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,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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Anacoracid sharks and calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy of the mid-Cretaceous ‘upper’ Gearle Siltstone and Haycock Marl in the lower Murchison River area,Western Australia

Siversson, M., Cook, T.D., Ryan, H.E., Watkins, D.K., Tatarnic, N.J., Downes, P.J. & Newbrey, M.G. May 2018. Anacoracid sharks and calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy of the mid-Cretaceous Gearle Siltstone and Haycock Marl in the lower Murchison River area, Western Australia. Alcheringa XX, XX–XX.

Extensive bulk sampling over the past 20 years and greatly improved stratigraphic control permitted a meaningful revision of previously described anacoracid sharks from the ‘upper’ Gearle Siltstone and lower Haycock Marl in the lower Murchison River area, Western Australia. Isolated teeth of anacoracids are rare in the lower three (Beds 1–3) of four stratigraphic units of the ‘upper’ Gearle Siltstone but relatively common in the uppermost layer (Bed 4) and in the lower part of the overlying Haycock Marl. On the basis of calcareous nannofossils, Beds 1 and 2 of the ‘upper’ Gearle Siltstone can be placed in the uppermost upper Albian calcareous nannofossil Subzone CC9b whereas Bed 3 can be referred to the lowermost Cenomanian CC9c Subzone. Bed 1 yielded fragments of strongly serrated anacoracid teeth as well as a single, smooth-edged tooth. The samples from Beds 2 and 3 contained a few small fragments of serrated anacoracid teeth. Bed 4 is barren of calcareous nannofossils but the presence of a dentally advanced tooth of the cosmopolitan lamniform genus Cretoxyrhina in combination with the age of the overlying Haycock Marl indicate deposition within the younger half of the Cenomanian. The unit produced teeth of two anacoracids; Squalicorax acutus sp. nov. and S. bazzii sp. nov. The basal, laminated part of the Haycock Marl is placed in the uppermost upper Cenomanian part of CC10b. It yielded Squalicorax mutabilis sp. nov. and S. aff. S. bernardezi. Exceptionally well-preserved teeth of the former species span a 5:1 size ratio range for teeth of comparable jaw position. The teeth reveal strong ontogenetic heterodonty with a large increase in the relative size of the main cusp with age and the transition from a vertical distal heel of the crown in very young juveniles to a sub-horizontal, well demarcated heel in ‘adult’ teeth. An isolated phosphatic lens in the lower part of the Haycock Marl produced calcareous nannofossils indicative of the CC10b SubZone, most likely the lowermost lower Turonian part. It contains teeth of Squalicorax mutabilis sp. nov., S. aff. S. bernardezi, and S. sp. C.

Mikael Siversson* [mikael.siversson@museum.wa.gov.au], Helen E. Ryan [helen.ryan@museum.wa.gov.au] and Peter Downes [peter.downes@museum.wa.gov.au] Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; David K. Watkins [dwatkins@unl.edu] Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA; Todd D. Cook [tdc15@psu.edu] School of Science, Penn State Behrend, 4205 College Drive, Erie, PA 16563, USA; Nikolai J. Tatarnic? [nikolai.tatarnic@museum.wa.gov.au] Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia; Michael G. Newbrey? [newbrey_michael@columbusstate.edu] Department of Biology, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA 31907-5645, USA. *Also affiliated with: School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia. ?Also affiliated with: Centre for Evolutionary Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009. ?Also affiliated with: Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, 111-B Gilmour Street, Morden, Manitoba R6 M 1N9, Canada.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:97D5131F-C0D5-4A7E-9C9A-0FDF13BFCBBB

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5977DCC2-355C-4732-8B0A-4BD0EABBA8DE

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2D7C4147-B756-4434-847A-B0C1C6D167DF

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:33F3B55E-41E0-45B3-8296-A3B95C17B41D     

Fossil arachnids from the earliest Miocene Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte,New Zealand

Selden, P.A. & Kaulfuss, U., May 2018. Fossil arachnids from the earliest Miocene Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte, New Zealand. Alcheringa XX, XX–XX. ISSN 0311-5518.

Fossil Arachnida from New Zealand are extremely rare and represented by some unidentifiable amber inclusions only. The first fossil arachnids from New Zealand to be described in detail are presented here, based on four compression fossils from the earliest Miocene Fossil-Lagerstätte at Foulden Maar, South Island. Two specimens are referred to Arachnida incertae sedis and Araneomorpha incertae sedis, respectively, whereas two specimens are mygalomorph spiders. One of these is placed in the Rastelloidina clade of Mygalomorphae, probably in the Idiopidae, which is represented in New Zealand by the extant Cantuaria.

