New fossils from the ?uppermost Carboniferous-Lower Permian have been found at Buxieres-les-Mines (Massif central, France). In this preliminary article we report on algae, stromatolites, palynomorphs, macroflora, ostracods, insects, elasmobranchs, acanthodians, actinopterygians and amphibians. Elasmobranchs and amphibians are diversified compared with those of other European localities. Most taxa indicate lacustrine deposits and an Asselian age, and permit us to address the question of the palaeoecosystem evolution of the Bourbon-l'Archambault Basin, during the Lower Permian.

Newly discovered tetrapod footprints from the middle Permian Pelitic Forma tion of Gonfaron (Le Luc Basin, Var, France) are describe d in detail and assigned to the ichn ogenu s Hyloidichnus. These specime ns are very well-preserved, with detailed trackways showing anatomical features, digit drag traces and continuous tail impressions. Together with other Hyloidichnus specime ns from the same locality and from the University of Burgund y collections, they allow the identification of the possible trackma kers of Hyloidichnus: sm all Hyloidichnus footprints are correlated with captorhinomorphs with autopodia similar to Captorhinus wh ereas large Hyloidichnus footprints might be correlated with larger captorhinomorphs or other 'basal' (eventually stem -) moradisaurines. A detailed comparative analysis is proposed to be tter un derstand the locomotion style of the trackma kers. Starting from the reconstruction of the stance ph ase of Captorhinus, we docume nt the swing ph ase of the fore-and hind -limb s of captorhinomorphs thanks to the continuous digit drag traces associated with Hyloidichnus. A link be tween gait and track preservation have be en highlighted through the analysis of tail impressions and high-resolution 3D models. In all, this stud y increases our un derstanding of captorhinomorph locomotion and enhanc es the integration of both tracks and skeletal rema ins to highlight the biome ch anics of Permian tetrapods.

Two new bethylid wasps from Cenomanian Burmese amber, one tentatively placed in †Protopristocerinae: Cretapristocera longiscapa gen. & sp. nov. and one in †Holopsenellinae: Megalopsenella pouilloni gen. & sp. nov., are described and illustrated here. They provide new data on the Cretaceous diversity of the family and extend the Cenomanian Burmese amber records to six species. We discuss their systematic placements and provide identification keys to species of †Holopsenellinae and †Protopristocerinae to assist future taxonomic studies. We phylogenetically analyse Bethylidae, adding several fossil taxa to a recent study, suggesting a new hypothesis for the relationships between the different subfamilies. We also address the distribution and underestimated diversity of the family during the Cretaceous and the evolution of the venation of their wings. Finally, we discuss the possible misplacement of the families Plumariidae and †Falsiformicidae.

The phylogenetic placement of siricid hymenopterans and especially the relationships among Siricidae are not resolved, and are in need of further investigation. The fossil record helps to illuminate the evolutionary history of this group. In this paper, Xoanon? eocenicus sp. nov. is newly described from the Eocene Fossillagerstätte Grube Messel (Germany). Although several characters of the wing venation of this fossil are similar to the extant genus Xoanon, there remain some doubts concerning the generic placement. A newly found fossil is attributed to Urocerus ligniticus (Piton, 1940) from the Paloecene Fossillagerstätte Menat (France) and provides more morphological information on this species. An overview of the fossil record of Siricidae in the strict sense is given and the state of knowledge on the different fossils is reviewed.

The new damselfly genus and species Valerea multicellulata is described from the Paleocene of Menat (France), a Lagerstatte with many fossil insects, plants and vertebrates with high paleontological value. Aquatic insects are very scarce in this outcrop, this damselfly being the fourth described Odonata. Its closest modern relatives belong to the Amphipterygidae or the Devadattidae, families with very narrow tropical extant distributions. This new fossil allows us to confirm the tropical affinities of the odonatan fauna of the Menat paleolake communities. It also shows that the amphipterygids were clearly more widespread during the Paleogene than today, probably in relation to the worldwide warm and equable climate in the Paleocene.

The Late Kimmeridgian marine limestones of the area around Orbagnoux (Rhône, France) are well known for their fish fauna and terrestrial flora. Here we record the first insects and their activities (mines on leaves and trails in sediments) from these layers, including the oldest record of the gerromorphan bugs, as a new genus and species Gallomesovelia grioti, attributed to the most basal family Mesoveliidae and subfamily Madeoveliinae. These new fossils suggest the presence of a complex terrestrial palaeoecosystem on emerged lands near the lagoon where the limestones were deposited. The exquisite state of preservation of these fossils also suggests that these outcrops can potentially become an important Konservat-Lagerstätte for the Late Jurassic of Western Europe.

The first ocydromiine hybotid fly is described and illustrated from a remarkable male preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar. Pouillonhybos venator, gen. et sp. nov., is distinguished from other members of the subfamily Ocydromiinae as well as other lineages of living and fossil Hybotidae. The holotype of P. venator exhibits spectacular specializations of the mid and hind legs, modifications likely linked to the grasping of prey either during capture and/or while feeding. The species reported here is the earliest evidence of significant leg modifications in Hybotidae indicating an early appearance of such specializations in the family's history.

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