Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov., a new short-snouted,early Miocene bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) from the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (Wipajiri Formation) in South Australia

Chamberlain, P.M., Travouillon, K.J., Archer, M. & Hand, S.J., November 2015. Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov., a new short-snouted, early Miocene bandicoot (Marsupialia: Peramelemorphia) from the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (Wipajiri Formation) in South Australia. Alcheringa 40, XX–XX. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new bandicoot species, Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum gen. et sp. nov. (Peramelemorphia), is described here from the Leaf Locality, Kutjamarpu Local Fauna (LF), Wipajiri Formation (South Australia). The age of the fossil deposit is interpreted as early Miocene on the basis of biocorrelation between multiple species in the Kutjamarpu LF and local faunas from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area (WHA). Kutjamarcoot brevirostrum is represented by isolated teeth and three partial dentaries and appears to have been short-snouted with an estimated mass of 920 g. Phylogenetic analyses place K. brevirostrum in a clade with extant Australian bandicoots and the extinct Madju, but potentially exclude the extant New Guinean bandicoots. Morphometric analysis infers close similarity between K. brevirostrum and species of Galadi in both size and rostral length. They, thus, potentially occupied compatible ecological niches with competitive exclusion perhaps explaining geographical segregation between these broadly coeval lineages.

Philippa M. Chamberlain [philippa.chamberlain@uq.net.au], School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Kenny J. Travouillon [kenny.travouillon@museum.wa.gov.au; kennytravouillon@hotmail.com], Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA, 6986, and School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia; Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au] and Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales, 2052, Australia.     

Carboniferous platyceratid gastropods from Western Australia and a possible alternative lifestyle adaptation

Cook, A.G. &; Jell, P.A., September 2015. Carboniferous platyceratid gastropods from Western Australia and a possible alternative lifestyle adaptation. Alcheringa 40, XX–XX. ISSN 0311-5518

Platyceratid gastropods, common and in many cases abundant as elements of middle Palaeozoic gastropod faunas worldwide, are rare or absent in Australian Devonian faunas. In Australia, the earliest abundant platyceratids occur in the Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) echinoderm-rich Septimus Limestone and Enga Sandstone in the Bonaparte Gulf Basin, Western Australia. Four taxa, each with significant morphological plasticity, are recognized. In Platyceras (Platyceras) tubulosus (de Koninck, 1883 Koninck, L.G. De, 1883. Faune du calcaire Carbonifère de La Belgique, Quatrième Partie, Gastropodes (suite et fin). Annales du Musée Royal D’Histoire Naturelle de Belgique Tome VIII, Text, 1–240, pls 1–54. [Google Scholar]), three rows of long radially arranged spines and common pentameral symmetry of re-entrants on the aperture suggest an alternative possibility that a relationship between echinoderms and platyceratids developed, and that this may be with archaeocidaroids that are commonly preserved with the gastropods. Similarly in the singly spinose Platyceras (Platyceras) emmemmjae sp. nov., re-entrants suggest an echinoderm relationship. It is proposed that an echinoderm–Platyceras relationship possibly developed in Australia only after a suitable echinoid host had evolved allowing an alternative way for a gameto- or coprophagous habit to be exploited fully.

Alex G Cook [alex.Cook@y7mail.com] and Peter A. Jell [p.jell@uq.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.     

A new Miocene carnivorous marsupial,Barinya kutjamarpensis (Dasyuromorphia), from central Australia

Binfield, P., Archer, M., Hand, S.J., Black, K.H., Myers, T.J., Gillespie, A.K. & Arena, D.A., June 2016. A new Miocene carnivorous marsupial, Barinya kutjamarpensis (Dasyuromorphia), from central Australia. Alcheringa 41, xx–xx. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new dasyuromorphian, Barinya kutjamarpensis sp. nov., is described on the basis of a partial dentary recovered from the Miocene Wipajiri Formation of northern South Australia. Although about the same size as the only other species of this genus, B. wangala from the Miocene faunal assemblages of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, it has significant differences in morphology including a very reduced talonid on M₄ and proportionately wider molars. Based on the structural differences and the more extensive wear on its teeth, the central Australian species might have consumed harder or more abrasive prey in a more silt-rich environment than its congener, which hunted in the wet early to middle Miocene forests of Riversleigh.

