A new high-resolution planktic foraminiferal zonation and subzonation for the lower Danian

A new planktic foraminiferal zonation has been established for the lower Danian, based on some of most expanded and continuous pelagic sections known to date (from Spain, Tunisia and Mexico). This biozonation is considered valid for low and middle latitudes. The maximum stratigraphical distribution of the index-species approximately coincides in all the studied sections. The index-species are abundant and easily recognizable. We propose the following biozones and subzones: Guembelitria cretacea Zone and the Hedbergella holmdelensis and Parvularugoglobigerina longiapertura subzones; the Parvularugoglobigerina eugubina Zone, which is subdivided into the Parvularugoglobigerina sabina and Eoglobigerina simplicissima subzones and the Parasubbotina pseudobulloides Zone with the Eoglobigerina trivialis and Subbotina triloculinoides subzones. A biomagnetostratigraphic correlation and calibration of the stratigraphical ranges of these species suggest that the biohorizons used to define the new biozonation are very isochronous, at least in the geographical areas analysed.     

Aspects of crinoid palaeontology of the North Esk Inlier,Scotland (Silurian,Llandovery, Telychian)

Abstract: The described fauna of well‐preserved Llandovery (Telychian) echinoderms from the North Esk Inlier, including six crinoids, one echinoid and seven starfish species, is mainly allochthonous. Most of these taxa are known only from starfish beds, channel fill deposits probably representing submarine mass flows and preserving a biota probably derived from elsewhere, presumably shallower water. Only one crinoid species, Pisocrinus cf. campana Miller, is recognized as a common fossil away from the starfish beds and is a biostratigraphic marker for the base of the Wether Law Linn Formation, forming part of the Skenidioides‐Cyrtia Association. Crinoid columnals preserved perpendicular to bedding (that is, in putative life position) in Lamont’s bivalve bed, Deerhope Formation, are tentatively interpreted as being in situ by comparison with a similar occurrence in the Silurian of Arisaig, Nova Scotia. Two new species of crinoid are described, the cladid Dendrocrinus? sp. and the columnal morphospecies Pentagonocyclicus (col.) lamonti sp. nov.     

贵州思南奥陶纪末至志留纪初大息场组的笔石

贵州思南奥陶纪末至志留纪初大息场组的笔石研究结果表明,大息场组共产出笔石6属7种:Styracograptus chiai(Mu,1949),Normalograptus mirnyensis(Obut and Sobolevskaya,1967),Normalograptus ajjeri(Legrand,1977),Metaclimacograptus hughesi(Nicholson,1869),Avitograptus avitus(Davies,1929),Atavograptus atavus(Jones,1909)和Korenograptus laciniosus(Churkin and Carter,1970)。自下而上可识别出相当Dicellograptus complexus带、Akidograptus ascensus带和Cystograptus vesiculosus-Coronograptus cyphus带的3个含笔石地层带。虽然大息场组的笔石动物群分异度较低,但全都是上扬子区奥陶-志留系之交的常见属种,除S.chiai(Mu)之外,其它都是全球广布的物种。     

川西汉源-荥经地区下奥陶统大乘寺组的笔石

对川西汉源-荥经地区CYD2井下奥陶统弗洛阶大乘寺组的笔石进行研究,结果表明Baltograptus deflexus笔石带在这一覆盖区发育良好。CYD2井的该带笔石动物群共含2属5种。根据下垂对笔石类的始端发育型式,修正前人对波罗的笔石属(Baltograptus)和巅峰笔石属(Corymbograptus)内一些种的归属,并对CYD2井的5种笔石进行描述。可能受制于钻心标本的限制,该地区的Baltograptus deflexus带笔石动物群分异度较低。川西汉源-荥经-峨眉山地区的大乘寺组与上覆二叠系梁山组呈假整合接触,表明该地区长期遭受沉积间断和剥蚀作用,B.deflexus带的确定,指示了这一长期剥蚀作用的最大深度。     

When and how did the terrestrial mid-Permian mass extinction occur? Evidence from the tetrapod record of the Karoo Basin,South Africa

