Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Bei’an Formation (Visean–Serpukhovian) in the Pengchong area of Liuzhou,Guangxi, South China

Shen, Y. & Wang, X.L., 24.6.2015. Foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the Bei’an Formation (Visean–Serpukhovian) in the Pengchong area of Liuzhou, Guangxi, South China. Alcheringa 39,559–572 ISSN 0311-5518

The type section of the Mississippian Bei’an Formation is well exposed on both sides of the Beihuan expressway at Liuzhou in Guangxi, South China, about 700 m east of the Pengchong GSSP (Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point) for the base of the Visean Stage. Foraminifers are abundant and diverse (at least 59 species and 39 genera) in this section, and five foraminiferal zones are recognizable in the Bei’an Formation. In ascending order, these are the Pojarkovella nibelis, Koskinotextularia, Bradyina, Janischewskina and ‘Millerella’ tortula zones. Based on the foraminifers, the Bei’an Formation is regarded as being of middle Visean to Serpukhovian age, i.e., equivalent to biozones MFZ12–MFZ15 from the stratotypes of Europe, and the Visean–Serpukhovian boundary is placed at the base of the ‘Millerella’ tortula Zone.

Yang Shen [shenybj@126.com] (Corresponding author) and Xun-Lian Wang [wxl@cugb.edu.cn], School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, PR China.     

Systematic status of the Miocene darter ‘Liptornis’ hesternus Ameghino, 1895 (Aves,Suliformes, Anhingidae) from Patagonia,Argentina

Diederle, J.M., 1.8.2015. Systematic status of the Miocene darter ‘Liptornis’ hesternus Ameghino, 1895 (Aves, Suliformes, Anhingidae) from Patagonia, Argentina. Alcheringa 39, 589–594. ISSN 0311-5518.

Liptornis hesternus was established by Ameghino in the late 1800s on the basis of a cervical vertebra (NHMUK-A599) from the Santa Cruz Formation (Santacrucian, South American Land Mammal Age, early Miocene, Burdigalian Stage) of Patagonia, Argentina. Although taxonomic attributions were controversial, the specimen is now confidently assigned to Anhingidae. Recently, however, L. hesternus was designated a nomen dubium because of its uninformative diagnostic characters and apparent loss of the holotype. Nevertheless, NHMUK-A599 has been relocated and is redescribed here prompting referral to Anhinga. A combination of traits are shared with the extant Anhinga anhinga and A. melanogaster, and the material is dimensionally compatible with A. anhinga. The estimated body size of NHMUK-A599 would have been larger than A. minuta but less than A. grandis, A. subvolans, A. fraileyi and A. walterbolesi. Finally, Anhinga hesterna is considered valid and represents the stratigraphically oldest occurrence of the genus in South America and the southernmost yet recorded.

Juan M. Diederle [juandiederle@cicyttp.org.ar], Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción (CICYTTP-CONICET), Materi y España, E3105BWA Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina.     

Late Triassic palynoflora from the Pranhita–Godavari Valley,India: evidence from vertebrate coprolites

Vijaya, Prasad, G.V.R. & Singh, K., June, 2009. Late Triassic palynoflora from the Pranhita–Godavari Valley, India: evidence from vertebrate coprolites. Alcheringa 33, 91–111. ISSN 0311-5518.

The Upper Triassic Maleri Formation, represented by red clays and sandstones, has to date not produced any plant macrofossils or palynomorphs. Many spiral and non-spiral coprolites collected during this study from the Maleri Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Valley were analysed for palynomorphs. Based on shape, nature of coiling and size, the Maleri coprolites are classified into seven groups. Of these, only Group-I, Type 5 (non-spiral) and amphipolar (spiral) types yielded diverse gymnospermous and pteridophytic spores, pollen, other plant debris and sparse fungal spores and algal remains. Occurrences of Antulsporites varigranulatus, Aratrisporites spp., Cadargasporites baculatus, Dubrajisporites isolatus, Enzonalasporites vigens, Foraminisporis coelatus, Grandispora spinosa, Kraeuselisporites saeptatus, Polycingulatisporites reduncus, Staurosaccites spp., Tethysispora unica and Tikisporites balmei confirm a Late Triassic age for the coprolite-bearing red clays. Records of Classopollis classoides and Callialasporites turbatus/dampieri in these assemblages more precisely suggest a Norian to Rhaetian age. The non-spiral coprolites were possibly produced by aquatic piscivorous animals whereas the spiral coprolites may have been produced by an as yet unidentified fish taxon. The coprolite-producing animals (spiral and non-spiral groups) possibly ingested gymnospermous and pteridophytic plant remains passively along with water or their herbivorous prey.     

Elasmosaurs (Sauropterygia,Plesiosauria) from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Argentina

O’Gorman, J.P., Salgado, L., Varela, J., & Parras, A., 2013. Elasmosaurs (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Argentina. Alcheringa 37, 257–265. ISSN 0311-5518.

Elasmosaur postcranial remains from the La Colonia Formation (Campanian–Maastrichtian), Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina, are described. The new material has small dimensions and caudal vertebrae with parapophyses strongly projected laterally—characters shared with some Elasmosauridae indet. from the coeval Allen Formation, Río Negro Province, Argentina. These features reinforce the similarities between the plesiosaur faunas to the north and south of the Somún Curá Plateau. The small size of these elasmosaurs may be palaeoecologically related to the marginal marine depositional environment of the sedimentary host rocks.

