Conodont fauna and biostratigraphy of the Honghuayuan Formation (Early Ordovician) of Guizhou,South China

Serratognathus diversus An, Cornuodus longibasis (Lindström), Drepanodus arcuatus Pander, and eleven other less common conodonts, including Cornuodus? sp., Oistodus lanceolatus, Protopanderodus gradatus, Protoprioniodus simplicissimus, Juanognathus variabilis, Nasusgnathus dolonus, Paltodus? sp., Scolopodus houlianzhaiensis, Semiacontiodus apterus, Semiacontiodus sp. cf. S. cornuformis and Serratognathoides? sp., are described and illustrated from the Honghuayuan Formation in Guizhou, South China, concluding revision of the conodont fauna from this unit, which comprises 24 species in total. The most distinctive species in the fauna, S. diversus, consists of a trimembrate apparatus, including symmetrical Sa, asymmetrical Sb and strongly asymmetrical Sc elements. This species concept is supported by the absence of any other element types in a large collection represented by nearly 500 specimens of this species. The fauna indicates a late Tremadocian to mid-Floian age (Early Ordovician) for the Honghuayuan Formation, which was widely distributed on the Yangtze Platform in shallow water environments. Previously published biostratigraphic zonations for the Honghuayuan Formation are reviewed, and revised on the basis of our knowledge of the entire conodont fauna, supporting the establishment of three biozones, Triangulodus bifidus, Serratognathus diversus, and Prioniodus honghuayanensis biozones in ascending order. Species of Serratognathus enable correlation between Ordovician successions of South China, North China (North China Platform and Ordos Basin), Tarim Basin, and further afield into Malaysia and northwestern Australia.     

Thelodont fish and conodonts from the Early Devonian of Reefton,New Zealand

Thelodont scales and associated fragments of conodont elements identified as Turinia sp. cf. Turinia australiensis and Ozarkodina sp. cf. Ozarkodina buchanensis respectively are described for the first time from the Early Devonian Murray Creek Formation of Reefton, New Zealand. The conodont and thelodont components of the fauna suggest a late Pragian to early Emsian age for the assemblage.     

Early Miocene bivalves from the Cape Melville Formation,King George Island,West Antarctica

Seven species of marine bivalves, including six new taxa, are described from the Cape early Miocene Melville Formation which crops out on the Melville Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica. The bivalve assemblage includes representatives of the families Nuculidae, Ennucula frigida sp. nov., E. musculosa sp. nov.; Malletidae, Neilo (Neilo) rongelii sp. nov.; Sareptidae, Yoldia peninsularis sp. nov.; Limopsidae, Limopsis psimolis sp. nov.; Hiatellidae, Panopea (Panopea) sp. cf. P. regularis; and Pholadomyoida (Periploma acuta sp. nov.). Species studied come from four sedimentary sections measured in the upper part of the unit. Detailed morphologic features of nucloid and arcoid species are exceptionally well preserved and allow for the first time reconstruction of muscle insertions as well as dentition patterns of Cenozoic taxa. Known geological distribution of the species is in agreement with the early Miocene age assigned to the Cape Melville Formation. The bivalve fauna from Cape Melville Formation is the best known from Antarctic Miocene rocks, a time of complex geologic, paleogeographic and paleoclimatic changes in the continent. The new fauna introduces new taxonomic and palaeogeographic data that bear on the question of opening of sea gateways and distribution of Cenozoic biota around Antarctica.     

Stromatolites from Adelaidean (Late Proterozoic) sequences in central and South Australia

New forms of late Precambrian stromatolites are described from the Amadeus and Georgian Basins and additional information is given on Minjaria pontifera Walter from the Bitter Springs Formation. Tesca stewartii gr. et f. nov. is described from the Boord Formation, Elleria minuta gr. et f. nov. from the Pioneer Sandstone, and Tungussia julia f. nov. from the Julie Formation. The latter is compared with Tungussia cf. T. julia from the Wonoka Formation, South Australia. Acaciella australica Walter has been recognised in the Yackah Beds of the Georgina Basin, supporting a correlation with the Bitter Springs Formation. The stromatolites described were selected because of their potential regional and global stratigraphic significance.     

