Sieving and washing of about 700 kg of sediment from the miocene site at Montpeyroux produced otoliths of 34 teleost species, of which four still occur in the present day fauna or are near to extant species. Among the fossil species, eight are new : Ilisha lerichei, «genus Clupeidarum ›› orbiculatus, Dipulus mediterraneus, Morone cornuta, Chanda nelsoni, Pomadasys steurbauti, «genus Sciaenidarum ›› barthassadensis and Paraplagusia roseni. The fauna found is typical for a tropical or subtropical very littoral, probably even estuarine environment; it was living in a period near the boundary between Lower and Middle Miocene, perhaps somewhat earlier. 

Study of pantolestid mammals from the late Ypresian locality of Prémontré (reference level MP 10) allows the recognition of three genera: Palaeosinopa. Pantolestes and Premontrelestes n. gen. Pantolestes, up to now only recorded from North America, is represented by P. sabatieri n. sp. Premontrelestes n. gen., represented by the type species P. duchaussoisi n. sp., is compared with Pantolestes and Buxolestes. The latter, known from middle Eocene sites in Europe, has not been recognized at Prémontré. Two other taxa, the first of which is close to Pantolestes and the second of Premontrelestes n. gen. are left in open nomenclature.    

Description, for the first time, of the skull of Ruscinomys Depéret on the basis of a nearly complete specimen, and description of a new facial part of a Megacricetodon Fahlbusch skull (material from upper Miocene, Spain). New description of the skull (facial part) of " Cricetodon" incertum Schlosser on the basis of the specimen from the Oligocene of Quercy phosphorites already published by S. Schaub.
Comparison of the skull of “ C. ” incertum with that of the asiatic genus Cricetops Matthew and Granger and that of the North-American Eumys Leidy. These three genera of similar age display very distinct characteristics; their common origin must go back to the Eocene, as Wood believed.
Comparisons of the auditory regions of Ruscínomys and of Megacricetodon where important differences are noted. Comparison of the Cricetodontines from European Miocene with contemporary Cricetines. Contrary of the opinion held by Schaub, their anatomical differences do not seem suflicient to warrant the contention that none of the Cricetines derive from a form close to one of the known Cricetodontines. 

The Montian locality of Hainin (Hainaut, Belgium) yielded about twenty teeth of Multituberculates. They are very peculiar forms, showing no affinities, at the generic level, with those hitherto known from North America, Asia and Europe. They are referred to the new taxa Boffius splendidus nov. gen., nov. sp., Hainina belgica nov. gen., nov. sp., and H. godfriauxi nov. gen., nov. sp. They expose some common features, such as the advanced type of first upper molar. possessing at least three complete rows of cusps. Because of this, and also of the upper premolar reduction, Boffius splendidus appears as the most specialized form within the Ptilodontoidea suborder.
Several other characters of Hainina seem to be less advanced, such as the great number of upper premolars and the simple cusp-formula of the first lower molar.
Till now, only H. godfriauxi has been recovered within the Thanetian fauna from Cemay-les-Reims, where it is very poorly documented. 

A critical review on the literature about the parataxonomy of amniote eggshells reasserts the great interest of this systematics tool for the progress of dinosaur eggshell paleontology. However, shedding light on its limits, we propose to give up the use of the basic types - morphotypes key system. 

The Laprade fauna is chronologically situated between those from Egerkingen and Lissieu and consequently, is close to the MP 14 reference-level of the European mammalian biochronological scale (Symposium of Mainz, 1987).
This new fauna is presently the oldest known in the Quercy phosphorites, formerly the Le Bretou fauna (MP 16) was considered as the oldest one. The Laprade fauna includes 21 species which belong in 7 mammalian orders (Marsupialia: Amphiperatherium bastbergense, Amphiperatherium goethei; Apatotheria: Heterohyus (Gervaisyus) pygmaeus nov. subgen., nov. sp.; Lipotyphla: Saturninia cf. mamertensis, Saturninia cf. intermedia; Chiroptera: Vespertiliavus lapradei nov. sp.; Rodentia: Protadelomys cf. lugdunensis, Elfomys nov. sp.; Primates: Nannopithex cf. filholi, cf. Pseudoloris or Pivetonia; Perissodactyla: ?Palaeotherium ?castrense, small-sized Palaeotherium sp., Plagiolophus sp., Anchilophus sp.; Artiodactyla: Dichobune cf. robertiana, Mouillacitherium cartieri, Tapirulus cf. depereti, Mixtotherium priscum, Pseudamphimeryx schlosseri, and Artiodactyla indet). Sixteen of these species are mentioned for the first time from the Quercy faunas.
The recognition of a new apatemyid, Heterohyus (Gervaisyus) pygmaeus nov. subgen., nov. sp., attests to an early origin of a lineage known in the Late Eocene. The emballonurid bat Vespertiliavus lapradei nov. sp. is presently the earliest record of this genus and family. This Auversian fauna leads to discuss the age of taxa showing archaic features. These taxa were defined on specimens collected in the Quercy during the last century and have never been found in the Quercy localities recently investigated. This fauna bears also evidence of a karstic filling episode older than those previously dated by fossils in the Quercy Jurassic. 

