№ 3 (2024)

A new species of sphinctozoa Paradeningeria magna sp. nov. is described from the Permian organogenic construction Nakhodkinskij Reef from Southern Primorye.

As a result of a detailed study of cross sections of the most ancient (Late Permian) representatives of Otoceras Griesbach (O. concavum Tozer) from the base of the Nekuchan Formation in the upper reaches of the Vostochnaya Khandyga River in Southern Verkhoyanie, the features of ontogenetic shape changes were clarified. Trends in changes in the main parameters of the shell during its growth have been determined, the cyclical nature of the narrowing and expansion of the shell has been identified, and the sequence of changes in the shape of the whorl cross-section has been established. The formation of carinae and the emergence of a tricarinate form on the ventral side were traced. Identification of shell shape transformations in the ontogenesis of O. concavum contributes to the diagnosis of small-sized Otoceras and can serve as the basis for subsequent reconstruction of the morphogenetic development of Otoceratidae. The pentacarinate form of the outer whorl, established at the middle stage of ontogenesis, may be a character inherited from the ancestor, the genus Avushoceras Ruzhencev.

The remains of organophosphate brachiopods of the Lingulida order, first discovered in Silurian sediments of the Timan-North Ural region, are described. Individual shell flaps and their fragments were found in the terrigenous-carbonate Wenlock strata of the Padimeytivis River section located in the central part of the Chernova Uplift. The results of comparison with other taxa suggest that the brachiopod remains are close to punctae lingulids of the genus, Lingulipora Gurty. The problem is discussed about early stages of ontogenesis in lingulids.

V.V. Bogachev (1933) described the scombrid fish Auxis caucasica based on the incomplete skeleton from the Sarmatian (Middle Miocene) of the North Caucasus (Stavropol Region). Subsequently, this species was assigned to the mackerel genus Scomber. New findings in the Sarmatian of the North Caucasus (Krasnodar Region, Pshekha River) revealed a serious reduction in the number of vertebrae in S. caucasicus (Bogatshov) (up to 28), which is extremely unusual for Scombridae with at least 31 vertebrae. A new genus Mioscomber is established to accommodate the Sarmatian species of scombrids. The scombrids from the Sarmatian of the former Yugoslavia, originally described as Auxis vrabcensis Kramberger, 1882, A. thynnoides Kramberger, 1882 and Scomber sujedanus Steindachner, 1860, are assigned to the same genus – these also have a reduction in the number of vertebrae. The generic character of Mioscomber gen. nov. assumes correction of the diagnosis of the family Scombridae, from “Vertebrae 31–66” to “Vertebrae 28–66”.

The paper describes remains of the fossil grey partridges from the Lower Pleistocene (1.8–1.5 MA) deposits of the Taurida Cave in central Crimea. A smaller grey partridge is referred to the fossil species Perdix jurcsaki Kretzoi, 1962. Yet another phasianid bird from the cave, partly similar to modern Perdix but larger, is described as Enkuria voinstvenskyi gen. et sp. nov. The spatiotemporal stability of the Early-Middle Pleistocene European grey partridges’ morphotype allows synonymization of the fossil species P. jurcsaki and P. palaeoperdix Mourer-Chauvire, 1975. Earlier fossil finds of the genus Perdix from the Upper Pliocene – Lower Pleistocene of Eastern Europe and Asia are revised. Perdix margaritae Kurochkin, 1985 from the Upper Pliocene of Mongolia and Transbaikalia is considered a junior synonym of Lophura inferna Kurochkin 1985. The oldest confirmed find of P. jurcsaki comes from the lower Gelasian (~2.4 MA) of the Northern Black Sea region (locality Kryzhanovka-2; Ukraine). A dispersal of grey partridges to the west of Europe in the second half of the Early Pleistocene is shown. The discovery of the genus Enkuria confirms the existence of the fossil diversity of Perdicini s. s. in the Plio-Pleistocene of Northern Eurasia. Phasianus etuliensis Bocheński et Kurochkin, 1987 from the early Pliocene of Moldova is here transferred to this genus. In addition, the validity of the fossil Early Pleistocene phasianids Francolinus subfrancolinus Jánossy, 1976 and Alectoris baryosefi Tchernov, 1980 is confirmed.

Jaw fragments and isolated teeth of the mole shrew Anourosorex andabata sp. nov. are described from the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Tham Hai cave (Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam). This is the first fossil record of Anourosorex in Vietnam. The new species is characterized by medium size (as in Recent A. squamipes Milne-Edwards, 1872), a narrow apex of the coronoid process of the mandible and a weakly reduced (relatively long and wide) talonid of M₁.