Spiriferoidea (Brachiopoda) from the Early Permian Del Salto Formation of Argentina

The fossil lycopod Pleuromeia longicaulis (Burges) comb. nov. and its supposed cone Cyclostrobus sydneyensis (Walkom) Helby &; Martin 1965 are common in the Scythian to Anisian Garie and Newport Formations north of Sydney, N.S.W. P. longicaulis probably lived in extensive monodominant stands in the interdistributary bays of the ‘Gosford delta’ system, bordering a large coastal lagoon or lake. C. sydneyensis was borne as a single erect terminal cone. It was shed intact and may have floated some distance before breaking up and releasing its heterospores.

Austrostrobus ornatum Morbelli and Petriella 1973 from southern Patagonia is now included as a further species of Cyclostrobus.

The Pleuromeiaceae appear to have been facultative coastal halophytes. They probably originated in Eurasia and migrated along early Triassic shorelines, reaching eastern Australia by the mid-Scythian. The coastal habitat of the Pleuromeiaceae and other Triassic lycopods explains the biostratigraphic usefulness of the spores Aratrisporites spp., Nathorstisporites hopliticus Jung 1958, and Banksisporites pinguis (Harris) Dettmann 1961 compared with coexisting fully terrestrial fossil floras. These opportunistic lycopods appear to have expanded in times of recovery from global life crises.     

The Late Palaeozoic brachiopod genus Jakutoproductus Kashirtsev 1959 and the Jakutoproductus verchoyanicus Zone,northern Yukon Territory,Canada

Shi, Guang R., 1994:03:28. The Late Palaeozoic brachiopod genus Jakutoproductus Kashirtsev 1959 and the Jakutoproductus verchoyanicus Zone, northern Yukon Territory, Canada. Alcheringa 18, 103–120. ISBN 0311-5518.

The familial and subfamilial position, species composition, and geographic distribution of the Late Palaeozoic productid genus Jakutoproductus Kashirtsev 1959 are reviewed. Jakutoproductus is placed in the subfamily Plicatiferinae Muir-Wood & Cooper 1960 of the family Plicatiferidae. Eighteen described species from the Russian Arctic. Mongolia, northeast China, and northern Yukon Territory, Canada are assigned to Jakutoproductus. The Jakutoproductus verchoyanicus Zone of late Sakmarian to Artinskian age, most likely early Artinskian (Aktastinian), here established is based on material from the Jungle Creek Formation, northern Yukon Territory, Canada, and is correlated with the following horizons in Russia: the Osennin Horizon in the Verchoyan Mountains, the lower Munugudjak Horizon of the Kolyma-Omolon Massif, the Hipkhoshin Suite of east Zabaikal, the lower Bhang Horizon of Taimyr, and an unnamed sandstone-shale unit on the north island of Novaya Zemlya.     

Phylogenetic relationships of leptellinid brachiopods

The relationships among the diverse genera comprising the family Leptellinidae (Brachiopoda) are reviewed in the light of the revised edition of the Treatise on Invertebrate Palaeontology. Taxonomic work reassessed all the genera identified as Leptellinidae in the most current classification. Four genera were discarded, namely Bekkerella, Benignites, Leptastichidia and Nikitinamena. Cladistic analysis reveals the paraphyly of these genera; their abandonment leading to more morphologically coherent subdivisions of the family. Two subfamilies, Leptellininae and Palaeostrophomeninae, are emended and taxonomically restructured. The palaeogeographical history of the Leptellinidae is complicated. The Leptellinidae are first recorded in Baltica in the late Floian (Early Ordovician) and rapidly dispersed to circum-Iapetus palaeocontinents by the Dapingian, thence to most terranes composing Gondwana by the Darriwilian (Middle Ordovician).     

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.     

Early Devonian Pacificocoelia sinica (Brachiopoda) from Northeastern Inner Mongolia

Leptocoeliid brachiopods from the Early Devonian Baruntehua Formation of Dong Ujimqin Qi, northeastern Inner Mongolia were assigned to Leptocoelia by Su (1976) and Zhang(1983), and subsequently to Pacificocoelia by Hou & Boucot (1990). Transverse serial sections of Pacificocoelia sinica are illustrated hère, for the first time, based on topotype specimens. The known geographic range o Pacificocoelia is from northern China, North America, South America and Kazakhstan (Eastern Americas Realm and also occurs in east-central Asia). Atlanticocoelia is regarded hère as a junior synonym of Pacificocoelia.     

An Early Permian brachiopod–gastropod fauna from the Calytrix Formation,Barbwire Terrace,Canning Basin,Western Australia

Taboada, A.C., Mory, A.J., Shi, G.R., Haig, D.W. & Pinilla, M.K., 12.11.2014. An Early Permian brachiopod–gastropod fauna from the Calytrix Formation, Barbwire Terrace, Canning Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

A small brachiopod–gastropod fauna from a core close to the base of the Calytrix Formation within the Grant Group includes the brachiopods Altiplecus decipiens (Hosking), Myodelthyrium dickinsi (Thomas), Brachythyrinella narsarhensis (Reed), Neochonetes (Sommeriella) obrieni Archbold, Tivertonia barbwirensis sp. nov. and the gastropod Peruvispira canningensis sp. nov. The fauna has affinities with that of the late Sakmarian?early Artinskian Nura Nura Member directly overlying the Grant Group in other parts of the basin but, as with all lower Cisuralian (and Pennsylvanian) glacial strata in Western Australia, its precise age remains poorly constrained, especially in terms of correlation to international stages. Although the Calytrix fauna lies within the Pseudoreticulatispora confluens Palynozone, the only real constraint on its age (and that of the associated glacially influenced strata) is from Sakmarian (Sterlitamakian) and stratigraphically younger faunas. A brief review of radiometric ages from correlative strata elsewhere in Gondwana shows that those ages need to be updated. The presence of Asselian strata and the position of the Carboniferous?Permian boundary remain unclear in Western Australia.

