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;     

The first palaeontinid from the Late Jurassic of Australia (Hemiptera,Cicadomorpha, Palaeontinidae)

Chen, J., Beattie, R., Wang, B., Jiang, H., Zheng, Y. & Zhang, H., 12 April 2019. The first palaeontinid from the Late Jurassic of Australia (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha, Palaeontinidae). Alcheringa 43, 449–454. ISSN 0311-5518.

Palaeontinidae, an extinct group of large arboreal insects, has the most diverse record among the Mesozoic Hemiptera, but only a few taxa have been reported from the Southern Hemisphere. Herein, Talbragarocossus jurassicus Chen, Beattie & Wang gen. et sp. nov., one of the earliest representatives of ‘late’ Palaeontinidae, is described and illustrated from the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed in New South Wales, Australia. This new taxon constitutes the first representative of Palaeontinidae in Australia and the first Jurassic example in Gondwanaland, providing significant distributional and stratigraphic extensions to the family.

Jun Chen*? [rubiscada@sina.com] and Yan Zheng? [zhengyan536@163.com], Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Shuangling Road, Linyi 276000, China. Bo Wang? [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn], Hui Jiang [huijiang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Haichun Zhang [hczhang@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, China. Robert Beattie [rgbeattie@bigpond.com], Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia. ?Also affiliated with: State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China. ?Also affiliated with: Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization & Sedimentary Minerals, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266590, China.     

Svalbardia (Chonetidina,Brachiopoda) from the Kungurian (Permian) of Western Australia

The rugosochonetid genus Svalbardia is recorded for the first time from the Western Australian Permian. The new species Svalbardia thomasi is described from the Nalbia Greywacke and the Baker Formation of the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The relationship of Svalbardia to allied genera of the Rugosochonetidae Muir-Wood is discussed. The disjunct distribution of the genus in the Permian is documented.     

The oldest root-eating beetle from the Middle Jurassic of China (Coleoptera,Monotomidae)

Cai, C.-Y., ?lipiński, A. & Huang, D.-Y., 31.3.2015. The oldest root-eating beetle from the Middle Jurassic of China (Coleoptera, Monotomidae). Alcheringa 39,488–493. ISSN 0311-5518.

Jurorhizophagus alienus gen. et sp. nov., a new fossil root-eating beetle, is described and figured based on an exceptionally well-preserved impression fossil from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (ca 165 Ma), Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. It represents the earliest fossil Monotomidae known to date. Jurorhizophagus can not be assigned to either of two subfamilies Monotominae or Rhizophaginae based on the unique combination of many unusual characters, including an 11-segmented antenna with a 3-segmented club, the presence of a distinct frontoclypeal suture and transverse pronotum with a median longitudinal groove. The discovery of a new genus from the Middle Jurassic highlights the antiquity of Monotomidae and provides new information about the phylogenetic relationships between Monotomidae and its allied families.

Chen-Yang Cai [caichenyang1988@163.com], Di-Ying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] (corresponding author), State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Adam ?lipiński [adam.slipinski@csiro.au], Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO National Collections Australia, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, 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.     

Significance of new species of Cryptorhynchia (Brachiopoda) from the Middle Jurassic of Kutch,India

Cryptorhynchia is a brachiopod genus, until recently known only from the late Bathonian. Two new species C. karuna and C. jhooraensis are here described from the middle Bathonian at Kutch, western India and record the earliest known occurrences of the genus. They constitute ancestor-descendant lineages with the two existing younger species C. pulcherrima and C. rugosa respectively. Evolution in both cases shows ‘parallel’ trends and the descendants are scaled-down versions of their respective progenitors. Statistical analyses reveal that this evolutionary miniaturization involves allometry-induced heterochrony, especially progenesis, and is marked by a rapid speciation event compatible with the punctuational model. Evolution appears to be anagenetic and may be attributed to the unstable nature of environment where onshore innovation produced smaller descendants that adopted r-strategy. Facies distribution and functional morphology suggest that species of Cryptorhynchia were well adapted to shallow, unstable carbonate shelf. However, they disappeared suddenly at the Bathonian - Callovian boundary which was marked by a global transgression. The possible causal factors of their extinction may be the consequent changes in bathymetry and substrate condition.     

Late Devonian thelodonts (Agnatha) from the Gneudna Formation,Carnarvon Basin,Western Australia

Dermal denticles of two thelodont agnathans, Australolepis seddoni gen. et sp. nov., and a possible nikoliviid gen. et sp. indet. are described from the Gneudna Formation, a marine sequence of interbedded limestone and shale exposed on the eastern edge of the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The age and significance of these new forms are discussed. The Gneudna Formation is Late Devonian, probably early Frasnian, which, if confirmed, makes these the youngest thelodonts known to date.     

