Morphology,palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Devonian mitrate Placocystella langei from Paraná Basin,Brazil

Sandro Marcelo Scheffler, Rodrigo Scalise, Horodyski & Elvio Pinto, Bosetti, 2018. Morphology, palaeoecology and taphonomy of the Devonian mitrate Placocystella langei from Paraná Basin, Brazil. Alcheringa 43, 228–240. ISSN 0311-5518.

The original holotype and paratypes of the stylophoran mitrate Placocystella langei (Echinodermata) are definitively lost. A neotype is designated here, based on new material collected in the marine Devonian strata of the Apucarana Sub-basin, Paraná, Brazil. Placocystella langei was the first species of Stylophora to be identified in Devonian basins from Brazil. Its range extends from the late Emsian to early Givetian. Taphonomic data indicate that P. langei specimens were preserved in a storm-influenced, transitional offshore environment, and that skeletal remains were few exposed at the water–sediment surface. Considering that the specimens do not exhibit evidence of reworking, it is possible that their final burial was rapid and definitive, which facilitated their almost complete preservation. Finally, taphonomic, diagenetic and sedimentologic data all suggest a shallow infaunal habit for Placocystella langei.

Sandro Marcelo Scheffler [schefflersm@mn.ufrj.br] Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Laborat orio de Paleoinvertebrados (LAPIN), Museu Nacional—UFRJ, Parque Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n, São Cristóvão 20940040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil; Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski* [rhorodyski@unisinos.br] Graduate Program in Geology, Vale do Rio dos Sinos University, Av. Unisinos, 950, Cristo Rei, 93022-000 São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil; Elvio Pinto Bosetti [elviobosetti@gmail.com] Departamento de Geociências, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti 9.500, Uvaranas, 84010-919, Ponta Grossa, Paran a, Brazil.     

A new Bronze Age shipwreck with ingots in the west of Antalya—preliminary results

Archaeological underwater investigations in the coast of Mersin and Antalya districts of the Turkish Mediterranean have been carried out with the permission of the Ministry of Culture of Turkish Republic since 1999. Many shipwrecks, sunken settlements, port structures, ancient harbour facilities and other archaeological remains have been documented and lodged in the national archive. The most important discovery within the scope of our study in 2018 has been revealed at the boundaries of the Ancient Lycia-Lukka Region in Kumluca at the west coast of Antalya. It is a pleasure for us to announce that a new Bronze Age shipwreck has been discovered in the same waters as the Gelidonia and Uluburun shipwrecks excavated by George Bass and Cemal Pulak. This new shipwreck could probably be dated to 16-15th Century BC, earlier than the Gelidonia and Uluburun ships. The main part of the shipwreck consists of at least 73 pillow-type ingots (copper?) and at least 4 bun (pita) type ingots (copper or tin?). Pillow-type ingots are compatible with Buchholz / Bass Type 1 ingots, which are usually dated to 16th-15th century BC and rarely to 14th century BC. Part of the shipwreck cargo continues under the sand and the remaining part of it, probably including its anchor, is also under natural camouflage. In order to avoid damaging the in situ position of the shipwreck, no samples have yet been taken. The different findings observed under the sand and the part forming the main cargo were untouched.     

New specimens of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea,Caimaninae) from the Miocene of Brazil and Bolivia and their taxonomic and morphological implications

Cidade, G.M., Souza-Filho, J.P., Hsiou, A.S., Brochu, C.A., & Riff, D., 18 March 2019. New specimens of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the Miocene of Brazil and Bolivia and their taxonomic and anatomic implications. Alcheringa 43, 261–278. ISSN 0311-5518.

Mourasuchus is one of the most peculiar crocodylians of all time, showing an unusual ‘duck-faced’ rostrum with thin, gracile mandibles. It includes four species restricted to the South American Miocene. Here, we describe ten late Miocene specimens of Mourasuchus, nine from the Solimões Formation of Brazil and one from Bolivia. All specimens are assigned to M. arendsi, but this assignment may change as the diversity and relationships within Mourasuchus are better understood. We also discuss several issues pertinent to the morphology of Mourasuchus: the presence of a braincase neomorph (the laterocaudal bridge), hypotheses about sexual dimorphism, the function of the squamosal ‘horns’ the presence of possible thermoregulatory functions in the genus. Additionally, the paleogeographic distribution of Mourasuchus in the Miocene of South America is also discussed.