A mid-Permian (Guadalupian epoch) extinction event at approximately 260 Ma has been mooted for two decades. This is based primarily on invertebrate biostratigraphy of Guadalupian–Lopingian marine carbonate platforms in southern China, which are temporally constrained by correlation to the associated Emeishan Large Igneous Province (LIP). Despite attempts to identify a similar biodiversity crisis in the terrestrial realm, the low resolution of mid-Permian tetrapod biostratigraphy and a lack of robust geochronological constraints have until now hampered both the correlation and quantification of terrestrial extinctions. Here we present an extensive compilation of tetrapod-stratigraphic data analysed by the constrained optimization (CONOP) algorithm that reveals a significant extinction event among tetrapods within the lower Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin, South Africa, in the latest Capitanian. Our fossil dataset reveals a 74–80% loss of generic richness between the upper Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone (AZ) and the mid-Pristerognathus AZ that is temporally constrained by a U–Pb zircon date (CA-TIMS method) of 260.259 ± 0.081 Ma from a tuff near the top of the Tapinocephalus AZ. This strengthens the biochronology of the Permian Beaufort Group and supports the existence of a mid-Permian mass extinction event on land near the end of the Guadalupian. Our results permit a temporal association between the extinction of dinocephalian therapsids and the LIP volcanism at Emeishan, as well as the marine end-Guadalupian extinctions.     

湖北宜昌地区下-中奥陶统界线疑源类生物地层学意义

根据牙形类Baltoniodus? triangularis的首现,中奥陶统和大坪阶底界已界定于湖北宜昌黄花场剖面大湾组底界之上10.57m.对黄花场剖面以及邻近的大坪剖面大湾组疑源类研究表明,某些疑源类属种具有生物地层学意义,其首现可用于识别奥陶系下/中统界线.     

A high-precision global biostratigraphy of myodocope ostracods for the Silurian upper Wenlock Series and Ludlow Series

The wide, trans-oceanic geographical distribution of myodocope ostracods during the Silurian (especially during the Ludlow and Pridoli epochs), and their widespread preservation in rocks of that age, permits the establishment of a transcontinental biostratigraphy of comparable resolution to coeval graptolite/chitinozoan/conodont biozones. Seven myodocope biozones, extending from the Homerian Stage, upper Wenlock Series Cyrtograptus lundgreni graptolite biozone to the middle part of the Ludfordian Stage of the Ludlow Series, enable a time-resolution for each biozone of circa 1 million years. These biozones can provide high-resolution correlation across Europe into Arctic Russia and Central Asia. There is also the potential for a myodocope biostratigraphy applicable from the uppermost Silurian (Pridoli) to the Carboniferous.     

羌塘盆地北部乌兰乌拉湖地区晚二叠世古生物新资料

首次在北羌塘盆地北部乌兰乌拉湖地区测制了多条晚二叠世地层剖面,并采获丰富的古生物化石。将区内二叠系划分为那益雄组和拉卜查日组两个正式组级地层单位。描述了新发现的一个类新种和四个海绵类新种,建立了两个类生物带,即Codonofusiella-Gallowayinellalaxa组合带及Palaeofusulinasinensis延限带,一个非有孔虫组合带,即Colaniellanana-Robuloidesacutus组合带。其地质年代为晚二叠世长兴期。     

