 26.9 mm. Slit width 3.1 mm. Slit length: 1/5.64 th of circumference of last whorl. Weight of empty shell 42.6 g. Discussion Perotrochus pseudogranulosus sp. nov. most closely resembles P. caledonicus (Fig. 7) at first glance, but is distinguished by its more conical and higher shell, a more flattened basal disc profile and a more intense and regular checkerboard colour pattern and more lustrous shell surface. It differs from P. wareni sp. nov. by its weakly beaded spiral cords with a microsculpture of fine radiating threads, its more intensely marked checkerboard colour pattern, with metallic luster, a much longer slit and a much smaller callus pad area on the basal disc. Finally, it differs from P. deforgesi (Fig. 7), the only other species occurring in the Coral Sea, by its general outline which is distinctly higher conical, its thin shell, its more intense checkerboard colour markings, its less granular spiral cords and smaller callus pad coverage on the basal disc. Some specimens of P. pseudogranulosus sp. nov. have over the years turned up in the shell trade as “ P. cfr. caledonicus ”, supposedly originating from NW Australia or even from the South China Sea (Anseeuw & Goto 1996). However, based on the lack of precise and trustworthy locality data, the lack of more recent confirmation of those alleged findings and, most of all, the general unavailability of such material for study, we reject these localities as intentionally or unintentionally unproven and unverifiable.

Perotrochus wareni sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 51E7B304-66D2-4AE6-84C0-3A4427203065 Figs 1A, 3 A–F, 4A–J Etymology This new species is named in honor of Dr Anders Warén of Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, in recognition of his lifetime interest in deep-sea exploration and his participation in expeditions around New Caledonia and elsewhere in the South Pacific, many of which yielded specimens used in this paper. Material examined 73 lots comprising 176 specimens (Table 1). Type material Holotype NEW CALEDONIA: a sequenced specimen, MNHN-IM-2007-36460. Paratypes NEW CALEDONIA: MNHN-IM-2007-34680 (Fig. 4 A–B); MNHN-IM-2007-34684 (Fig. 4 C–D); MNHN-IM-2007-34685 (Fig. 4 E–F); MNHN-IM-2007-36456 (Fig. 4 G–H); MNHN-IM-2007-36461 (Fig. 4 I–J). Type locality Norfolk Ridge, Munida Bank, 22°59’ S, 168°21’ E, 320–390 m (TERRASSES sta. DW3101). Description (holotype) Shell of medium size, solid, thick, general profile rather conical, with weakly convex, rather straightsided whorls, with a diameter a little smaller than its height (H/D ratio = 1.08), numbering 10.5 teleoconch whorls, with a mean spire angle of 65° with weakly impressed suture, whorl surface dull. Protoconch glassy, rather obtusely depressed. Teleoconch with heavily beaded spiral cords very early on. Dominant teleoconch sculpture consisting of finely but strongly beaded spiral cords, intersecting less marked axial riblets. Periphery of basal disc crenulated due to a strongly marked spiral cord running at edge of disc. On last whorl, 13 spiral cords above selenizone, 4 spiral cords below, and 2 major cords in the selenizone itself. Slit short, about 1/7 th the circumference of last whorl, situated below midwhorl, and very narrow. Aperture rectangularly depressed. Basal disc rather flat, depressed in its center and sharply edged at its periphery, with a very wide (extending over 40% of base diameter) callus pad which is finely ridged radially. Inside aperture, inner slit lips only partially covered by nacre, leaving a V-shaped area uncovered (approximately 25% of surface of inner slit lip extremity in aperture uncovered by nacre, showing only porcellaneous layer). Nacre coverage thick, no surface sculpture showing through it. Background color yellowish beige, with some faint axial orange-red flammulations, not really arranged into a distinct checker-board pattern; basal disc of same colour, with some faint orange axial flammulation reaching only to basal disc edge. Operculum small, multispiral, circular, light yellowish. Measurements Maximum basal diameter (D) 46.75 mm, minimum diameter 43.9 mm. Height (H) 50.27 mm. H/D = 1.08. Length of slit at upper margin 26.7 mm, at lower margin 16.2 mm. Slit width: 1.6 mm; slit length: 1/6.51 th of circumference of last whorl. Weight of empty shell 26.3 g. Discussion One of the distinctive shell characters separating Perotrochus wareni sp. nov. from P. caledonicus is the well-marked beading on the teleoconch spiral cords, visible also on the earlier whorls, giving it at first glance its typical pustulose or granular appearance. The intensity of the beading varies between specimens, leading