Giovanne M. Cidade* [giovannecidade@hotmail.com], Universidade de São Paulo Campus de Ribeirao Preto, Biologia, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirao Preto, 14040-900, Brazil; Jonas P. Souza-filho [jpdesouzafilho@hotmail.com], Universidade Federal do Acre, Departamento de Ciências da Natureza, Campus Universitário, UFAC, BR 364, Km 4, Distrito industrial, CEP 69915-900, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil; Annie Schmaltz Hsiou [anniehsiou@ffclrp.usp.br], Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Biologia, Avenida dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, Brazil; Christopher A. Brochu [chris-brochu@uiowa.edu], University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA; Douglas Riff [driff2@gmail.com], Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, 38400902, Brazil.     

Exceptionally well-preserved dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) in Mexican amber

Zheng, D., Nel, A., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H. & Wang, B., May 2018. Exceptionally well-preserved dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) in Mexican amber. Alcheringa xxx, xxx–xxx.

Dragonflies (odonatans) are comparatively rare as amber inclusions, and most are not well preserved on account of their size. Here, we report a single piece of Mexican amber with one complete dragonfly and two damselflies. The dragonfly is attributed to the extant gomphid Erpetogomphus Selys Longchamps, and the damselflies belong to the extant coenagrionid Argia Rambur. Both genera are nowadays distributed widely in Mexico. The new discovery dates the origins of these two genera to the Miocene at least.

Daran Zheng [dranzheng@gmail.com], Edmund A. Jarzembowski* [jarzembowski2@live.co.uk] Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Bo Wang? [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr] Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France; Daran Zheng, Su-Chin Chang [suchin@hku.hk] Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China. *Also affiliated with Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK. ?Also affiliated with Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China. Received 23.1.2018; revised 6.3.2018; accepted 20.3.2018.     

The first Chinese representative of the Jurassic damsel-dragonfly genus Hypsothemis (Odonata: Isophlebioidea: Campterophlebiidae)

HUANG, D., FU, Y. & NEL, A. 4 October 2019. The first Chinese representative of the Jurassic damseldragonfly genus Hypsothemis (Odonata: Isophlebioidea: Campterophlebiidae). Alcheringa 44, 99–103. ISSN 0311–5518

A new campterophlebiid damsel-dragonfly, Hypsothemis sinensis sp. nov., is described from the lowermost Upper Jurassic Haifanggou Formation at the Daohugou locality in the Ningcheng Basin, China. This is the first Chinese representative of this genus, previously known only from the coeval upper Karabastau Formation in Kazakhstan, reflecting strong palaeobiogeographic links between these two entomofaunas.

Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Yanzhe Fu [yzfu@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB, UMR 7205, CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Université des Antilles, 57, rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie 75005 Paris, France.     

Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula,Sabah, northeastern Borneo,Malaysia

Saw, J.V.M., Hunter, A.W., Johnson, K.G. & Abdul Rahman, A.H.B., November 2018. Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, northeastern Borneo, Malaysia. Alcheringa 43, 291–319. ISSN 0311-5518

The palaeobiology of the Malay Archipelago region remains poorly documented, despite its present-day significance as a modern global marine biodiversity hotspot. The Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, situated in Borneo on the western Sulu Sea and eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysia, preserves Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary sequences interpreted to represent localized transgressive episodes, and which have a relatively high coral diversity. Fossil corals were sampled from three available quarries on the Dent Peninsula, the sediments of which have been previously dated as 4.5–3.4?Ma in age based on foraminiferal data and radiometric analyses. These Pliocene corals are identified here based on their macromorphology, micromorphology and microstructural characteristics. In total, this study describes 28 fossil coral taxa, with 16 genera recognized and 22 taxa identified to species level, 21 of which can be confidently assigned to extant species. These new data have resulted in revised stratigraphic ranges for eight of these species. As the most comprehensive systematic survey of corals from the Pliocene of the Indo-Pacific to date, this study indicates a high diversity of corals on the margin of the Sabah Sea, Borneo, at this time, including taxa found today, thus casting doubt on the local impact of the Plio-Pleistocene extinction previously reported from faunal analyses of the central Indo-Pacific.

Jasmin V.M. Saw [varnmay@yahoo.com] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia; Aaron W. Hunter* [awh31@cam.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK; Kenneth G. Johnson [k.johnson@nhm.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Abdul Hadi B Abdul Rahman [hadi_rahman@utp.edu.my] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia. *Also affiliated with: School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.     