P.A. Selden* [selden@ku.edu] Paleontological Institute and Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lindley Hall, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; U. Kaulfuss [uwe.kaulfuss@otago.ac.nz] Department of Geology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. *Also affiliated with: Natural History Museum, London, UK.     

New sinoalids (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) from Middle to Upper Jurassic strata at Daohugou,Inner Mongolia,China

Fu, Y., & Huang, D., December 2018. New sinoalids (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) from Middle to Upper Jurassic strata at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Alcheringa 43, 246–256. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new fossil genus with three species of Sinoalidae, Parasinoala daohugouensis gen. et sp. nov., Parasinoala minuta gen. et sp. nov., Parasinoala magnus gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle to Upper Jurassic Haifanggou Formation at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, is described and illustrated. The new genus differs from other sinoalids by the tegmen with RA having 2–3 branches, MP with 3–4 branches and MP of hind wings with two branches, which indicates the terminal branches of RA and MP are highly variable within Sinoalidae. The new discovery greatly increases the palaeodiversity of sinoalids in the early assemblage of the Yanliao biota from the Daohugou beds.

Yanzhe Fu [yzfu@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; Diying Huang* [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

Nummulites perforatus (de Montfort, 1808) and N. beaumonti: d’Archaic & Haime, 1853: a new record from Gebel Hafit,United Arab Emirates

Al Menoufy, S. June.2018. Nummulites perforatus (de Montfort, 1808) and N. beaumonti d’Archaic & Haime, 1853: a new record from Gebel Hafit, United Arab Emirates. Alcheringa XX, xx–xx.

Nummulites perforatus (N. burdigalensis group) and N. beaumonti (N. discorbinus group) are recorded from a Priabonian limestone outcrop of the Mazyad Member, Dammam Formation, exposed along the eastern limb of Gebel Hafit Anticline, in the United Arab Emirates. Nummulites perforatus at this site is characterized morphologically by lenticular to inflated-lenticular tests with rounded edges, meandering septal filaments, dense granules on, and between, the septal filaments, chambers that are longer than high and a regular-shaped spire. Biometric studies have demonstrated that this new material from the United Arab Emirates is similar to specimens of N. perforatus previously described. N. beaumonti is here characterized morphologically by lenticular tests with slightly rounded peripheries, a relatively thick and irregular marginal cord, compact septal filaments that are curved initially but become radial and twisted around the polar area with a slight flexure towards the periphery, tight to lax coiled spire, and chambers that are rectangular in shape and higher than long, including a rudimentary polar pustule. Biometric studies revealed that this material is comparable with specimens of N. beaumonti. Nummulites perforatus and N. beaumonti span the SBZ19 zone and are considered to be late Eocene (Priabonian) in age.

Safia Al Menoufy [safiageo@yahoo.com or almenoufysafia@gmail.com] Biological & Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, El khalifa El maamoon Street, Cairo 11566, Egypt.     

Oldest record of the scale-leaved clade of Podocarpaceae,early Paleocene of Patagonia,Argentina

A new podocarpaceous conifer is described from the early Danian Salamanca Formation (southern Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina) based on compressions of leafy branches with cuticular remains. Kirketapel salamanquensis gen. et sp. nov. has amphistomatic, scale-like leaves with marginal frills distinguishable at the apex; stomata oriented randomly in relation to the major axis of the leaf with four to five subsidiary cells and extremely reduced Florin rings; and irregularly shaped epidermal cells. We compare K. salamanquensis with extant and extinct members of the imbricate-leaved podocarps, among which it closely resembles Florin’s Dacrydium group C genera (i.e., Lagarostrobos, Manoao, Lepidothamnus and Halocarpus). Among these genera, only Lepidothamnus has a living representative in South America, the Chilean L. fonkii, whose leaf macro- and micromorphological characters are described in detail for comparison. Overall, the Patagonian fossil species is most similar to the extant and extinct members of Lagarostrobos in its cuticular micromorphology; however, macromorphological characters, such as the leaf size, apex curvature and mode of flattening, clearly differentiate it from all four genera of Dacrydium group C. We include Kirketapel salamanquensis in a combined molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis conducted under the maximum parsimony criterion. The new, early Paleocene fossil taxon is confidently recovered as part of the scale-leaved clade as defined herein, which also includes Halocarpus, Phyllocladus, Lepidothamnus, Parasitaxus, Lagarostrobos and Manoao, and it constitutes the oldest record known for the group by at least 17 million years as well as its first fossil occurrence outside Australasia, establishing a widespread Gondwanan history. Furthermore, based on its oldest locality of occurrence, K. salamanquensis shows that the divergence of the total group of the scale-leaved podocarps occurred by at least 65 million years ago, adding to the growing systematic knowledge of earliest Cenozoic macrofloras in the Southern Hemisphere.

