Fish and ostracod remains from the Santos Basin (Cretaceous to Recent), Brazil

For the first time, ichthyoliths are described from the Santos sedimentary basin, offshore southern Brazil. Isolated teeth, dermal scales and the first documented otoliths from Cretaceous (Albian) to Recent cuttings from five wells are described. The following groups are represented: Chondrichthyans: Triakidae, Carcharhinidae; Ginglymostomatidae: ?Ginglymostoma sp., Lamnidae indet., Scyliorhinidae; Osteichthyans: Teleostei; Myctophiidae: Diaphus aff. splendidus sp. complex, Diaphus spp., Diaphus cf. garmani, Ceratoscopelus aff. warmingii; Sternoptychidae: Valenciennellus tripunctulatus, teeth of indeterminate Teleostei. The majority of these ichthyofossils represent extant forms, known to occur in the Atlantic Ocean, and are of potential value for stratigraphical correlations between oil‐yielding basins in the region. Ostracods are not well preserved but can be identified to generic level indicating marine environments. The ostracod faunas offer potential for intrabasinal correlation in the Eocene and Oligocene. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discovery of Radiolarian Fossils from the Aiketik Group at the Western End of the South Tianshan Mountains of Chinaand Its Implications

The Aiketik Group, distributed at the western end of the South Tianshan Mountains, China, is an important lithostratigraphic unit involved in the South Tianshan orogen. It is separated from the adjacent rocks by faults. Generally, the geologists ascribed it to the Upper Carboniferous according to Pseudostaffella sp., Profusulinella sp. and Fusulinella sp. found from the limestone and sandy limestone of Aiketik. Our radiolarian fossils were obtained from the chert samples collected from the Haladaok section located at the upper Tuoshihan River. The fossils mainly include Albaillella undulata Deflandre, Albaillella paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. aff. A. paradoxa Deflandre, Albaillella sp. cf. A. deflandrei Gourmelon, Albaillella sp., Albaillella excelsa Ishiga, Kito and Imoto (?), Belowea variabilis (Ormiston et Lane), Callella cf. C. parvispinosa Won, Entactinia cf. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia aff. E. tortispina Ormiston et Lane, Entactinia variospina Won, Entactinia sp., Eostylodicty     

Non-marine gastropods from the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in the Pingyi Basin,eastern China

Our results present a taxonomic and palaeoecological study on non-marine gastropods from the latest Cretaceous to Paleocene deposits of the Pingyi Basin, Shandong Province, eastern China. These gastropods are systematically described: three species belonging to three genera including Physa dongtaiensis Gu, 1989, Hydrobia datangensis Yü, 1977, and the newly established species Cyathopoma pingyiensis sp. nov.; two indeterminata genera and species including Truncatelloidea gen. et sp. indet., and Pomatiopsidae gen. et sp. indet. Among them, Truncatelloidea gen. et sp. indet. and Cyathopoma pingyiensis sp. nov. are the dominant species with the longest record. Cyathopoma pingyiensis, sp. nov. is the earliest representative of this widely distributed Asian extant genus. Sedimentological facies analysis of the gastropod-bearing beds suggested that Truncatelloidea gen. et sp. indet. lived in a small pond with a river inlet and a shallow lake, while Ph. dongtaiensis, ?Pomatiopsidae gen. et sp. indet, and ?H. datangensis only thrived in the shallow lake. Cyathopoma pingyiensis sp. nov. inhabited the land area around the shallow lake. Our results showed that no significant species change of the gastropod fauna across the K/Pg (Cretaceous/Paleogene) boundary was observed in the Pingyi Basin.     

