We describe here the early Spathian (Early Triassic) Paris Biota decapod fauna from the western USA basin. This fauna contains two taxa of Aegeridae (Dendobranchiata), namely Anisaeger longirostrus n. sp. and Aeger sp. that are the oldest known representatives of their family, thus extending its temporal range by 5 Myr back into the Early Triassic. This fauna also includes two representatives of Glypheida (Pleocyemata) with Litogaster turnbullensis and Pemphix krumenackeri n. sp., confirming for the former and extending for the latter the temporal ranges of their respective superfamilies back to the Early Triassic. Overall, the Paris Biota decapods are some of the oldest known representatives of Decapoda, filling in an important gap in the evolutionary history of this group, especially during the Triassic that marks the early diversification of this clade. Additionally, we compile and provide overviews for all known Triassic decapods, which leads to the revision of four species of Middle and Late Triassic Aegeridae, and to a revised family assignment of a Middle Triassic Glypheida. Based on this refined dataset, we also investigate decapod diversity throughout the Triassic. We show that the apparent increase in decapod taxonomic richness is probably driven by the heterogeneity of the fossil record and/or sampling effort, and that the decapod alpha diversity is actually relatively high as soon as the Early Triassic and remains rather stable throughout the Triassic.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/0f435f27-1767-473d-955c-57fe869faa0f

Brachiopods suffered high levels of extinction during the Permian–Triassic crisis, and their diversity failed to return to Permian levels. In the aftermath of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, brachiopods were extremely rare worldwide, especially in the southern hemisphere. Here, we report a new Early Triassic brachiopod fauna from the Selong section in southern Tibet, China. A new genus and three new species have been identified: Selongthyris plana Wang and Chen n. gen. n. sp., Piarorhynchella selongensis Wang and Chen n. sp., and Schwagerispira cheni Wang and Chen n. sp., which are typical. The ontogenies and internal structures of these three new species are described in detail. This brachiopod fauna corresponds to the Neospathodus pakistanensis and Neospathodus waageni conodont biozones and Kashmirites and Anasibirites ammonoid biozones, indicating a late Dienerian to late Smithian age. The post-extinction recovery of brachiopods in the Himalayas may have begun by the early Smithian of the Early Triassic. In addition, these species did not persist into the Spathian substage, suggesting that the newly evolved brachiopods in the southern Tethys were severely affected by the late Smithian extinction event.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/f8fc8ced-432c-41d2-8c6c-d17bca527109

Lochriea commutata (Branson and Mehl, 1941), a senior subjective synonym of Lochriea montanaensis Scott, 1942, is the type species of Lochriea Scott, 1942, one of the first conodont genera named using bedding-plane assemblages. Lochriea commutata is both wide- and long-ranging, locally stratigraphically important, and a consistently recognized Carboniferous species, despite its taxonomic journey from Spathognathodus to Gnathodus to Paragnathodus to Lochriea.

Lochriea commutata was, as Lochriea montanaensis, initially reported to contain 22+ elements, the apparatus composition of the genus being subsequently amended to 17+ elements based on Lochriea wellsi Melton and Scott, 1973, which is an untenable hypothesis because the latter was a conodontophage. Restudy of original and new bedding-plane assemblages in the mid 1970s established that the first assemblages studied were fecal, the initial reconstruction incorporated elements of two individuals, and Lochriea commutata possessed a feeding apparatus of 2P1, 2P2, 2M, 2S1, 2S2, 2S3, 2S4, and 1S0 elements. A Lochriea sp. bedding-plane assemblage was subsequently found to have the same element composition, and restudy of type material, available bedding-plane assemblages, and new fused clusters confirms that Lochriea commutata had a 15-element ozarkodinid apparatus.

While species are still assigned to Lochriea using carminiscaphate P1 elements almost exclusively, those assignments must be considered tentative until their apparatuses are determined to be similar to that of L. commutata, and until characteristics of elements other than the P1 element, particularly the makellate M element and the bipennate S3/4 element, are also taken into account.