The wear facets of primitive rodents can be homologized with those of primitive primates and ungulates. As in primates, the jaw movement was ectental, with an increased anterior component in the lingual phase (phase ll). The buccal phase (phase I) in rodents approaches the horizontal and it tends to be reduced in importance in comparison with the lingual phase. ln more advanced rodents the efficiency of grinding is increased by the development of additional cutting edges of enamel (e.g. enlargement of hypocone, development of mesoloph and lingual sinus). The buccal phase movement becomes lined up with the lingual phase movement to form a single oblique chewing stroke,resulting in planation of the crown. As the stroke becomes more longitudinal (propalinal) the enamel edges become more transverse. In Muridae propalinal chewing evolved before the loss of cusps, facets were reorientated and additional cusps developed. 

The Tertiary of the Salla-Luribay basin consists of red beds affected by the second period of the andine compression, of Miocene ending age. The Tertiary layers are exposed at an approximate elevation of 3.500 to 4.000 meters. Two stratigraphic units can be distinguished in them: the Luribay conglomerates, in which vertical clifts result from erosion, and the Salla layers consisting mostly of consolidated clays. These clays are very fossiliferous and have furnished a rich vertebrate fauna which gave to R. Hoffstetter the possibility to establish the Oligocene age of these beds. Sediments of same age has been reported to be present in several other places of Bolivia, particularly near Lacayani, where have been collected highly hypsodont Rodents, different from those found in Salla-Luribay basin. 

The Caudata are known by two Salamandridae ; one of them is attributed to the genus Megalotriton. The Pelobatidae form the major part of the Anura ; a few bones indicate also the presence of Neobatrachia. 

Les Carnivores Fissipèdes de Sainte-Néboule appartiennent tous au genre Cynodictis et semblent constituer une population homogène. Celle-ci se distingue suffisamment des espèces déjà décrites pour constituer un taxon particulier : Cynodictis lacustris neboulensis n. s. sp. . L'étude des variations à l'intérieur de cette population nous a conduit à reconsidérer les critères utilisés pour définir les espèces existantes et à regrouper certaines d'entre elles. Il semble qu'il demeure cependant trois lignées distinctes dans le genre Cynodictis mais le matériel nous paraît encore insuffisant pour traduire cette remarque en termes de systématique. 

The classifications of the recent vespertilionine bats were made wihtout taking in account the teeth morphology; this resulted in a reduction of the possibilities of comparison with the available fossils. The generalized use of dental formulae was abusive: this contributed to the admission of artificial genera. These conditions have long delayed the consideration of characters able to frame the phylogeny of the sub-family. In the first part of the study, the teeth morphologies are described and analysed. morphological reference types are established for each upper and lower tooth: they should make an easier elaboration of criteria for the differentiation at generic level. The position of the species in view of these criteria allows one to group them into homogeneous genera, and to appreciate the degree of relationship that the latter have between them. The second part of the study (next publicationà will develop inferences dealing with systematics and phylogeny 

The middle Palaeocene of São José de Itaboraí (State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has yielded a very rich and diverse snake fauna which includes Madtsoiidae, Aniliidae s.l., Boidae, Tropidophiidae s.l., Booidea incertae sedis, and Russellophiidae. The present article (part I) deals with Madtsoiidae and Aniliidae s.l. Madtsoiidae are represented by many vertebrae and a few skull bones. They comprise one new species assigned to the genus Madtsoia (M. camposi sp. nov.). However, the definition of the genus Madtsoia is unsatisfactory and the generic allocation might be provisional. A few elements, vertebrae only, belong to the Aniliidae s. l. Two taxa are referred to this latter group: Coniophis cf. C. precedens and Hoffstetterella brasiliensis gen. et sp. nov. The forthcoming part II will deal with Boidae.

  

An upper giraffid premolar without any indication about its origin is preserved at the Montpellier University among numerous fossils from the ruscinian formation of Montpellier. It can be related to Samotherium, of the Upper Miocene in Eastern Europe, North Africa and Asia, or more probably to Bramatherium  or Hydaspitherium of the Pliocene of South East Asia. The sedimentological study of the matrix shows a calcareous background, which may indicate that this tooth does not come from the Montpellier formation. 

The description of new material of the Upper Eoœne of France, Southem Germany and Spain together with the restudy of the material described by Thaler (1966b) as Pairomys allows to confirm the validity of the genus Ectropomys up to know controversally discussed. As a consequence the subfamily Remyinae and Oltinomyinae can be defined precisely. The study of the dental characters shows that the Remyinae in fact belong to the Theridomyidae and represent a derived evolutionary unit within this family. The Oltinomyinae together with the Theridomyinae and Issiodoromyinae very probably form a monophyletic unit. 

