Cenomanian vertebrate assemblages from southwestern France: a new insight into the European mid-Cretaceous continental fauna

Cenomanian paralic deposits of Charentes (southwestern France) have yielded abundant vertebrate microremains, including rather diversified continental taxa (e.g., frogs, turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, lizards, and mammals). In this short report, the succession of faunal assemblages observed is briefly described in relation to palaeoenvironmental change resulting from the Cenomanian-early Turonian transgressive episode. Continental forms occur commonly in estuarine and shallow marine rocks of the lower part of the Cenomanian stage, but seem to be lacking in younger strata deposited in more open marine settings. Among an unexpected biodiversity, several non-marine groups (e.g., ziphodont crocodilians, carcharodontosaurid and troodontid dinosaurs, marsupial-like mammals) are recorded for the first time in the lower Upper Cretaceous of Europe, thus providing new palaeobiogeographical indications for this poorly documented part of the world.