Late Mississippian (Early Carboniferous) brachiopods from the western Daba Mountains,central China

Qiao L. & Shen S.Z., September 2012. Late Mississippian (Early Carboniferous) brachiopods from the western Daba Mountains, central China. Alcheringa 36, 287–309. ISSN 0311–5518.

Fifteen brachiopod species in 12 genera are described for the first time from four intervals in the middle and upper parts of the Zhanpo Formation at the Huoyanxi section near Zhenba in the western Daba Mountains, southern Shaanxi, central China. The Zhenba brachiopod fauna is dominated by diverse and abundant species of Productida, together with some species of Athyridida, Orthida, Orthotetida and Spiriferida. It ranges from late Viséan to Serpukhovian in age based on the presence of Gigantoproductus species in association with diagnostic foraminifera and conodonts. This fauna generally shows palaeobiogeographical links with the palaeoequatorial realm, including Western Europe, the Moscow Basin, the Ural Mountains, Japan, eastern Tibet and South and North China. Its closest palaeobiogeographical affinity is with South China assemblages rather than those of North and Northwest China, therefore, indicating that the Zhenba area was palaeogeographically close to the South China Block and relatively far from the blocks in Northwest China (e.g., the Qilian Mountains and Qaidam Basin, Kunlun Mountains, Tarim Basin and Tianshan Mountains) during the late Viséan–Serpukhovian.     

Possible fossil impression in sandstone from the late Palaeoproterozoic-early Mesoproterozoic Semri Group (lower Vindhyan Supergroup), central India

The Lower–Middle Ordovician Zitai Formation of the South China palaeoplate consists of a succession of purple red, nodular argillaceous limestones. Palaeogeographically, it is distributed along the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Platform, and is of late Floian to Dapingian age, correlative with the Dawan Formation of the Middle and Lower Yangtze Platform. In Shitai County, Anhui Province, East China, the Zitai Formation is rich in conodonts, enabling the recognition of four biozones based on first appearance data. Detailed palaeontological and biostratigraphical study of these conodonts reveals that the Ordovician conodont radiation in the Lower Yangtze Platform attained its first diversity peak low in the Oepikodus evae Biozone. This diversification is generally consistent with macroevolutionary trends of brachiopods of South China and graptolites of the Upper Yangtze Platform, but was earlier than that of trilobites and acritarchs of the same palaeoplate. Correlation with the sea-level curve for South China suggests that conodont diversity change during the Ordovician radiation was mainly controlled by regional sea-level fluctuations.     

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;     

First records of Wuchiapingian (Late Permian) conodonts in the Xainza area,Lhasa Block,Tibet, and their palaeobiogeographic implications

Yuan, D.X., Zhang, Y.C., Zhang, Y.J., Zhu, T.X. & Shen, S.Z., 2014. First records of Wuchiapingian (Late Permian) conodonts in the Xainza area, Lhasa Block, Tibet, and their palaeobiogeographic implications. Alcheringa 38, 546–556. ISSN 0311-5518.

Conodonts are among the best fossil groups to provide high-resolution biostratigraphic correlation and resolve the palaeobiogeographic evolution of the Permian. However, they have been rarely reported from the Lhasa Block in Tibet. Here we report the first discovery of Wuchiapingian (early Lopingian) conodonts from the Xiala Formation in the Lhasa Block, Tibet. This conodont fauna includes two genera and three species (Clarkina liangshanensis, C. orientalis, Iranognathus sp.). The conodont fauna indicates that the Xiala Formation previously assigned to the Guadalupian actually ranges from late Kungurian to late Wuchiapingian. The existence of the late Wuchiapingian conodont species Clarkina orientalis and C. liangshanensis in the Lhasa Block provides additional data to support the viewpoint that this block probably had been in a warm-water regime during the Wuchiapingian (Lopingian).

Dong-Xun Yuan [yuanzi55@163.com], School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, PR China and 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; Yi-Chun Zhang [yczhang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Shu-Zhong Shen [szshen@nigpas.ac.cn] (corresponding author), 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; Yu-Jie Zhang [zebiac@163.com] and Tong-Xing Zhu [ztongxing88@yahoo.com.cn], Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, 2 Renming Road North, Chengdu, 610081, PR China. Received 9.1.2014; revised 1.4.2014; accepted 28.4.2014.     