Pippa Binfield [pippa.binfield@outlook.com], Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au], Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au], Karen H. Black [k.black@unsw.edu.au], Troy J. Myers [t.myers@unsw.edu.au] Anna K. Gillespie [a.gillespie@unsw.edu.au] and Derrick A. Arena [rick@sitc.net.au], PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales 2052, Sydney, 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.     

Adaptations to life in freshwater for Mioceratodus gregoryi,a lungfish from Redbank Plains,an Eocene locality in southeast Queensland,Australia

Kemp, A., December 2017. Adaptations to life in freshwater for Mioceratodus gregoryi, a lungfish from Redbank Plains, an Eocene locality in southeast Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa 42, 306–311. ISSN 0311-5518

Few Cenozoic lungfish fossils consist of articulated, associated bones and tooth plates. Mioceratodus gregoryi from the Paleogene (Eocene) deposit of the Redbank Plains Formation in southeast Queensland is unusual in this respect because the fossil includes tooth plates and elements of the skull. An analysis of the material and reconstruction of the skull and associated skeletal material provides new insights into the fish and its environment. The fish has a mandible with a wide separation between the lower tooth-bearing bones, and a strong ceratohyal bone. This suggests that, like the extant Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, the fossil fish had a moveable basihyal that could be inserted between the prearticular bones to seal the oral cavity. This would have allowed the fish to draw food, air and water into the mouth, and dig holes by sucking mud into the oral cavity and blowing it out again, all useful attributes for a fish that lived in a shallow freshwater lake. The living Australian lungfish has similar structures in the mandible and hyoid apparatus, and performs comparable actions. The occipital ribs, also preserved in the Redbank Plains fossil, are embedded in hypaxial muscles and not moveable. It is unlikely that these ribs have any influence on the suctorial process in these two species.

Anne Kemp [a.kemp@griffith.edu.au] Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia.     

A probable ankylosaurian (Dinosauria,Thyreophora) from the Early Cretaceous of New South Wales,Australia

Bell, P.R., Burns, M.E. & Smith, E.T. October 2017. A probable ankylosaurian (Dinosauria, Thyreophora) from the Early Cretaceous of New South Wales, Australia. Alcheringa 42, 120–124. ISSN 0311-5518.

We describe an isolated osteoderm from the Albian Griman Creek Formation where it is exposed near the town of Lightning Ridge in central-northern New South Wales, Australia. Several lines of evidence allow referral of this element to the Ankylosauria—a group that epitomises body armour and ubiquitous osteodermal coverage among dinosaurs. Despite the abundant record of fossil vertebrates from this interval, ankylosaurians have not been previously reported, although, they have been described from penecontemporaneous deposits in western Queensland and Victoria. This discovery, therefore, provides an important link between the northerly faunas (including the Griman Creek Formation) that flourished at the edge of the epeiric Eromanga Sea, with those from the sub-polar rift-valley system of Victoria during the mid-Cretaceous.

Phil R. Bell [pbell23@une.edu.au], School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale 2351, NSW, Australia; Michael E. Burns [mburns3@jsu.edu], Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Rd N., Jacksonville, AL 36265-2138, USA; Elizabeth T. Smith [elizabethtsmith@exemail.com.au], Australian Opal Centre, Lightning Ridge 2834, NSW, Australia.     

Reappraisal of Austrosaurus mckillopi Longman, 1933 from the Allaru Mudstone of Queensland,Australia’s first named Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur

Poropat, S.F., Nair, J.P., Syme, C.E., Mannion, P.D., Upchurch, P., Hocknull, S.A., Cook, A.G., Tischler, T.R. &; Holland, T. XX.XXXX. 2017. Reappraisal of Austrosaurus mckillopi Longman, 1933 Longman, H.A., 1933. A new dinosaur from the Queensland Cretaceous. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 10, 131–144. [Google Scholar] from the Allaru Mudstone of Queensland, Australia’s first named Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur. Alcheringa 41, 543–580. ISSN 0311-5518