Lochriea bigsnowyensis Scott, 1942 is reassigned to Cavusgnathus Harris and Hollingsworth, 1933.

Two previously known species of stromatoporoids are reported from Nevada: Stromatoporella perannulata, from the Bartine Member of the McColley Canyon Formation (middle Emsian); and Stictostroma moosense, from the Oxyoke Canyon Sandstone (uppermost Emsian). A new species, Syringodictyon nevadense n. sp., is described from the Coils Creek Member of the McColley Canyon Formation (upper Emsian). Stromatoporella perannulata also occurs in Emsian-age strata on Ellesmere Island, arctic Canada, and in strata of Emsian and/or Eifelian age in Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Kentucky. Outside Nevada, Syringodictyon is confined to the Emsian of Ellesmere Island, and Emsian/Eifelian of Ontario and New York. Stictostroma moosense is known from only the Emsian/Eifelian of Ontario.

It is concluded that the three Nevada specimens are Emsian in age. This implies that in other localities where two of the species, S. perannulata and S. moosense, occur in strata where the placement of the Emsian-Eifelian boundary is in question, it might be higher than previously thought. The presence of the two species, plus Syringodictyon, in both the Old World Realm (Nevada, arctic Canada) and the Eastern Americas Realm (Ontario, New York, Ohio, Kentucky), infers a selective marine connection between the two realms that was not available to other taxa. The breach in the inter-realm barrier most likely occurred as a shallow seaway across the Canadian Shield.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/e73023c6-88ca-4b4d-9b01-f74a75b99c43

Records of diagenetically mineralized, filamentous, cavity-dwelling microorganisms extend back to strata from the early Paleoproterozoic (2400 Ma). In North Greenland (Laurentia), they are first known from the Ediacaran (Neoproterozoic; ca. 600 Ma) Portfjeld Formation of southern Peary Land, in association with a biota similar to that of the Doushantuo Formation of China. The Portfjeld Formation cavity dwellers are compared with more widespread occurrences in Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4, Miaolingian Series) strata from the same region in which assemblages in postmortal shelter structures within articulated acrotretoid brachiopods and other invertebrates are common. All specimens were recovered by digestion of carbonate samples in weak acids. The described fossils are preserved as mineral encrusted threads but this diagenetic phosphatization unfortunately obscures their biological identity.

Lower and middle Cambrian strata of the eastern Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada, were deposited in a semi-enclosed basin along the eastern flank of the Mackenzie Arch. The Mount Clark Formation is predominantly composed of nearshore sandstone and is overlain by deeper water siltstone, mudstone, and carbonates of the Mount Cap Formation. The contact between these formations is interpreted as a flooding surface. Trilobite biostratigraphy indicates the presence of the traditional upper Olenellus through Glossopleura zones (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4–Miaolingian, Wuliuan) and suggests the flooding surface is diachronous, spanning the Dyeran-Delamaran boundary. Above the Olenellus Zone, the Amecephalus arrojosensis-Eokochaspis nodosa Zone, the new Aitkenaspis keelensis Zone, the new Albertelloides mischi Zone, and the Glossopleura walcotti Zone are recognized. Whereas the older zones are comparable to those in other areas of Laurentia, the trilobite faunas in the Albertelloides mischi and Glossopleura walcotti zones show a greater abundance of zacanthoidids and dolichometopids. They also have a lower diversity of ptychoparioids and oryctocephalids, and lack agnostoids, eodiscoids, dorypygids, and ogygopsidids. This suggests that zacanthoidids and dolichometopids were able to tolerate conditions that were unfavorable to the other groups, probably related to semi-restricted conditions in the basin. Four endemic species exhibit characteristics that are considered paedomorphic. This developmental process took place in three separate lineages, suggesting that heterochrony was also environmentally provoked.