to “heavily beaded”/“very pustulose” specimens and to “weakly beaded” / “light pustulose” specimens, with all different intergrades. This variability may reflect environmental conditions, as the beading intensity is generally stable within one haul / lot and varies between hauls / lots. Leaving aside beading intensity, shell characters are quite stable in P. wareni sp. nov. The general profile of the teleoconch, the outline of the aperture, the selenizone and slit width, and the extension of the callus on the basal disc, all show consistent differences between P. wareni sp. nov., P. caledonicus and P. pseudogranulosus sp. nov. (Table 2). Perotrochus wareni sp. nov. also bears some resemblance to P. gotoi Anseeuw, 1990, and, in fact, a specimen of the granulated P. “ cfr. caledonicus ” ([i.e., P. wareni sp. nov.) had been used for comparison at the time of its original description (Anseeuw 1990). Perotrochus wareni sp. nov. can be separated from P. gotoi by its somewhat shorter slit length (1/6.51 th of basal diameter in wareni sp. nov. vs 1/6 th in gotoi), the larger number of spiral cords on adult specimens, the more irregularly banded checkerboard colour pattern in the area below the selenizone, the heavier and thicker shell (around 60–70% heavier at comparable shell sizes), the less extensive area uncovered by the nacreous layer inside the apertural inner slit lip extremities, and the umbilical callus occupying a much larger surface on the basal disc (45% in P. wareni sp. nov. vs 28% in P. gotoi). The two species, however, share (also with Mikadotrochus salmianus (Rolle, 1899) the nacreous coverage of the inner slit lips in the aperture, a feature that separates them from Perotrochus caledonicus s.s. and P. pseudogranulosus sp. nov. (Table 2, Figs 3–4, 7). Other features, like a deeper, more intense colour pattern on the teleoconch and basal disc, fine microgranulosity on the spiral cords, a thin, light shell, and a more lustrous shell surface, further separate Perotrochus pseudogranulosus sp. nov. from P. wareni sp. nov. (Table 2, Figs 3–6).

Murina lorelieae ngoclinhensis Tu and Hassanin, ssp. nov. Holotype MNHN 2013-1078 (Field number VN 1563, tissue code VN 11- 1220), adult male, in alcohol skull removed, collected 3 December 2011 by Alexandre Hassanin and Vuong Tan Tu. Mass: 5 g. Measurements (in mm) for the holotype are as follows: FA: 33.00; Tib: 19.00; Ear: 14.00; Tragus: 8.08; 3 DM: 30.19; 4 DM: 29.03; 5 DM: 29.07; 3D1P: 14.17; 3D2P: 12.81; 4D1P: 10.48; 4D2P: 9.04; 5D1P: 11.07; 5D2P: 10.80; GLS: 16.23; CIL: 14.57; ZB: 8.83; MB: 7.65; BBC: 7.40; POC: 4.30; IC: 5.20; CM 3: 5.34; M 2 M 2: 5.50; CC:3.87; ML: 10.84; CM 3: 5.64; HCP: 4.23. The sequence of the mitochondrial gene COI has been deposited in the EMBL / GenBank / DDBJ nucleotide databases with accession number KF772780. Type locality Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum province, Vietnam. 15°03.884 N, 107°49.888 E, elevation 1682 m a.s.l. Paratypes – IEBR-Tu281111.1 (Field number VN 1504 – tissue code VN 11-1161), Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum, Vietnam, 15°04.766 N; 107°49.833 E, elevation 1117 m a.s.l., adult female, in alcohol skull removed, collected 28 November 2011 by Alexandre Hassanin and Vuong Tan Tu, accession number of COI sequence: KF772779. – MNHN 2013-1079 (Field number VN1566, tissue code VN 11-1223), Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum, Vietnam, 15°03.884 N, 107°49.888 E, 1682 m a.s.l., adult female, in alcohol skull removed, collected 3 December 2011 by Alexandre Hassanin and Vuong Tan Tu, accession number of COI sequence: KF772781. Etymology The name “ ngoclinhensis ” is derived from the Mount Ngoc Linh of the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Kon Tum province, Vietnam, from which all specimens of this subspecies were collected. Diagnosis Murina lorelieae ngoclinhensis is externally similar to the typical form, M. l. lorelieae, but significantly larger in body size (Table 1). In addition, the skull shape of the new subspecies is elongate and gradually rises from the rostrum to the forehead (Figure 3), while that of the holotype is characterized by an abruptly rising profile. aThe tail of this specimen is unusually shorter due to either congenital or accidental reasons. Description This is a small bat species, generally similar to Murina lorelieae lorelieae (Table 1). The pelage is characterized by long shiny hairs (8 mm ventrally and 13–15 mm dorsally), with distinct colorations on dorsal and ventral surfaces, copper reddish-brown and dirty white, respectively. Dorsal hairs are tricolored: dark gray basally, pale in the middle and