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].     

A new Patagonian long-lived species of Cyclochlamys Finlay, 1926 (Bivalvia: Pectinoidea)

Pastorino, G. & Griffin, M., March 2018. A new Patagonian long-lived species of Cyclochlamys (Bivalvia: Pectinoidea). Alcheringa XX, xx–xx.

A new species of the bivalve family Cyclochlamydidae is described from the southwestern Atlantic in Argentine waters. Cyclochlamys argentina sp. nov. is the second representative of the genus known to live in the Magellanic area. In addition, this long-lived species is also recorded from lower Miocene rocks in the province of Santa Cruz exposed along the Atlantic coast of the Monte León National Park. The material was collected from the Punta Entrada Member of the Monte León Formation. These small mollusks clearly belong in Cyclochlamys because of shell characters such as the irregularly pitted prodissoconch I and right valve with commarginally elongated rectangular prisms over most of disc. Cyclochlamys argentina sp. nov. shows affinities with taxa such as C. aupouria and C. shepherdi, all of which are known from areas of New Zealand.

Guido Pastorino [gpastorino@macn.gov.ar] CONICET—Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’. Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Miguel Griffin [patagonianoyster@gmail.com] CONICET— División Paleozoología Invertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina.     

New Archaeocyatha from the Early Cambrian of the Mt. Wright area,New South Wales

An archaeocyathan fauna from a single limestone lens in the upper Cymbric Vale Formation at Mt. Wright shows species in common with the historic Ajax Mine fauna of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The Cymbric Vale fauna is considered equivalent to the lower Sanashtykgol ‘horizon’ of the Altay Sayan fold belt of Siberia.

New taxa described are the genera Hyptocyathus (Inessocyathacea, Hyptocyathidae fam. nov.), Aporosocyathus (Annulocyathidae), Wrighticyathus (Sigmocyathacea, Wrighticyathidae fam. nov.), Flexicyathus (Porocoscinidae) and Bractocyathus (Polycoscinidae), and the species Erugatocyathus cymbricensis and Veronicacyathus concavus.     

Commemorating ‘Struggle Heroes’: Constructing a Genealogy for the New South Africa

This article focuses on new commemorative monuments, memorials and statues in post‐apartheid South Africa. The identification, preservation, celebration and display (not least for tourists) of heritage, especially the heritage of those previously marginalised, are flourishing throughout the country. This article examines how new monuments contribute to constructing new identities in the post‐apartheid context. It will first discuss the perceived need for monuments generally, and the identification and public commemoration of ‘heroes’ in particular. It then explores how selected heroes are linked to processes of identity formation. It will be suggested that by identifying and celebrating new heroes, we, as communities and as a nation, create a genealogy, a chosen ancestry—not in biological but in ideological terms—which serves as a foundation for the construction of our preferred identity.     

Levallois Lithic Technology from the Kapthurin Formation,Kenya: Acheulian Origin and Middle Stone Age Diversity

The earliest fossils of Homo sapiens are reported from in Africa in association with both late Acheulian and Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts. The relation between the origin of our species during the later Middle Pleistocene in Africa and the major archaeological shift marked by the Acheulian-MSA transition is therefore a key issue in human evolution, but it has thus far suffered from a lack of detailed comparison. Here we initiate an exploration of differences and similarities among Middle Pleistocene lithic traditions through examination of Levallois flake production from a sequence of Acheulian and MSA sites from the Kapthurin Formation of Kenya dated to ∼200–500 ka. Results suggest that MSA Levallois technology developed from local Acheulian antecedents, and support a mosaic pattern of lithic technological change across the Acheulian-MSA transition.Les premiers restes fossiles d’Homo sapiens sont rapportés d’Afrique aussi bien à des avec des outillages de l’Acheuléen final que du Middle Stone Age (MSA). La relation entre l’origine de notre espèce au Pléistocène moyen final d’Afrique et le changement majeur marquée par la transition Acheuléen-MSA est par conséquent un moment clé de l’évolution humaine qui a manqué jusqu’ici d’analyses comparatives détaillées. Nous nous proposons ici de commencer à explorer les différences et les similarités qui peuvent se faire jour au Pléistocène moyen dans les traditions techniques à l’examen des productions à éclats Levallois, dans une séquence de sites acheuléens et MSA de la formation de Kapthurin (Kenya), datée de 200–500 ka. Les resultants obtenus suggèrent que la technologie Levallois MSA s’est développée sur ce substrat acheuléen et renforce cette perception que l’on peut avoir d’une mosa?que de changements technologiques jalonnant la transition Acheuléen-MSA.     

刘渊政权的出现与北疆民族主动认同"中国"的开始--中国古代疆域形成理论探讨之二

匈奴人刘渊建立的汉是北疆民族在中原地区建立的第一个政权。本文认为汉政权的出现既是匈奴人长期和汉族保持密切关系的结果,同时也是匈奴人认同“中国”,并进而主动进入中华民族形成历程的标志。汉政权的出现对中国古代疆域形成的影响是巨大的,不仅促进亍北疆民族之间的融合,推动了中国传统治边思想和方式的发展,而且也是边疆民族主动进入中华民族形成历程的开始,由此也奠定了北疆和中原地区融为一体的牢固基础。     

古铜镜“水银沁”表面形成机理的研究

对加工纯铜、黄铜、锡青铜和铸造高锡镜青铜样品的基体及“磨镜药”处理前后表面进行检测,发现在磨镜处理时,“磨镜药”中的Sn原子通过Hg的作用首先以置换方式扩散渗入铜材表面的α固溶体中,当Sn元素浓度达到饱和时,将首先在晶体缺陷处生成Cu41Sn11新相并逐渐长大,使表面形成“水银沁”富锡层。富锡层逐渐氧化生成致密的、显微晶态的SnO2膜。此即古铜镜“水银沁”表面的形成机理。     

Progonocimicids (Hemiptera,Coleorrhyncha) from the Middle Jurassic Haifanggou Formation,western Liaoning,northeast China support stratigraphic correlation with the Daohugou beds

Jiang, J.-Q., Cai, C.-Y. & Huang, D.-Y., October 2015. Progonocimicids from the Middle Jurassic Haifanggou Formation, western Liaoning, northeast China support stratigraphic correlation with the Daohugou beds. Alcheringa 40, XXX–XXX. ISSN 0311-5518.

The hemipteran suborder Coleorrhyncha includes only 37 extant species assigned to the family Peloridiidae. However, the suborder’s fossil record is diverse and abundant. The extinct family Progonocimicidae is very common in Middle Jurassic strata of northeastern China, especially in the Daohugou beds of Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, and the Haifanggou Formation in Beipiao, Liaoning Province. We re-studied the established progonocimicid species and examined 27 new specimens, indicating that the species from Daohugou are junior synonyms of those from Haifanggou. The progonocimicids from the Haifanggou Formation are assigned to two species of Cicadocoris: C. brunneus (=Mesoscytina brunnea, =Mesocimex lini) and C. sinensis (=Cicadocoris anisomeridis). Both species are common in the Daohugou beds and the Haifanggou Formation. This discovery is of significance for biostratigraphic correlation of these two lithostratigraphic units. It also contributes to our understanding of the geological age of the famous Daohugou biota, which has yielded the earliest known feathered dinosaurs and diverse early mammals.

Jia-Qian Jiang [jiaqianjiang@126.com], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; and Graduate School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquanlu, Beijing 100049, PR China. Chen-Yang Cai [caichenyang1988@163.com], Di-Ying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.