The Late Triassic fauna of the Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation (LSF) from the Elgin area, Scotland, has been pivotal in expanding our understanding of Triassic terrestrial tetrapods. Frustratingly, due to their odd preservation, interpretations of the Elgin Triassic specimens have relied on destructive moulding techniques, which only provide incomplete, and potentially distorted, information. Here, we show that micro-computed tomography (μCT) could revitalise the study of this important assemblage. We describe a long-neglected specimen that was originally identified as a pseudosuchian archosaur, Ornithosuchus woodwardi. μCT scans revealed dozens of bones belonging to at least two taxa: a small-bodied pseudosuchian and a specimen of the procolophonid Leptopleuron lacertinum. The pseudosuchian skeleton possesses a combination of characters that are unique to the clade Erpetosuchidae. As a basis for investigating the phylogenetic relationships of this new specimen, we reviewed the anatomy, taxonomy and systematics of other erpetosuchid specimens from the LSF (all previously referred to Erpetosuchus). Unfortunately, due to the differing representation of the skeleton in the available Erpetosuchus specimens, we cannot determine whether the erpetosuchid specimen we describe here belongs to Erpetosuchus granti (to which we show it is closely related) or if it represents a distinct new taxon. Nevertheless, our results shed light on rarely preserved details of erpetosuchid anatomy. Finally, the unanticipated new information extracted from both previously studied and neglected specimens suggests that fossil remains may be much more widely distributed in the Elgin quarries than previously recognised, and that the richness of the LSF might have been underestimated.

A better understanding of the role of Quaternary-era climate change in the development of regional hydrology in the Loess Plateau and the impact on regional ecosystems is needed. In particular, a thorough examination of the permeability and recharge under different conditions in the fifth loess–palaeosol layer is required. The fifth loess–palaeosol layer is located at the southern edge of the Jinghe River in the Guanzhong Basin, and was examined to better understand these conditions. A constant head permeability test was conducted at 11 points that covered different stratum of loess–palaeosol, and 55 corresponding undisturbed soil samples were analysed for porosity, magnetic susceptibility, and grain size. Results showed that: (1) with an increase in hydraulic gradient, the permeability coefficient of the upper part of the loess and the lower part of the palaeosol showed contrasting characteristics – this phenomenon was closely related to climatic conditions during the sedimentary period, post-sedimentary microbial activity, and to certain properties relating to permeability in the strata under similar monsoon effects; (2) the Loess Plateau, alternately dominated by the East Asian summer and winter monsoons, exhibited different grain-size compositions in the sedimentary layer, which, in turn, made the permeability in the loess noticeably more stable than that in the palaeosol; and (3) different aquifer characteristics and recharge conditions between the loess–palaeosol layers can be primarily explained by the intensity of the pedogenesis, which depended on extreme dry-old glacial climates and relatively humid-warm interglacial climates. These findings show that climate change played an important role in influencing hydrological systems in the loess–palaeosol sequence.

We present the bat assemblage from the early Miocene (MN4, 16.9–15.95 MY) basin of Ribesalbes-Alcora, which has yielded the remains of ten chiropteran taxa. Bat assemblages are rarely recovered in the fluvio-lacustrine fossil record. A bat species described in this work, Cuvierimops penalveri sp. nov., is a new form of a typically Oligocene free-tailed bat. In addition, the other molossids Hydromops helveticus, Rhizomops cf. brasiliensis, Chaerephon sp., Tadarida sp., and the vespertilionids Myotis cf. intermedius and Miostrellus aff. petersbuchensis, as well as undetermined fossils ascribed to the genera Submyotodon, Plecotus, and Rhinolophus are described. This is the first record of the genus Rhizomops in the early Miocene; the genus Cuvierimops is the first recording from the Neogene, while the ‘Lazarus taxon’ Chaerephon is the first fossil record of this genus, registered previously only in Holocene deposits. This bat assemblage with a high abundance of molossids is typical from the early Oligocene of western Europe, while in the early Miocene from Europe the molossids are scarce. The abundance of these bats is consistent with the presence of a tropical forest surrounding a paleolake. The fossils from the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin represent the most complete bat assemblage of the Iberian Peninsula during this age, and significantly increase our knowledge about the early Miocene bats of Europe.

Herein, we present a synthetic study combining iron (Fe) speciation and biomarkers in sediment samples from Luguhu Lake to investigate their relationship and the environmental significance thereof. Mössbauer spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used for these measurements. The results suggest that (a) there is a strong negative correlation between Fe2+/Fe3+ and the ratio of pristane to phytane (Pr/Ph), indicating that both Fe2+/Fe3+ and Pr/Ph effectively present the inorganic and organic aspects, respectively, of the oxidation–deoxidation environment in Luguhu Lake; (b) palaeotemperature may be a factor, in addition to the redox conditions, that affects the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, and it might play a favourable role in studies of palaeotemperature; and (c) the relative abundance of Fe in Luguhu Lake is affected by the palaeoclimate and the environment in which the palaeosediment was deposited. The mechanism of change in the total area (the total absorption area of Mössbauer spectrum) with the palaeoenvironment seems to be explained by the loss of Fe, which occurs as the water drains out of the lake, and the increase in Fe loss from the sediment as rainfall levels increase.