New taxonomic names are authored by Handkamer and Pratt. New genera are Eobathyuriscus, Sahtuia, Mexicaspidella Aitkenaspis, Dodoella, and Mackenzieaspis. New species are Bolbolenellus dodoensis, Eobathyuriscus mackenziensis, E. macqueeni, Glossopleura youngi, Sahtuia carcajouensis, Aitkenaspis keelensis, Albertelloides eliasi, Dodoella kobayashii, Mackenzieaspis parallelispinosa, and M. divergens.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/a10a2470-853c-4ce8-bf62-7de1d2c99fab.

Modular coral-like fossils from Lower Ordovician (Tremadocian) thrombolitic mounds in the St. George Group of western Newfoundland were initially identified as Lichenaria and thought to include the earliest tabulate corals. They are here assigned to Amsassia terranovensis n. sp. and Amsassia? sp. A from the Watts Bight Formation, and A. diversa n. sp. and Amsassia? sp. B from the overlying Boat Harbour Formation. Amsassia terranovensis n. sp. and A. argentina from the Argentine Precordillera are the earliest representatives of the genus. Amsassia is considered to be a calcareous alga, possibly representing an extinct group of green algae. The genus originated and began to disperse in the Tremadocian, during the onset of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, on the southern margin of Laurentia and the Cuyania Terrane. It inhabited small, shallow-marine reefal mounds constructed in association with microbes. The paleogeographic range of Amsassia expanded in the Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) to include the Sino-Korean Block, as well as Laurentia, and its environmental range expanded to include non-reefal, open- and restricted-marine settings. Amsassia attained its greatest diversity and paleogeographic extent in the Late Ordovician (Sandbian–Katian), during the culmination of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. Its range included the South China Block, Tarim Block, Kazakhstan, and Siberia, as well as the Sino-Korean Block and Laurentia, and its affinity for small microbial mounds continued during that time. In the latest Ordovician (Hirnantian), the diversity of Amsassia was reduced, its distribution was restricted to non-reefal environments in South China, and it finally disappeared during the end-Ordovician mass extinction.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/ef0abb69-10a6-46de-8c78-d6ec7de185fe

Our knowledge of the foraminiferal fossil record of Antarctica is notoriously patchy but still offers us an overview of its Cenozoic faunas. Few occurrences have been reported for the continent, with deep-sea assemblages described mainly for its eastern portion. Here we describe 21 taxa of large agglutinated foraminifers from the Miocene Hobbs Glacier Formation and the Plio-Pleistocene Weddell Sea Formation on Seymour Island, West Antarctica, including the gigantic Ammodiscus vastus new species. Most of them consist of genera or species typical of deep-sea agglutinated assemblages. All specimens are completely filled and partially covered by lithified micrite. This, along with the postfill fragmentation of some tests, indicates their re-elaboration from older deposits. Because all of these foraminifers share the same taphonomic features and most of them represent taxa associated with deep-sea settings, they probably represent a flysch-type assemblage from an unknown deposit that was eroded and had its microfossils scattered through post-Paleogene sediments. A Paleocene age for this putative assemblage is indicated by the presence of Reticulophragmiun garcilassoi (Frizzell, 1943), a Paleocene index fossil, and by its association with the Cretaceous–Paleocene Ammodiscus pennyi Cushman and Jarvis, 1928. If taken as a coherent foraminiferal assemblage, it represents one of the few deep-sea assemblages known for West Antarctica, and the first flysch-type assemblage recognized for the Antarctic Cenozoic. In addition, it would show that the Paleocene foraminiferal communities of the West Antarctica's deep-sea floor were more like their Pacific counterparts than their Atlantic equivalents.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/0d281489-c0c6-47b4-9884-f820806485b7