Arturo César Taboada [ataboada@unpata.edu.ar], CONICET-Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Evolución y Biodiversidad (LIEB), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Sede Esquel, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia ‘San Juan Bosco’, Edificio de Aulas, Ruta Nacional 259, km. 16,5, Esquel U9200, Chubut, Argentina; Arthur Mory [arthur.mory@dmp.wa.gov.au], Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, WA 6004, School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Guang R. Shi [grshi@deakin.edu.au], School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia; David W. Haig [david.haig@uwa.edu.au], School of Earth and Environment (M004), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; María Karina Pinilla [mkpinilla@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar], División Paleozoología Invertebrados, Museo de Ciencias Naturales de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.     

A palaeo-opportunistic brachiopod from the Early Permian of Argentina

Neochonetes sp. (Brachiopoda, Chonetoidea) is recorded from the middle to upper part of the early Permian Río del Peñón Formation, Río Blanco Basin, La Rioja, Argentina. It can be recognised as an r-strategist based on distribution, facies, morphological and ontogenic data which agree with the criteria proposed by Levinton and Alexander for recognising palaeo-opportunistic brachiopods. The new record of an opportunistic chonetid suggests that the group may have evolved this adaptative strategy during the late Palaeozoic.     

Remains of an Eocene skink from Queensland

Azurduya gen. nov. (Brachiopoda: Camarotoechiidae) is described from Early Carboniferous sequences in the Argentine Precordillera and northern Chile. Marine assemblages and the palynoflora associated with this genus suggest a Tournaisian age. The type species Azurduya chavelensis (Amos, 1958) is reviewed and redescribed from material from the type locality. Additional material from equivalent localities in the Rio Blanco Basin (La Rioja and San Juan provinces, Argentine Precordilera) has been used to understand ontogenetic changes as well intraspecific variation. Azurduya cingolanii sp. nov. is proposed.     

The problematic ‘chelicerate’ Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering: a case of mistaken identity

The type (and only known) specimen of Melbournopterus crossotus Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, an enigmatic late Silurian fossil that was initially assigned to the eurypterid family Stylonuridae, is critically examined for the first time in 60 years. It is reinterpreted as most likely the dorsal valve of a craniate brachiopod, with prominent paired adductor muscle scars (described originally as ‘lateral eyes’) situated anteromedially, a short hingeline and a spinose anterior margin.

James C. Lamsdell [lamsdell@ku.edu], Department of Geology and Paleontological Institute, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; 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; Markus Poschmann [markus.poschmann@gdke.rlp.de], Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Direktion Landesarchäologie, Referat Erdgeschichte, Große Langgasse 29, D-55116 Mainz, Germany. Received 12.10.2012; revised 13.12.2012; accepted 26.12.2012.     

A new Permian–Triassic boundary brachiopod fauna from the Xinmin section,southwestern Guizhou,south China and its extinction patterns

Wu, H.T., He, W.H., Shi, G.R., Zhang, K.X., Yang, T.L., Zhang, Y., Xiao, Y.F., Chen, B. & Wu, S.B., XX.XXXX.2018. A new Permian–Triassic boundary brachiopod fauna from the Xinmin section, southwestern Guizhou, south China and its extinction patterns. Alcheringa 00, 000–000. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new brachiopod fauna comprising 31 species in 19 genera is described from a Permian–Triassic boundary section in Xinmin, Guizhou Province, Southwestern China. The brachiopods were collected from the Changhsingian (latest Permian) Changxing (=Changhsing) and Dalong (=Talung) formations and the lower Griesbachian (earliest Triassic) Daye Formation, which were deposited, respectively, in a shallow-water carbonate platform, upper offshore and carbonate platform settings. Among the brachiopods described and illustrated, a new species Juxathyris subcircularis is proposed. In addition, some species Araxathyris previously reported in south China have been discussed in detail and revised, with new morphological information. In particular, internal structures are provided for the first time for Orthothetina and Araxathyris species reported from south China. In addition, important clarifications are also provided on the morphology and diagnoses for Haydenoides, Martinia, Crurithyris and Transcaucasathyris, as well as for Paryphella transversa.

Huiting Wu School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia; Weihong He [whzhang@cug.edu.cn] State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China; G. R. Shi [guang.shi@deakin.edu.au] School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia; Kexin Zhang State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China; Tinglu Yang Faculty of Geosciences, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, PR China; Yang Zhang School of Earth Sciences and Resource, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China; Yifan Xiao and Bing Chen School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China; Shunbao Wu, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, PR China.