准噶尔盆地北缘谢家阶底界—推荐界线层型及其生物—年代地层和环境演变意义

新疆准噶尔盆地北缘铁尔斯哈巴合地层剖面构造简单并含有丰富的晚渐新世及早中新世哺乳动物化石。其中铁尔斯哈巴合组及索索泉组沉积基本连续,两组界线位于剖面米距33m处。依据该剖面中8个层位和相邻的XJ99005剖面中18个层位上采集的化石以及它们的上下关系和生物组合性质,划分出5个哺乳动物组合带,其中两个位于铁尔斯哈巴合组中(铁-Ⅱ带),3个在索索泉组下部(索-Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ带)。从剖面的铁尔斯哈巴合组、索索泉组和哈拉玛盖组中以0．5m的间距采集了348组古地磁样品,获得的磁性剖面包含了16个正向带和16个反向带(事件),其中包含了相当于地磁极时间表中C7n～C5E段的完整磁极带。铁-Ⅰ～Ⅱ带与塔本布鲁克哺乳动物群相近,为中国已知位置最西、构成门类和数量最多的一个晚渐新世哺乳动物组合。索-Ⅰ带应为中国目前所知的最晚渐新世的哺乳动物带。早中新世索-Ⅱ带与谢家动物群和蒙古中部渐新世—中新世过渡带D带可以对比。早中新世索-Ⅲ带相当于过去使用的“索索泉动物群”,时代大致与乌尔图动物群相当。根据地磁极时间校正,铁尔斯哈巴合剖面中铁尔斯哈巴合组和索索泉组跨越了从24．5Ma(地磁极时带C7n．2n)到18Ma(地磁极时带C5Dr．2r)大约6．5Ma的时间,岩体平均沉积速率大约为2．5cm/千年。剖面中5个生物组合带的时间跨度大致分别为：铁-Ⅰ带：24．4～24．15Ma;铁-Ⅱ带：23．2～23．1Ma;索-Ⅰ带接近但还未到达渐新世/中新世界线的23．03Ma;索-Ⅱ带：21．9～21．7 Ma;索-Ⅲ带：21．68～21．15Ma。我们推荐将铁尔斯哈巴合剖面作为中国区域年代地层单位谢家阶(期)底界界线层型的一个候选剖面。与谢家阶底界相对应的界线暂定在剖面由底向上40．25m处,对应于地磁极时带C6Cn．2n底界。该界线位于索索泉组内部,索-Ⅰ和索-Ⅱ带之间。根据定义,该界线也分别对应于阿基坦阶、中新统以及新近系的底界,年龄为23．03Ma。文章还讨论了下列问题：1)索索泉组的绝大部分应当和谢家阶以及山旺阶地层对比,仅其底部含有索-Ⅰ带化石组合的部分可与塔本布鲁克阶地层对比。2)在进行生物地层对比时尽量使用不同的索索泉组哺乳动物组合带,传统的“索索泉动物群”仅大体相当于索-Ⅲ带。3)许多过去认为的渐新世哺乳动物分子的生存时代实际上延伸到了早中新世,仅以这些分子的存在,不能说明一个动物群及其地层的确切年代。4)塔本布鲁克动物群及相关的期、阶名为有效名称,具有合法性;该阶底界有待确立。5)如果山旺阶底界(谢家阶顶界)位于地磁极时带C6An．1r底,年代为20．43Ma,相应的界线应位于铁尔斯哈巴合剖面89．25m处,因此,铁尔斯哈巴合剖面中有可能产生谢家阶的单位层型,该阶的地质时间跨度为2．6Ma。6)5个生物带都是以兔形类、啮齿类以及食虫类等小哺乳动物为主要分子,而且同门类的属种问具有相当近的演化关系,说明这个地区从晚渐新世到早中新世的一段时期中,动物群性质没有明显变化,总体上反映了一个从早渐新世以来就比较干旱的环境;渐新世和中新世动物群成分在种一级上仍有明显差异;而相当于谢家动物群的索-Ⅱ带则带有明显的过渡性质。7)从索索泉组的岩性、分布的地理部位以及与甘肃秦安剖面相近的时代和动物群等来看,不排除含有风成沉积物的可能。     

SYSTEMATICS OF THE CAMBRIAN TRILOBITE FAMILY NEPEIDAE, WITH REVISION OF AUSTRALIAN SPECIES

Abstract:  Taxonomy of the Cambrian trilobite family Nepeidae is revised. Morphometric analyses of the genera Nepea and Penarosa demonstrate that use of proportions of linear dimensions of the cranidium to differentiate species is invalid, and that infrageneric variation is continuous. The taxonomy and biostratigraphy of all Australian species of Nepeidae is revised. Species considered valid herein include: Nepea narinosa (type species), N. tonsillata , N. nans , Penarosa retifera (type species), P. elaticeps , P. rhinodelphis , P. netenta , Loxonepea loxophrys (type species) and Ferenepea hispida (type species). Folliceps is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of Nepea , Trinepea is regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Penarosa , and Ascionepea is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of Ferenepea .