Non-archosaur archosauromorphs are a paraphyletic group of diapsid reptiles that were important members of global Middle and Late Triassic continental ecosystems. Included in this group are the azendohsaurids, a clade of allokotosaurians (kuehneosaurids and Azendohsauridae + Trilophosauridae) that retain the plesiomorphic archosauromorph postcranial body plan but evolved disparate cranial features that converge on later dinosaurian anatomy, including sauropodomorph-like marginal dentition and ceratopsian-like postorbital horns. Here we describe a new malerisaurine azendohsaurid from two monodominant bonebeds in the Blue Mesa Member, Chinle Formation (Late Triassic, ca. 218–220 Ma); the first occurs at Petrified Forest National Park and preserves a minimum of eight individuals of varying sizes, and the second occurs near St. Johns, Arizona. Puercosuchus traverorum n. gen. n. sp. is a carnivorous malerisaurine that is closely related to Malerisaurus robinsonae from the Maleri Formation of India and to Malerisaurus langstoni from the Dockum Group of western Texas. Dentigerous elements from Puercosuchus traverorum n. gen. n. sp. confirm that some Late Triassic tooth morphotypes thought to represent early dinosaurs cannot be differentiated from, and likely pertain to, Puercosuchus-like malerisaurine taxa. These bonebeds from northern Arizona support the hypothesis that non-archosauriform archosauromorphs were locally diverse near the middle Norian and experienced an extinction event prior to the end-Triassic mass extinction coincidental with the Adamanian-Revueltian boundary recognized at Petrified Forest National Park. The relatively late age of this early-diverging taxon (Norian) suggests that the diversity of azendohsaurids is underrepresented in Middle and Late Triassic fossil records around the world.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/e6eeefd2-a0ae-47fc-8604-9f45af8c1147.

The upper Bartonian–Priabonian shallow-marine deposits in the Biga Peninsula (NW Turkey) contain some hyaline larger benthic foraminifers (LBF) with a test architecture similar to ‘orbitoidiform’ foraminifers, but displaying some distinctive and complex morphological features that are recorded here for the first time. These coarsely porous specimens are characterized by a flat, disc-shaped, fragile, and smooth test with a layer of equatorial chambers/chamberlets, surrounded by poorly developed lateral chamberlets, never forming a discrete layer on either side of the equatorial layer. The nepionic stage is very distinctive because the bilocular embryonic apparatus is followed by a semi-rounded, notably large auxiliary chamber with a characteristic wavy outline, and consecutive cyclical chambers. The cyclical chamber arrangement is later transformed into annular cycles with numerous, complex arcuate- to cup-shaped chamberlets, as observed in equatorial sections. Bigaella orbitoidiformis Özcan, Mitchell, Pignatti, Simmons, and Yücel, n. gen. n. sp., is established for these specimens, and placed within the family Eoannulariidae Ferràndez-Cañadell and Serra-Kiel, emended herein. The new genus occurs together with Caudriella Haman and Huddleston and Epiannularia Caudri (both originally established from the American bioprovince) and the genus Linderina Schlumberger (found both in the Tethys and the American bioprovinces), together with other typical Western Tethyan LBFs. A comparison of the new genus with the aforementioned taxa is given.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/ab917e30-86d3-4bc2-8115-d17cf75f5d79.

The Cambrian successions at the Chihuarruita Hill outcrop, Sonora, Mexico, have yielded two successive linguliform brachiopod assemblages that are transitional between Cambrian Stage 4 and the newly recognized global Wuliuan Stage. The lowermost assemblage includes Dictyonina sp., Paterina sp., Eothele sp., Hadrotreta rara? (Cooper), and Linnarssonia arellanoi? (Cooper), coming from the upper part of the Buelna Formation. The younger, recently named El Gavilán Formation contains a more diverse linguliform brachiopod assemblage, including Acrothele concava Cooper, Batenevotreta? mexicana n. sp., Dictyonina minutipuncta Cooper, Eothele sp., Eoobolus sp., Hadrotreta rara? (Cooper), Linnarssonia arellanoi? (Cooper), Micromitra sp., Paterina sp., and Prototreta sp. The El Gavilán Formation contains a diverse trilobite fauna suggesting Delamaran age in terms of the Laurentian regional stratigraphical scheme. The base of the global Wuliuan Stage and Miaolingian Series is defined by the first occurrence of Oryctocephalus indicus; in the absence of the index species, the base should be provisionally placed at the base of the El Gavilán Formation. The Wuliuan age of the brachiopod assemblage recovered from the El Gavilán Formation is supported by the occurrence of Acrothele in the Cambrian biostratigraphical succession of Himalaya, where the genus makes its first appearance in the Kaotaia prachina Zone. In addition, the co-occurrences of Acrothele and Eothele can be taken as an indication of the Wuliuan age of the fauna. A new biogeographic analysis confirms that the Eothele Fauna first appeared at the end of Cambrian Stage 4, as a result of increased faunal migration within the southern tropical latitudes directed from Australasian Gondwana to Laurentia.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/6598f51f-cb07-4df3-bd1f-025a13e64edf

