Taxonomy of Middle Miocene foraminifera from the northern Namibian continental shelf.

Middle Miocene foraminifera from the northern Namibian outer continental shelf are indicators of a period prior to the initiation of the Benguela Upwelling System (BUS). This study provides an update to the occurrence and taxonomy of Miocene foraminifera from the continental margin of Namibia. The taxonomy of 51 benthic and 12 planktic foraminiferal species from the northern Namibian shelf are discussed, their stratigraphic significance given, and their ecological preferences and regional distribution summarised within this study.

Variation in palaeo-shorelines explains contemporary population genetic patterns of rocky shore species.

Processes driving and maintaining disjunct genetic populations in marine systems are poorly understood, owing to a lack of evidence of hard barriers that could have shaped patterns of extant population structure. Here, we map two genetically divergent lineages of an obligate rocky shore fish, Clinus cottoides, and model sea-level change during the last 110 000 years to provide the first evidence of a vicariant event along the southern coastline of Africa. Results reveal that lowered sea levels during glacial periods drastically reduced rocky intertidal habitat, which may have isolated populations in two refugia for at least 40 000 years.