Permian fusulinids of the East Hindu Kush and West Karakorum (Pakistan)

Fusulinids from the Rosh Gol, Mastuj, Reshun Gol (East Hindu Kush) and Baroghil (West Karakorum) localities are studied. Five successive fusulinid assemblages from the Rosh Gol section characterize the Sakmarian (?), Yakhtashian-Bolorian, and Kubergandian stages of the Permian. Fusulinids of the Sakmarian (?) Stage are discovered in the Baroghil locality. In the Mastuj and Reshun Gol localities, rocks of natural outcrops, talus cones, and pebbles of the Cretaceous conglomerates yield predominantly the Kubergandian fusulinids accompanied sometimes by the Sakmarian (?) and Bolorian forms. Four new species Monodiexodina talenti, Nonpseudofusulina conaghani, N. yarkhunensis, and N. mawsoni are described.     

Smaller foraminifers from the Permian of Central Iran

Six assemblages of smaller foraminifers are first distinguished and described from sections of the Kalmard tectonic block, Central Iran. The assemblages that have been studied are correlated with concurrent assemblages from the East European platform, Cis-Urals, Darvaz, Northern Pamir, and some other regions of the Tethyan Realm. The results of correlation and available data on fusulinids and conodonts occurring in association with smaller foraminifers are used for dating the assemblages whose distribution ranges span the stratigraphic interval from the early Sakmarian (lower assemblage) up to the Kubergandian (uppermost assemblage). New species Frondina iranica sp. nov. discovered in the study region is described.     

Section of Permian deposits and fusulinids in the Halvan Mountains, Yazd province, Central Iran

The Permian section situated northwest of Tabas in the Halvan Mountains is studied and fusulinids occurring in the section are described. The Chili, Sartakht, and Hermez formations distinguished in the section are separated by horizons of bauxitic laterite and belong to the Khan Group formerly ranked as a synonymous formation. Fusulinids occur at two levels in the section. The lower one confined to the Chili Formation yields the so-called Kalaktash fusulinid assemblage of the late Sakmarian age. The second late Asselian assemblage has been discovered in pebbles from conglomerate-breccia in the basal laterite of the Sartakht Formation. A brief characterization of fusulinids is presented and three new species are described. The new Benshiella genus is discriminated from the Rugosofusulinidae family. As Skinner and Wilde (1965, 1966) changed the original diagnosis of the Pseudofusulina genus, we suggest, regarding all species, which have been attributed to this genus but do not satisfy the new diagnosis, as representing the new Nonpseudofusulina genus.     

New fusulinids of the Moscovian Stage found in Iran

The described fusulinids of the Moscovian Stage are found in the Asad-Abad section of the Sanandaj-Sirjan tectonic zone of Iran. Five successive fusulinid assemblages are distinguished. Three lower of them belong to the Kashirian Substage, the other two to the Podolskian Substage. The section studied is correlated with most complete sections of the Moscovian Stage in the western Tethys. Two new species Fusulinella (Moellerites) pygmea and Putrella primaris are identified; in addition to nominative taxon, the latter includes new subspecies P. primaris compacta.     

Gzhelian fusulinids first discovered in central Iran

Gzhelian deposits established in Iran for the first time are described. They rest with a considerable hiatus on the Moscovian deposits constituting, along with Asselian strata, an integral carbonate succession of the Zaladu Formation in eastern Iran. The Zaladu Formation is correlative with the Vazhnan Formation of the Abadeh region (central Iran) and the Dorud Formation of the Elburz (Alborz) Mountains. An assemblage of Gzhelian fusulinids from the studied section is well comparable with the assemblage of the Ultradaixina bosbytauensis Zone distinguished in the uppermost Gzhelian of the Darvaz, Fergana, the Southern Urals, Donetsk Basin, and Carnic Alps. Two new species of the genus Schellwienia (Sch. anarakensis and Sch. stocklini) are described. Gzhelian and Asselian fusulinids found in the section are figured in two paleontological plates.     

Origin of higher fusulinids of the order eoschwagerinida Minato et Honjo, 1966

As is argued in this work, genera Zarodella Sosnina, 1981, and Grovesella Davydov et Arefifard, 2007, could be ancestors of the genus Pamirina Leven, 1970, which gave birth to all higher fusulinids. Two former genera similar to each other are distinguished conventionally to a certain extent in a large flexible taxon of small primitive polymorphic fusulinids close to the Bashkirian genera Eostaffella, Plectostaffella, and Semistaffella. Without essential changes, this taxon existed for a long time from the Bashkirian Age of the Late Carboniferous to the Bolorian Age of the Permian. The genus Pamirina branched off that taxon in the Yakhtashian Age. Along with Zarodella and Grovesella, the genus Pamirina is attributed to the order Ozawainellida.     