Ana Andruchow-Colombo [aandruchow@mef.org.ar] and Ignacio Escapa [iescapa@mef.org.ar] CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio Av. Fontana 140, Trelew 9100, Chubut, Argentina; Raymond J. Carpenter* [raymond.carpenter@adelaide.edu.au] School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia; Robert S. Hill [bob.hill@adelaide.edu.au] School of Biological Sciences and Environment Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; Ari Iglesias [ari_iglesias@yahoo.com.ar] CONICET, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente INIBIOMA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional del COMAHUE, Quintral 1250, San Carlos de Bariloche 8400, Río Negro, Argentina; Ana Abarzua [anaabarzua@uach.cl] Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Av. Rector Eduardo Morales Miranda 23, Valdivia 5090000, Región de los Ríos, Chile; Peter Wilf [pwilf@psu.edu] Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. *Also affiliated with: School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. Received 28.2.2018; revised 22.8.2018; accepted 24.8.2018.     

Costulatotheca schleigeri (Hyolitha: Orthothecida) from the Walhalla Group (Early Devonian) at Mount Pleasant,central Victoria,Australia

Earp, C., 29 January 2019. Costulatotheca schleigeri (Hyolitha: Orthothecida) from the Walhalla Group (Early Devonian) at Mount Pleasant, central Victoria, Australia. Alcheringa. Alcheringa 43, 220–227. ISSN 0311-5518

A number of hyolith fragments (including one operculum), found in Early Devonian marine turbidites at Mt Pleasant, near Alexandra, central Victoria, are described as Costulatotheca schleigeri gen. et sp. nov., the first confirmed record of the order Orthothecida in the Devonian of Australia. Index fossils found at this locality (Uncinatograptus sp. cf. U. thomasi and Nowakia sp. ex gr. N. acuaria) indicate an age of Pragian or earliest Emsian. The taphonomy of rare rafted shelly fossils indicates that flysch deposition occurred in a very-low-energy environment into which there were occasional bursts of high-energy turbidites carrying allochthonous fossils from shallower water.

Clement Earp [omaiosys@yahoo.com.au], 1 De Havilland Place, Onerahi, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand.     

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.     

Cambrian Hyolitha of Siberian,Baltican and Avalonian aspect in east Laurentian North America: taxonomy and palaeobiogeography

Malinky, J.M. & Geyer, G., 6 March 2019. Cambrian Hyolitha of Siberian, Baltican and Avalonian aspect in east Laurentian North America: taxonomy and palaeobiogeography. Alcheringa 43, 171–203. ISSN 0311-5518.

Newly identified hyoliths from early Cambrian ‘Small Shelly Fossil’ assemblages in New York State and Quebec extend the geographical ranges of hyolith taxa, otherwise known only from Baltica and Siberia, into eastern Laurentian North America, and in some cases, are accompanied by significant stratigraphical range extensions. The newly recognized taxa from this region include the hyolithids Hexitheca washingtonensis sp. nov., Aimitus sp., A. sp. cf. A. communis, Anabaricornus sp., Similotheca americana, Grantitheca glenisteri, and the orthothecids Decoritheca sp., Contitheca sp., two species of Holmitheca, and two hyolith species that can not be confidently assigned to an order at this time. Early Cambrian limestone clasts within the Lower Ordovician of Quebec have produced the hyolithids Similotheca americana and Nevadotheca princeps. The occurrences of Aimitus, Anabaricornus, and Holmitheca provide a palaeobiogeographical link with hyolith assemblages in Siberia, and Hexitheca to Baltica. Contitheca not only is known from these areas, but also has been found in west Laurentia, Morocco, Korea and Antarctica. A review of previously named species demonstrates that none of their type materials can be confidently referred to genus or species level because of poor preservation.

John M. Malinky [jmalinky@sbcglobal.net], Department of Physical Science, San Diego City College, 1313 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101, USA; Gerd Geyer* [gerd.geyer@uni-wuerzburg.de], Institut für Geographie und Geologie, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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;