Conodonts and tabulate corals from the Upper Ordovician Angullong Formation of central New South Wales,Australia

Zhen, Y.Y., Wang, G.X. &; Percival, I.G., August 2016. Conodonts and tabulate corals from the Upper Ordovician Angullong Formation of central New South Wales, Australia. Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518.

The Angullong Formation is the youngest Ordovician unit exposed in the Cliefden Caves area of central New South Wales. Its maximum age is constrained by a Styracograptus uncinatus graptolite Biozone fauna at the very top of the underlying Malongulli Formation, but the few fossils previously reported from higher in the Angullong Formation are either long-ranging or poorly known. From allochthonous limestone clasts in the middle part of the formation, we document a conodont fauna comprising Aphelognathus grandis, A. solidum, Aphelognathus sp., Aphelognathus? sp., Belodina confluens, Drepanoistodus suberectus, Panderodus gracilis, Panderodus sp., Phragmodus undatus, Pseudobelodina inclinata and Pseudobelodina? sp. aff. P. obtusa, which supports correlation with the Aphelognathus grandis Biozone (late Katian) of the North American Midcontinent succession. The species concepts of Aphelognathus and Pseudobelodina are reviewed in detail. Associated corals are exclusively tabulates, dominated by agetolitids, including Agetolites angullongensis sp. nov., Heliolites orientalis, Hemiagetolites breviseptatus, Hemiagetolites sp. cf. H. spinimarginatus, Navoites sp. cf. N. circumflexa, Plasmoporella bacilliforma, P. marginata, Quepora sp. cf. Q. calamus and Sarcinula sp. Affinities of the coral fauna from the Angullong Formation are closer to faunas from northern NSW and northern Queensland than to the locally recognized Fauna III of late Eastonian age in central NSW. We propose a subdivision of Fauna III to account for this difference, with the late Katian Fauna IIIB characterized by the incoming of agetolitid corals. The currently known distribution of representatives of this group with adequate age constraints suggests that agetolitids possibly originated in North China, subsequently migrating to Tarim, South China and adjacent peri-Gondwanan terranes while also spreading eastward to northern Gondwana, where they progressively moved through eastern Australia to reach the central NSW region by the early Bolindian.

Yong Yi Zhen* (yong-yi.zhen@industry.nsw.gov.au) and Ian G. Percival (ian.percival@industry.nsw.gov.au), Geological Survey of New South Wales, W.B. Clarke Geoscience Centre, 947–953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry, NSW 2753, Australia; Guangxu Wang (gxwang@nigpas.ac.cn), State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, 39 East Beijing Road Nanjing 210008 PR China.     

Middle Ordovician (early Dapingian) conodonts in the Central Andean Basin of NW Argentina

Carlorosi, J., Heredia, S. & Aceñolaza, G, 2013. Middle Ordovician (early Dapingian) conodonts in the Central Andean Basin of NW Argentina. Alcheringa 37, 1–13. ISSN 0311-5518.

This paper describes and analyzes the significance of a conodont fauna from the Alto del Cóndor Formation, exposed in the Los Colorados region of the Argentine Eastern Cordillera. Identified taxa are Baltoniodus triangularis, Baltoniodus sp. cf. B. triangularis, Drepanodus sp., Drepanoistodus basiovalis, Drepanoistodus sp. B., Erraticodon patu, Gothodus costulatus, Oistodus sp., Trapezognathus diprion, T. quadrangulum, Triangulodus sp. and Triangulodus? sp. The presence of Baltoniodus triangularis indicates the base of the Dapingian stage (Middle Ordovician). In addition, we report the coexistence of T. diprion and T. quadrangulum. The conodont association suggests a faunal affinity with Baltica and South China, both belonging to the Shallow-Sea Realm of the Temperate-Cold Domain.

Josefina Carlorosi [josefinacarlorosi77@gmail]com], INSUGEO—Universidad Nacional de Tucumán—CONICET, Miguel Lillo 205, (4000) Tucumán, Argentina; Guillermo F. Aceñolaza [acecha@webmail.unt.edu.ar], Universidad Nacional de Tucumán—CONICET, Miguel Lillo 205, (4000) Tucumán, Argentina; Susana Heredia [sheredia@unsj.edu.ar], CONICET–CIGEOBIO and Instituto de Investigaciones Mineras, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Urquiza y Libertador, (5400) San Juan, Argentina. Received 22.8.2012; revised 18.10.2012; accepted 24.10.12.     

