On the Procompsognathus postcranium (Late Triassic, Germany)

A review of the historical background of the material housed in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde (Stuttgart) and ascribed to Procompsognathus triassicus (Upper Triassic, Germany) is provided. The systematic position of the postcranial remains is discussed. The combined results of cladistic analyses suggest that the type material, an incomplete postcranial skeleton in two pieces (SMNS 12591), is from a theropod close to Segisaurus and Coelophysis. An isolated manus (SMNS 12352a) is definitely not theropodan, but could be from any small basal archosaur. The remarkable diversity of the carnivorous guild that dwelled in southern Germany before the end-Triassic events is underlined.     

Aquatic Habits and Niche Partitioning in the Extraordinarily Long-Necked Triassic Reptile Tanystropheus

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The mantle, ink sac, ink, arm hooks and soft body debris associated with the shells in Late Triassic coleoid cephalopod Phragmoteuthis from the Austrian Alps

Fragmentarily preserved shells – mainly pro-ostraca, in several cases also phragmocones – occurring together with arm hooks and the ink sac of the Carnian (Late Triassic) coleoid cephalopod Phragmoteuthis bisinuata (Bronn) from Lunz (Austria) are examined with the scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectrometer. The pro-ostracum bears black, shiny, pitch-like sheets. The black sheets, the ink sac content and the arm hooks have a granular ultrastructure of 0.1–1 μm grain size. The arm hooks and black sheets are micro-laminated; each lamina consists of fibres. The ink consists of an agglomerate of grains. On the ventral (internal) side of the pro-ostracum, the black sheets occasionally bear agglomerates of homogeneous, ink-like material along with heterogeneous structures. The pro-ostracum has crystal-shaped units with lamello-columnar ultrastructure of the inner layer and plate ultrastructure of the outer layer. This resembles the Late Triassic Lunzoteuthis [Doguzhaeva, L.A., Mutvei, H., Summesberger, H., 2005a. A Late Triassic coleoid from the Austrian Alps: the pro-ostracum viewpoint. In: Kostak, M., Marek, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Coleoid Cephalopods Through Time. Short Papers/Abstracts Vol. Prague, 26–29 September, 2005, pp. 55–59] and Early Jurassic Belemnotheutis [Doguzhaeva, L.A., Donovan, D.T., Mutvei, H., 2005b. The rostrum, conotheca and pro-ostracum in the Jurassic coleoid Belemnotheutis Pearce from Wiltshire, England. In: Kostak, M., Marek, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Coleoid Cephalopods Through Time. Short Papers/Abstracts Vol. Prague, 26–29 September, 2005, pp. 45–49]. The black sheets, the material on their inner surface, the ink and the arm hooks consist of carbon, occasionally with minor amounts of sulfur. The shell is of calcium carbonate.Based on their organic composition, position in the shell and lamello-fibrillar ultrastructure, the black sheets are considered to be remains of the mantle, sometimes with ink sac and soft body debris. The carbon composition and granular ultrastructure of arm hooks, ink, and soft tissue remains indicate that the non-mineralized structures are pseudomorphosed by carbon (carbonization), possibly due to C-accumulating bacteria.     

裸子植物雄球花——纤细堆囊穗的修订

研究了采自中国东北晚三叠世羊草沟组的一种裸子植物雄球花——纤细堆囊穗。通过对新材料的研究,发现这种雄球花小孢子叶末端的裂片在形态上差异很大,这是原来没有发现的十分重要的特征。这些保存精美的化石对于纤细堆囊穗特征的阐明和修订以及物种复原很有帮助。将中国的标本与西伯利亚堆囊穗、小堆囊穗、乌尔马堆囊穗和被定为长叶拜拉的雄球花进行了比较,发现它们与纤细堆囊穗在特征上一致,故将它们处理为纤细堆囊穗的异名。修订后的纤细堆囊穗包括上面所提到的所有种。同时,也讨论了堆囊穗属可能的演化意义。它可能是银杏属的远祖,经过小孢子囊数目的减少和小孢子叶长度的缩短而演化到现在的银杏,而产自辽西早白垩世的辽宁银杏可能代表了堆囊穗和现代银杏在形态演化上的一个中间步骤。     

Permian and Triassic Radiolaria from Northwest Thailand: paleogeographical implications