José P. O’Gorman [joseogorman@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar], División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n., B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina and [CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas)]; Leonardo Salgado [salgadoleito@yahoo.com.ar], Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Isidro Lobo y Belgrano, 8332 General Roca, Argentina and [CONICET]; Julio Varela [julioadrianvarela@hotmail.com], and Ana Parras [aparras@exactas.unlpam.edu.ar], INCITAP (CONICET-UNLPam), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Uruguay 151, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. Received 27.7.2012; revised 19.10.2012; accepted 27.10.2012.     

Ankylosaurian dinosaur remains from the Lower Cretaceous of southeastern Australia

The Eumeralla and Wonthaggi formations (Otway and Strzelecki groups, respectively: late Hauterivian to Albian) of Victoria, Australia, have yielded diverse dinosaur faunas. Here we report a set of unassociated isolated specimens from these units including teeth, dorsal vertebrae, ribs and osteoderms of an indeterminate ankylosaurian dinosaur.     

Permian non-marine bivalves of the Falkland Islands and their palaeoenvironmental significance

Simões, M.G., Quaglio, F., Warren, L., Anelli, L.E., Stone, P., Riccomini, C., Grohmann, C.H. & Chamani, M.A.C. December 2012. Permian non-marine bivalves of the Falkland Islands and their palaeoenvironmental significance. Alcheringa 36, 543–554. ISSN 0311-5518.

We describe the occurrence of non-marine bivalves in exposures of the Middle Permian (Capitanian) Brenton Loch Formation on the southern shore of Choiseul Sound, East Falklands. The bivalves are associated with ichnofossils and were collected from a bed in the upper part of the formation, within a 25 cm thick interval of dark siltstones and mudstones with planar lamination, overlain by massive sandstones. The shells are articulated, with the valves either splayed open or closed. At the top of the succession, mudstone beds nearly 1.5 m above the bivalve-bearing layers yielded well-preserved Glossopteris sp. cf. G. communis leaf fossils. The closed articulated condition of some shells indicates preservation under high sedimentation rates with low residence time of bioclasts at the sediment/water interface. However, the presence of specimens with splayed shells is usually correlated to the slow decay of the shell ligament in oxygen-deficient bottom waters. The presence of complete carbonized leaves of Glossopteris associated with the bivalve-bearing levels also suggests a possibly dysoxic-anoxic bottom environment. Overall, our data suggest that the bivalves were preserved by abrupt burial, possibly by distal sediment flows into a Brenton Loch lake, and may represent autochthonous to parautochthonous fossil accumulations. The shells resemble those of anthracosiids and are herein assigned to Palaeanodonta sp. aff. P. dubia, a species also found in the Permian succession of the Karoo Basin, South Africa. Our results confirm that (a) the true distributions in space and time of all Permian non-marine (freshwater) bivalves are not yet well known, and (b) there is no evidence for marine conditions in the upper part of the Brenton Loch Formation.     

大洪山南麓史前聚落调查——以石家河为中心

大洪山南麓发现的史前遗存不仅数量多、保存好,而且价值高、影响大,是国内外学界广泛关注的探讨中华文明进程的重要热点区域之一.2008年,通过大洪山南麓以石家河为中心的区域进行的系统调查显示,在约150平方公里的区域内集中分布73处史前遗址,我们选择文化堆积单纯的遗址作为基本参数分析聚落规模级差,进一步丰富了我们对于该区域聚落形成发展及变化的认识,并借此加深对大洪山南麓以石家河为中心的史前聚落的数量、规模、年代、文化内涵、分布及其关系等方面的认识,提供分析以石家河古城为核心的聚落形成与发展过程的基础性资料,进而推动该区域文明进程的研究.     

论清朝疆域形成与历代疆域的关系

中国历史上的疆域如何形成和确定,在史学界争论较大。中国疆域形成的背景源远流长,可以追溯到几千年以前。形成疆域的因素也比较复杂,归纳起来有三个主要的方面：第一,中国古代文明的连续性是中国疆域延续二千多年的基础。第二,历史上活跃在中原王朝四周的少数民族对中国疆域的形成有着重要影响。第三,地理环境是影响一个国家疆域形成的重要因素。     

西周金文形声字的形成及构形特点考察

本文通过对西周金文形声字的全面考察,得出了西周金文形声字的主要形成方式有增加义符、增加声符、形声相益、变形声化四种;构形上具有声符、义符位置不固定、形体不固定、数量不固定等特点,这些为认识早期形声字的面貌及理解后世形声字声符兼义现象提供了帮助。     

饱水木质文物的理化性能和微观结构表征

通过对2002年河南信阳长台关出土梓木的基本性能分析表明,出土梓木已遭受严重腐蚀。显微分析、化学分析和红外分析均表明出土梓木的多糖类物质发生了严重降解和溶出,但木质素相对含量增加。多糖类物质的降解提高了木材纤维素的亲水性,增加了木材的孔隙,是导致出土梓木饱和绝对含水率增加、基本密度降低和力学强度降低的根本原因。富含木质素的胞间层保存完整是出土饱水梓木仍能保持完整的外形的主要原因。