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Marine vertebrate remains from the Toarcian–Aalenian succession of southern Beaujolais, Rhône, France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2013

PEGGY VINCENT*
Affiliation:
Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
JEREMY E. MARTIN
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
VALENTIN FISCHER
Affiliation:
Palaeontology department, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium Département de Géologie, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
GUILLAUME SUAN
Affiliation:
Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany UMR CNRS 5276 LGL-TPE, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, Campus de la Doua, Bâtiment Géode, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
BOUZIANE KHALLOUFI
Affiliation:
Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements, UMR 7207, Département Histoire de la Terre, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
BAPTISTE SUCHÉRAS-MARX
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology Programme, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
ALEX LÉNA
Affiliation:
UMR CNRS 5276 LGL-TPE, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Ecole Normale Supérieure Lyon, Campus de la Doua, Bâtiment Géode, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
KÉVIN JANNEAU
Affiliation:
Jardin des sciences, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
BRUNO ROUSSELLE
Affiliation:
Espace Pierres Folles, 116 chemin du Pinay, 69380 St-Jean-des-Vignes, France
LOUIS RULLEAU
Affiliation:
169, chemin de l'Herbetan, 69380 Chasselay, France
*
Author for correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract

A previously undocumented marine vertebrate fauna comprising ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, marine crocodilian and fish remains from the Toarcian–Aalenian succession at Lafarge quarry, southern Beaujolais (Rhône, France) is described on the basis of both historical collections and new discoveries. The taxonomic composition of the Lafarge quarry marine vertebrate assemblage highlights its cosmopolitan nature and strong relationships with taxa known from elsewhere in Europe. Several groups are recorded for the first time in the Toarcian–Aalenian succession of France, implying new palaeobiogeographic interpretations and prompting discussion of marine amniote diversity during this interval.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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