Poljanka strigosa,a new species of Protopsyllidiidae (Hemiptera,Sternorrhyncha) from the Middle Jurassic of China

Yang, G., Yao, Y.Z. & Ren, D., iFirst. Poljanka strigosa, a new species of Protopsyllidiidae (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha) from the Middle Jurassic of China. Alcheringa, 1–6. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new fossil species, Poljanka strigosa sp. nov., of the extinct family Protopsyllidiidae is described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. The new species is characterized by wings bearing long, stiff setae that are evident as stained impressions in the fine sedimentary rock. Comparison between Protopsyllidiidae and extant psylloids suggests that Protopsyllidiidae is probably closely related to extant psylloids.     

A new saucrosmylid lacewing (Insecta,Neuroptera) from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou,Inner Mongolia,China

Liu, Q., Zhang, H.C., Wang, B., Fang, Y., Zheng, D.R., Zhang, Q. & Jarzembowski, E.A., 2014. A new saucrosmylid lacewing (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Alcheringa 38. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new genus and new species of Saucrosmylidae (Insecta, Neuroptera) are described (Daohugosmylus castus) based on a well-preserved hindwing from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Daohugosmylus gen. nov. is distinguished by a large and nearly semi-circular hindwing, relatively wide R1 space possessing several rows of cells, anteriorly bent Rs, dense crossveins over the entire wing, and smooth outer margin.

Qing Liu (corresponding author) [qingliu1029@gmail.com], Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn], Bo Wang [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn], Yan Fang [yanfang@nigpas.ac.cn], Daran Zheng [dranzheng@gmail.com], Qi Zhang [zhqi1105@126.com] and Edmund A Jarzembowski [jarzembowski2@live.co.uk], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; secondary address of Daran Zheng & Qi Zhang, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; and Ed Jarzembowski, Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK. Received 13.11.2013; revised 20.1.2014; accepted 21.1.2014.     

Two new Middle Jurassic species of orthophlebiids (Insecta: Mecoptera) from Inner Mongolia,China

QIAO, X., SHIH, C.K. & REN, D., December 2012. Two new Middle Jurassic species of orthophlebiids (Insecta: Mecoptera) from Inner Mongolia, China. Alcheringa 36, 467–472. ISSN 0311-5518.

Two new species of the extinct family Orthophlebiidae, Orthophlebia nervulosa sp. nov. and Orthophlebia stigmosa sp. nov., are described and illustrated. These well-preserved specimens were collected from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. Morphological characters shown in these well-preserved specimens highlight the diversity of orthophlebiids during the Middle Jurassic and provide data for future phylogenetic studies of orthophlebiids.     

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.     

Two new fossil caddisflies (Amphiesmenoptera: Trichoptera) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China

Zhang, W.T., Shih, C.K. &; Ren, D., May 2016. Two new fossil caddisflies (Amphiesmenoptera: Trichoptera) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China. Alcheringa XX, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

Two new species, Acisarcuatus locellatus (Necrotauliidae) and Liadotaulius limus (?Philopotamidae) are described. They were collected from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China. In addition, we interpret Karatauliodes to be a junior synonym of Necrotaulius and propose Necrotaulius minutus (Sukatsheva, 1968) comb. nov. We propose transferring Necrotaulius korujensis and Necrotaulius shewjensis to Liadotaulius as Liadotaulius korujensis (Sukatsheva, 1990) comb. nov. and Liadotaulius shewjensis (Sukatsheva, 1990) comb. nov. Based on newly described taxa and the new combinations proposed, we summarize seven known genera with 24 species within Necrotauliidae and provide a key to the genera of this family.

Weiting Zhang [zhangweitinghao@163.com], Geoscience Museum, Hebei GEO University, 136 Huaiandonglu, Shijiazhuang, 050031, PR China; Chungkun Shih [chungkun.shih@gmail.com] and Dong Ren [rendong@mail.cnu.edu.cn], College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, PR China; Chungkun Shih, Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA.     

A phosphatic stromatolite (Ilicta cf. composita Sidorov) from the Middle Cambrian,northern Australia

Phosphatic stromatolites from the early Middle Cambrian (Ordian) of the Georgina Basin are described and identified as Ilicta cf. composita Sidorov. Based on Öpik's interpretation of the early Middle Cambrian, the age of the Georgina Basin specimens is similar to that of the type specimens described from the late Early Cambrian of Eastern Siberia. Phosphatic stromatolites occur at the base of dolomitized and partially silicified bioherms up to 4 m thick. The phosphatic forms overlie impermeable, cemented pavement surfaces which were covered by stratiform stromatolites from which rose columnar forms up to 5 cm in height. The stromatolites were phosphatized by penecontemporaneous diagenetic reactions that took place just below the sediment water interface and above the impermeable substrates.     

A second incisoscutid arthrodire (Pisces,Placodermi) from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation,Western Australia

Long, J. A., 1994:03:28. A second incisoscutid arthrodire (Pisces, Placodermi) from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation. Western Australia. Alcheringa 18. 59–69. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new incisoscutid arthrodire is described from the Upper Devonian Gogo Formation of Western Australia as Gogosteus sarahae gen. et sp. nov. It is characterised by its narrow headshield with cheek unit firmly attached to skull roof, crushing gnathal plates, deep postnasal plates, elongate anterior lateral plate with deeply embayed postbranchial notch and squarely cut posterior margin, and fine dermal ornamentation. The family Incisoscutidae Denison 1984 is redefined to include Incisoscutum ritchiei Dennis & Miles 1981 and Gogosteus gen. nov., and the superfamily Incisoscutoidea nov. defined to include Incisoscutidae and Camuropiscidae.     