Austrosaurus mckillopi was the first Cretaceous sauropod reported from Australia, and the first Cretaceous dinosaur reported from Queensland (northeast Australia). This sauropod taxon was established on the basis of several fragmentary presacral vertebrae (QM F2316) derived from the uppermost Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) Allaru Mudstone, at a locality situated 77 km west-northwest of Richmond, Queensland. Prior to its rediscovery in 2014, the type site was considered lost after failed attempts to relocate it in the 1970s. Excavations at the site in 2014 and 2015 led to the recovery of several partial dorsal ribs and fragments of presacral vertebrae, all of which clearly pertained to a single sauropod dinosaur. The discovery of new material of the type individual of Austrosaurus mckillopi, in tandem with a reassessment of the material collected in the 1930s, has facilitated the rearticulation of the specimen. The resultant vertebral series comprises six presacral vertebrae—the posteriormost cervical and five anteriormost dorsals—in association with five left dorsal ribs and one right one. The fragmentary nature of the type specimen has historically hindered assessments of the phylogenetic affinities of Austrosaurus, as has the fact that these evaluations were often based on a subset of the type material. The reappraisal of the type series of Austrosaurus presented herein, on the basis of both external morphology and internal morphology visualized through CT data, validates it as a diagnostic titanosauriform taxon, tentatively placed in Somphospondyli, and characterized by the possession of an accessory lateral pneumatic foramen on dorsal vertebra I (a feature that appears to be autapomorphic) and by the presence of a robust ventral mid-line ridge on the centra of dorsal vertebrae I and II. The interpretation of the anteriormost preserved vertebra in Austrosaurus as a posterior cervical has also prompted the re-evaluation of an isolated, partial, posterior cervical vertebra (QM F6142, the ‘Hughenden sauropod’) from the upper Albian Toolebuc Formation (which underlies the Allaru Mudstone). Although this vertebra preserves an apparent unique character of its own (a spinopostzygapophyseal lamina fossa), it is not able to be referred unequivocally to Austrosaurus and is retained as Titanosauriformes indet. Austrosaurus mckillopi is one of the oldest known sauropods from the Australian Cretaceous based on skeletal remains and potentially provides phylogenetic and/or palaeobiogeographic context for later taxa such as Wintonotitan wattsi, Diamantinasaurus matildae and Savannasaurus elliottorum.

Stephen F. Poropat* [sporopat@swin.edu.au; stephenfporopat@gmail.com] Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia; Jay P. Nair [j.nair@uq.edu.au; jayraptor@gmail.com] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Caitlin E. Syme [caitlin.syme@uqconnect.edu.au] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Philip D. Mannion [philipdmannion@gmail.com] Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK; Paul Upchurch [p.upchurch@ucl.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Scott A. Hocknull [scott.hocknull@qm.qld.gov.au] Geosciences, Queensland Museum, 122 Gerler Rd, Hendra, Queensland 4011, Australia; Alex G. Cook [alex.cook@y7mail.com] School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Travis R. Tischler [travisr.tischler@outlook.com] Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Lot 1 Dinosaur Drive, PO Box 408, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia; Timothy Holland [drtimothyholland@gmail.com] Kronosaurus Korner, 91 Goldring St, Richmond, Queensland 4822, Australia. *Also affiliated with: Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Lot 1 Dinosaur Drive, PO Box 408, Winton, Queensland 4735, Australia.     

Macrofossil evidence of early sporophyte stages of a new genus of water fern Tecaropteris (Ceratopteridoideae: Pteridaceae) from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation,southeast Queensland,Australia

Rozefelds, A.C., Dettmann, M.E., Clifford, H.T. & Lewis, D., August 2015. Macrofossil evidence of early sporophyte stages of a new genus of water fern Tecaropteris (Ceratopteridoideae: Pteridaceae) from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation, southeast Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa 39,. ISSN 0311-5518.

Water fern foliage is described from the Paleogene Redbank Plains Formation at Dinmore in southeast Queensland. The material, which is based upon leaf impressions, records early sporophyte growth stages. The specimens occur at discrete levels in clay pits at Dinmore, and the different leaf stages present suggest that they represent colonies of young submerged plants, mats of floating leaves, or a mixed assemblage of both. The leaf material closely matches the range of variation evident in young sporophytes of Ceratopteris Brongn., but in the complete absence of Cenozoic fossils of the spore genus Magnastriatites Germeraad, Hopping & Muller emend. Dettmann & Clifford from mainland Australia, which are the fossil spores of this genus, it is referred to a new genus, Tecaropteris. The record of ceratopterid-like ferns adds significantly to our limited knowledge of Cenozoic freshwater plants from Australia. The geoheritage significance of sites, such as Dinmore, is discussed briefly.