Dienerian (Early Triassic) ammonoids from the Candelaria Hills (Nevada, USA) and their significance for palaeobiogeography and palaeoceanography

A well-preserved ammonoid fauna of Early Dienerian age has long been known from the lower portion of the Candelaria Formation in the old Candelaria silver mining district in Mineral and Esmeralda Counties, Nevada, but for a number of reasons, this fauna has never been studied in detail nor illustrated. Previous authors assigned this ammonoid fauna to the Early Dienerian Proptychites candidus Zone of Canada. In reality, it more closely resembles the Tethyan faunas than the higher palaeolatitude Canadian faunas, thus indicating the presence of some degree of equatorial faunal exchange between opposite sides of the Panthalassic Ocean during Early Dienerian time. It also indicates the onset of a provincialism, which contrasts with the cosmopolitan Griesbachian faunas. A rigorous taxonomic analysis of the Candelaria fauna allows us to differentiate the following ten species, which include two new species and one new genus (Mullericeras nov. gen.) belonging to the new family Mullericeratidae: Ambites lilangensis (Krafft, 1909), Ambites aff. radiatus (Brühwiler, Brayard, Bucher and Guodun, 2008), Ussuridiscus sp. indet., ??Koninckites?? aff. kraffti Spath, 1934, Mullericeras spitiense (Krafft, 1909), Mullericeras fergusoni nov. sp., Mullericeras sp. indet., Proptychites haydeni (Krafft, 1909), Proptychites pagei nov. sp., Vavilovites sp. indet. and Parahedenstroemia kiparisovae Shigeta and Zakharov, 2009. This Early Dienerian fauna correlates with the Ambites fauna known from the base of the Ceratite Marls in the Salt Range and from the base of the ??Meekoceras?? beds in Spiti (northern Gondwanian margin). The fauna also permits the precise dating of a shelfal anoxic episode on the equatorial North American margin. This anoxic event correlates in time with similar palaeoceanographic changes in the southern Tethys, which indicates that the Early Triassic biotic recovery was at least partly shaped by such discrete, short events rather than by pervasive and lingering adverse environmental conditions.     

A Rhuddanian (Silurian,lower llandovery) pelmatozoan fauna from south-west Wales

Only two crinoid faunas of Rhuddanian or early Aeronian age have been described hitherto, both from North America. A Rhuddanian pelmatozoan fauna from Haverfordwest, Dyfed, south-west Wales includes the cheirocrinid rhombiferan cystoid Homocystites? sp., plus the following crinoid species: the calceocrinid disparids Calceocrinus turnbulli sp. nov. and Calceocrinus? sp.; the dendrocrinid cladid Dendrocrinus? gasworksensis sp. nov.; the patelliocrinid monobathrid Macrostylocrinus? sp. indet.; columnals of the rhodocrinitid(?) diplobathrid Floricolumnus (col.) sp. cf. F. (col.) girvanensis Donovan and Clark; the rhodocrinitid diplobathrid Chaosocrinus ornatus sp. nov.; and two indeterminate crinoid species. At the familial level this fauna shows strong similarities with coeval, but more diverse, crinoid assemblages from North America, suggesting that endemism did not develop until later in the Silurian.     

A Changhsingian (Late Permian) brachiopod fauna from Son La, northwest Vietnam

A small brachiopod fauna is described from the upper part of the Yenduyet Formation near Son La, northwest Vietnam. The fauna includes the following species: Peltichia kwangtungensis (Zhan), Acosarina minuta (Abich), Rhipidomella hessensis King, Schuchertella cf. cooperi Grant, Derbyia sp., Waagenites soochowensis (Chao), Spinomarginifera chenyaoyanensis Huang, and a Marginiferinae gen. and sp. indet. The fauna is most closely correlated with brachiopods from the lower Changhsingian Stage of South China and the lyttoniid fauna from the Huai Tak Formation of northwest Thailand. In view of these correlations, an early Changhsingian (Late Permian) age is proposed for the Son La brachiopod assemblage.     

The nautiloid Family Eothinoceratidae from the Floian of the Central Andean Basin (NW Argentina and South Bolivia)