reddish brown at the tip. Ventral hairs are bicolored: dark gray in about two thirds of the length and whitish at the tip (Figure 5). The skull is domed. The lateral profile of the anterior part of the skull gradually rises from the rostrum to the forehead (Figure 3). The sagittal crest is lacking; the lambdoid crests are visible. The maxillary toothrows are convergent anteriorly (Figure 3). The dentition is quite robust. The second upper incisor (I 3) is situated posterior to the first (I 2), and I 2 is visible laterally. I 2 and I 3 are subequal in height (Figure 4) and are much less than half the height of the upper canine (C 1). Upper (C 1) and lower (C 1) canines are well developed, exceed the height and subequal the basal areas of the corresponding second premolar (P 4 and P 4). The crown area and the height of the first upper premolar (P 2) are two thirds more than those of P 4 (Figures 3 and 4). The first (M 1) and second (M 2) upper molars have well-developed mesostyles and curved labial (outer) faces (Figure 4). The paracone, metacone, and protocone of the first (M 1) and second (M 2) upper molars are distinctly defined., Published as part of Tu, Vuong Tan, Cornette, Raphaël, Utge, José & Hassanin, Alexandre, 2015, First records of Murina lorelieae (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Vietnam, pp. 201-213 in Mammalia (Warsaw, Poland) (Warsaw, Poland) 79 (2) on pages 209-210, DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2013-0101, http://zenodo.org/record/7837550

International audience; The paleolithic site at Roc-en-Pail was discovered by chance between 1870 and 1871, in the context of quarrying activities when Prehistoric Science was at its youth. Nevertheless the lithic industries were immediate linked to the Moustier type with reference to the pioneer work of É. Lartet and H. Christy. The site was only latter largely excavated by Dr Michel Gruet, in the 1940s and 1950s then in 1969. Excavations archives from Dr Gruet together with the large collection he recovered allowed us to emphasize the scientific value of the site and to design a new field project. We aim to establish the history of researches carried at the site and to draw a knowledge review as a starting point to renewed fieldwork. We will try to determine why this site is so weakly visible in the literature whereas a five meters thick sequence with rich faunal and lithic assemblages was described by Dr Gruet. We first emphasize the confusion occurring in the literature between the Roc-en-Pail paleolithic site itself and close paleontological sites, from karstic structures. Secondly, we discuss the presence of a rockshelter, now destroyed, at Roc-en-Pail as proposed by Dr Gruet. Finally, we propose a critical review of the stratigraphy based on the preliminary results from our 2014 to 2018 excavations to highlight the interest of the site for our knowledge of Middle Paleolithic period in Western-Central France.; Le site paléolithique de Roc-en-Pail a été découvert fortuitement entre 1870 et 1871, en marge de l’exploitation d’une carrière alors que la science préhistorique n’en est encore qu’à ses débuts. Néanmoins, dès sa découverte, les industries lithiques sont rapportées au type du Moustier, en référence aux travaux pionniers d’É. Lartet et H. Christy. Il faudra attendre les recherches du Dr Michel Gruet dans les années 1940-1950 puis en 1969, pour que de véritables fouilles soient entreprises sur le site. La documentation qu’il a laissée et l’imposante collection qu’il a recueillie nous ont permis de mesurer l’intérêt du site et de mettre en place un nouveau projet de recherches de terrain. Préalablement à ces nouvelles fouilles, l’objectif de cette contribution est de dresser l’historique des recherches et d’établir un état des connaissances. Nous tenterons de cerner les raisons pour lesquelles la visibilité de ce site dans la littérature est si faible alors que le Dr Gruet avait décrit une séquence de près de cinq mètres d’épaisseur riche en vestiges lithiques et fauniques. Nous mettrons d’abord en évidence les confusions faites jusqu’à présent dans la littérature entre les occupations paléolithiques de Roc-en-Pail et des sites paléontologiques à indices d’occupation en contexte karstique. Ensuite, nous discuterons l’existence à Roc-en-Pail d’un abri-sous-roche, désormais détruit ainsi que proposé par le Dr Gruet. Enfin, les résultats préliminaires des nouvelles fouilles nous amènent à réviser les interprétations du Dr Gruet quant à l’organisation des dépôts et à la séquence archéologique afin de souligner son potentiel pour la connaissance du Paléolithique moyen dans le centre-ouest de la France.