Floréal Solé. D.O. Earth and history of Life, Department of Paleontology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. fsole@naturalsciences.be

He is researcher in Palaeontology at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgian). He has a PhD in Vertebrate Paleontology from Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France). He is interested in the evolution, phylogeny, and biogeography of the earliest carnivorous mammals (Hyaenodonta, Carnivoramorpha, Mesonychidae). His research also focuses on the impacts of the climatic changes of the Paleogene on the emergence and evolution of these particular mammals.

El Mabrouk Essid. Office National des Mines (ONM), 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia, Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis, Tunisia. mab_04@yahoo.fr

He is engineer in Geology and cartographer. He is head of the Documentation Service and Data bases. This service is in charge of the management and monitoring of activities of the documentation center of the National Office of Mines (Tunisia).

Wissem Marzougui. Office National des Mines (ONM), 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia, Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis, Tunisia. wi_marzougui@yahoo.fr

He is an engineer in geological sciences specialized in structural geology. He realized numerous geological and thematic maps at different scales. He also provides geological expertise.

Rim Temani. Office National des Mines (ONM), 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia, Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis, Tunisia. rim.temani@onm.nat.tn

She is a biostratigrapher (Foraminifera and Ostracoda), in the geological department at the National Office of Mines in Tunisia. She got her MSc [earth sciences] degrees in the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Tunis. Her PhD Thesis focused on Post-Tortonian ostracoda in Eastern Tunisia. She is mainly working on Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments. Her research focuses on Messinian, Pliocene and Quaternary with a special emphasis on, quantitative analysis, paleoenvironmental reconstruction and climatic interpretation, in Tunisia and in the Mediterranean Sea.

Hayet Khayati Ammar. Office National des Mines (ONM), 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia, Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis, Tunisia. khayatihayet@yahoo.fr

She is engineer in Micropalaeontology. She is assistant director of Geological Studies in the Department of Geology of the National Office of Mines (Tunisia). This service manages the activities of the paleontology department such as the sedimentological studies, and those of the thematic studies service (production of geological maps of Tunisia, notably indicating the natural hazards ).

Mhammed Mahboubi. Laboratoire de Paléontologie stratigraphique et Paléoenvironnement, Université d’Oran, B.P. 1524 El M’naouer, Oran 31000, Algeria. mahboubi.med@gmail.com

He is Professor of Geology in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oran 2 (Algeria). His research axis involves the stratigraphic study of the Paleocene and Eocene sediments recorded in the continental basins of southwestern Algeria.

Laurent Marivaux. Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, UM, CNRS, IRD, EPHE), c.c. 064, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France. laurent.marivaux@umontpellier.fr

He is CNRS researcher in paleontology and head of the Paleontology Department at the "Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier". He has a PhD in Vertebrate Paleontology from the University of Montpellier. His research focuses on macroevolutionary, phylogenetic, historical biogeography and paleobiological aspects of the early Tertiary adaptive radiations of some mammal groups (especially Rodentia, Primates, Dermoptera and Chiroptera, and others in collaboration), with a special emphasis on the role of the geodynamic and paleoenvironment changes on their emergence, dispersals and evolution. His is primarily a field paleontologist working in Paleo- and Neotropics.

Monique Vianey-Liaud. Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, UM, CNRS, IRD, EPHE), c.c. 064, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France. monique.vianey-liaud@umontpellier.fr

She works in the "Département Forme, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution » of the University of Montpellier, as an emeritous professor of Paleontology. Her researches concern early adaptive radiations of mammals, mainly European Paleogene rodents (theridomorphs for the most) and in a lesser extent, lagomorphs, North African Paleogene rodents, Paleogene multituberculates and Dinosaur eggshells. She actively participates in field work in Morocco and in the South of France (Quercy, Corbières, Provence) (and in Tunisia until 2011).

Rodolphe Tabuce. Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, UM, CNRS, IRD, EPHE), c.c. 064, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France. rodolphe.tabuce@umontpellier.fr

He is CNRS researcher in paleontology. He has a PhD in vertebrate paleontology from the University of Montpellier. His research focuses on early Tertiary emergence, diversification, and paleobiogeographic history of Afro-Arabian mammals (notably afrotherians). He is also working on European late Cretaceous eutherians and intra-European faunal turnover during the early Eocene hyperthermals.