Smaller foraminifers from type sections of the Bolorian stage,the Lower Permian of Darvaz

Smaller foraminifers from Upper Yakhtashian and Bolorian deposits of the stratotype area (Pamir, Darvaz, Tajikistan) are investigated. Four assemblages are defined. The first assemblage is from Chalaroschwagerina vulgaris-Pamirina darvasica Zone. The second assemblage found in the transitional Yakhtashian-Bolorian beds includes Globivalvulina, Palaeotextulariidae, Hemigordiidae, and Glomospira, associated with the first Pachyphloia and Langella forms. Characteristic taxa of third assemblage from the Misellina (Brevaxina) dyhrenfurthi Zone are Geinitzinidae, Globivalvulina, Palaeotextulariidae, Glomospira, and rare Pachyphloia. The forth assemblage of Hemigordiidae, Pachyphloia, Palaeotextulariidae, Geinitzinidae, Pseudoagathammina is identified in the M. (Misellina) parvicostata Zone. The assemblages were compared with concurrent analogs from China, Japan, and Russia. New species and subspecies Glomospira paleograndis sp. nov., G. darvasica sp. nov., Agathammina darvasica sp. nov., Pachyphloia darvasica sp. nov., Nodosinelloides cubanicus elongatus subsp. nov., and Hemigordius saranensis darvasicus subsp. nov. are described.     

Systematics, biometry of the species Opsidiscus from the Middle Cambrian succession of the Spiti basin, India

The Middle Cambrian succession of the Parahio Valley in general and Debsakhad section in particular is dominated by trilobites. Genus Opsidiscus, along with other trilobite forms dominates the lower Middle Cambrian succession. In the present study two new species of Opsidiscus, Opsidiscus wadiai and Opsidiscus srikantiai are reported from the lower Middle Cambrian succession of Debsakhad section. The species were differentiated on their morphological features and their multivariate analysis. The multivariate analysis applied here is used as a supplement method to qualitative analysis in order to differentiate between the cranidial characters of Opsidiscus. The qualitative study of each species studied individually shows more or less close affiliation as is observed by different quantitative methods. The presence of Opsidiscus has a great stratigraphic significance in this region, as they first appear from informal Stage 5 of Series 3 and goes up to the Drumian Stage of Series 3 of the Cambrian System in the Debsakhad section, which helps to correlate this section with other well known sections of the Middle Cambrian.     

Radiolarians from Upper Jurassic (Middle Oxfordian and Upper Kimmeridgian) deposits of Yaroslavl oblast

The middle Oxfordian and late Kimmeridgian radiolarian assemblages from Upper Jurassic deposits of Yaroslavl oblast are studied for the first time. The middle Oxfordian assemblage is dominated by stauraxonic morphotypes of genera Paronaella and Pseudocrucella occurring in association with discoid forms. Nassellarian radiolarians are very rare in this assemblage of extremely low taxonomic diversity, which is lacking spheroidal morphotypes. The late Kimmeridgian assemblage is more diverse in morphological and taxonomic aspects. It includes spheroidal forms, those of the family Pantanelliidae Pessagno inclusive, and more frequent nassellarian species, but stauraxonic radiolarians are less abundant in its composition. This assemblage is comparable to a considerable extent with the Kimmeridgian radiolarians from Moscow oblast, being of the South Boreal type according to its composition.     

Disperse megaspores in the Lower Visean deposits of the Kaluga oblast (1P/A Aleksandrovskaya borehole)

Disperse megaspores were first found in the Lower Visean deposits of the Kaluga region (1P/A borehole). A layered distribution of the megaspores in the studied section is shown. A large number of megaspores were established in the lower part of the section of the Bobrikovskian deposits. Higher along the section, there is a trend to a decrease in the number of megaspores until they disappear completely in the Tula deposits. Two megaspore assemblages were identified. A great variety of species was observed in the lower assemblage; the dominant megaspores are Zonalesporites brasserti and Aphanozonatisporites triglobatus. The only dominant species was recorded in the upper assemblage, Zonalesporites brasserti, with a low species diversity of the entire assemblage. The miospore and megaspore assemblages that are typical of the Lower Visean in the section of the analyzed borehole are compared.     