The Ediacaran tubular fossils Cloudina, Sinotubulites, and Conotubus are taxonomically revised with type materials. It is proposed that Aulophycus lucianoi Beurlen and Sommer, 1957, is not a senior synonym of Cloudina hartmannae Germs, 1972. Instead, most of its syntypes may be assigned to Sinotubulites or other taxa. Lectotypes of Sinotubulites baimatuoensis Chen et al., 1981, and Conotubus hemiannulatus Zhang and Lin in Lin et al., 1986, are designated from rediscovered syntypes. Sinotubulites baimatuoensis Chen et al., 1981, is reported from the Mooifontein Member of Nama Group at Aar Farm, Namibia. Cloudina waldei Hahn and Pflug, 1985, is assigned to Sinotubulites baimatuoensis, and thus its occurrence range is extended to Brazil. The lectotype of Conotubus hemiannulatus shows corrugations and annulations on the surface distinguishing it from Cloudina and other collared Ediacaran tubular fossils. Based on the taxonomic revision, we propose a Cloudina hartmannae Interval Zone for the terminal Ediacaran with the upper boundary defined by the first appearance datum of Protohertzina anabarica (i.e., the index fossil of the early Cambrian Anabarites trisulcatus-Protohertzina anabarica Assemblage Zone).

A diverse labechiid stromatoporoid assemblage that includes 16 species in 8 genera was found in the Upper Ordovician Xiazhen Formation (mid–late Katian) at Zhuzhai, Jiangxi Province of South China. The assemblage is characterized by a combination of (1) North China provincial species succeeding from their origination in the Darriwilian, including Pseudostylodictyon poshanense Ozaki, 1938, Labechia shanhsiensis Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930, Labechia variabilis Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930, and Labechiella regularis (Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930) and (2) South China endemic species, including three new species (Labechia zhuzhainus Jeon n. sp., Labechiella beluatus Jeon n. sp., Sinabeatricea luteolus Jeon n. gen. n. sp.), and four species in open nomenclature (Rosenella sp., Cystostroma sp., Pseudostylodictyon sp., and Labechia sp.). The finding of Labechiella gondwanense Jeon n. sp., Stylostroma bubsense Webby, 1991, Stylostroma ugbrookense Webby, 1991, and Thamnobeatricea gouldi Webby, 1991 in the formation indicates that Tasmania was closely related to South China and had a closer paleobiogeographical relation with peri-Gondwanan terranes than with Laurentia. In addition, the occurrences of Labechia altunensis Dong and Wang, 1984 and Stylostroma species support a close biogeographic link between Tarim and South China through the Middle to Late Ordovician interval, corresponding with the results from other fossil groups such as brachiopods, conodonts and chitinozoans. The diverse labechiids from the Xiazhen Formation improve our understanding of the diversity of Ordovician stromatoporoids in peri-Gondwanan terranes and the biogeographic affinities among Australia (especially Tasmania), Tarim, and South China.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/4f46c91b-fa4c-4fe5-bea9-e409f1785677