A single confidently dated species of cephalopod is so far known in the Tremadocian of the southern Central Andean Basin (NW Argentina and southern Bolivia). This species belongs to the Eothinoceratidae and has a strong affinity mainly with Avalonia. During the Floian, a notable increase in diversity took place, with the appearance of a variety of families represented by several genera, in particular, within the Family Eothinoceratidae. In addition to the previously described species from southern Bolivia, we evaluate the other records of that family from the Central Andean Basin, and propose the following new taxa: Saloceras sikus sp. nov., Saloceras quena sp. nov., Mutveiceras gen. nov., and Mutveiceras cienagaensis sp. nov. We also describe Margaritoceras diploide, Margaritoceras sp., and Mutveiceras sp. From a palaeogeographic perspective, the cephalopod fauna shows affinities mainly with those of England, Wales, and the Montagne Noire (cold water Gondwana and peri‐Gondwana). As with other cephalopod faunas of mid to high palaeolatitudes, eothinoceratids occur along with other cephalopods forming assemblages of low morphological diversity. We interpret the forms described here as demersal with a subvertical poise, but capable of making rapid buoyancy changes, living in a wide spectrum of shallow offshore to shoreface settings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rhodophycean algae from the Lower Cretaceous of the Cauvery Basin,South India

The present paper records eight Rhodophycean taxa from the Kallakudi limestone of the Uttatur Group (Lower Cretaceous) exposed in the quarries at Kallakudi and Olaipadi near Govindarajapatnam of the Cauvery Basin, south India. Of these, four species (Melobesioideae gen. et sp. indet 1, Melobesioideae gen. et sp. indet 2, Lithophyllum alternicellum and Pseudoamphiroa propria) belong to corallinaceae family, one species (Polystrata alba) is assigned to Peyssonneliaceae family, two species (Solenopora urgoniana and Parachaetetes asvapatii) are placed under Solenoporaceae; and one species (Sporolithon sp.) is referable to Sporolithaceae family. Among these, three taxa (Solenopora urgoniana, Lithophyllum alternicellum and Pseudoamphiroa propria) are recorded for the first time from India. The study also includes observations on ultrastructural morphological features of Parachaetetes asvapatii. The observations reveal absence of cell fusions, which confirms its affinities with Solenoporaceae. Palaeoecological data indicate that the assemblage from the sequence at the Kallakudi quarry is characteristic of lagoonal to reefal environment, whereas the Olaipadi quarry sequence near Govindarajapatnam points to 20 m to 30 m deep environment characterized by high- to moderate energy conditions.     

A review of Lower and Middle Palaeozoic biostratigraphy in west peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand in its context within the Sibumasu Terrane

Fossils from the Cambrian to Devonian rocks of southern Thailand, the Langkawi Islands, mainland Kedah, Perlis, north Perak and central West Peninsular Malaysia are listed and reviewed, and their stratigraphy and correlation reassessed. The hitherto anomalous record of the trilobite Dalmanitina from Malaysia is reviewed and found to be of latest Ordovician (Hirnantian) age, rather than Lower Silurian age as previously reported, and is considered a probable synonym of the widespread Mucronaspis mucronata. A new stratigraphical nomenclature is erected for part of the Langkawi, mainland Kedah and Perlis area successions, in which the term Setul Limestone (which stretched from the Ordovician to the Devonian) is abandoned and replaced by the Middle Ordovician Kaki Bukit Limestone, the late Ordovician and early Silurian Tanjong Dendang Formation, the Silurian Mempelam Limestone, and the early Devonian Timah Tasoh Formation, all underlying the paraconformity with the late Devonian Langgun Red Beds. There was a single depositional basin in the generally shallow-water and cratonic areas of southern Thailand, Langkawi, and mainland Kedah and Perlis, in contrast to the deeper-water basin of north Perak. Only Silurian rocks are dated with certainty within another basin in central West Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur, which were also cratonic and shallow-water, although to the east in west Pahang there are basal Devonian deeper-water sediments with graptolites. The area is reviewed in its position within the Sibumasu Terrane, which, in the Palaeozoic, also included central and northern Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and southwest China (part of Yunnan Province).     

Neoselachians and Chimaeriformes (Chondrichthyes) from the latest Cretaceous–Paleogene of Sierra Baguales,southernmost Chile. Chronostratigraphic,paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental implications

