查看更多>>摘要：Protowenella is an early-middle Cambrian, isostrophically coiled, calcareous microfossil originally described from the middle Cambrian (Miaolingian) of Australia; it has been referred previously to the molluscan classes Monoplacophora, Helcionelloida or Gastropoda. A unique specimen from the Henson Gletscher Formation (Miaolingian Series, Wuliuan Stage) of North Greenland has a bilaterally symmetrical operculum preserved in place within the shell aperture. Paired cardinal processes and clavicles on the inner side of the operculum indicate that Protowenella was a hyolith morphologically close to the orthothecid Conotheca. Protowenella is transferred from Mollusca to Hyolitha, Order Orthothecida, Family Protowenellidae nov., representing a novel morphological departure from the generally slender cones of other hyoliths.
Muir, Lucy A.Zhang, YuandongBotting, Joseph P.Ma, Xuan...
6页
查看更多>>摘要：A new genus and species of planktic graptolite, Anjigraptus wangi gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Upper Ordovician (Hirnantian) sponge-dominated Anji Biota of Zhejiang Province, China. The new genus has a biserial proximal portion and two uniserial stipes distally, the same tubarium form as Dicranograptus. The new genus has probable pattern H development and lacks introverted thecae; it can thus be readily distinguished from the biostratigraphically important Late Ordovician graptolite Dicranograptus, the Late Ordovician Diceratograptus, and the Ordovician-Silurian Neodicellograptus. As Anjigraptus wangi gen. et sp. nov. appears to lack a nema in its uniserial portions and can be distinguished from all other biserial graptolites in the same assemblage, we conclude that the new taxon is not a teratomorphic form of a previously known species, but represents convergent evolution of the dicranograptid morphology. The holotypes of two species of Neodicellograptus (N. siluricus and N. spinosus) are re illustrated.
查看更多>>摘要：After the Late Ordovician mass extinction, brachiopods recovered and re-radiated during the Aeronian age of the early Silurian. However, a drastic turnover of Ordovician-type to Silurian-type faunas took place. In South China, Aeronian brachiopod faunas are rarely reported and typically of low diversity. Here, we describe an endemic brachiopod faunule from the middle Xiangshuyuan Formation (middle Aeronian) of Yinjiang in northern Guizhou Province, South China. The fossils include five endemic species assigned to five genera. With the exception of Zygospiraella, at least three of these genera are also endemic. The diagnoses of Qianomena and Sinokulumbella are revised based on new specimens. The palaeobiogeographical and palaeoecological implications of the faunule are discussed and interpreted as products of climatic warming and increased habitat heterogeneity during the Aeronian.
查看更多>>摘要：Photography using cross-polarized light is a standard technique for certain types of fossils such as Burgess Shale material; however, the technique has not been used for photography of graptolites. Here we demonstrate that cross-polarized illumination is useful for obtaining high-quality images of graptolites. The technique can also facilitate visualization of fusellar banding, allowing fossils of uncertain affinity to be identified as graptolites.
查看更多>>摘要：The fossil record of scorpions in Australia is effectively non-existent. This lack of data is striking as there is evidence for other euchelicerates including eurypterids, spiders, and xiphosurids. Here, we describe a euarthropod from the Middle Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone of Sydney, New South Wales, and attribute it to the Order Scorpiones. Due to lack of other diagnostic features, we are unable to assign the specimen to a higher-order classification. Nonetheless, this discovery confirms that scorpions were present in Australia since at least the mid-Triassic.
Hart, Lachlan J.McCurry, Matthew R.Frese, MichaelPeachey, Thomas J....
6页
查看更多>>摘要：A single tetrapod tooth has been recovered from the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed of New South Wales, Australia. It is the first evidence of a tetrapod to have been found at this locality in over 130 years of excavation. The tooth is likely from a temnospondyl amphibian. Herein, we document the discovery, discuss the potential explanations as to why tetrapod remains are so scarce from this locality and provide hypotheses as to how this tooth came to be preserved.
Colombo, Wesley D.Perkovsky, Evgeny E.Vasilenko, Dmitry V.
6页
查看更多>>摘要：A new extinct bethylid wasp attributable to the subfamily Scleroderminae is described from upper Eocene amber found at the Voronki mine in the Vladimirets District of the northwestern Rovno region, western Ukraine. The distribution of Scleroderminae in tropical and temperate regions is discussed. Three species of Bethylinae, seven species of Epyrinae, and three Pristocerinae have already been described from the same amber-bearing deposits demonstrating the rich diversity of Eocene Bethylidae.
Martinez, SergioPerez, Leandro M.del Rio, Claudia J.
8页
查看更多>>摘要：Until now, the only fossil echinoderm described from the upper Miocene Parana Formation of Argentina was the scutelliform Monophoraster duboisi. Here, we substantially increase this diversity by recording the ophiuroids Ophiocoma sp. and Ophiothrix sp., together with irregular echinoids including an immature indeterminate neognathostome, Abertella sp., Amplaster alatus, and Amplatser ellipticus. This revised taxonomic richness is concordant with a warm-water shoreface depositional environment. Our new records of Amplaster and Monophoraster represent the most northerly occurrences of their known geographic range. Likewise, we extend the Argentine distribution of Abertella some 1500 km further north, and identify the first upper Miocene example of the genus. The Argentine Parana Formation echinoderm assemblage is thus similar to that from the coeval Camacho Formation of Uruguay.
NSTL
Taylor & Francis