Andrew C. Rozefelds [andrew.rozefelds@qm.qld.gov.au], Queensland Museum GPO Box 3300, South Brisbane, 4101, Queensland, Australia and School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia; Mary Dettmann [mary.dettmann@qm.qld.gov.au], H. Trevor Clifford [trevor.clifford@qm.qld.gov.au] and Debra Lewis [debra.lewis@qm.qld.gov.au], Queensland Museum, GPO Box 3300, South Brisbane, 4101, Queensland, Australia.     

New material referable to Wakaleo (Marsupialia: Thylacoleonidae) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area,northwestern Queensland: revising species boundaries and distributions in Oligo/Miocene marsupial lions

Gillespie, A.K., Archer, M., Hand, S.J. & Black, K.H., 2014. New material referable to Wakaleo (Marsupialia: Thylacoleonidae) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland: revising species boundaries and distributions in Oligo/Miocene marsupial lions. Alcheringa 38, 513–527. ISSN 0311–5518.

New material of Wakaleo oldfieldi and W. vanderleueri from the Miocene freshwater limestones of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, is described. This material includes the first known upper dentition of W. oldfieldi and dentaries of both species bearing the previously undescribed and morphologically distinct M₃. Previously, the two species were distinguished only by size differences in P3 and the size of P₃ relative to M1. Wakaleo oldfieldi exhibits a more plesiomorphic M₃ that retains a well-developed talonid basin in contrast to W. vanderleueri, which has lost this structure. The phyletic succession and geological occurrences of Wakaleo species make this genus an important taxon in biochronological analyses of Australian Cenozoic assemblages. At Riversleigh, W. oldfieldi is found in deposits allocated to Faunal Zone B and Faunal Zone C, which are regarded as early and middle Miocene in age, respectively. The presence of this species in the Kutjamarpu Local Fauna of central Australia suggests that fauna may be of a similar age. Broader faunal correlations have suggested Faunal Zone C correlates with the middle Miocene Bullock Creek Local Fauna, which contains the more derived W. vanderleueri. Based on stage-of-evolution arguments, W. oldfieldi should occur in older deposits than those yielding W. vanderleueri. The presence of both species of Wakaleo in Faunal Zone C assemblages at Riversleigh suggests that current presumptions about the contemporaneity of the many Faunal Zone C Sites should be examined more rigorously.

Anna K. Gillespie [a.gillespie@unsw.edu.au], Michael Archer [m.archer@unsw.edu.au], Suzanne J. Hand [s.hand@unsw.edu.au] and Karen H. Black [k.black@unsw.edu.au] School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science, UNSW 2052, Sydney, Australia. Received 3.1.2014, revised 21.2.2014, accepted 21.3.2014.     

Probable oribatid mite (Acari: Oribatida) tunnels and faecal pellets in silicified conifer wood from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation,central-western Queensland,Australia

Fletcher, T.L. & Salisbury, S.W., XX.XX. 2014. Probable oribatid mite (Acari: Oribatida) tunnels and faecal pellets in silicified conifer wood from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia. Alcheringa 38, 541–545. ISSN 0311-5518.

Tunnels and faecal pellets likely made by oribatid mites have been found in silicified conifer wood from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) portion of the Winton Formation, central-western Queensland, Australia. Although this is the first identified and described record of oribatid mites in the Mesozoic of Australia, other published, but unassigned material may also be referable to Oribatida. Current understanding of the climatic significance of mite distribution is limited, but the presence of oribatids and absence of xylophagus insects in the upper portion of the Winton Formation are consistent with indications that the environment in which this unit was deposited was relatively warm and wet for its palaeolatitude. Such traces may provide useful and durable proxy evidence of palaeoclimate, but more detailed investigation of modern taxa and their relationship to climate is still needed.

Tamara L. Fletcher [t.fletcher1@uq.edu.au] and Steven. W. Salisbury, [s.salisbury@uq.edu.au] School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia, 4072. Received 28.1.2014; revised 1.4.2014; accepted 3.4.2014.     

