Boev Z. & Spassov N. 2009. — First record of ostriches (Aves, Struthioniformes, Struthionidae) from the late Miocene of Bulgaria with taxonomic and zoogeographic discussion. Geodiversitas 31 (3): 493-507.

We describe two new fossils, the distal end of a right tarsometatarsus and a proximal pedal phalanx of the left third toe, from two sites in southwestern Bulgaria: Kalimantsi (middle Turolian) and Hadzhidimovo-2 (MN 11/12 boundary). These specimens are compared to Neogene-Quaternary ostriches, and are referred to Struthio cf. karatheodoris. A general overview of Neogene-Quaternary ostrich specimens, a taxonomic discussion of late Miocene Eurasian struthionid taxa, and the ecological and Zoogeographic implications of the new specimens are presented.

Breton G. 2009. — Description of Priscinachus elongatus n. gen., n. sp., and Priscinachidae n. fam. for the earliest spider crab (Crustacea, Decapoda, Majoidea), from the French Cretaceous (Cenomanian). Geodiversitas 31 (3) : 509-523.

Priscinachus elongatus n. gen., n. sp., is based on four specimens from two lower Cenomanian exposures, separated by 85 km in the western Paris Basin. It is the earliest known spider crab, the Majoidea being previously known only from the lower Eocene. Priscinachus elongatus n. gen., n. sp. deserves its own family, the Priscinachidae n. fam., within the Majoidea Samouelle, 1818, due to the original combination of characters which is not found within any other majoid family. In both exposures, the fossils are preserved in a hard-ground, deposited in a shallow but open sea, in a transgressive context. Decapod fossils have been transported and often broken before deposition.

Godefroit P., Codrea V. & Weishampel D. B. 2009. — Osteology of Zalmoxes shqiperorum (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda), based on new specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of Năălaţţ-Vad (Romania). Geodiversitas 31 (3) : 525-553.

Năălaţţ-Vad is a new fossil locality discovered in 2002 in the Săănpetru Formation (Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous) of the Haţţeg Basin (Transylvania, Romania). This site has, among others, yielded the most complete skeleton that can be referred to the ornithopods dinosaur Zalmoxes shqiperorum Weishampel, Jianu, Cziki & Norman, 2003, but also isolated elements belonging to both juveniles and adult individuals. This material provides new information about the anatomy of Z. shqiperorum, and about the inter- and intraspecific variability within Zalmoxes. Zalmoxes robustus (Nopsca, 1902) and Z. shqiperorum were apparently sympatric species in Transylvania by latest Cretaceous time. The co-existence in the same locality of two closely-related species is not an isolated case among ornithopod dinosaurs.

Hara U. & Taylor P. D. 2009. — Cyclostome bryozoans from the Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) of Poland. Geodiversitas 31 (3) : 555-575.

Few bryozoans have been described from Kimmeridgian deposits worldwide. A fauna of cyclostome bryozoans is described here for the first time from two localities in the Lower Kimmeridgian of the Holy Cross Mountains of Poland. Containing eight species, all encrusting, it represents the most diverse Kimmeridgian bryozoan fauna yet discovered. Two of the species are new, Reptoclausa radwanskii n. sp. and Hyporosopora radomensis n. sp. The record of Reptoclausa helps to bridge the gap between Aalenian and Hauterivian occurrences of this genus.

Middle Miocene Benthic Foraminifera from the Faluns of Blésois (Loir-et-Cher) and of Mirebeau (Vienne) in the Center-West of France.

The “Faluns du Blésois” (Loir-et-Cher) and “Falun de Mirebeau” (Vienne), in Central-Western France, constitute the easternmost deposits of Mid-Miocene age due to the transgression of Atlantic waters. Benthic Foraminifera are diversified and very well preserved. The unilocular hyaline species are particularly abundant and diverse. One hundred eighty six species are listed and among which eight are new: Fissuripolymorphina plana n. sp., Lagenosolenia acarinata n. sp., Palliolatella robusta n. sp., Seguenzaella miocenica n. sp., Buliminella arcuata n. sp., Bisaccioides tonnetoi n. sp., Parrellina notonieri n. sp., Falsobolivina lobata n. sp. Three of those species are assigned to the new genera: Seguenzaella n. gen. and Falsobolivina n. gen. Two stratigraphic units are distinguished in the “Faluns”, each characterized by its sedimentary facies and its taxon association. All listed species occurs in the basal unit (fine sand), but diversify and abundance vary in according to grain-size. The taxonomic richness is impoverished in the coarser interbeded sands. As a consequence, only a few large-sized species occur in the upper unity on account of the coarse granulometry and strong hydrodynamism. Some species are common to Central and Western Tethyan Basin, but affinities with the diversity of the Aquitaine basin is much higher. The microfauna of the Blésois and Mirebeau Faluns announce the species diversity found in the Pliocene of the North Western France, with the survival of many taxa.

Three new palaeoniscoid fishes (Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii), representing two new genera, Lineagruan judithi n. gen., n. sp., L. snowyi n. gen., n. sp., Beagiascus pulcherrimus n. gen., n. sp., are described from the Bear Gulch Limestone Member of the Heath Formation (Serpukhovian) of Montana, a 318 million year old lagerstätte. Morphological, morphometric, and meristic data were analyzed and compared to data for other Paleozoic actinopterygians. Differences among the species were noted in character complexes that may have played a role in feeding or propulsive regimes and fine-scale niche partitioning. A matrix of 111 characters and 40 taxa was constructed using relatively complete taxa ranging from the Devonian to the Recent. Cladistic analysis using Hennig86 and Winclada resulted in two trees. Branch-and-bound treatment generated one tree, in which the palaeoniscoids were paraphyletic. In all instances, the relationships of the three new species were consistent. It is noted that a number of the palaeoniscoid clades proposed by the current cladistic analysis have also been generated in earlier analyses of Bear Gulch fishes and other independent analyses. This recurring pattern implies some robustness to these associations in spite of variations between the matrices generating them.

The cardiids Acanthocardia echinata (Linnaeus, 1758), A. deshayesii (Payraudeau, 1826) and A. lunulata (Seguenza, 1879) co-occur in the Mediterranean Pleistocene and are closely similar to each other, even partially overlapping in shell morphology. Of these, only A. echinata is fairly well known. Acanthocardia deshayesii has been considered a subspecies or even a synonym of A. echinata, whereas A. lunulata, only known from the original description, has been confused with A. deshayesii. The univariate and multivariate morphometric analysis on six shell characters substantiates the distinct taxonomic status of the three species. Acanthocardia mucronata (Poli, 1791), Cardium duregnei Monterosato, 1891 and C. bullatum Locard, 1892 are considered synonyms of A. echinata. Cardium propexum Monterosato, 1891 is proved to be a synonym of A. lunulata, an extinct species probably endemic to the Mediterranean, like A. deshayesii.