Amongst a collection of selachian teeth made at Hoegaarden in a marine level of Bruxellian (Lutetian) age, containing a reworked Landenian (Sparnacian) fauna mixed with a contemporaneous one, a few teeth of  terrestrial mammals have been discovered. They comprise two rare European taxa: ? Hallensia sp. and Palaeonictis gigantea, both known from the Landenian. Even though the ?Hallensia has not been definitely identified, il differs from the only perissodactyl of this age previously recorded from Belgium (Cymbalophus cuniculus). 

The utilization of screen-washing and attack by dilute acetic acid has permitted the collecting, in the Miocene of the department of Hérault (France), of a very rich ichthyofauna. This fauna is presently comprised of about 60 studied species, of which 11 are new, and represents, in the present state of knowledge, the most varied Miocene selachian fauna described in the world.
The abondance of material has allowed an overall revision to be made; it has thus been possible to complete the description and the figuration of species that were poorly known until now, and to synonymize species that were established on simple morphotypes. Paleo-ecologic study of the ichthyofauna has permitted conclusions to be drawn relative to climate and bathymetry; it was thus possible to show that the Miocene fauna of Hérault was a fauna of a subtropical sea, essentially neritic with rare pelagic contributions.
Knowing the stratigraphic position of the localities, it has been possible to distinguish three faunal assemblages based on associations of species. Some hypotheses on the evolution of certain lineages have been expressed.
The comparison of this fauna with that of other regions permitted the relationships of two diflerent faunal provinces to be specified: the first belongs to the northern domain, characterized by a fauna still subtropical but with numerous temperate water elements; the leoond belongs to the Mesogean domain characterized by warm water forms. It has also lhovm that contemporary faunas could be very different according to the bathymetric zone in which they lived, which furnishes valuable information for the paleogeographic reconstruction of sedimentary basins.
  

The locality of Fons 1, one of the fossiliferous outcrops in the late Eocene limestones of Fons-outre-Gardon (Gard), has yielded varied remains of mammals. The specimens were prepared by dilute acetic acid attack on the rock and by impregnation with an acrylic resin.
This fauna, rich with about 20 species, can be included in the biochronologic zone of Euzet. The Palaeotheridae (sensu Simpson 1945), represented by 6 species, occupy a predominant place; Plagiolophus annectens is particularly abundant, comprising 55% of all the specimens found.
The abundance of this species has permitted a detailed comparative study with the corresponding form from Euzet. The quantitative tests brought out a slight but highly sígnificant difference between the average dimensions of the teeth in the two populations. Moreover and in spite of the feeble rate of evolution in the Plagialophus dentition, diverse archaic particularities can be seen which permit the conclusion that the form from Fons 1 is a little the older. This conclusion is corroborated by observations on the other palaeotherids, particularly Lophiotherium aff. cervulum, whose dental evolutionary stage is intermediate between those of the corresponding forms known from Robiac and Euzet.
A new species of Pachynolophus is described, P. garimondi n.sp., the last representative known of the genus. lts teeth are distinguished by their size, a great heterodonty, and the weakness
of their cingula. 

The eggshell of Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius nicobariensis) is described for the first time. Its egg porosity is calculated and discussed with data from several taxa (another megapode, some extant and fossil reptiles including a titanosaur group) in order to compare incubation types with eggshell structure. Eggshell microstructure reflects first phylogenetic traits and does not seem to have developed major adaptative features due to the incubation conditions, except for the pore canals. 

La poche de Ste-Néboule, commune de Béduer (Lot), 15 km environ à l'WSW de Figeac, fait partie du groupe le plus septentrional des gouffres creusés par les ruissellements du Paléogène dans les calcaires jurassiques de la bordure sud-ouest du Massif Central et qui furent comblés à la même époque par des argiles sidérolithiques accompagnées de phosphate de chaux concrétionné ainsi que des restes de la célèbre faune dite «des phosphorites du Quercy» . 

