Philippe Taquet

AN ABELISAUROID (DINOSAURIA: THEROPODA) FROM THE EARLY JURASSIC OF THE HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS, MOROCCO, AND THE RADIATION OF CERATOSAURS

Abstract The fossil record of abelisauroid carnivorous dinosaurs was previously restricted to Cretaceous sediments of Gondwana and probably Europe. The discovery of an incomplete specimen of a new basal abelisauroid, Berberosaurus liassicus, gen. et sp. nov., is reported from the late Early Jurassic of Moroccan High Atlas Mountains. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Ceratosauroidea and Coelophysoidea as sister lineages within Ceratosauria, and Berberosaurus as a basal abelisauroid. Berberosaurus is the oldest known abelisauroid and extends the first appearance datum of this lineage by about 50 million years. The taxon bridges temporal, morphological, and phylogenetic gaps that have hitherto separated Triassic to Early Jurassic coelophysoids from Late Jurassic through Cretaceous ceratosauroids. The discovery of an African abelisauroid in the Early Jurassic confirms at least a Gondwanan distribution of this group long before the Cretaceous.

An early Cretaceous terrestrial crocodilian and the opening of the South Atlantic

THE discovery in the lower Cretaceous of Niger of Araripesuchus, a small terrestrial crocodilian previously known only from Brazil, corroborates the existence of an African–South American faunal community until the Aptian. We show here that this provides additional evidence that an open seaway connecting the northern and southern parts of the Atlantic was not established until well into the early Cretaceous.

Atlasaurus imelakei n.g., n.sp., a brachiosaurid-like sauropod from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco alen

The nearly complete skeleton of a large sauropod discovered at Wawmda (High Central Atlas of Morocco) in strata of Bathonian-Callovian age represents a new taxon: Atlasaurus imelakei n.g., n.sp. The sauropod appears to be closer to Brachiosaurus than any other known sauropod, but possesses (relative to the length of the dorsal vertebral column) a larger skull, shorter neck, longer tail and more elongated limbs. The presence of large sauropods of Middle Jurassic age is very important in understanding the history and the evolution of these Mesozoic giants.

A massively-constructed iguanodont from Gadoufaoua, lower Cretaceous of Niger

Abstract A ponderously constructed ornithischian dinosaur, Lurdusaurus arenatus , nov.g., nov.sp., from the Aptian of Niger resembles extinct giant ground sloths in general body form. Details of its skeletal anatomy indicate a close affinity to European iguanodontids of Early Cretaceous age.

New data on spinosaurid dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous of the Sahara

Abstract New occurrences of spinosaurid dinosaurs from the Aptian of Niger and Albian of Algeria augment our knowledge of Spinosaurus maroccanus and permit the description of a new taxon: Cristatusaurus lapparenti from the Gadoufaoua locality (Niger). Spinosaurs may be separated into two distinct groups: one with longirostrine muzzles and premaxillae which are rounded in cross-section, and a second with brevirostrine muzzles possessing a dorsoposteriorly expanded crest. The spanish genus Pelecanimimus may be related to spinosaurids, rendering spinosaurs a more diversified group than previously thought.

A new genus of Dromaeosauridae (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of France

Dromaeosaurid dinosaur remains are extremely rare in Europe and hitherto provide very poor taxonomic information. They are known in the Lower Maastrichtian of Portugal (Antunes and Sigogneau, 1992), in the Maastrichtian of Romania (Weishampel and Jianu, 1996) and in the Campanian–Maastrichtian of France (Buffetaut et al. 1986; Le Loeuff et al., 1992; Le Loeuff et Buffetaut, 1998). Since 1993, new discoveries of Upper Campanian to Lower Maastrichtian dinosaur remains at La Boucharde locality in the Arc Basin of southeastern France include some well-preserved, disarticulated postcranial elements of a single individual referred to the theropod family Dromaeosauridae. These fossils are the first from Europe which provide good taxonomic information and diagnostic characters for this dinosaur family. The first dromaeosaurid remains ever found in France were initially referred by Lapparent (1947:fig. 10) to Megalosaurus pannoniensis. Recently, a new dromaeosaurid, Variraptor mechinorum was named on the basis of poorly preserved material from the Upper Cretaceous of southern France. The holotypic specimen consists of the last dorsal vertebra and the sacrum discovered at the Bastide Neuve locality. However, no distinguishing features has been recognized on this holotypic material. Furthermore, the most part of the diagnosis is based on a cervico-dorsal vertebra found in another locality; Roques-Hautes. We therefore regard Variraptor mechinorum as a nomen dubium.

Valdosaurus a hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the lower cretaceous of europe and africa

Abstract Material of the hypsilophodontid dinosaur Valdosauruscanaliculatus (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda) is described from the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) of southern England and a new species is recognized from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) of Niger, West Africa. This occurrence of Valdosaurus in Europe and Africa provides evidence of a land connection between these continents across Tethys sometime in the early Cretaceous.

Un nouveau genre de dinosaure sauropode de la formation des Grès supérieurs (Aptien-Albien) du Laos

The partly-articulated postcranial remains of two sauropod skeletons recently found in Tang Vay (Savannakhet Province, Laos) are assigned to the species Tangvayosaurus hoffeti (nov. gen., nov. sp.). The derived characters present in the new material confirm the presence of titanosaurs in South East Asia at the end of the Early Cretaceous, but are not consistent with its placement within Titanosaurus genus as first done by Hoffet in 1942. All of the material relative to this species is therefore referred to a new genus: Tangvayosaurus. Tangvayosaurus and the Thai genus Phuwiangosaurus have strong affinities and are considered as primitive titanosaurs.

Mary Anning's legacy to French vertebrate palaeontology

The real nature of marine reptile fossils found in England between the 1700s and the beginning of the 1900s remained enigmatic until Mary Anning9s incredible fossil discoveries and their subsequent study by eminent English and French scientists. In 1820, Georges Cuvier acquired several ichthyosaur specimens found by Mary Anning, now kept or displayed in the Palaeontology Gallery of the Museum National d9Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris. Four years later, Cuvier obtained a plesiosaur specimen from Mary Anning, only the second ever discovered. Cuvier was fascinated by these fossils and their study allowed him to apply his comparative anatomical method and to support his catastrophist theory. We have re-examined these important specimens from a historical point of view, and describe them here taxonomically for the first time since Cuvier9s works. The Paris specimens belong to two different ichthyosaur genera ( Ichthyosaurus and Leptonectes ) and one plesiosaur genus ( Plesiosaurus ).

“Rediscovery” of Paul Gervais' paleohistological collection

ABSTRACT Paul Gervais (1816–1879) developed an obvious interest for paleohistological researches during the latest phase of his career at the National Museum of Natural History, in Paris (Laboratory of Comparative Anatomy) and produced a collection of thin sections of extant and fossil eggshells, teeth and bone, although he did not published much on the subject. Current curatorial efforts have unveiled remains of this collection which is presented and assessed herewith.