New fossil sawflies (Hymenoptera,Xyelidae) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China

Zheng, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, J. & Zhang, H., 6 August 2019. New fossil sawflies (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China. Alcheringa 44, 115–120. ISSN 0311-5518.

Magnaxyela rara gen. et sp. nov. and Abrotoxyela curva sp. nov. (Xyelidae, Macroxyelinae, Gigantoxyelini) are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. The two new species are confidently assigned to tribe Gigantoxyelini of subfamily Marcroxyelinae based on their wing venation and various other morphological characters. Magnaxyela rara is established based on the following forewing characters: pterostigma sclerotized completely, Sc two-branched and meeting R before origin of Rs, 1-Rs as long as 1-M, but shorter than Rs?+?M, R curved bewteen 1r-rs and 2r-rs and cell 2r longer than 1r. Abrotoxyela curva is differentiated from congeneric forms by the two-branched vein Sc of the forewing, Sc2 short and inclined towards the base of the wing, 1-Rs, 1-M and Rs?+?M nearly equal in length, crossvein 1m-cu longer than 1cu-a. The fossils described herein increase the diversity of the Mesozoic Xyelidae.

Yan Zheng* [zhengyan536@163.com], Jun Chen* [ubiscada@sina.com], and Junqiang Zhang [zhangjunqiang@lyu.edu.cn], Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Shuangling Road, Linyi 276000, PR China; Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China. *Also affiliated with: State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

A new,extraordinary ‘damselfly-like’ Odonatoptera from the Pennsylvanian of the Avion locality in Pas-de-Calais,France (Insecta: ‘Exopterygota’)

Nel, A., Roques, P., Prokop, J., & Garrouste, R., 11 September 2018. A new, extraordinary ‘damselfly-like’ Odonatoptera from the Pennsylvanian of the Avion locality in Pas-de-Calais, France (Insecta: ‘Exopterygota’). Alcheringa 43, 241–245. ISSN 0311-5518.

Enigmaptera magnifica gen. et sp. nov., type genus and species of the new odonatopteran family Enigmapteridae, is described from the Moscovian of Avion (northern France). It is the sister group of the major clade Neodonatoptera, placed together in the new clade Paneodonatoptera. Its wing venation has characters never found in other Odonatoptera. It is a further case of convergent wing petiolation in this superorder. Enigmaptera magnifica, like the protozygopteran Jacquesoudardia magnifica from the same outcrop, probably lived like the extant damselflies along the shores of lakes and rivers, hunting the small insects found in the same deposits. These discoveries show that very small insects were significant elements of the entomofaunal diversity and trophic chains of the Late Carboniferous ecosystems.

Romain Garrouste [garroust@mnhn.fr] Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005 Paris, France; Patrick Roques [patrick.roques93@wanadoo.fr] Allée des Myosotis, Neuilly sur Marne, F-93330, France.; Jakub Prokop [jprokop@natur.cuni.cz] Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Vini?ná 7, CZ-128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic.     

Contextualizing Kuruçay Höyük: Assessing the Unexplored Late Chalcolithic Landscape Near the Beginning of Early Social Complexity in SW Turkey

Kuruçay Höyük can be considered a key site for our understanding of Late Prehistory in southwest Turkey and above all, the poorly known Late Chalcolithic (4200–3100 b.c.). Until now, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between the excavated site and its surrounding. This article discusses the Late Chalcolithic results of an integrated survey in the vicinity of Kuruçay Höyük in the Burdur Plain. Drawing upon these results, this paper illustrates that the site was far from an isolated feature during the 4th millennium b.c. The picture that emerges is one of a differentiated settlement system consisting of both larger höyük/tell settlements (like Kuruçay Höyük) and smaller sized, possibly short-lived, flat settlements. These results are further contextualized within the developments that took place in the region during the Chalcolithic, which seem to have opened the door for communities to become more complex during the Early Bronze Age.     

Late Silurian vertebrate microfossils from the Carnarvon Basin,Western Australia

Burrow, C.J., Turner, S., Trinajstic, K. &; Young, G.C., 27 February 2019. Late Silurian vertebrate microfossils from the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 43, 204–219. ISSN 0311-5518.

A core sample from the offshore Pendock 1A well, Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia yielded microvertebrate residues at an horizon in the lower part of the Hamelin Formation, dated as late Silurian, ? Ludlow, based on associated conodonts. The fish fauna comprises loganelliiform thelodont scales, the ? stem gnathostome Aberrosquama occidens nov. gen. et sp., the acanthodian Nostolepis sp. aff. N. alta, and the ? stem osteichthyan Andreolepis sp. aff. A. petri. Because of the paucity of the material, and some differences between the Pendock scales and those of established species, a precise age can not be confirmed; however, the composition of the fauna at generic level most closely resembles that of late Silurian (Ludlow) assemblages from northern Eurasia.

