Abstract:  A lens of marly limestone at the bottom of the Tertiary series of the Grandes Platières (Platé Massif, Savoy) has yielded the most important collection of fossil vertebrates so far known from the Paleogene of Western Alps. Ungulate mammals are represented by 35 teeth to be referred to 9 taxa (4 perissodactyls and 5 artiodactyls). This new fauna appears contemporaneous with that of La Débruge (MP 18 level), dated at about 35.5 My old. The new locality, called "gisement des Perdrix", is stratigraphically located 20-35 m underneath the other one in which Weidmann et al. (1991) had found mammals to be attributed to the MP 20 level. So the new fauna is about 1.5 My older than this latter. Its faunal composition and the swampy nature of the deposit suggest that the occurring mammals were living in variegated surroundings, with woody areas close to wet marshy ones.

 Abstract:  Biostratigraphical and paleontological studies of lower Aptian material from the Eastern Iberian Chain (Spain) have revealed the presence of a new genus of micromorphic heteromorph ammonite: Xerticeras gen. nov. (type species: Xerticeras salasi sp. nov.). This new taxon comes from the Deshayesites deshayesi and Dufrenoya furcata ammonite zones. The size difference observed in the population is considered due to sexual dimorphism.

 Abstract:  Abundant Skolithos burrows are here described from a possible regressive event bed at Ohesaare cliff (Pridoli), Saaremaa, Estonia. The vertical, cylindrical burrows are identified as Skolithos rather than Trypanites because they intercept and bypass rather than cut bioclasts in the limestone matrix. The absence of encrustation on the upper bedding surface also is evidence that these traces are soft-sediment burrows rather than hardground borings. We interpret this intensive bioturbation by Skolithos-producing organisms as an indicator of a shallow water paleoenvironment with high hydrodynamic energy.

 Abstract:  The discovery of ammonites of the Aptian - Albian transition (Hypacanthoplites jacobi and Leymeriella tardefurcata biozones) in the Urgonian series from the sedimentary section exposed in the Arize massif invalidates their former attribution to the lower Clansayesian which was proposed on the basis of unconstrained paleontological arguments.

 Abstract:  When the species Heteroporella ? paucicalcarea (Conrad, 1970) was erected it was left in open nomenclature. Later on new combinations were introduced but did not meet a general agreement among paleophycologists. Considering the current acception of the Dasycladalean families, we ascribe it to the Family Polyphysaceae and subsequently to the genus Clypeina (Michelin, 1845). Its known stratigraphic range is rather brief (Late Hauterivian-Early Barremian), which makes it a good index fossil in Urgonian carbonate platform series. Its geographical distribution is apparently restricted to Western Europe (France, Spain and Switzerland).

 Forewords:  This 21st century edition of Julius von Pia's 1912 memoir entitled "Neue Studien über die triadischen Siphoneae verticillatae" is brought to you by B. Granier (editing, photomicrographs) and N.J. Sander (translation). The artwork is due to A. Lethiers and B. Granier. The original 24 text-figures and 7 plates [II-VIII] were converted into 125 discrete photomigraphs, 5 figures and 56 videos. This research received support from the SYNTHESYS Project, which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 "Structuring the European Research Area" Programme.

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Reconstruction of Physoporella dissita.

 Abstract:  Hemidiadema rugosum Agassiz, 1846, and H. neocomiense (Cotteau, 1869) are small and poorly known "regular" echinoid species. They were the source of much confusion due to their rarity and the inadequacy of their original descriptions. Both species are revised here to clarify their differences and taxonomic status. This revision is based on six specimens of H. rugosum (including the holotype, not shown by its original author), all from the locus typicus and stratum typicum (Clansayesian [Upper Aptian sensu gallico] "Grès ferrugineux" from Grandpré, Ardennes) and on a single specimen of H. neocomiense from the stratum typicum (Lower Hauterivian (? Lyticoceras nodosoplicatum Zone) "Calcaire à Spatangues" from Ville-sur-Saulx (Meuse), a locality near to the locus typicus (Auxerre, Yonne)). For this latter species, a neotype is designated to replace the holotype that is lost. Remarks on the paleoecology and stratigraphic and geographic distributions of these two species are given. The revision of these two species provides an opportunity to propose an emended diagnosis of the genus Hemidiadema Agassiz, 1846, a poorly known member of the Glyphocyphidae.