Seventeen species of cricetid rodent are recognized and described from lower and middle Siwalik deposits in the Potwar Plateau of Pakistan. These species are grouped in three categories, characterized as subfamilies (e. g., Megacricetodontinae, Myocricetodontinae, and Dendromurinae); an additional and more abundant category of rodents from these deposits, the Democricetodontinae, is excluded from this study, and will be described in a later study. Fifteen of the species are new, and four new genera are described. The Siwalik cricetid taxa are : Megacricetodon aquilari, n. sp.; Megacricetodon sivalensis, n. sp.; Megacricetodon daamsi, n. sp.; Megacricetodon mythikos, n. sp.; Punjabemys downsi, n. gen. & n. sp.; Punjabemys leptos, n. gen. & n. sp.; Punjabemys mikros, n. gen. & n. sp.; Myocricetodon sivalensis, n. sp.;  Myocricetodon sp.; Dakkamyoides lavocati, n. gen. & n. sp.; Dakkamyoides perplexus, n. gen. & n. sp.; Dakkamys asiaticus, n. sp.; Dakkamys barryi, n. sp.; Dakkamys sp.; Paradakkamys chinjiensis, n. gen. & n. sp.; Potwarmus primitivus, n. gen.; and Potwarmus minimus, n. gen. & n. sp. This diverse record of middle Miocene small mammals illuminates a profound radiation of cricetid rodents in southem Asia, the effects of which were felt in Europe and Africa as well as the rest of Asia. 

A classification should be both usable and useful,not too complex either in the amount of splitting or in the number of hierarchies involved, and not so simple as to give a false assurance of knowledge of relationships. Classifications are only possible because we do not have complete knowledge of the evolution of the organisms concerned because gaps in the record are necessary to allow the separation of the various taxa. Rodent classification is complicated by the large number of organisms involved and by the geat amount of parallelism that has taken place in the evolution of any and all features. If several independent features are characteristic of a certain taxon, should an effort be made to define the group on the basis of all the features, or should only one be selected as the determinant ? Unless the evolution of the several features was closely linked, the former solution will sooner or later lead to insurmountable problems. 

The genus Microstonyx was found only in the north eastern part of Spain : M. antiquus, referable to the
Eppelsheim type, from the pyrenean basins ; M. antiquus, more progresive, from the Vallès Basin : M. major-erymanthius group, from the Teruel-Ademuz Area and from Pieru (Penedès Basin).

  

    Two families are reviewed (Hyracodontidae and Rhinocerotidae) from the Paleogene of Mongolia. The following taxa are described from the former family:  Triplopus? mergenensis sp. nov., Prohyracodon meridionale CHOW, Prohyracodon? parvus sp. nov., Forstercooperia ergiliinensis GABUNIA & DASHZEVEG, Ardynia praecox MATTHEW & GRANGER, A. mongoliensis (BELIAYEVA), Ardynia sp., Urtinotheríum sp. (or Indricotherium) and Armania asiana GABUNIA & DASHZEVEG. All of them are from the Paleogene of the eastem Gobi Desert The hyracodontid Pataecops parvus RADINSKY is described from a new locality, Menkhen-Teg (Middle Eocene), in the Valley of Lakes.
    In the second family, a new species of Ronzotherium, R. orientale sp. nov. has been recognized from the Oligocene of Ergilin Dzo and Khoer Dzan of the eastem Gobi Desert. Ronzotherium sp. and Allacerops sp. have been described from the Oligocene of Khoer Dzan. The genus Ronzotherium, formerly known from the Oligocene of eastem Europe, has been reliably established in the Oligocene fauna of Mongolia. The genus Symphysorrachis BELIAYEVA, 1954, previously believed to be a junior synonym of Ronzotherium, is here resurrected.
    Descriptions are provided for key localities in the Eocene and Oligocene of Mongolia and the adjacent territories of northern China, containing fossil Hyracodontidae and Rhinocerotidae. In addition, the question of the Eocene-Oligocene boundary in these Mongolian and Chinese sections is discussed. Paleontological evidence has been used to correlate Eocene-Oligocene boundary layers in the eastem Gobi Desert (Mongolia) and Inner Mongolia (China). A brief discussion is provided on the phylogenetic affinities of the genera within the family Hyracodontidae. 

