Calcareous nannofossils from the middle/upper Miocene succession of Pécs-Danitzpuszta, southern Hungary: cosmopolitan Paratethys and endemic Lake Pannon assemblages

Quantitative analyses on calcareous nannofossils were carried out on 109 middle/late Miocene (Sarmatian/ Pannonian) samples from the section at Pécs-Danitzpuszta sand pit (Hungary). The lower part of the section, which can be assigned to the Sarmatian, contains normal marine low-diversity assemblages dominated by Calcidiscus leptoporus, Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus, Sphenolithus moriformis and Syracosphaera spp. accompanied by didemnid ascidian spicules (Perforocalcinela fusiformis). The middle/late Miocene (Sarmatian/Pannonian) boundary is characterized by the last occurrences of normal marine calcareous nannofossils. The upper part of the section (Pannonian) can be subdivided into intervals characterized by monospecific endemic nannofossils Isolithus spp. and ascidians, respectively. A short interval with common endemic coccoliths belonging to the family Noelaerhabdaceae (Bekelithella echinata, Noelaerhabdus bozinovicae, N. jerkovici, Praenoelaerhabdus banatensis) in the upper part of the profile was also documented. The drastic change in nannofossil assemblages at the Sarmatian/Pannonian boundary is a result of paleoenvironmental stress caused by the isolation of the Central Paratethys from the Eastern Paratethys.

Diversity of gobioid fishes in the late middle Miocene of northern Moldova, Eastern Paratethys – part I: an extinct clade of Lesueurigobius look-alikes

Studies of otoliths suggest that Gobioidei, which are among the most species-rich groups of modern-day vertebrates, were prominent elements of late middle Miocene (early Sarmatian sensu lato) fish faunas in Europe and Western Asia. However, few complete skeletons have come to light. Here, we report an assemblage of six marine gobiid species, based on skeletons preserved with otoliths in situ, from the lower Volhynian (lower Sarmatian s.l.) of Karpov Yar, Naslavcea, northern Moldova (Eastern Paratethys). Previously only one of these species had been reported from the Central Paratethys, based on its otoliths alone. Five new species representing four new genera are described: †Katyagobius prikryli gen. et sp. nov., Pseudolesueurigobius manfredi gen. et sp. nov., †Sarmatigobius compactus gen. et sp. nov., †Yarigobius decoratus gen. et sp. nov., and †Y. naslavcensis gen. et sp. nov. All six species share the following set of characters, suggesting that they represent a monophyletic clade: 27–29 vertebrae (of which 10 are abdominal); spines of first dorsal fin distally filamentous; second dorsal fin with spine and 14–16 soft rays; anal fin with spine and 13–15 soft rays; caudal fin longish-to-lanceolate; otoliths (sagittae) with rounded, trapezoid-to-squarish shape. Their skeletal features suggest that they are closely related to Lesueurigobius Whitley, 1950, but the otoliths preserved in situ do not support such a classification. The new fossils most likely represent a stem lineage of the European Aphia lineage, and indicate that the diversity of gobiid lineages 12 million years ago differed clearly from that observed today.

Revision of the genera Vinciguerria and †Eovinciguerria from the Oligocene of Romania (Central Paratethys) – comments on selected characters

Five species of the genus Vinciguerria (namely † V. macarovicii, † V. praeattenuata, † V. tal- giensis, † V. obscura, and † V. merklini) were described and/or recorded from Romania. Most of the Eocene and Oligocene fossil species of this genus from the Central and Eastern Paratethys were later grouped in two genera († Sytchewskia and † Eovinciguerria), mainly due to the morphology of the caudal skeleton. A systematic revision of the vinciguerrid phosichthyids from the Oligocene deposits of Piatra-Neamt, Romania (Central Paratethys) is presented herein. Based on the character analysis and relationships of the recent phosichthyid genera, we consider the genus † Eovinciguerria to be invalid and we re-establish the validity of the genus Vinciguerria for the Oligocene species. Morphological comparisons of the original material with well- preserved specimens of † V. obscura from Liten ice (Czech Republic) and contemporary representatives allow us to recognize that † V. macarovicii is a synonym of † V. obscura. Moreover, † V. merklini recorded from the Oligocene deposits of Piatra-Neamt (Romania) represents a juvenile specimen of † V. obscura, contrary to what was previously postulated.