Revision of the ostracod genus Velibeyrichia Henningsmoen, 1954 from the Silurian and Lower Devonian of North America

Camilleri, T.A., Warne, M.T., Holloway, D.J. & Weldon, E.A., 10 May 2019. Revision of the ostracod genus Velibeyrichia Henningsmoen, 1954 from the Silurian and Lower Devonian of North America. Alcheringa XXX, X–X. ISSN 0311-5518.

Known occurrences of the ostracod genus Velibeyrichia are restricted to a number of Silurian to Lower Devonian geological strata in North America: the McKenzie Member of the Mifflintown Formation of Maryland and West Virginia; the Tonoloway Limestone of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania; the Bloomsburg Formation of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania; the Manlius Limestone of New York; and the Decker Limestone of New Jersey and New York. The genus includes six species: V. moodeyi (type species), V. mesleri, V. paucigranulosa, V. reticulosaccula, V. tonolowayensis and V. tricornia. The diagnostic combination of characters for this genus are: distinct deflection of the velum where it crosses the crumina in heteromorphs (adult female specimens), dorsal nodes on lobes L1 and L3, sexual dimorphism of the velum, and in tecnomorph specimens, either a shallow sulcus on lobe L3 or a zygal ridge (in adult tecnomorph specimens) extending from lobe L2 to lobe L3. The presence of one or the other of the latter two characters defines two distinct species groups.

Tamara T.A. Camilleri* [tamara.camilleri@deakin.edu.au], Mark T. Warne* [mark.warne@deakin.edu.au] and Elizabeth A. Weldon [l.weldon@deakin.edu.au], Deakin University, Geelong, School of Life and Environmental Sciences & Centre for Integrative Ecology (Melbourne Campus), 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia; David J. Holloway [dhollow@museum.vic.gov.au], Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia. *Also affiliated with: Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.     

Pliocene Mollusca (Bivalvia,Gastropoda) from the Sørsdal Formation,Marine Plain,Vestfold Hills,East Antarctica: taxonomy and implications for Antarctic Pliocene palaeoenvironments

Quilty, P.G., Darragh, T.A., Gallagher, S.J. & Harding, L.A. July 2016. Pliocene Mollusca (Bivalvia, Gastropoda) from the Sørsdal Formation, Marine Plain, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica: taxonomy and implications for Antarctic Pliocene palaeoenvironments. Alcheringa 40, XXX–XXX. ISSN 0311-5518.

Pliocene shallow-water marine sediments at Marine Plain (centred on 68°37.7?S; 78°07.8?E) and covering approximately 10 km² in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, have yielded six species of gastropods, and 11 species of bivalves from two beds within the Sørsdal Formation. Most of the material is close to in situ but some specimens have been disturbed from their life position; there is no evidence of significant transport. The gastropods include Nacella concinna (Strebel, 1908), Falsimargarita parvispira Quilty, Darragh, Gallagher & Harding sp. nov., indeterminate species of trochids and naticids, Chlanidota (Chlanidota) sp. cf. C. signeyana Powell, 1951, and two species of Trophon/Trophonella. Bivalves include Ennucula sp. aff. E. grayi (d’Orbigny, 1846), Aequiyoldia defossata Quilty, Darragh, Gallagher & Harding, sp. nov., ‘Pectunculina’ sp., Lissarca sp., Austrochlamys anderssoni (Hennig, 1911), Ruthipecten campestris Quilty, Darragh, Gallagher & Harding sp. nov., Adamussium necopinatum Quilty, Darragh, Gallagher & Harding sp. nov., Limatula (Antarctolima) sp. cf. L. hodgsoni (Smith, 1907), Cyclocardia magna Quilty, Darragh, Gallagher & Harding sp. nov., ?Hiatella sp. cf. H. arctica (Linnaeus, 1767) and Laternula elliptica (King, 1832). Preservation varies considerably owing to recrystallization, dissolution or distortion through compaction, so several species are left in open nomenclature. Oxygen isotope data indicate that water temperature was 4–7.5°C at the time of shell growth. Many species or species groups are now extinct or have migrated away from the Antarctic to the sub-Antarctic region. An Antarctic mollusc fauna has been characteristic of the region for much of the Cenozoic.