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 Middle Eocene Fossillägerstätte of the Geiseltal lignite beds near Halle/S. (German Democratic Republic) is the reference locality of the European land mammal age Geiseltalian and of the Mammalian Paleogene reference levels MP 11 - MP 13. Due to this importance a reinvestigation is given of the lithostratigraphical development of the Geiseltal beds and of their vertebrate sites. The last are genetically related to the southwest border of the Geiseltal depression and the influx of carbonate-rich waters. The geographical distribution and stratigraphical position of the fossiliferous sites depends on subrosive and tectonically controlled distribution of coal seams. The geological factors and the known stratigraphical guide of some mammalian species suggest corrections of the age of some sites. Four of the alltogether five coal bearing phases contain the 35 sites with mammalian remains. By the distribution of the around 69 mammal species are characterized, with 5 faunal steps ranging from MP 11 to MP 14 or over the Geiseltalian up to the Lower Robiacian. Well distant are the faunas of MP 11 and MP 12. Beginning with MP 12 up to MP 13/14, the fossil record is very frequent by 27 sites. This evidence coincides somewhat more with the concept of land mammal ages compared to that of the punctual mammalian reference levels. 

Avant propos au "Premier catalogue des specimens-types Paléontologiques déposés dans les collections de l'Université de Montpellier II". 

The Paleogene faunal assemblage from Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca, Argentina), is here presented, both in its geological and systematic aspects. The fossil bearing levels are referred to the Geste Formation (Pastos Grandes "Group"). The described specimens belong to the Classes Reptilia (Orders Crocodylia, Serpentes and Chelonii) and Mammalia (three taxa from the Superorder Marsupialia, representatives of the Orders Edentata, Condylarthra, Pyrotheria and Astrapotheria, and six families of the Order Notoungulata). This fauna is referred to the Mustersan Age, which in Patagonia represents the Middle Eocene. Such chronologic assignment is based on the presence of characteristic taxa, their evolutionary stage and on stratigraphic evidence. Finally, a brief comparison with other faunal assemblages from the Early Tertiary of Argentina and Chile, is presented. 

Revision of the Tayassuidae from the old collections of the Quercy leads to interesting facts about taxonomic and phylogenetic problems. It could not have been well done without constant comparison with contemporaneous Tayassuidae from stratified series, as well as with European Miocene Tayassuidae and Hyotheriinae. The result is that only three species are present in the Phosphorites of Quercy: Doliochoerus quercyi FiLHOL (represented by two sub-species: the older, D. quercyi quercyi and the more recent, D. quercyi aquensis), Palaeochoerus gergorianus CROIZET et BLAINVILLE and Palaeochoerus purillus nov. sp. The two former species disappeared with Stampian time, while the third is the direct ancestor of the Aquitanian Palaeochoerus typus POMEL, which became extinct before the beginning of Burdigalian.

The comparison with Hyotheriinae brought to light new criteria for determinations, based on the study of lower premolars. These observations are condensed in a table of keys for determinations.

As a result of these studies, it came to light that the Suoidea of the Oligo-Miocene of Europe have never given rise to, except in rare cases, very long lineages. The different forms of pigs are replaced constantly in Europe by the simple game of extinctions and migrations. The reason of that discontinuity is considered here. 

