Abstract :
[en] The examination of the ichthyosaur collections housed at the “Réserve géologique de Haute-Provence” (RGHP, High-Provence Alps, South-East France) brings new data on the ecology and diversity of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs. The specimens of this collection all come from the Vocontian Trough, a deep Mesozoic basin lying at the North-western border of Tethys, making this area the southernmost European locality where diagnostic ichthyosaurs have been found. However, faunal assemblages found in the Vocontian Basin are identical to other European assemblages, especially during Toarcian (Lower Jurassic). Of particular interest is the presence of the Toarcian genus Suevoleviathan, recorded for the first time outside of the German basins. Every Toarcian ichthyosaur genus is now found in at least two European basins, seriously questioning Toarcian ichthyosaur endemism, at least at the genus level. This specimen has been found along with Eurhinosaurus longirostris and several Thunnosauria indet. aff. Stenopterygius. It is shown that the Toarcian ichthyosaur “endemism” is most probably an effect of preservational biases.
Aside from their geographic remoteness compared to the typical ichthyosaur localities, the stratigraphic position of the RGHP specimens is also particularly interesting, especially during the Cretaceous: the first diagnostic ichthyosaur clearly belonging to Valanginian strata is described here. This specimen turned out to be assignable to Aegirosaurus leptospondylus, a species previously known only from the Tithonian lithographic limestones of Bavaria (Bardet & Fernández, 2000). Three Albian specimens are also described. One of them is referable to the cosmopolitan genus Platypterygius, while the two others belong to a new taxon, with tiny pointed teeth. This suggests that new taxon marks the colonization of a new ecological niche during the Albian. This has two major implications: firstly the Vocontian basin can now be regarded as one of the best Cretaceous ichthyosaur-bearing localities of the world in terms of ecologic diversity. Secondly, the effect of the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary extinction (JCB) on post-liassic ichthyosaurs is weak: their diversity remains nearly constant during JCB and up to the Albian. On the contrary the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary extinction seemed to be far more severe than the simple “knock on the head” of a group on the decline since the Middle Jurassic, as seen in the literature.
