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The Suidae from the late Miocene of Alsótelekes (northeastern Hungary, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county) are described and assigned to Propotamochoerus palaeochoerus (Suinae) and cf. Parachleuastochoerus (Tetraconodontinae). The co-occurrence of these two taxa agrees with a reference to the early Vallesian (MN 9), as previously indicated from biochronological correlation of the small mammal fauna, and suggests the presence of woodland environments, with abundance of below-ground resources and direct access to water. This fits well with the diverse wetlands and riparian forests that characterized Lake Pannon ∼10 Ma, as documented in the geographically close site of Rudabánya. The convoluted taxonomy of European Tetraconodontinae is discussed.

Marine Piacenzian deposits are extremely rare in the eastern Mediterranean region, resulting in a stratigraphic gap in our knowledge of the late Pliocene evolution of the marine ecosystem and its fauna. Fish assemblages moreover are scant throughout the Pliocene. We present here the teleost fish fauna of the Piacenzian Polis basin (SW Cyprus) based on otolith assemblages, and we use them to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. Twenty-six teleost fish taxa are identified, placed under sixteen genera and five families. Planktonic foraminifera biostratigraphy places the studied outcrop within the subzones MPL4a and MPL5a (early–middle Piacenzian). Four species and two genera of fish are reported for the first time in the Piacenzian of the Mediterranean. The studied otolith assemblage from Androlykou section consists of very shallow-water fish mixed with mesopelagic taxa indicating topographical steepness with easy access to the open ocean. In addition, the fish assemblages mainly include representatives of subtropical taxa suggesting a climate warmer than today. These data provide new information on the composition of the ichthyofauna of the eastern Mediterranean during the Piacenzian, paving the way for new studies in the Cyprus area.

The Maghreb’s Mediterranean coastal edge is home to many peatlands with boreal floristic affinities and high conservation value. This work aims at investigating the Holocene developmental history of these wetlands in Northern Morocco, based on pollen record, loss-on-ignition and radiocarbon dating. First, the comparison between modern pollen spectra and present-day hydrophytic vegetation makes it possible to identify the local pollen signal. Second, while peatlands have existed in the Rif for at least 13,000 years, their initiation mostly by paludification extends throughout the Holocene. Their plant composition remains relatively unchanged for millennia, but swamp undergrowth could locally experience changes in taxa dominance. Mid- to late-Holocene sedimentation changes appear to result from the human-induced regional decline of cedar. The major changes experienced by wetlands occurred recently, due to clearing, burning and overgrazing. Effective conservation policies should be urgently implemented in order to save the last relict peatlands of Northern Morocco.

The age and homogeneity of the Khaprovskii Faunal Complex have been a matter of debate for a long time. This works provides the most complete information (photographs and numerical data) ever published on the equid remains of this Complex. Evidence is given for the presence of no less than three, possibly six taxa of Equids. Most fossils are referred to Equus (Allohippus) aff. major and to Equus (Allohippus) livenzovensis, both redefined on the basis of correlations between cranial and metapodial dimensions. Comparisons with Chinese fossils bring evidence for their age approximating 2.5 Ma. A third very large species is represented by a few teeth and metapodials which may have been intrusive. It is referred to E. (Sussemionus) aff. verae because of similarities with the NE Siberian species believed to be about 1 myr old. Accumulation of fossils during a long period is probably responsible for the large intraspecific variation observed in E. (A.) major and E. (A.) livenzovensis and for the occurrence of several other equid forms. Possible intrusions may also explain the abnormal number of observed taxa. Resemblances with Chinese and NE Siberian fossils indicate Asian influences on the composition of the Khaprovskii Faunal Complex.

The bivalve fauna from the Sandbian Letná Formation of the Prague Basin includes ten species: Praenucula bohemica, Myoplusia cf. incisa, Synek sp., Pseudarca? incola, Cuneamya catilloides, Modiolopsis draboviensis, Macrodesma flexa, Ectenocardiomorpha veterana, Whiteavesia antiquior, and Myodakryotus patricia. Modiolopsis, often used as a “cumulative” name for pteriomorphids from the Late Ordovician, is recorded from the Letná Formation, including only one species. Species palaeoecology is analysed and briefly discussed. Although the infaunal and semi-infaunal elements still prevail, the epifaunal bivalves are also significantly represented. The Sandbian bivalve fauna of the Barrandian area comes from high latitudes of the Southern hemisphere. Pteriomorphids are dominant, but heteroconchs and protobranchs belong also to important elements in the bivalve association from the Letná Formation. From coarse quartzose sandstones of the Letná Formation the Modiolopsis draboviensis Association of the Modiolopsis Community is established. The composition of the Late Ordovician bivalve fauna from the different areas and sedimentological environments are compared and discussed. There is a clear trend toward rapid diversification of pteriomorphids and epifaunal bivalves in all palaeocontinents. Bivalves from the Letná Formation of the Barrandian area show affinities to the Sandbian bivalve faunas from Avalonia, Laurentia and Morocco.

The Aurora Subglacial Basin (ASB) catchment contains 3–5 m of sea-level equivalent ice volume that drains to the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica via the Totten Glacier system. Observed thinning and retreat of Totten Glacier indicate regional sensitivity to oceanographic and atmospheric warming. Paleoclimate studies of climatically sensitive catchments are required to understand the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and its outlet glacier systems. Recent seismic and sediment studies from the Sabrina Coast document the evolution of the EAIS in the ASB catchment, suggesting that the region has long been sensitive to climatic changes. This study presents new palynological and biomarker data from Sabrina Coast continental shelf sediments. Detailed palynological records were obtained from four short jumbo piston cores (JPC; NBP14-02 JPC-30, -31, -54 and -55), enabling reconstructions of regional vegetation and environments prior to and during Cenozoic EAIS development. The Sabrina Flora is dominated by angiosperms, with Gambierina spp. often exceeding 40% of the assemblage, and diverse Proteaceae, Battenipollis spp., Forcipites spp., Nothofagidites spp., fern, and conifer palynomorphs indicative of an open shrubby ecosystem. Excellent preservation and frequent occurrence of Gambierina spp. clusters suggest that a majority of the Sabrina Flora assemblage is penecontemporaneous with sedimentation; however, some uncertainties remain whether this sedimentation occurred in the Late Cretaceous or the Paleogene. Despite that uncertainty, high abundances of Gambierina spp. and Battenipollis spp., in combination with relatively low (<10%) Nothofagidites spp. abundances indicate that the Sabrina Flora is unique in Antarctica. Evaluation of biomarkers finds evidence for penecontemporaneous and reworked components. The penecontemporaneous C₃₀ n-alkanoic acids have δ¹³C values of −30.2 ± 0.5‰, consistent with δ¹³C values in an open canopy woodland or shrubby open vegetation. Their hydrogen isotope (δD) values of −215 ± 4.5‰, indicate precipitation isotopic composition (δD_precip) of −130‰, similar to coastal snow in the same region today. Together, Sabrina Flora palynomorph and plant wax data suggest a drier, more open coastal vegetation in the Aurora Basin of East Antarctica rather than the closed rainforest vegetation often described from other parts of Antarctica for the Cretaceous to Paleogene. To directly compare records from the circum-Antarctic, additional long sedimentary records with improved biostratigraphic constraints are required. Such records will enable identification of regional climate gradients or micro-climates, and allow assessment of the environmental conditions and mechanisms driving obser