This paper discusses a well-represented fossil record of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) from southern South America. The recovered samples allow the recognition of three assemblages with chronostratigraphic and paleogeographic value: i) typical Maastrichtian sharks and rays with affinities to eastern Pacific fauna, including the taxa Ischyrhiza chilensis, Serratolamna serrata, Centrophoroides sp. associated to Carcharias sp., and Dasyatidae indet.; ii) a scarce reworked assemblage of Paleocene–Early Eocene age including the taxa Otodus obliquus and Megascyliorhinus cooperi; iii) a rich assemblage with reworked taxa of Early to Middle Eocene age, together with autochthonous deposited Middle to Late Eocene taxa with close affinities to paleoichthyofaunas recovered from the North Atlantic, represented by Carcharias ‘hopei’, Odontaspis winkleri, Carcharoides catticus, Macrorhizodus praecursor, Carcharocles auriculatus, Striatolamia sp., Striatolamia macrota, Hexanchus agassizi, Notorhynchus sp., Myliobatis sp., Abdounia sp., Pristiophorus sp., Squatina sp., cf. Rhizoprionodon sp., Ischyodus sp., and one new species, Jaekelotodus bagualensis sp. nov. The studied samples include for the first time taxa with well established chronostratigraphic resolutions as well as taphonomic information that help clarifying the age of the fossil-bearing units. In addition, they provide relevant information about the evolution of the Magallanes (=Austral) Basin from the Upper Cretaceous to the Paleogene, suggesting a probable connection with the Quiriquina Basin of south-central Chile during the latest Cretaceous. Finally, the studied assemblages indicate a latitudinal pattern of distribution that provides valuable data on the environmental evolution and temperature of southern South America during the Paleogene.     

内蒙古赤峰早白垩世昆虫化石的新发现

本文首次描述了内蒙古自治区赤峰市早白垩世九佛堂组的鞘翅目和异翅目昆虫化石４属５种，其中３新属５新种。这些昆虫化石通过与国内、外相关类群的对比，为该区的地层划分、对比和地质时代的确定，提供了最新的依据。由古生态方面分析，该区为湖沼环境，水体充沛，为古黑龙江流域的一部分。文中里阿龙虱科、沼梭科和中生五节蝽科的材料在国内是首次报道。     

Middle Eocene calcareous algae from Southwestern Kachchh,Gujarat

The Fulra limestone (middle Eocene) exposed in the areas around Jhadwa and Harudi villages, southwestern, Kachchh reveals presence of a rich assemblage of calcareous algae belonging to the Chlorophyceae and Rhodophyceae along with abundant foraminifera. In the present paper, eight species belonging to eight genera of calcareous algae are described. These include Dissocladella longijangensis, Sporolithon keenani, Corallina crossmanni, Arthrocardia sp. Misra et al. 2001, Lithothamnion ishigakiensis, Melobesioideae gen. et spec. indet. 1, Melobesioideae gen. et spec. indet. 2 and Lithoporella melobesioides. Out of these, one taxon belongs to the family Dasycladaceae. Among the remaining taxa, one taxon to the family Sporolithaceae, three taxa to the family Corallinaceae and three to the family Hapalidiaceae. Two coralline species, Corallina crossmanni and Lithothamnion ishigakiensis, are recorded for the first time from India. Another species (Dissocladella longijangensis), though known from other areas of India, is new to the study area.     

Plant remains from the Lower Cretaceous Fossil-Lagerstätte of Pietraroja,Benevento, southern Italy

Plant macrofossils with epidermal features from the Lower Albian (Lower Cretaceous) Plattenkalk 2 as exposed in “Le Cavere” quarry within Pietraroja Fossil-Lagerstätte, southern Italy, include sterile foliage-bearing shoots and reproductive structures of gymnosperms and possible angiosperm leaves occurring in a controversial marine depositional environment. The following taxa are recorded: Brachyphyllum sp., Frenelopsis sp., Cheirolepidiaceae gen. et sp. indet. and Nageiopsis?. Bituminous strata of the lower Plattenkalk 2 are full of plant debris composed mainly of isolated leaves and sterile axes. Taphonomic considerations suggest parautochtonous deposition for Frenelopsis while the other plant remains are allochthonous. Among the plants studied, the cheirolepidiaceous conifers have ecological significance owing to their (debated) xeromorphic foliar features. These adaptations suggest a warm and dry, or possibly coastal palaeoenvironment. Studied plant fossils together with sedimentological and palaeozoological considerations do not exclude a lagoonal hypothesis for Pietraroja sedimentary basin. This research expands the phytotaxonomic knowledge of the emergent lands within the Early Cretaceous Apenninic Carbonate Platform (ACP).     

