Rediscovery of “Liodon” asiaticum Répelin, 1915, a Mosasaurini (Squamata, Mosasauridae, Mosasaurinae) from the Upper Cretaceous of the vicinity of Jerusalem – Biostratigraphical insights from microfossils

• Published in: Comptes Rendus Palevol
• Main Authors: Bardet, Nathalie, Desmares, Delphine, Sánchez-Pellicer, Raquel, Gardin, Silvia
• Other Authors: Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: Palynomorphs; Planktonic foraminifera; Calcareous nannofossils; Mosasauridae squamate; Israel; Upper Cretaceous; [SDU.STU.PG]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Paleontology
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03370871; https://hal.science/hal-03370871/document; https://hal.science/hal-03370871/file/Bardet%20et%20al%202021%20-%20Mosasaure%20Jerusalem%20-%20Hommage%20JC.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5852/cr-palevol2021v20a20

International audience Briefl y mentioned in 1915 by the palaeontologist Répelin, the mosasaurid Liodon asiaticum Répelin, 1915 was found by a missionary to Africa, Father Ruffi er, in Late Cretaceous strata near Jerusalem (without further details on the exact provenance). Th is material was never described in detail, fi gured, or revised and was recently rediscovered in the collections of the Muséum d’histoire naturelle of Marseille (Provence, southern France). Here we describe and fi gure for the fi rst time this material, which now includes more specimens than the original lot mentioned by Répelin, and we propose new systematic assignments for the identifi ed specimens. First of all we demonstrate that the fi ve original vertebrae briefl y described by Répelin represent a composite assemblage and are not diagnostic at the specifi c level. Th us Liodon asiaticum should be considered a nomem dubium . The most complete and diagnostic specimen belongs to a Mosasaurini (Mosasaurinae) incertae sedis, close to Mosasaurus Conybeare, 1822 and Plotosaurus Camp, 1951, as shown by the unique configuration of its frontal-parietal-postorbitofrontal complex. Th e two other specimens are identified as indeterminate Mosasaurinae. Th e study of several groups of microfossils (calcareous nannofossils, planktonic foraminifera and palynomorphs) found in the white chalk preserved with most of the bones constrains the age of these mosasaurid remains to the lower part of the middle Campanian (C. plummerae (Gandolfi , 1955) / G. rosetta (Carsey, 1926) and CC18 / UC14-15a Zones). Th is corresponds to the local Mishash Formation that crops out extensively East of Jerusalem (Mount of Olives and surroundings). Father Ruffi er probably collected these bones in one of the outcrops of this formation, possibly not very far from where he worked and lived (Saint-Anne Community in Jerusalem). Th ese chalky levels, common in the Middle East, represent a shallow and rather open marine environment, possibly near-shore.