Carole J. Burrow* [carole.burrow@gmail.com], Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Hendra QLD 4011, Australia; Susan Turner [palaeoich@yahoo.com], Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Hendra QLD 4011, Australia; Kate Trinajstic [k.trinajstic@curtin.edu.au], School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia; Gavin C. Young [gavin.young@anu.edu.au], Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2000, Australia.     

Some middle and late Cambrian trilobites and brachiopods from the Adamsfield Trough,Tasmania

Jago, J.B., Bentley, C.J., Laurie, J.R. &; Corbett, K.B., 26 June 2018. Some middle and late Cambrian trilobites and brachiopods from the Adamsfield Trough, Tasmania. Alcheringa 43, 1-17. ISSN 0311-5518.

Cambrian Series 3 and Furongian trilobites and brachiopods are described from the Adamsfield Trough in southwestern Tasmania. The oldest fossils are very poorly preserved trilobites, assigned to Asaphiscidae gen. et sp. indet. from within the Island Road Formation a short distance above the unconformity with the underlying Proterozoic Wedge River Beds. A trilobite species from within the isolated Boyd River Formation is referred to Lioparia sp. The Island Road Formation and the Boyd River Formation are stratigraphically equivalent to the Trial Ridge Beds which have previously been dated as belonging to the Lejopyge laevigata Zone. The Trial Ridge Beds are overlain unconformably by the Singing Creek Formation. In the Adamsfield, Clear Hill and Stepped Hills areas, stratigraphic equivalents of the Singing Creek Formation collectively contain the trilobites Pseudaphelaspis sp., Pseudaphelaspis? sp., Prochuangia sp., Mindycrusta sp., Nepeidae gen. et sp. indet., and Olenidae gen. et sp. indet. plus the brachiopods described herein as Billingsella sp. aff. costata, Billingsella sp. A, Billingsella sp. B and a possible member of the Billingselloidea. The Singing Creek Formation has been previously correlated with the Stigmatoa diloma Zone. The genus Lotosoides Shergold 1975 is placed in synonymy with Prochuangia Kobayashi 1935.

James B. Jago* [jim.jago@unisa.edu.au] University of South Australia, School of Natural and Built Environment, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia; Christopher J. Bentley [bigfossil@bigpond.com] 30 Albert Street, Clare, SA 5453, Australia; John R. Laurie [john.r.laurie@gmail.com] Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia; Keith D. Corbett [keith.corbett@bigpond.com] 35 Pillinger Drive, Fern Tree, Tas 7054, Australia.     

Holocene Ostracods from the Hang Hau Formation in Lei Yue Mun,Hong Kong,and their palaeoenvironmental implications

Wang. H., Zhang, H., Cao, M. & Horne, D.J., October 2018. Holocene Ostracods from the Hang Hau Formation in Lei Yue Mun, Hong Kong, and their palaeoenvironmental implications. Alcheringa 43, 320–333. ISSN 0311-5518.

The Holocene Hang Hau Formation is the youngest part of the Quaternary succession in Hong Kong and yields abundant and diverse ostracods. This study of ostracod assemblages from two cores in Lei Yue Mun identifies eight genera and nine species of marine Ostracoda that were previously unreported from the Hang Hau Formation, increasing the known diversity from 67 to 76 species. Among these species, Neocyprideis timorensis (Fyan 1916) is reported for the first time in China. The recovery of abundant juvenile and adult specimens has facilitated illustration and discussion of an ontogenetic series for Neomonoceratina delicata Ishizaki & Kato, 1976, extending from the A-5 instar (fourth moult after hatching) to the sexually dimorphic A (adult) instar. Palaeoenvironmental analysis of the ostracod assemblages supports and strengthens previous interpretations indicative of a warm, shallow, nearshore-marine environment.

He Wang [wang0701@163.com] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Meizhen Cao [mzcao@nigpas.ac.cn] Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; David J. Horne [d.j.horne@qmul.ac.uk] School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK. *Also affiliated with: University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, JinZhai Road Baohe District, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China.     

