New latest Cretaceous microvertebrate fossil assemblages from the Hateg Basin (Romania)

Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems in southern Europe are relatively po orly known, although much progress has been made during the past decade, pr incipally with regard to the microvertebrate components of these ecosystems . The Maastrichtian terrestrial deposits of the Hateg Basin, at the eastern most end of the South European archipelago and well known for reptilian fos sils (e.g., turtles, crocodilians, pterosaurs and dinosaurs), have been tho roughly screened during the past five years. Important microvertebrate asse mblages, both quantitatively and qualitatively speaking, were found at Pui (Sinpetru Formation), Tustea and, particularly, Valioara (Densus-Ciula Form ation). Several new taxa are noted here for the first time for the Hateg Ba sin, including gars, discoglossids, albanerpetontids, scincomorphan and ang uimorphan lizards; dromaeosaurids and multituberculates are confirmed. Most of the microvertebrate remains are poorly preserved and precise systematic assignment has proved difficult. The Hateg fauna appears to be primitive a nd endemic, with a Neopangean core composition, and suggests a composite pa laeobiogeographic origin for the Late Cretaceous European ecosystems, confi rming conclusions reached in studies of the larger vertebrates.