The few remains recently collected at Ste Néboule (upper Eocene) belong to three genera: the Testudinid Ergilemys, of which it is the oldest occurence in Western Europa, probably Palaeochelys and an unpublished genus, which is peculiar to the Phosphorites du Quercy. Some statements are made on the chelonian fauna as a whole in that région. After the study of some characters proper to the genus Ergilemys, some remarks are made concerning its antecedents and descendants. 

The status of the giant bird taxa Liornis floweri and Callornis giganteus from the Santa Cruz Formation (late Early Miocene) of Patagonia, first described by Ameghino (1895) is reassessed on the basis of a re-examination of the type material at the Natural History Museum, London. Liornis floweri, which lacks a Pons supratendineus on the tibiotarsus and has an unbifurcated Canalis interosseus distalis on the tarsometatarsus, is clearly a brontornithid and is considered as a junior synonym of Brontornis burmeisteri. Ameghino’s replacement of Callornis by Eucallornis is unjustified. Callornis giganteus is a chimera based on a phorusrhacid tarsometatarsus (probably belonging to Phorusrhacos longissimus) and a brontornithid tibiotarsus. The latter can be considered as the lectotype of Callornis giganteus, which may represent a small morph of Brontornis burmeisteri or a distinct taxon. It is referred to here as Brontornithidae indet. The tarsometatarsus described by Dolgopol de Saez (1927a,b) as Liornis minor and considered by her as a gracile brontornithid apparently has a bifurcated Canalis interosseus distalis and should therefore be placed among the Phorusrhacidae. 

In 2002, Antunes & Cappetta published several new taxa (genera and species) in a paper on Cretaceous elasmobranch faunas from Angola. One of the new genera was named Angolaia (Rajiformes, Hypsobatidae; type-species: Angolaia benguelaensis Antunes & Cappetta, 2002, Late Campanian/Early Maastrichtian of Angola). Recently, Dr. Christian Kammerer kindly informed us that the genus Angolaia was preoccupied by a cicadellid homoptere (Insecta), published by Linnavuori & Al-Ne'amy, 1983. So, according to mIes of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999, articles 52, 60) this name became unavailable. Consequently, the Rajiformes genus Angolaia is a junior homonym, invalid and must be rejected. In replacement, we propose the new name Angolabatis. 

A general view is given of the vertebrate faunas, Cretaceous to Quaternary of age, found in Columbia and of their principal characteristics. This view leads to the discussion of the isolation of the South American continent and of the role played by the Bolivar syncline with respect to North American immigrants during the Oligocene. The absence of marine deposits of Oligocene age in the north and northwest of Columbia suggests the possibility of a communication with Central America. This communication would have permitted the passage of hystricomorph rodents, of platyrrhine monkeys, and of colubrids. The non-occupation, until then, of the ecologie niches of these groups would have favored their installation beside the indigenous fauna. In this hypothesis it would no longer be necessary to admit that these vertebrates arrived as «island hoppers ››. The eco-biologic conditions would explain the absence of large-sized forms of North American origin. 

A skull of Parabos cordieri, undamaged by fossilisation, allows us to make an endocranial cast, which is compared to those of Bos taurus, Boselaphus tragocamelus and Hippotragus equinus. These are studied by general form (shape, volume, « rolling-up›› and inclination), and by detailed morphology (gyri and sulci patterns, rete mirabile, importance of rhinencephalon and cerebellum).
A preliminary study is made in order to recognize convolution topography, gyri, sulci, and the various encephalic regions as clearly on an endocranial cast as on a bare encephalon; an intermediate stage is the study of an encephalon covered with «soft» meninges.
The comparative study reveals great similarity between the endocranial cast of Parabos cordieri and that of Boselaphus tragocamelus, both belonging to the tribe Boselaphini. On the other hand, a marked differences separates the cast of Parabos cordieri from that of Bos taurus, representing the tribe Bovini to which Parabos cordieri had been referred. The endocranial cast of Hippotragus equinus, which had long been considered the descendant of Parabos cordieri, is also quite different from that of Parabos. 

On the Track of Ice Age Mammals justifie pleinement son titre car l'auteur, Anthony J. Sutcliffe, apporte au lecteur faits et interprétations qui l'amèneront à s'intéresser encore plus au passé récent et à l'avenir de son environnement et à la question de l'impact de l'homme sur la nature. Après les chapitres qui présentent les temps glaciaires et les divers témoignages qui nous en sont parvenus, les cinquième et sixième apportent les informations nécessaires à la compréhension des résultats que nous donnent les chercheurs: principes, moyens d'étude et limites des méthodes, difficultés de l'intégration des données dans un cadre stratigraphique, variabilité des signaux climatiques, variabilité de leur intensité selon l'endroit par rapport au centre de la glaciation, complications liées à la qualité inégale de l'enregistrement géologique, en mer et sur le continent.