Well-preserved radiolarians were recovered from seven sections in the Mae Hong Son-Mae Sariang area, northwestern Thailand. 51 species assigned to 34 genera are identified, including 1 new species (Triassospongosphaera erici Feng sp. nov.) and 19 unidentified species. They are divided into the Late Permian, late Ladinian and middle Carnian radiolarian assemblages. Newly identified radiolarian assemblages, together with the published radiolarian biostratigraphic data from this region, indicate that there was a pelagic basin during the Late Paleozoic and Triassic. This basin was joined to the Chiang Dao and Changning-Menglian oceanic basins, and they represent the main oceanic basin of the Paleotethyan Archipelago Ocean. This main oceanic basin was situated in the traditional “Shan-Thai Block”. Therefore, “the Shan-Thai Block” was not a single block during that stage, but composed of the Paleotethyan Ocean and two continental terranes that were affiliated with the Gondwana and Cathaysian domains, respectively.     

Triassic/Jurassic carbonates from the Hochfelln Mountain (Northern Calcareous Alps)—its facies, silicified fauna and implications for the end-Triassic biotic crisis

A suite of Early Mesozoic (Late Triassic, Norian to Early Jurassic) calcareous beds was studied from the Hochfelln Mountain in the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA, South Germany). The Hauptdolomit Group consists of thick peritidal deposits and is overlain by basin deposits of the Rhaetian Kössen Formation and Rhaetian reefoidal limestone with corals. Unlike many other sections in the Tethys realm, coral growth seems to continue into the Jurassic or starts again relatively early within the Early Jurassic. Silicified corals and other marine invertebrates are present in the calcareous, micritic Hochfelln Beds. A re-examination of previously collected ammonite material indicates the presence of Coroniceras sp. which suggests an Early Sinemurian age for the Hochfelln Beds. Abundant sponge spicules (spiculites) suggest that sponges were the source for the silicification. The site produced one of the most diverse Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) gastropod faunas of the NCA (25–30 species, some undescribed). The relatively diverse Early Sinemurian gastropod fauna and coral growth indicate rapid recovery from the end-Triassic biotic crisis.     

内蒙古早三叠世的Scalaroxylon及其演化意义

描述产于内蒙古下三叠统老龙头组木化石梯纹木属的一个新种ScalaroxylonjalaidqienseZhangetZhengsp.nov.及一个新联合种S.multiforium(ZhengetZhang)ZhangetZhengcomb.nov.。Scalaroxylon原产于德国上三叠统考依波层,当前报道的产自内蒙古的新材料是该类型化石在中国的首次发现。该属以次生木质部为代表,生长轮不存在,它的主要特征是管胞径向壁纹孔全为梯纹纹孔;木射线1至多列,异形;射线细胞的水平壁无孔,端壁通常具孔,弦向壁多数具孔。根据次生木质部管胞的纹孔类型和木射线构造特征对该属在植物系统演化上的意义进行了初步探讨,认为它代表了种子蕨类到苏铁类之间的中间环节。     

桂西和黔南中三叠世珊瑚

文内描述中三叠世安尼阶(Anisian)珊瑚化石分别采自桂西田阳板纳组和黔南贵阳青岩青岩组。板纳组珊瑚群中建立Pentasmilia guangxiensisgen.etsp.nov.,该新属种有5条第一周期原生隔片甚至有5条第二周期后生隔片,以此不同于有6条第一周期原生隔片和有6条第二周期后生隔片的石珊瑚类(scleractinians)的珊瑚。产于板纳组的另一新属种Radiophyllia astylatusgen.etsp.nov.,其隔片的排列格式与前人归纳的隔片周期插入示意图甚似,但它却发生在中生代最早期(Anisian)珊瑚的骸体内。文中还对青岩组的Pamiroseris silesiaca作了重新描述。     

陕北米脂上三叠统的进步古鳕类一新属——Mizhilepis

记述在陕西北部米脂县李家站乡张崖村上三叠统延长群瓦窑堡组中发现的进步古鳕类一新属新种Mizhilepiszhangyaensisgen.etsp.nov.,它与美国西部上三叠统钦尔组(ChinleFormation)和东北部上三叠统纽瓦克超群(NewarkSupergroup)中的TanaocrossusSchaeffer有密切的亲缘关系。文章还讨论了斯堪的纳维亚鳕科(Scanilepidae)的系统分类位置。