Graptolite fauna of the Hungshihyen Formation (Early Ordovician), eastern Yunnan,China

Ordovician graptolite-bearing strata in eastern Yunnan were deposited in nearshore, shallow-water environments. Graptolites are systematically described from three sections through the Hungshihyen Formation in eastern Yunnan Province, China: (1) Hongshiya section near Ercun village, Kunming; (2) Liujiang section, Luquan; and (3) Guihuaqing Reservoir section, Luquan. The graptolite fauna, characterized by the predominance of deflexed forms, includes ten species in two genera: Baltograptus turgidus (Lee), B. varicosus (Wang), B. yunnanensis (Li), B. calidus (Ni), B. enshiensis (Ni), Baltograptus sp. cf. B. deflexus (Elles & Wood), Baltograptus sp. cf. B. bolivianus (Finney & Branisa), Baltograptus sp. A, Baltograptus sp. B and Corymbograptus v-fractus minor (Li). A detailed morphological study of these southern Chinese graptolite faunas suggests that Baltograptus wudingensis (Li) is a junior synonym of B. turgidus (Lee); Baltograptus kunmingensis (Ni) is a junior synonym of B. varicosus (Wang); and Baltograptus triangulatus (Ni) is a junior synonym of B. yunnanensis (Li). The B. varicosus Biozone is newly recognized within the middle part of the Hungshihyen Formation, replacing the former Didymograptus deflexus Biozone. This interval is well correlated to the Baltograptus jacksoni Biozone in Britain, the Tetragraptus akzharensis, ‘Baltograptus cf. deflexus’ and Didymograptus bifidus (lower part) biozones in NW Argentina (eastern Cordillera), and the Acrograptus filiformis and Didymograptellus eobifidus biozones in northern Guizhou, South China. Accordingly, the interval is of mid-Floian age, rather than late Floian as previously proposed.     

Tertiary frogs from South Australia

Four species of hylid and leptodactylid frogs are reported from the Tertiary (mid-Miocene) Ngapakaldi fauna of the Etadunna Formation at Lake Palankarinna, South Australia. The species comprise Limnodynastes archeri sp. nov., Litoria sp. cf. caerulea (White), Litoria sp. indet. and Australobatrachus ilius Tyler. Previously the extant genera Limnodynastes and Litoria have been known only from Quaternary deposits.     

A new assemblage of graptolites,rhabdopleuran hemichordates and chitinous hydroids from the late Arenig (Ordovician) of the Banestan area,east-central Iran

A rich benthic and planktonic graptolite fauna is associated with encrusting rhabdopleuran hemichordates and chitinous hydrozoans in the late Arenig (Ordovician) part of the Katkoyeh Formation at Banestan, east-central Iran.

New taxa described here are the dendroid graptolites Callograptus huckriedei sp. nov. and Dictyonema bitubulata sp. nov. Other dendroid graptolites Dendrograptus sp. cf. D. flexuosus J. Hall, 1865; Acanthograptus divergens Skevington, 1963; and Thallograptus ?succulentus Ruedemann, 1904 are described. The tuboid graptolite Galeograptus sp., the rhabdopleuran hemichordates Rhabdopleura sp. aff. R. primaevus (Kozlowski, 1967) and Kystodendron sp., and the chitinous hydroid Palaeotuba sp. are also described. Graptoloid graptolites described here are Aulograptus? sp., Didymograptus incertus Perner, 1895, Undulograptus formosus (Mu & Lee, 1958), and Yutagraptus sp. cf. Y. mantuanus Riva, 1994. All but two species-level taxa are described from Iran for the first time.

The fauna is confirmed as being late Arenig or, less likely, early Llanvirn and thus probably correlates with the early part of the Darriwilian stage. It resembles the Atlantic cold water faunas in lacking isograptids and sinograptids.     