First long-proboscid flies (Diptera: Zhangsolvidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea

Khramov, A.V., Nam, G.-S. & Vasilenko, D.V. 13 December 2019. First long-proboscid flies (Diptera: Zhangsolvidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea. Alcheringa 44, 160–168. ISSN 0311-5518

Buccinatormyia gangnami sp. nov. (Zhangsolvidae) is the first record of Diptera from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of the Korean Peninsula. B. gangnami is described based on six specimens, the largest number of fossils known for a single species of Zhangsolvidae. Four specimens of B. gangnami preserve a long proboscis; mouthparts of this species show a twofold variation in relative length, which may be partially explained by sexual dimorphism. B. gangnami is the third known species of Zhangsolvidae with extremely elongate antennal flagella. The preserved abdominal colouration pattern in these fossils suggests that B. gangnami was probably a wasp mimic.

Alexander V. Khramov [a-hramov@yandex.ru], Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation; Gi-Soo Nam [nks33@naver.com], Gongju National University of Education, 27, Ungjin-ro, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 32553, South Korea; Dmitry V. Vasilenko* [damageplant@mail.ru], Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation. *Also affiliated with: Cherepovets State University, Lunacharskogo 5, 162600 Cherepovets, Russian Federation.     

The Bajada Canals of the Safford Basin,Southeastern Arizona: Excellence in Prehistoric Engineering

A large network of exceptionally well-engineered prehistoric canals has been discovered near Safford, Arizona. Within an area of roughly 450 km², 12 distinct canal systems, comprised of 41 canals, have been identified originating in the bajada of the Pinaleño Mountains. Conveying water from runoff and springs, the longest canal is about 13?km, and the total length of all systems exceeds 125?km. While a few canals may date to ca. a.d. 1100, the vast majority date to between ca. a.d. 1250 and 1450 and appear to be constructed by migrants from northeastern Arizona. These features represent the second largest network of canal systems in the American Southwest, and, while smaller in size and total length than the canal systems of the Phoenix Basin, they exhibit engineering sophistication not found in those systems. These canals have expanded the knowledge of prehistoric water management engineering and agricultural intensification in the American Southwest.     

Palaeobiological features of the coralomorph Amsassia from the Late Ordovician of South China

Lee, M., Elias, R.J., Choh, S.-J. & Lee, D.-J., May 2018. Palaeobiological features of the coralomorph Amsassia from the Late Ordovician of South China. Alcheringa XXX, X–X. ISSN 0311-5518.

Amsassia yushanensis sp. nov. occurs in the Late Ordovician Xiazhen Formation at Zhuzhai, Jiangxi Province of southeastern China. This species is characterized by typical phacelocerioid organization of modules comparable with the other Amsassia species described in recent literature. Bipartite fission, in which a parent module divided into two parts, is by far the most common type of increase in this species; tripartite and quadripartite types of axial fission do occur but are relatively uncommon. Processes of module division are similar to those of A. shaanxiensis and A. koreanensis, and also occurred in tetradiids. In A. yushanensis, restoration of coralla was occasionally accompanied by recovery of a damaged or injured module or group of modules probably following an influx of sediment, as observed in some favositoid corals. Amsassia superficially resembles Lichenaria, a representative genus of the most primitive stock of tabulate corals of Ordovician age, and has likely been mistakenly identified as Lichenaria in the North China Platform. Available information suggests that the validity of a reported occurrence of Lichenaria in the South China Platform is also questionable.

Mirinae Lee [mirinae.lee@kopri.re.kr] Division of Polar Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 21990, Incheon, Republic of Korea; Robert J. Elias [Robert.Elias@umanitoba.ca] Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada; Suk-Joo Choh [sjchoh@korea.ac.kr] Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea; Dong-Jin Lee [djlee@anu.ac.kr] Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Andong National University, Andong, 36749, Republic of Korea and College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, PR China.     

Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) conodonts from the Goldwyer Formation of the Canning Basin,Western Australia

Zhen, Y.Y., Normore, L.S., Dent, L.M. & Percival, I.G., 11 July 2019. Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) conodonts from the Goldwyer Formation of the Canning Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 44, 25–55. ISSN 0311-5518

Middle Ordovician conodonts attributed to 46 species were recovered from a stratigraphic interval spanning the Willara, Goldwyer and Nita formations in core sections from the Sally May-2 and Theia-1 petroleum exploration wells in the Canning Basin, Western Australia. The Histiodella serrata, Histiodella holodentata and Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus biozones are recognized in the lower and middle part of the Goldwyer Formation, indicative of an early–middle Darriwilian age. This revised conodont biostratigraphy enables more precise correlation with North America and North and South China. Several biogeographically distinctive conodont species, most likely of North Chinese origin, are recorded from the Goldwyer Formation. Their presence signals a strong palaeobiogeographic connection between the Sino-Korean Craton and the Canning Basin on the western margin of eastern Gondwana during the late Middle Ordovician.