Late Cretaceous (Campanian/Maastrichtian) freshwater to restricted marine mollusc fauna from the Loncoche Formation,Neuquén Basin,west-central Argentina

This study is the first detailed account of freshwater to restricted marine molluscs from the Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in the northern sector of the Neuquén Basin. The fossils are from the Campanian–Maastrichtian Loncoche Formation in southern Mendoza, west-central Argentina, which records the initial connection of the Neuquén Basin to the Atlantic Ocean. Six species of bivalves (Diplodon bodenbenderi, Pleiodon? sp., Isognomon? mechanquilensis, Mactridae? indet., Panopea? sp., and Laternula sp.) and three of gastropods (Paleoanculosa macrochilinoides, Paleoanculosa ameghiniana, and a possible cerithioidean) are described. Specimens were collected from fine to coarse sandstones, which may be massive or with planar stratification, planar-cross stratification or trough-cross stratification, and a few from bioclastic limestones and mudstones. Although the sections are from 50 to 300 m thick, the specimens are found only in the lower 120 m. Molluscs represent autochthonous/parautochthonous assemblages composed of mostly non-broken gastropods and articulated bivalve specimens, some of which show signs of postmortem transport; however, they were not removed far from their original habitat. Review of the habitats of living genera supports the inference of dominantly freshwater palaeoenvironments in the lower and middle part of the Loncoche Formation, with restricted marine influence in the southernmost localities studied where there are a few samples that contain specimens belonging to predominantly marine groups (e.g., Laternula, Panopea).     

The genus Perissocytheridea Stephenson, 1938 (Crustacea: Ostracoda) and evidence of brackish water facies along the Oligo-Miocene,Pirabas Formation,eastern Amazonia,Brazil

Perissocytheridea Stephenson is characteristic of brackish water facies. In 57 samples from the Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene, from five localities, Pirabas Formation, Pará State, Brazil eleven species have been identified. Among these species, four are new reports: Perissocytheridea punctoreticulata n. sp., Perissocytheridea largulateralis n. sp., Perissocytheridea colini n. sp. and Perissocytheridea pirabensis n. sp.; five species in open nomenclature: Perissocytheridea sp. 1, P. sp. 2, P. sp. 3, P. sp. 4, and P. sp. 5 and two species left in “aff.” abbreviation: Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea pumila and Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea brachyforma subsp. excavata. The distributional pattern of the Perissocytheridea combined with the occurrence of foraminifera Elphidium and Ammonia in the studied sections supports the presence of the brackish water facies to the respective layers. Their quantitative variation through the studied sections indicate more than one phase of salinity reduction (about >5 and <30 ppm) and/or the decrease of the sea level, forming lagoon along the Pirabas Formation. This genus has a wide paleobiogeographical occurrence and stratigraphic distribution ranging from the Cretaceous to Recent, and already been recorded in the northern of South America, especially in the Neogene of Solimões Basin, but this is the first report of a neotropical genus to the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Pirabas Formation, northern Brazilian Coast, Pará State.     

Revision of the age of the Qom Formation in the Central Iran Basin, Iran

The Qom Formation in the Central Iran Basin contains not only relatively abundant calcareous nannofossils and a small number of dinoflagellate cysts, but also a number of stratigraphically significant benthonic foraminifers and ostracods. Calcareous nannofossils reported for the first time from this formation include Coccolithus pelagicus, Cyclicargolithus abisectus, C. floridanus, Dictyococcites bisectus, D. scrippsae, Helicosphaera euphratis, Ericsonia fenestratus, Pontosphaera sp., Reticulofenestra dictyoda, R. minuta and Sphenolithus moriformis. Dinoflagellates include Homotryblium plectilum, Hystrichokolpoma rigaudiae, Operculodinium centrocarpum, Palaeocystodinium golzowense, Spiniferites pseudofurcatus and Thalassiphora pelagica. Benthonic foraminifers include Assilina aff. spira, Discocyclina sp., Neodiscocyclina cf. barkeri, Nummulites aff. variolarius, Operculina sp. and Orbitolites sp. Among the ostracods recovered are Alocopocythere dhansariensis, Asymmetricythere samalutensis, Bairdia montiformis, Cytherella jonesiana, Cytheretta virgulata, Cytheridea cf. bundensis, C. cf. scruposa, C. sp., Eopaijenborchella sp., Hermanites cf. grafica, Krithe oryza, K. cf. pernoides, Loxoconcha sp., Paracypris sp., Propontocypris zongbuensis, P. sp. and Xestoleberis sp. This assemblage indicates that the Qom Formation is Eocene in age instead of Middle-Late Oligocene to Early Miocene as previously determined.     