Ordovician acritarchs from the Canning Basin,Western Australia

A left mandibular toothplate of a chimaeroid fish collected from the Toolebuc Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian), central Queensland is described. Comparisons with other chimaeroid genera show the toothplate to be sufficiently distinct to warrant the erection of a new genus. Ptyktoptychion tayyo gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished by the size and shape of its three tritors, the form of the symphysial facet and the overall shape of the toothplate.     

Neoproterozoic microfossils from the Officer Basin,Western Australia

Microfossil assemblages are described from the early Neoproterozoic Madley and Browne Formations, western Officer Basin. One chert and eleven siliciclastic samples yielded microfossils. Myxococcoides cantabrigiensis occurs as pustular mats in the chert sample and Eomicrocystis malgica, Pterospermopsimorpha granulata, Skiagia sp. cf. S. pusilla, and undetermined species of Obruchevella, Heliconema, and Trachystrichosphaera are present in acid macerated samples. Leiosphaeridia spp. and Siphonophycus spp. are also found in fine-grained siliciclastic samples, with clusters of Synsphaeridium sp. in some samples. These findings enable a more substantial reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment of Supersequence 1 in the western Centralian Superbasin. The acanthomorph acritarchs are considered to be planktonic eucaryotes washed into environments which ranged from coastal sabkha through to tidal flats, which may be the source of the prokaryotic, benthic, matforming cyanobacteria.     

The first damsel-dragonfly (Odonata: Isophlebioidea: Campterophlebiidae) from the Middle Jurassic of Shaanxi Province,northwestern China

ZHENG, D., DONG, C., WANG, H., YE, Y., WANG, B., CHANG S-C. & ZHANG, H., May 2017. The first damsel-dragonfly (Odonata: Isophlebioidea:Campterophlebiidae) from the Middle Jurassic of Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. Alcheringa 41, 509–513. ISSN 0311-5518.

Campterophlebiidae is the most diverse family of fossil odonatans in China with ten genera recovered mostly from Middle Jurassic strata of Inner Mongolia. We describe a well-preserved campterophlebiid damsel-dragonfly from the Middle Jurassic Yanan Formation in Shanxi Province, northwestern China. This discovery adds to the diversity of Campterophlebiidae and identifies a new Middle Jurassic insect fossil locality in China. Within Campterophlebiidae, the new taxon most closely resembles Ctenogampsophlebia from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia but differs from other genera in having vein AA with four parallel posterior branches uncrossed in the anal triangle.

Daran Zheng [dranzheng@gmail.com] 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; Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China; Chong Dong [cdong@nigpas.ac.cn], He Wang [hwang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Haichun Zhang [hczhang@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; Yifei Ye [459353251@qq.com] Shannxi Non-ferrous Yulin Coal Co., Ltd, Yulin, PR China; 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; Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China; Su-Chin Chang [suchin@hku.hk] Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China.     

Early Triassic mastodonsaurids (Temnospondyli,Stereospondyli) from Western Australia,with remarks on mastodonsauroid palaeobiogeography

A newly discovered partial skull of a temnospondyl from the Early Triassic Blina Shale of the Erskine Range, Western Australia, is referred to the mastodonsaurid species Watsonisuchus aliciae. A partial skull described as ‘Parotosuchus’ sp. by Warren (1980) is also referred to W. aliciae. Both taxonomic assignments should be treated with caution because of the relatively poor state of preservation of the specimens. W. aliciae is the fourth temnospondyl species to be described from the Blina Shale. The worldwide distribution of mastodonsauroids at the base of the Triassic suggests a rapid phase of radiation and dispersal following the Permo-Triassic extinction event.     

A new dragonfly,Austroprotolindenia jurassica (Odonata: Anisoptera), from the Upper Jurassic of Australia

Beattie, R.G. & Nel, A., June 2012. A new dragonfly, Austroprotolindenia jurassica (Odonata: Anisoptera), from the Upper Jurassic of Australia. Alcheringa, 189–193. ISSN 0311-5518.

Austroprotolindenia jurassica gen. et sp. nov., a new Mesozoic Australian dragonfly, is described from the Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed (Upper Jurassic) of eastern Australia. It shows some similarities with the Eurasian Mesozoic petalurid family Protolindeniidae, but its incomplete state of preservation prevents us assigning it to a particular anisopteran clade.

Robert G. Beattie [rgbeattie@bigpond.com] PO Box 320, Berry 2535, NSW, Australia. André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr] CNRS UMR 7205, CP 50, Entomologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France. Received 6.4.2011; revised 8.6.2011; accepted 15.6.2011.