A rare,late Paleocene molluscan faunule from the Kings Park Formation,Perth Basin,Western Australia

A shallow marine faunule of eight taxa from the Kings Park Formation of the Perth Basin is the first described Paleocene molluscan assemblage from Western Australia. These species are part of a depauperate suite of macroinvertebrates (molluscs, echinoids and corals) derived from deep, onshore caissons in Perth and are inferred to be late Paleocene in age, based on planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and associated age ranges of the molluscan fauna. Bivalves are Sarepta austranaxa sp. nov. (Sareptidae), Solemya kingsparki sp. nov. (Solemyidae), Periploma vivarirex sp. nov. (Periplomatidae), Parvamussium sp. nov.? (Propeamussiidae), Serripecten? sp. (Pectinidae) and Venericardia (Rotundicardia) petraea Darragh (Carditidae). Gastropods are Levifusus? sp. cf. L.? quadrifunifer Darragh (Buccinidae), and Columbarium rumatoides Darragh (Turbinellidae). Bivalves dominate the fauna in dark, glauconitic siltstone and sandstone facies; gastropods are of relatively poor preservation and low diversity.     

Eoshumardia (Trilobita,Cambrian), a junior synonym of Koldinioidia

Well-preserved internal and external moulds of a shumardiid species are described from the late Furongian (Late Cambrian) “Fengshan Formation” at Poben, Napo, southwestern Guangxi, which is close to the type locality of Shumardia orientalis, the type species of Eoshumardia. All features observed on the internal moulds indicate that the new material is definitely S. orientalis, whereas the morphology of the external moulds indicates that S. orientalis should be referred to Koldinioidia. The change of generic assignment of the type species means that Eoshumardia is a junior synonym of Koldinioidia.     

Foraminiferal linings and other organic walled microfossils from the Devonian of the Tamworth Belt,northern New South Wales,Australia

Early to Late Devonian (Emsian to late Famennian) organic walled microfossils were recovered from nineteen localities throughout the Tamworth Belt, northern New South Wales. The microfossil assemblages included poorly preserved chitinozoans and scolecodonts, spores and moderately well preserved foraminiferal linings. Fourteen species of foraminiferal linings from six genera are documented. At least three species of foramininferal linings (Inauris tubulata, Saccammina mea and Thurammina pustulosa) show potential for global correlation. Saccammina sp. cf. S. ampullacea and Thurammina mirrka may have application for correlation within Australia.     

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.     

Late Silurian pentameride brachiopods from Yass and Molong,New South Wales

The five known species of pentameride brachiopods from the Yass Syncline Ludlow (LateSilurian) succession, belonging to the superfamilies Pentameroidea, Gypiduloidea and Clorindoidea, are fully revised; no new species are recognised. The pentameroids Conchidium sp. cf. hospes and Aliconchidium yassi are confined to the Bowspring Limestone Member (Silverdale Formation). The gypiduloid Ascanigypa glabra and externally homeomorphic clorindoids Barrandina wilkinsoni and Clorinda minor replace them in the overlying Barrandella Shale Member, the last two extending into the Yarwood Siltstone Member (Black Bog Shale). Clorinda minor is also possibly present in the Rainbow Hill Member (Rosebank Shale). All except C. minor are uncommon to rare components of the Yass brachiopod fauna. Clorinda molongensis, a species of uncertain mid- to late Silurian age from the Molong Limestone, is also revised. Aliconchidium and Barrandina are known only from Yass, whereas Clorinda is cosmopolitan. Conchidium alsois widespread, but C. hospes is a species from the Prague Basin probably also known from the Urals and the Tien Shan. Ascanigypa is another Prague Basin taxon, recently recognised in Arctic Canada.     

Review of occurrences of halysitid corals in Devonian strata

The Dunderberg Shale and Halfpint Members of the Nopah Formation in the southern Nevada portion of the Great Basin consist of interbedded shale, limestone, and dolostone. In four measured sections these two members range in thickness from 23 to 82 m and contain abundant sedimentary structures and macro- and microfossils. Trilobites and inarticulate brachiopods indicate the rocks are of medial Late Cambrian (Dresbachian and Franconian) age and correlate with other sections described from the Great Basin. Conodonts were found in limestones and dolostones that contain trilobites of the Dunderbergia and overlying Elvinia Biozones; approximately 3,740 conodonts were recovered and were assigned to one protoconodont and 13 paraconodont single-element form-species. New form-species of Furnishina and Prooneotodus were recognized but not named. Characteristics and distribution of the lithofacies, fossils and organo-sedimentary structures indicate that subtidal sediments formed towards the northwest on a broad, shallow, westward sloping shelf, and intertidal channel and algal bank deposits formed towards the southeast in a craton margin setting.