Patrick G. Quilty [p.quilty@utas.edu.au], Discipline of Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 79, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia; Thomas A. Darragh [tdarragh@museum.vic.gov.au], Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666 Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia; Stephen J. Gallagher [sjgall@unimelb.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Lucy A. Harding [harding.lucy.a@edumail.vic.gov.au], School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.     

Crenostrea sp. cf. C. cannoni (Marwick, 1928) (Bivalvia: Ostreoidea) and associated fauna from east of Heard Island,Kerguelen Plateau: age and palaeoenvironmental value

Quilty, P.G., Clark, N. & Hibberd, T., 21.01.2015. Crenostrea sp. cf. C. cannoni (Marwick, 1928) (Bivalvia: Ostreacea) and associated fauna from east of Heard Island, Kerguelen Plateau: age and palaeoenvironmental value. Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

A well-preserved single left valve of a large oyster embedded in coarse volcaniclastic sediment and identified as Crenostrea sp. cf. C. cannoni (Marwick, 1928) was dredged from east of Heard Island, central southern Indian Ocean. It is accompanied by a fragment of the pectinid bivalve Austrochlamys sp. indet. and foraminifera. Austrochlamys sp. indet. and other bivalve fragments were analysed for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C, the results yielding an age of 17.5 Ma (later early Miocene) and a water temperature of ca 10°C. Foraminifera and sediment characteristics indicate that accumulation occurred in mid-continental shelf depths, at a location where nutrient supply was good.

Patrick G. Quilty [p.quilty@utas.edu.au], School of Earth Sciences (Private Bag 79) and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS: Private Bag 129), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia. Nicola Clark [nc118@leicester.ac.uk], Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. Ty Hibberd [ty.hibberd@aad.gov.au], Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia.     

New occurrence of Cambroclavus absonus from the lowermost Cambrian of North China and its stratigraphical importance

Li, L.-Y., Zhang, X.-L., Yun, H. & Li, G.-X., October 2015. New occurrence of Cambroclavus absonus from the lowermost Cambrian of North China and its stratigraphical importance. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

The problematic Small Shelly Fossil Cambroclavus absonus is described from the Xinji Formation in the Longxian area, which is located near the southwestern margin of the North China Platform. The Xinji Formation, the basal rock unit of the Cambrian in the studied area, yields an assemblage of skeletal fossils that share many common elements with contemporary faunas from South Australia. Sclerites of C. absonus reported herein represent the first occurrence of the species outside Australia, thus extending the palaeogeographic range of the taxon to northern China. To date, palaeogeographic occurrences of Cambroclavus sclerites are restricted to the Peri-Gondwana realm, including South China, Australia, Tarim, Kazakhstan, North China and Western Europe. These occurrences are divided into a Southern Group realm and Northern Group realm. Stratigraphically, Cambroclavus occurs mostly in Cambrian Stage 3 and has three occurrences in Stage 5, separated by Stage 4 in which Cambroclavus has not yet been found. The first appearance datum of Cambroclavus in Cambrian Stage 3 is of importance for regional and inter-regional correlations. In particular, the presence of Cambroclavus absonus in North China allows species-level correlation between North China and South Australia.

Luoyang Li [lly@stumail.nwu.edu.cn], Xingliang Zhang [xzhang69@nwu.edu.cn], Hao Yun [yunhao@stumail.nwu.edu.cn], Early Life Institute and State Key Laboratory Of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xian 710069, PR China; Guoxiang Li [gxli@nigpas.ac.cn], Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

Occurrence of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887) (Diprotodontidae,Marsupialia) from the Pliocene Spring Park Local Fauna,northeastern Queensland

Mackness, B.S., Black, K.H. & Price, G.J., 1.10.2014. Occurrence of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887 De Vis, C.W. [In Anon.] 1887. Untitled. The Brisbane Courier 9224 (44) (8 August), 6. [Google Scholar]) (Diprotodontidae, Marsupialia) from the Pliocene Spring Park Local Fauna, northeastern Queensland. Alcheringa 39, 000?000. ISSN 0311-5518

Ten specimens including several dentaries and maxillae, recovered from the Pliocene Spring Park Local Fauna, northern Australia, are referred to the diprotodontine Euowenia grata (De Vis). The fossils exhibit minimal dental wear and reveal new characters that are unrecognizable in the holotype. The remains represent at least three animals, effectively doubling the previous number of individuals known for this rare megaherbivore. The new records also provide a significant northern geographic range extension for the species and allow an assessment of intraspecific variation, sexual dimorphism and phylogenetic relationships for the species. Euowenia grata is most similar in morphology to the monotypic Pliocene diprotodontid Meniscolophus mawsoni.