Y.Y. Zhen* [yong-yi.zhen@planning.nsw.gov.au], W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of New South Wales, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia; L.S. Normore [leon.normore@dmirs.wa.gov.au]; L.M. Dent [louisa.dent@dmirs.wa.gov.au], Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Mineral House, Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, WA 6004, Australia; I.G. Percival [ian.percival@planning.nsw.gov.au], W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of New South Wales, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry NSW 2753, Australia;     

Archaeobotanical investigation of two Scythian-Sarmatian period pits in eastern Ukraine: Implications for floodplain cereal cultivation

Abstract

Two Scythian-Sarmatian period pits dated to the 5th–1st centuries b.c. were discovered while excavating the Chalcolithic site of Zanovskoe, located on a floodplain of the Donets River in the steppe region of eastern Ukraine, Lugansk oblast. No contemporaneous settlement sites are known in the region. Archaeobotanical analysis was conducted on charred plant macrofossils recovered from pits at the site. The crop assemblage consisted of hulled barley and broomcorn millet, from which AMS radiocarbon dates were obtained. Other identified plant species mostly constituted arable weeds and wetland plants. The archaeobotanical assemblage implies floodplain cereal cultivation strategies among the steppe inhabitants during this period.     

The second hemiphlebiid damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Zheng, D. &; Wang, B., November, 2018. The second hemiphlebiid damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Alcheringa 43, 257–260. ISSN 0311-5518.

Burmahemiphlebia zhangi Zheng et al., 2017 Zheng, D., Zhang, Q., Nel, A., Jarzembowski, E.A., Zhou, Z., Chang, S.-C. &; Wang, B., 2017. New damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera: Hemiphlebiidae, Dysagrionidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Alcheringa 41, 12–21.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] is the dominant damselfly found in Burmese amber. Here, a new hemiphlebiid damselfly, Burmahemiphlebia hui sp. nov., is described representing the second Burmahemiphlebia species discovered in Burmese amber. Burmahemiphlebia hui sp. nov. differs from Burmahemiphlebia zhangi in having more postnodal cross-veins, CuP and the separating point of AA from AP basal of A?×?1, Arc aligned with A?×?2, RP2 base closer to N than to Pt, and IR1 five cells distal of RP2 base. The new damselfly is extremely rare and the only one known from Burmese amber, unlike Burmahemiphlebia zhangi.

Daran Zheng* [dranzheng@gmail.com], Bo Wang? [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China. *Also affiliated with: Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China. ?Also affiliated with: Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization &; Sedimentary Minerals, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266590, PR China and Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.     

Iron age chronology and biblical history rejoinders: The late bronze/iron age transition,Tel ʿEton and Lachish

ABSTRACT

In this article, I review three recent articles. In the first, Asscher and Boaretto (2018 Asscher, Y. , and Boaretto, E. , 2018. ‘Absolute time ranges in the plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition and the appearance of Bichrome pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant’, Radiocarbon 60, 1–25. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2017.96 [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]. ‘Absolute time ranges in the plateau of the Late Bronze to Iron Age transition and the appearance of Bichrome pottery in Canaan, Southern Levant’, Radiocarbon 60, 1–25) suggest that the Late Bronze/Iron I transition occurred in neighboring sites a century and more apart. In the second, Faust and Sapir (2018. ‘The “Governor's Residency” at Tel ?Eton, the United Monarchy and the impact of the old-house effect on large-scale archaeological reconstructions’, Radiocarbon 60, 801–820.) date the construction of a solid building at Tel ?Eton to the tenth century bce and interpret this as validation for the historicity of the United Monarchy of ancient Israel. In the third, Garfinkel et al. (2019a Garfinkel, Y. , et al. , 2019a. ‘Lachish fortifications and state formation in the Biblical kingdom of Judah in light of radiometric datings’, Radiocarbon 61, 1–18. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2019.5 [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. ‘Lachish fortifications and state formation in the Biblical kingdom of Judah in light of radiometric datings’, Radiocarbon 61, 1–18) announce the discovery of a city-wall belonging to Level V at Lachish, and affiliate it with the building operations of King Rehoboam of Judah, described in 2 Chronicles. Scrutiny of the methods and facts dismisses all three theories.