A revision of the genus Europicardium

The cardiid genus Europicardium Popov, 1977 was introduced for a small group of Cenozoic species from Europe, but remained almost unknown in the western literature until about 15 years ago, and its type species, Cardium multicostatum Brocchi, 1814, continued to be cited mainly as Trachycardium multicostatum. Many records are available for this species from the Miocene of Europe, but most are based on several distinct, often misidentified species. In the present revision, based on museum material, the taxonomy of Europicardium is discussed and the identity of its type species is fixed. Seven species are assigned to Europicardium: E. multicostatum (Brocchi, 1814), E. miorotundatum (Sacco, 1899) (lectotype designated), E. miocaudatum (Sacco, 1899), E. polycolpatum (Cossmann & Peyrot, 1912), E. pseudomulticostatum (Zhizhchenko, 1934), E. badeniense (Kokay, 1996) and E. hoernesi sp. nov. from the middle Miocene of Austria. However, literature records and museum material suggest the occurrence of additional species and the need for further investigation. The oldest record of Europicardium is from the early Miocene of the Aquitaine Basin, from where the genus likely spread into the Mediterranean and throughout the Paratethys. Europicardium reached a maximum diversity in the early middle Miocene (Badenian) of the Paratethys, probably in relation to the Miocene Climatic Optimum, and also with the complex and variable palaeogeography of the Paratethys, which promoted differentiation and diversity. Europicardium disappeared from the Paratethys when it became a freshwater basin in the late Miocene, and from the Mediterranean due to the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The last European species was E. multicostatum, which arrived in the Mediterranean from the adjacent Atlantic with the post-Messinian recolonization, and became extinct in the Pleistocene due to climatic deterioration. At the present day, Europicardium occurs in the tropical waters of West Africa, with three specie

Palaeobiogeography and Evolutionary Patterns of the Larger Foraminifer \u3cem\u3eBorelis\u3c/em\u3e de Montfort (Borelidae)

The palaeobiogeography of the alveolinoid Borelis species reveals the evolutionary patterns leading to the two extant representatives, which occur in shallow‐water tropical carbonate, coral reef‐related settings. Type material and new material of fossil Borelis species, along with Recent specimens were studied to assess their taxonomic status, species circumscriptions (based on proloculus size, occurrence of Y‐shaped septula, and the index of elongation), palaeobiogeography and evolutionary dynamics. The species dealt with here are known from exclusively fossil (B. pygmaea, B. inflata, B. philippinensis, B. melo, B. curdica), and from fossil and modern (B. pulchra, B. schlumbergeri) specimens. For the first time, fossil and Recent Borelis specimens are illustrated via micro‐computed tomography scanning images. Depending on the occurrence of Y‐shaped septula, two lineages are distinguished. Deriving from the middle–upper Eocene Borelis vonderschmitti, the first lineage includes B. inflata, B. pulchra and B. pygmaea, lacking Y‐shaped septula. The first species bearing Y‐shaped septula is the Rupelian B. philippinensis of the western Indo‐Pacific. The westward migrants of B. philippinensis into the Mediterranean gave rise to B. melo (Aquitanian–Messinian) and B. curdica (Burdigalian–Tortonian). These two species became isolated from the Indo‐Pacific by the Langhian eastern closure of the Mediterranean basin and disappeared during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Since the Tortonian, B. schlumbergeri, which descended from B. philippinensis, has inhabited the Indo‐Pacific along with B. pulchra. From the central Pacific Ocean, B. pulchra reached the Caribbean area before the early Piacenzian closure of the Central America seaway