Marine Early Bajocian Deposits of the Lower Volga Region (Volgograd Region) and Their Belemnite-Based Stratigraphy

A representative early Bajocian belemnite assemblage containing four genera and 11 species (two identified in open nomenclature and five new: Eocylindroteuthis weisi sp. nov., E. mariottii sp. nov., E. yarkovi sp. nov., Homaloteuthis volgogradensis sp. nov., and Hastites orphana sp. nov.) is described from a section near the Dubovoi hamlet in the Greater Don Bend area (southern termination of the Don-Medveditsa dislocations). Some members of this assemblage were previously known from the Caucasus; however, it is possible to state the discovery of a Euroboreal belemnite fauna completely new for Russia, previously described only from Central Europe and almost unknown for Eastern Europe. The age of the studied assemblage collected from the lower part of the section, traditionally considered to be Upper Bajocian, corresponds to the Laeviuscula ammonite Chronozone and is the first reliable evidence of marine settings in the Volga Region for the early Bajocian. Two new biostratigraphic units, Beds with Eocylindroteuthis weisi and Beds with H. orphana, are introduced. The former, judging from the occurrences of its characteristic species in Western Europe, has a broad correlative potential. On the basis of datings obtained, the scheme of the formational subdivision of the Middle Jurassic of the Volga Region near Volgograd is revised, and the formerly abandoned Bakhtemir Formation is reinstated as a valid unit. Its total range is reestablished as corresponding to the upper part of the Discites (?)/Laeviuscula Chronozone (lower Bajocian)–Garantiana Chronozone (upper Bajocian).     

Smaller foraminifers of the Lower Permian from Western Tethys

Among the smaller foraminifers from the Lower Permian of Western Tethys (Pamir, Northern Afghanistan, Central and Eastern Iran, Armenia, and Turkey), foraminiferal assemblages characteristic of the Asselian, Sakmarian, Yakhtashian, Bolorian, and Kubergandian stages are distinguished. The first stratigraphic scheme based on smaller foraminifers is elaborated for the Lower Permian (Cisuralian Series) of Western Tethys. Eight biostratigraphic units distinguished in the Lower Permian and one in the Kubergandian Stage are ranked as beds with characteristic foraminiferal assemblages. At particular stratigraphic levels, the beds are recognizable in different paleogeographic provinces of the Tethyan Realm, which enables correlation between deposits concurrently accumulated under dissimilar climatic and facies conditions to be carried. Some of the distinguished beds are recognizable beyond the Tethyan Realm, for instance in the Donetsk basin, Cis-Urals, Pechora coal basin, and Spitsbergen. Among foraminifers that have been studied, 264 species and subspecies, including 16 new taxa, are identified. The following species and subspecies are identified and described for the first time: Hemigordius permicus beitepicus subsp. nov., H. pamiricus sp. nov., Neohemigordius afganicus sp. nov., N. carnicus sp. nov., N. bangi sp. nov., N. zulumarticus sp. nov., N. kubergandinicus sp. nov., Geinitzina grandella sp. nov., G. dentiformis sp. nov., G. bella sp. nov., Pachyphloia paraovata minima sp. nov., P. aucta sp. nov., Frondicularia porrecta sp. nov., Globivalvulina gigantea sp. nov., G. compacta sp. nov., and G. explicata sp. nov.     

Facies analysis of Pleistocene limestones from Neil West Coast Formation,Neil Island,Ritchie’s archipelago of South Andaman,India

Petrographic thin section analysis of the samples collected from the type section of Neil West Coast Formation, situated in the west coast of Neil Island yielded moderately preserved coralline red algae, benthic and planktic foraminifers, coral fragments, echinoid spines and gastropod shells. The coralline red algae are represented by both non-geniculate and geniculate forms. The non-geniculate forms belong to melobesids, lithophylloids and mastophoroides. The geniculate forms are represented by species of Amphiroa, Corallina, and Jania. However, the diversity and abundance of coralline algal forms are less in comparison to the benthic foraminifers those are represented by Amphistegina, Neorotalia, Ammonia, Elphidium, Operculina, Assilina, Amphisorus and texularids. Planktic foraminifers like Globigerinoides and other biogenic components viz., gastropod shells, echinoid spines and coral fragments are also common. A foraminiferal-algal grainstone facies has been recognized as observed in the field as well as in thin section analysis. The overall assemblage of the biogenic components and facies analysis indicate intertidal to near shore environment of deposition with high energy condition and increased hydrodynamic activity.     

The Darriwilian acritarch assemblage from Ordovician deposits of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, the northern Russian Plate

Borehole 2506 drilled in the northern area of the Arkhangelsk Oblast penetrated through the Paleozoic sedimentary block isolated in the Vendian thick sequence. A diverse acritarch assemblage has been established within the depth interval of 119.9–217.5 m. The assemblage comprises more than 70 taxa, including species characteristic of the boundary interval between the Volkhov and Kunda horizons of the East European Platform (the graptolite Didymograptus hirundo Zone). Stratigraphic position of host deposits was established within the Darriwilian Stage of the Middle Ordovician. The described assemblage of microphytofossils is similar to coeval assemblages from NW Russia, Baltic region, and Scandinavia, being typical of the Baltic phytoplankton province of temperate latitudes. A great number of species in common suggests that the assemblage under consideration is correlative with coeval assemblages of southern China thus offering a possibility of remote correlation.     

