Ophthalmosaurinae is a recently recognized clade of derived ichthyosaurs (marine reptiles) ranging from the Bajocian (Middle Jurassic) to the late Albian (late Early Cretaceous). Whereas the Middle–Late Jurassic ophthalmosaurine Ophthalmosaurus is often regarded as a hyperspecialized deep diver, very little is known about the anatomy, evolutionary history and ecology of Cretaceous ophthalmosaurines because of the scarcity of the fossils and the lack of well-preserved skull material. Here, we describe the skull of a new basal ophthalmosaurine ichthyosaur, Leninia stellans gen. et sp. nov., from the lower Aptian of western Russia, and compare the ocular characteristics of ophthalmosaurids. Leninia is recovered as a basal ophthalmosaurine; it possesses unique traits such as a star-shaped frontal–parietal suture as well as features previously thought to be unique to Ophthalmosaurus such as a supratemporal–stapes contact. A large sclerotic aperture – significantly larger than in platypterygiine ophthalmosaurids and similar to that of the largest-eyed modern animals (giant and colossal squids) – and reduced dentition appear widespread within ophthalmosaurines. This conservatism suggests ophthalmosaurine ophthalmosaurids occupied similar ecological niche(s) throughout their long evolutionary history.

The oldest record of the hexanchiform sharks from the Southern Hemisphere and the second chondrichthyan report known from Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous beds in Antarctica is given. The material was collected in late Aptian rocks of the Kotick Point Formation outcropping in the western part of James Ross Island, near Antarctic Peninsula. It consists of an isolated tooth assignable to a hexanchiform different from the other described genera. The tooth shows putative plesiomorphic cusp (few cusps, no serrations) and apomorphic root characters (relatively deep, quadrangular). It could be related to a species close to the origin of Hexanchus (unknown in beds older than Cenomanian).

The Pedersen Formation includes conglomerate-dominated successions exposed on Pedersen Nunatak (142 m thick) and southern Sobral Peninsula (750–1000 m thick). As re-defined here, it also includes mudstone and sandstone in tectonic contact with Nordenskjöld Formation strata on a nunatak north of the Sobral Peninsula conglomerate outcrops. 40Ar/39Ar ages and palynological data indicate an early Aptian age for the lower part of the formation on Sobral Peninsula. The Pedersen Nunatak strata have yielded conflicting age determinations, although an Early Cretaceous age seems likely. The Sobral Peninsula conglomerates are lithologically similar to, and possibly coeval with, basal Gustav Group strata (Lagrelius Point Formation) on James Ross Island. Although further field sampling is required to resolve the age of the Pedersen Nunatak strata, on present evidence the Pedersen Formation appears to form part of the same tectono-stratigraphic unit as the lower part of the Gustav Group, and we therefore propose that it be included in that group.

Carbon and oxygen isotope data from a succession of Cretaceous (Barremian–Cenomanian) age recovered from the Pacific Ocean (DSDP site 463) are presented. The carbon isotope curve reveals a large isotope excursion within the early Aptian where δ13C values reach ~4.8‰ in the L. cabri–G. ferreolensis foraminifera zone. A decrease in δ13C values is observed at the base G. algerianus zone, before a return to more positive values at the top of the G. algerianus–T. bejaouaensis zone. The pronounced early Aptian positive event is preceded by a large negative isotope excursion, confined to the G. blowi zone. Synchronous with this excursion are increased total organic carbon values and increases in Mn and Fe concentrations. Integrated biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic data, together with the carbon isotope profile, suggest that the organic-rich units of site 463 are correlatable with Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a. The input of isotopically light volcanic CO2 in concert with the intensification and upwelling of intermediate water enriched in 12C could account for the observed trends. A potential trigger may have been the destabilization of the water column and the prodigious CO2 emissions associated with hydrothermal activity and the emplacement of the Ontong Java Plateau. Coupled with faunal evidence, the subsequent positive carbon isotope excursion is interpreted to be resulting from high, but decreasing, productivity and possibly increasing ocean stratification resulting in strong carbon isotopic gradients and 13C-enriched surface waters. The decrease in δ13C within the G. algerianus zone is coincident with more positive δ18O values. If these are interpreted in terms of temperature this interval may be characterized by a period of cooling and possibly a waning of Corg cycling. A return to lower δ13C values during the middle Albian is considered to be related to the increased influence of upwelling, as opposed to a waning of Corg cycling. Upwelling introduced isotopically light carbon to the surface, arresting the stratified oceanic conditions.

The first whipspider (Arachnida: Amblypygi) and three new examples of whipscorpions (Arachnida: Uropygi: Thelyphonida) are described from Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) strata of the Crato Formation, Ceará State, Brazil. The whipspider is described as Britopygus weygoldti gen. et sp. nov. It resembles members of the extant family Charinidae, but cannot be unequivocally placed. Two of the whipscorpions are referred to Mesoproctus rowlandi Dunlop, 1998 and one could be a subadult, since, like juveniles of extant species, it has a relatively broad anterior sternum. There are differences between these two specimens in pedipalp and flagellum morphology, but both characters are variable within extant species. The third and largest whipscorpion is incomplete and referred to Mesoproctus sp. Its carapace length is equal to or exceeds that of the largest known extant genus Mastigoproctus Pocock, 1894.