Brian S. Mackness [deceased] and Karen H. Black [k.black@unsw.edu.au], School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia; Gilbert J. Price [g.price1@uq.edu.au], Department of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.     

A new Cenozoic cyclostome bryozoan genus from Argentina and New Zealand: strengthening the biogeographical links between South America and Australasia

Taylor, P.D. & Brezina, S., February 2018. A new Cenozoic cyclostome bryozoan genus from Argentina and New Zealand: strengthening the biogeographical links between South America and Australasia. Alcheringa XX, xx–xx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Uniserial encrusting cyclostome bryozoans (‘stomatoporiforms’) are especially challenging to study taxonomically because of the paucity of their morphological characters. Here we introduce Axilosoecia gen. nov. for two previously undescribed species characterized by gonozooidal brood chambers located in the axils of branch bifurcations. The type species, Axilosoecia giselae sp. nov., comes from the upper, Danian part of the Roca Formation of La Pampa, Argentina; the second species, Axilosoecia mediorubiensis sp. nov., is from the lower Miocene of Southland, New Zealand. On account of its basal gonozooids, Axilosoecia is assigned to the family Oncousoeciidae despite similarities in colony form with Stomatoporidae. The two known occurrences of this new genus support previously suggested biogeographical links between southern South America and Australasia.

Paul D. Taylor, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK [p.taylor@nhm.ac.uk]; Soledad Brezina, Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Unidad de doble dependencia, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro—Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Av. Roca 1242, R8332FDJ, General Roca, Río Negro, Argentina [sbrezina@unrn.edu.ar].     

First report of Cixiidae insect fossils from the Miocene of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and their palaeoenvironmental implications

Li, Y., Liu, X., Ren, D., Li, X. & Yao, Y., June 2016. First report of Cixiidae insect fossils from the Miocene of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and their palaeoenvironmental implications. Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new insect species, Cixius discretus (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha), from the Lower Miocene Garang Formation of Zeku County, Qinghai Province (northeastern Tibetan Plateau) is described. This species can be assigned to Cixiidae and represents the first fossil representative of this family from Qinghai Province. Based on the recent single-origin hypothesis and the distribution of tectonic plates in the Cretaceous, we consider that ancient Cixius had dispersed globally prior to the Cretaceous. Through analysis of the habitats of extant Cixius, the palaeoclimate and fossil flora of the Zeku area during the Miocene, we interpret the climate of Zeku in the early Miocene to have been warm-temperate and mildly arid. The new species constitutes evidence of wooded and shrubby habitats in Zeku during the Miocene.

Yi Li [liy0124@sina.com], XiaoHui Liu [liuxh8917@163.com], Dong Ren [rendong@mail.cnu.edu.cn] and YunZhi Yao [yunzhi@cnu.edu.cn], College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuanbeilu 105, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, PR China; XiangChuan Li [lzulixiangchuan@163.com], College of Earth Sciences and Resources & Key Laboratory of Western Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, PR China.     

A hairy-bodied tettigarctid (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) from the latest Middle Jurassic of northeast China

Liu, X.H., Li, Y., Yao, Y.Z. & Ren, D., April 2016. A hairy-bodied tettigarctid (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) from the latest Middle Jurassic of northeast China. Alcheringa 40, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

Extant tettigarctids are also known as hairy cicadas because they are covered by long and abundant hairs. This character had not been reported in fossil species of Tettigarctidae because previous examples were poorly preserved or lacked long hairs. Hirtaprosbole erromera gen. et sp. nov. (Tettigarctidae) with a hairy body, from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China, is described here. This new species provides evidence that tettigarctids with long dense hairs had appeared by the latest Middle Jurassic and lived at high altitudes.

Xiao-hui Liu [liuxh8917@163.com], Yi Li [liy0124@sina.com], Yun-zhi Yao*[Corresponding author: yaoyz100@gmail.com] and Dong Ren [rendong@mail.cnu.edu.cn], College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuanbeilu 105 Haidian District, Beijing, PR China 100048.