An increasing fossil record of dinosaur eggs and eggshells allows putting ootaxa within a chronostratigraphic framework, in order to study their distribution pattern leading eventually to their use as biochronological markers. For these purposes, high-quality data exists in four major regions; North America, South America, Europe and Asia (Central Asia and India). Most of the highly diverse dinosaur egg record has been dated as Latest Cretaceous in age (Campanian-Maastrichtian), reaching the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary closer than the dinosaur bone record. However, dating continental sections is problematic and need to be carefully verified, as it appears when comparing the European dinosaur eggshell record from two well-studied areas. Ootaxa distribution in both sides of the Pyrenees (Tremp and Aix basins) shows comparable oospecies successions, but different chronology. This disagreement probably indicates that one or both successions have a wrong chronostratigraphic calibration.  

Abstract not available 

The subfamilies Murinae and "Dendromurinae" both include 4 species at Chorora. Among the former, while Preacomys nov. gen. seems to be a forerunner of Acomys, the affinities of the remaining, poorly known taxa, are more difficult to evaluate. The bulk of the fauna, remarkably, consists of Dendromurines. Their similarities with those of Ngorora tends to pull the site back in time, but the large size and diversity of Murines fit better an age more recent than the very beginning of the Late Miocene.

  

The Condylarths from Hainin (Hainault, Belgium) show no affinity at the generic level to those known in other Paleocene localities of Europe and North America ; they are described as new forms : Monshyus praevius n. gen., n. sp. and Prolatidens waudruae n. gen., n. sp. Monshyus praevius, discovered in only one of the levels in the excavation at Hainin, is similar to the genera Microhyus TEILHARD and Louisina RUSSELL ; with them it is included in the subfamily Louisininae (Hyopsodontidae). With respect to Microhyus and Louisina, Monshyus is distinguished by the precociously modern aspect of its upper molars, the only teeth that are referable. Prolatidens waudruae, known only by lower molars, was found in several levels in the pit at Hainin. It is an arctocyonid presenting possible relationships to the North American form Oxyprimus galadrielae ; it therefore has been provisionally attributed to the subfamily Oxyclaeninae. If this attribution is confirmed, this species will constitute the first and only representative of the group in Europe. 

The scientific career of D.E. Russell began with a Pliocene fauna from Oregon, and then turned in the direction of European Paleogene mammals. Field work followed by study of the mammals that were collected, firstly in the Paleocene and later in the early Eocene, greatly rejuvenated learning in this field. Syntheses on the Northwest European Tertiary basin and on European marnmals and stratigraphy came next. Research on the Eocene of Asia was carried out jointly with Gingerich on Pakistan and with Dashzeveg on the faunas of Mongolia. An important synthesis on the entire Paleogene of Asia, joint with Zhai, followed. Field work in Africa with Sigogneau-Russell led to the discovery of Mesozoic mammals there. A synthesis of mammalian paleofaunas of the world was written with Savage, and a similar synthesis of Cenozoic vertebrate faunas is currently being prepared. These achievements reflect the perennial importance of field work, numerous collaborations with both amateurs and professionals, and the human qualities of this author.
  

The Tafna Basin corresponds to the lowlands, which are located in front of Tessala and Traras ranges, below the Tlemcen mountains, Algeria. This basin displays a complete sedimentary cycle dominated by lagoonal-fluvial and marine deposits. The continental formations located at the base of these deposits are mainly composed of alternating sandstones and clays. An early late Miocene age has been previously attributed to them, based on direct correlations with marine deposits. Search for micromammal fossils led to the discovery of three different rodent species from a single level of the Djebel Guetaf section, located at the bottom of these deposits. The rodent assemblage indicates a late Miocene age. Combined magnetostratigraphical and biostratigraphical investigations were carried out to provide a more accurate age control of these continental deposits. Sixty-four oriented rock samples were collected for a magnetostratigraphic study along a 92 meters thick section including the fossiliferous layer. Rock magnetic investigations indicate the presence of both high and low coercivity minerals. Specimens subjected to progressive thermal demagnetization procedures show that the samples exhibit a high temperature magnetization component and display a normal polarity. Based on biostratigraphic constraints, the Guetaf section is correlated with Chron C4An, indicating an age ranging from
9.1 to 8.7 Myr.