The last clade-level extinction episode affecting the Phylum Brachiopoda has been long-established in the Early Toarcian Mass Extinction Event (ETMEE) around the Pliensbachian-Toarcian transition, when several rhynchonellide groups became extinct and others underwent a notable renewal in the western Tethys. Among them, Wellerelloidea is a long-ranging superfamily severely affected by this environmental crisis, embodying the subfamily Cirpinae as the last wellerelloids worldwide, prior to their global extinction in the Pb-To transition. The profuse record of Lower Jurassic cirpines in the peri-Iberian paleomargins provides an opportunity to clarify the taxonomy of wellerelloid species in the pre-extinction interval. A new species (Cirpa lucentina) is erected and the revision of the Cirpinae taxa around the ETMEE is carried out. Morphometric analysis and the study of internal structures of the shells support separation of the genera Cirpa and Salgirella, adding new supplementary diagnostic criteria. The biogeographic distribution of this clade in the western Tethys and its evolutionary history in the Early Jurassic reveal a pervasive colonization pattern of both epicontinental and epioceanic habitats. The Mediterranean origin of the last representatives of this group is ascertained, but while diversification of Salgirella took place in epioceanic habitats, speciation of Cirpa is unrelated to biochorema boundaries, even colonizing epicontinental seas until their extinction prior to the hyperwarming event that occurred in the basal Serpentinum Zone. A rhynchonellide morphogroup epitomized by cirpines was resilient to this event in the epicontinental seas. This morphogroup is also recorded after the extinction interval by means of the genus Pseudogibbirhynchia, thus postulating potential pre- and post-extinction phyletic relationships.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/100b06c0-a803-4f6f-b0fa-2d9e2d6678d2

The Nasep and Huns members of the Urusis Formation (Nama Group), southern Namibia, preserve some of the most diverse trace-fossil assemblages known from the latest Ediacaran worldwide, including potentially the world's oldest “complex” vertical sediment-penetrating burrows. These sediments record relatively diverse communities of bilaterian metazoans existing before the base of the Cambrian and an increase in the intensity of metazoan ecosystem engineering behaviors that could eventually produce profound changes in the character of the Phanerozoic sedimentary record (the “agronomic revolution”). Despite this, relatively little about this trace-fossil assemblage is known. We explore the Nasep–Huns transition at two localities in the Witputs sub-basin and describe the trace- and body-fossil diversity present in these horizons alongside a paleoenvironmental reconstruction. We document eight unique ichnotaxa from these localities, including well-preserved “probes” potentially left by priapulids. We also report the first occurrence of Corumbella from Namibia, helping to establish a biostratigraphic link between Namibia, Brazil, Paraguay, Iran, and the southwestern United States. Last, we find that several ichnotaxa, in particular small treptichnids, appear to be preferentially preserved on the bases of gutter casts, hinting at the potential existence of an unusual late Ediacaran preservational window with possible implications for timing the first appearance of key bilaterian behaviors.

A diverse, well-preserved radiolarian assemblage is reported from the Sandbian age Climacograptus bicornis Graptolite Biozone. This new assemblage, recovered from the Pingliang Formation in the Guanzhuang section, China, includes six new species along with 13 other previously described taxa. Geminusphaera new genus incorporates G. grandis n. sp. and G. kongtongensis n. sp. and is proposed for inaniguttids constructed from two distinct porous spheres bearing seven or more primary spines. Protopylentonema new genus is introduced to incorporate pylomate entactinarians with five-rayed initial spicules. It includes P. ordosensis n. sp. as well as P. aperta, P. rimata, and P. insueta that were formerly assigned to Kalimnasphaera. Micro-computed tomography investigation of skeletal microstructure supports establishment of the new genera together with other new spumellarian species: Haplotaeniatum implexa n. sp., Inanigutta quadrispinosa n. sp., and Kalimnasphaera pingliangensis n. sp. It also indicates that family-level reassignment of Etymalbaillella from the Proventocitidae to the Ceratoikiscidae is appropriate.

Global distribution of Late Ordovician radiolarian occurrences highlights a strong preference for areas with equatorial to tropical sea surface temperatures. This must have led to ecological stress among radiolarian communities in adapting to global cooling in the Hirnantian.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/3d3f55b8-0e70-4f9f-9738-265750d8ec3a.