云南保山地区中-晚三叠世Budurovignathus及Pseudofurnishius牙形类动物群的发现及意义

Budurovignathus和Pseudofurnishius牙形类动物群是世界上具有重要地层研究价值且比较稀有的牙形类动物群,迄止目前,在滇西保山地区发现:Budurovignathus hungaricus(Kozur et Vigh)、B.mungoensis(Diebel)、B.aff.mungoensis(Diebel)or B.baoshanensis sp.nov.、B.diebeli(Kozur et Mostler)、Pseudofurnishius socioensis(Gullo et Kozur),P.murcianus(Van Den Boogaard)和Pseudofurnishius sp.A等重要的属种,本次发现,为云南保山地区中—晚三叠世地层提供有力的生物年代约束,拓展了三叠世牙形石生物带,同时也丰富了中国这两个牙形类动物群的资料。     

Diverse stigmaphronid wasps in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea: Stigmaphronidae)

A diverse fauna of wasps of the extinct parasitoid family Stigmaphronidae (Ceraphronoidea) are recorded in Early Cretaceous (Lower Albian) amber from Spain. Seven new species in five genera are described and figured based on 51 specimens, representing more material than in all the world’s other amber deposits combined. New species include: Elasmophron mari sp. nov., Libanophron sugaar sp. nov., Hippocoon basajauni sp. nov., Burmaphron jentilak sp. nov., B. sorginak sp. nov., B. iratxoak sp. nov., and Tagsmiphron olentzero sp. nov. The significance of the fauna is discussed and compared with that of other Cretaceous amber deposits, in particular the tremendous richness of the Spanish fauna is contrasted with the complete absence of stigmaphronids in the slightly younger and nearby French amber. Whether this stark difference represents particularly favorable conditions for these parasitoids, or their hosts, in the Cretaceous Spanish archipelago, or whether it is owing to taphonomic factors is discussed.     

Lower Devonian tentaculite bed in the Satun area, southern peninsular Thailand

A Lower Devonian (Emsian) tentaculite fauna including Nowakia acuaria [Richer, R., 1854. Thüringische Tentaculiten. Zeitschr. Deutsch. Geol. Gesellsch. 6, 275–290] occurs in black shale in the basal part of a siliciclastic sequence exposed north of Satun, southern peninsular Thailand. Similar tentaculite beds with Nowakia have been reported from several areas in the Fang, Sri Sawat, and Trang areas of Thailand, the Langkawi Islands and the Mahang–Baling areas of Malaysia. The depositional environments in which the tentaculite-bearing black shale accumulated extended from modern northern Thailand to northwestern Malaysia during the Early Devonian (Emsian).     

An endemic brachiopod fauna from the Middle Ordovician of North Wales

The brachiopod fauna from the base of the Bryn Siltstone Formation (middle Caradoc), Glyn Ceiriog, north Berwyn Hills, North Wales, consists of Platystrophia elevata sp. nov., Salopia abbreviata sp. nov., Kiaeromena ungula (M'Coy) and unnamed species of Hesperorthis?, Reuschella and Bicuspina. The dominant brachiopod species, Leptaena (Leptagonia) ungula M'Coy, 1851 is revised and its current assignment to the leptaenid genus Kiaeromena confirmed, based on the examination of type and topotype material from the Bryn Siltstone Formation. Kiaeromena spjeldnaesi nom. nov. is proposed to replace the junior homonym K. ungula Spjeldnæs, 1957 for that congeneric species from the upper Caradoc rocks of Ringerike, southern Norway. The fauna as a whole is unusual within the context of the Anglo-Welsh province and may represent a rare preserved nearshore community.