贵州剑河八郎“清虚洞组”Olenoides Meek,1877的研究

贵州剑河八郎松山(九高山)寒武系"清虚洞组"产有多门类具软躯体的生物群——剑河生物群,其中三叶虫非常丰富,属于叉尾虫科(Dorypygidae)的拟油栉虫(Olenoides Meek,1877),是一个重要的三叶虫属。Olenoides全球分布,出现于寒武纪第二世(都匀期),灭绝于寒武纪第三世(古丈期晚期),是进行地层对比重要的三叶虫。松山(九高山)"清虚洞组"中的Olenoides包括2个种(含1个相似种):收缩拟油栉虫Olenoides contrictus(Chien,1961)及湖北拟油栉虫(相似种)O.cf.hubeiensis(Sun,1984),两者应为"清虚洞组"上覆地层凯里组产出的O.paraptus及O.hubeiensis的原始类型。Olenoides在寒武系黔东统都匀阶"清虚洞组"的发现,为其在研究区产出的最低层位。为Olenoides早期的形态、演化及时空分布的研究提供了重要的材料,也为寒武系都匀阶(第4阶)的生物地层研究提供了一些新的信息。     

Diatoms and silicoflagellates of the Upper Cretaceous from Saratov Region: Biostratigraphy and sedimentation settings

A representative assemblage of diatoms and silicoflagellates found in a excellent state of preservation is described from terrigenous cherty deposits of the Upper Cretaceous, which are exposed in a quarry near the Kologrivovka village in Saratov Region. The assemblage is correlative with diatoms of the Costopyxis antiqua Zone of the lower Campanian and with silicoflagellates of the Cornua trifurcata Zone, the upper one in the lower Campanian. According to the taxonomic composition, dominated by diatom genera Cortinocornus, Costopyxis, Hemiaulus, Paralia, Pseudopodosira, and Stephanopyxis, the assemblage was typical of a highly productive neritic zone with an active hydrological regime. A perceptible content of silicoflagellates among the diatoms suggests the normal salinity of the sedimentation basin. The comparable sedimentation settings in marginal parts of the Early Campanian epicontinental basin on the south of the East European platform can also be inferred based on the data from the lithological analysis.     

Conodont-based stratigraphy of the Mosolovian Regional Stage (Eifelian,Middle Devonian) of the Voronezh Anteclise

Conodonts from the deposits of the Mosolovian Regional Stage (Middle Devonian) of the Voronezh Anteclise are studied on the basis of the data from six boreholes. Three assemblages are recognized. The index species of the lowermost assemblage is Icriodus formosus Naz. The index species of the middle assemblage are I. formosus Naz. and Pseudobipennatus ziegleri Kon. et Kim, as well as I. arkonensis Stauff. and I. jejunus Naz. This assemblage is the most diverse and is recognized in all boreholes. The deposits containing this assemblage correspond to the maximum of the Nara transgression. The upper assemblage is also recognized in all the studied boreholes. Its index species is Ps. ziegleri Kon. et Kim. The Mosolovian Regional Stage is assigned to the kockelianus Zone. The distribution diagrams of species in the most diverse middle assemblage support the hypothesis that, in the southeastern regions of the Voronezh anteclise, the depth was greater than in its western part. The characteristic conodont species are shown in the plates.     

长江源各拉丹冬地区晚二叠世乌丽群类生物组合

长江源各拉丹冬地区二叠系乌丽群中的晚二叠世类化石 ,可分为两个组合 ,产于乌丽群下部那益雄组的Palaeofusulina parafusiformis- N anlingella simplex组合 ,产于乌丽群上部拉卜查日组的 Gallowayinella meitienen-sis- Palaeofusulina sinensis组合 ,这两个类化石组合属种分异度低 ,丰度高。该生物群属于特提斯动物群 ,在羌塘盆地及华南地区具有广泛的区域对比性。各拉丹冬及其邻近地区的二叠纪类生物群均为暖温型 ,属华夏特提斯区的分子     

First detailed description of Hispanomys decedens (Rodentia) from the Middle Miocene of La Grive-Saint Alban (France)

The material of Hispanomys decedens (Rodentia, Cricetodontinae) from La Grive-Saint Alban (France) is described in detail for the first time. H. decedens, which is one of the oldest species of the genus, shows the primitive character states that are typical of the Aragonian congeneric species, such as the mesolophs and labial cingula surrounding the upper molar valleys. The detailed examination of the teeth of H. decedens shows that this taxon is a good candidate ancestor for H. aragonensis.