Uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits in the Transylvanian region of western ... more Uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits in the Transylvanian region of western Romania contain a diverse and important assemblage of fossil vertebrates, including lissamphibians. Bones of anurans (frogs) and albanerpetontids are abundantly represented at multiple vertebrate microfossil localities in the region, but there continues to be no evidence for urodeles (salamanders) at any locality. Using previously reported and new collections of isolated bones, here we provide an up-to-date and comprehensive account of the anuran component of the Romanian assemblage, with particular emphasis on new specimens exhibiting features that are informative for differentiating species and resolving their higher level affinities.We recognise at least five species belonging to two or three families of moderately primitive (i.e. non-neobatrachian), crown-clade anurans: the alytids Paralatonia transylvanica, cf. Bakonybatrachus sp. and cf. Eodiscoglossus sp.; the bombinatorid Hatzegobatrachus grigorescui; and an indeterminate, possible pelobatid. Ilia previously reported as cf. Paradiscoglossus (a monotypic alytid genus reliably known only from the Maastrichtian of western North America) are here referred to Paralatonia. Also present are indeterminate alytids and at least two potentially distinctive, but indeterminate, taxa of uncertain family affinities. New specimens allow Hatzegobatrachus, formerly regarded as incertae sedis, to be assigned to Bombinatoridae as the geologically oldest member of that family. The Romanian Maastrichtian anuran assemblage is the most diverse yet documented for the European Late Cretaceous. It contains a mix of endemic taxa (Paralatonia and Hatzegobatrachus), a relict taxon (cf. Eodiscoglossus sp.), and one taxon (cf. Bakonybatrachus) possibly resulting from a pre-Maastrichtian dispersal from present-day Hungary. Compared to contemporaneous and older (Santonian–Campanian) anuran assemblages elsewhere in Europe, the Romanian assemblage is similar in containing alytids and a pelobatid-like taxon, but differs in having more alytid taxa (n=3) and a bombinatorid, and in lacking the palaeobatrachids seen in the Campanian–Maastrichtian of Western Europe and the probable ranoid Hungarobatrachus reported from the Santonian of Hungary.
This paper describes proboscidean fossil remains (partial mandibles, isolated molars) recently di... more This paper describes proboscidean fossil remains (partial mandibles, isolated molars) recently discovered in the Pleistocene deposits from Mavrodin (Teleorman County). Based on dentition characters, the remains have been assigned to Mammuthus meridionalis and M. trogontherii, mammoth species previously reported from the same locality. The age of death of the animals has also been estimated, when the preservation state of the material allowed it. The microscopic study of the enamel is in agreement with the taxonomic assignment based on the morphological parameters, also allowing the assessment of more fragmentary material. The evolution stage of the specimens belonging to each species has been discussed preliminarily.
This paper presents a preliminary quantitative analysis of some of the most important Maastrichti... more This paper presents a preliminary quantitative analysis of some of the most important Maastrichtian microvertebrate assemblages from the Haţeg Basin, documenting the relative abundance of the identified taxa and discussing the palaeoecological significance of the differences derived from the current samples. The different abundance of the taxonomic groups, as well as the different abundance of taxa as grouped based on their diet and habitat point to significant between the studied assemblages, that appears to be closely related to the distance each local palaeoenvironment was placed from the river course (i.e. proximal vs. distal).
The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits of the Haţeg Basin are well known for t... more The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits of the Haţeg Basin are well known for the diverse vertebrate assemblage they have yielded. Most of the taxa have been identified through intense micropaleontological processing of the material collected from across the basin. The floodplain deposits from several sites around the village of Vălioara are abundant in microvertebrate remains. This paper reports on the most important fossil remains recorded from a new site near Vălioara, first sampled in 2007, as well as the main sedimentary features presented by the deposits from this site. The fossil remains mainly consist of isolated teeth belonging to different crocodilian, theropod and multituberculate taxa, hosted by a gray-greenish pebbly mudstone, deposited within a poorly drained floodplain environment.
Known since the beginning of the 20 th century for their abundant and diverse paleofloristic cont... more Known since the beginning of the 20 th century for their abundant and diverse paleofloristic content, the Maastrichtian deposits of the Rusca Montană Basin yielded no vertebrate fossils until recently, when sauropod, ornithopod, theropod, chelonian, crocodylian and multituberculate remains have been discovered in floodplain fines and river channel sandstones cropping out in the eastern part of the basin. This paper presents additional fossils from a potentially new site within the same area, belonging to taxa and metataxa previously unknown in the Rusca Montană Basin. The fossil assemblage includes anurans, albanerpetontids, lizards, ziphodont crocodylians, additional small theropods, eggshells, freshwater gastropods and angiosperm fructifications. The faunal and sedimentological data suggest that the fossil assemblage is largely autochthonous, and thus reflects the composition of a wetland, poorly drained distal floodplain paleo-ecosystem.
Uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits in the Transylvanian region of western ... more Uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits in the Transylvanian region of western Romania contain a diverse and important assemblage of fossil vertebrates, including lissamphibians. Bones of anurans (frogs) and albanerpetontids are abundantly represented at multiple vertebrate microfossil localities in the region, but there continues to be no evidence for urodeles (salamanders) at any locality. Using previously reported and new collections of isolated bones, here we provide an up-to-date and comprehensive account of the anuran component of the Romanian assemblage, with particular emphasis on new specimens exhibiting features that are informative for differentiating species and resolving their higher level affinities.We recognise at least five species belonging to two or three families of moderately primitive (i.e. non-neobatrachian), crown-clade anurans: the alytids Paralatonia transylvanica, cf. Bakonybatrachus sp. and cf. Eodiscoglossus sp.; the bombinatorid Hatzegobatrachus grigorescui; and an indeterminate, possible pelobatid. Ilia previously reported as cf. Paradiscoglossus (a monotypic alytid genus reliably known only from the Maastrichtian of western North America) are here referred to Paralatonia. Also present are indeterminate alytids and at least two potentially distinctive, but indeterminate, taxa of uncertain family affinities. New specimens allow Hatzegobatrachus, formerly regarded as incertae sedis, to be assigned to Bombinatoridae as the geologically oldest member of that family. The Romanian Maastrichtian anuran assemblage is the most diverse yet documented for the European Late Cretaceous. It contains a mix of endemic taxa (Paralatonia and Hatzegobatrachus), a relict taxon (cf. Eodiscoglossus sp.), and one taxon (cf. Bakonybatrachus) possibly resulting from a pre-Maastrichtian dispersal from present-day Hungary. Compared to contemporaneous and older (Santonian–Campanian) anuran assemblages elsewhere in Europe, the Romanian assemblage is similar in containing alytids and a pelobatid-like taxon, but differs in having more alytid taxa (n=3) and a bombinatorid, and in lacking the palaeobatrachids seen in the Campanian–Maastrichtian of Western Europe and the probable ranoid Hungarobatrachus reported from the Santonian of Hungary.
This paper describes proboscidean fossil remains (partial mandibles, isolated molars) recently di... more This paper describes proboscidean fossil remains (partial mandibles, isolated molars) recently discovered in the Pleistocene deposits from Mavrodin (Teleorman County). Based on dentition characters, the remains have been assigned to Mammuthus meridionalis and M. trogontherii, mammoth species previously reported from the same locality. The age of death of the animals has also been estimated, when the preservation state of the material allowed it. The microscopic study of the enamel is in agreement with the taxonomic assignment based on the morphological parameters, also allowing the assessment of more fragmentary material. The evolution stage of the specimens belonging to each species has been discussed preliminarily.
This paper presents a preliminary quantitative analysis of some of the most important Maastrichti... more This paper presents a preliminary quantitative analysis of some of the most important Maastrichtian microvertebrate assemblages from the Haţeg Basin, documenting the relative abundance of the identified taxa and discussing the palaeoecological significance of the differences derived from the current samples. The different abundance of the taxonomic groups, as well as the different abundance of taxa as grouped based on their diet and habitat point to significant between the studied assemblages, that appears to be closely related to the distance each local palaeoenvironment was placed from the river course (i.e. proximal vs. distal).
The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits of the Haţeg Basin are well known for t... more The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) continental deposits of the Haţeg Basin are well known for the diverse vertebrate assemblage they have yielded. Most of the taxa have been identified through intense micropaleontological processing of the material collected from across the basin. The floodplain deposits from several sites around the village of Vălioara are abundant in microvertebrate remains. This paper reports on the most important fossil remains recorded from a new site near Vălioara, first sampled in 2007, as well as the main sedimentary features presented by the deposits from this site. The fossil remains mainly consist of isolated teeth belonging to different crocodilian, theropod and multituberculate taxa, hosted by a gray-greenish pebbly mudstone, deposited within a poorly drained floodplain environment.
Known since the beginning of the 20 th century for their abundant and diverse paleofloristic cont... more Known since the beginning of the 20 th century for their abundant and diverse paleofloristic content, the Maastrichtian deposits of the Rusca Montană Basin yielded no vertebrate fossils until recently, when sauropod, ornithopod, theropod, chelonian, crocodylian and multituberculate remains have been discovered in floodplain fines and river channel sandstones cropping out in the eastern part of the basin. This paper presents additional fossils from a potentially new site within the same area, belonging to taxa and metataxa previously unknown in the Rusca Montană Basin. The fossil assemblage includes anurans, albanerpetontids, lizards, ziphodont crocodylians, additional small theropods, eggshells, freshwater gastropods and angiosperm fructifications. The faunal and sedimentological data suggest that the fossil assemblage is largely autochthonous, and thus reflects the composition of a wetland, poorly drained distal floodplain paleo-ecosystem.
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Papers by Stefan Vasile