Temnospondyl amphibians from the Jurassic of the Southern Junggar Basin (NW China)

For the first time, remains of post-Triassic temnosponyls are described from the southern Junggar Basin (NW China). Middle Jurassic material from the uppermost part of the Toutunhe Formation consists of several isolated but well preserved skull bones and intercentra from all regions of the body that can be attributed to a brachyopid. The material in part shares important autapomorphies withGobiops desertus Shishkin, 1991, from the Upper Jurassic of Outer Mongolia, and is consequently referred to this taxon, partially with reservation. This represents the first record of this genus from China. It also yields new anatomical data and permits an emended diagnosis.Ferganobatrachus from the Middle Jurassic of Kirghisia is probably, as also shown by the new material, congeneric withGobiops. Two fragmentary specimens from the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Qigu Formation are tentatively referred to the Brachyopoidea because of features of the skull, mandible and vertebral column. They probably both represent a single taxon that was larger and more massively built thanGobiops desertus but closely related to this form.      

The first isophlebioid dragonfly (Odonata: Isophlebioptera: Campterophlebiidae) from the Mesozoic of China

Bellabrunetia catherinae gen. et sp. nov., the first Chinese Mesozoic isophlebioid dragonfly, is described. This fossil is the first known Isophlebioptera with well–preserved body structures, demonstrating that the fore– and hindwings are of very different size and shape in Campterophlebiidae, and that the female Campterophlebiidae had an endophytic way of oviposition, unlike the Isophlebiidae.     

Burmaphlebia reifi gen. et sp. nov., the first anisozygopteran damsel-dragonfly (Odonata: Epiophlebioptera: Burmaphlebiidae fam. nov.) from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber

A new family, genus and species of damselfly, Burmaphlebia reifi gen. et sp. nov. (Burmaphlebiidae fam. nov.), is described as the second fossil odonate from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber. Its phylogenetic position is discussed and the fossil is attributed to a new family at the base of the anisozygopteran grade, probably closely related to the Recent relict group Epiophlebiidae. It is the first record of the ‘anisozygopteran’ grade from amber and the smallest known representative of this group.http://zoobank.org/6EFE7288-BD89-42F9-BFA5-804CE6B904A6     

First evidence of an ankylosaur (Dinosauria,Ornithischia) from the Jurassic Qigu Formation (Junggar Basin,NW China) and the early fossil record of Ankylosauria

The first evidence of an ankylosaur from the Late Jurassic Qigu Formation of the southern Junggar Basin (Xinjiang, northwestern China) is described, based on an isolated caudal vertebra that was discovered together with fragmentary remains of other dinosaurs, including stegosaurs, sauropods, and theropods. The caudal vertebra is characterized by the following features: (i) elliptical morphology of the centrum, being wider than high; (ii) short antero-posterior length of the centrum; (iii) pronounced transversely extending ventral groove; (iv) massive transverse process, that is longer than the centrum diameter; (v) transverse process meeting the centrum high at the dorsal half and at a relatively flat angle; (vi) transverse process making a broad contact with the neural arch without forming a proximo-dorsal projection; and (vii) notochordal prominence present in the centre of the anterior articular surface. The study specimen represents only the second record of an ankylosaur from the Jurassic of Asia — aside from the slightly older Tianchisaurus from the early Upper Jurassic Toutunhe Formation, equally from the Junggar Basin. It helps to fill a gap in our knowledge of the early evolution of these armoured dinosaurs. Additionally, this discovery highlights the potential of the southern Junggar Basin to yield a rich vertebrate fauna and thus to provide an important insight into Late Jurassic ecosystems of Central Asia.     

Turtle remains from the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation of Yunyang,Sichuan Basin,China

Three turtle shells from the Middle Jurassic Xintiangou Formation of Yunyang (Chongqing, China) are described and assigned to Xinjiangchelyidae (Testudines: Eucryptodira). This is the first report of turtle remains from the Xintiangou Formation, Sichuan Basin and represents the oldest known Xinjiangchelyidae. The assemblage includes two taxa, Protoxinjiangchelys sp. and Xinjiangchelyidae indet. This discovery extends the stratigraphical distribution of Xinjiangchelyidae and improves our knowledge about the early evolution of that family. It demonstrates that by the Middle Jurassic, at the time of deposition of the Xintiangou Formation, the group was already diversified in the Sichuan Basin.     

A new Xinjiangchelyid turtle (Testudines, Eucryptodira) from the Jurassic Qigu Formation of the southern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, north-west China

A new eucryptodiran turtle, Xinjiangchelys qiguensis sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian — ?Kimmeridgian) Qigu Formation of the southern Junggar Basin (north‐west China) is described. The type material consists of a partial skeleton, including the complete carapace, plastron, nearly all cervical vertebrae, both scapulae, the pelvis and one ulna. It is clearly identifiable as a basal eucryptodire since it lacks the mesoplastron. It is distinguished from other species of Xinjiangchelys by several autapomorphies of the carapace and plastron, such as the first and fifth vertebrals extending on the peripherals, the plastron with three pairs of gulars, and an intergular which does not contact the hyoplastron. In the postcranium, the scapula with a long acromial and a small scapular process, the pelvis with a short ilial shaft and the elongated cervical vertebrae are characteristic. A new phylogenetic analysis of the in‐group phylogeny of the Xinjiangchelyidae is proposed and discussed, resulting in a new classification of the family. Xinjiangchelys (Toxocheloides) narynensis is regarded as a nomen dubium. Shartegemys is referred to Xinjiangchelys, whereas the holotypes of ‘Plesiochelys’chungkingensis and ‘P’. latimarginalis are excluded from the genus Xinjiangchelys but included in the Xinjiangchelyidae.     

A new hawker dragonfly from the Middle Jurassic of China (Odonata: Aeshnoptera)

A new genus and species Linqibinia panae of paracymatophlebiid hawker dragonfly is described from the Middle Jurassic Haifanggou Formation (Inner Mongolia, China). Previously only known from Karatau in Kazakhstan, the discovery of another member of this family extends its range across Central Asia. It confirms that the Aeshnoptera was among the most diverse odonatan clades during the Middle-Late Jurassic.     

Hrabalicrinus zitti gen. et sp. nov., and other Upper Jurassic crinoids (Echinodermata,Crinoidea) from the Brno area (Czech Republic)

Jurassic (Oxfordian) crinoids from the Brno area (Czech Republic) are described in details for the first time. A rich crinoid assemblage consisting of cups, isolated cup elements, brachial plates, columnals, pluricolumnals, and cirrals is assigned to isocrinids Isocrinus amblyscalaris (Thurmann), Balanocrinus subteres (Münster), B. pentagonalis (Goldfuss), Isocrinida indet., comatulid Hrabalicrinus zitti gen. et sp. nov., cyrtocrinids Lonchocrinus sp., Cyrtocrinus cf. nutans (Goldfuss), Pilocrinus moussoni (Desor), Tetracrinus moniliformis Münster, Cyrtocrinida indet., and millericrinids (Millericrinida indet.). Crinoids already mentioned from the Jurassic strata of the Czech Republic are subsequently revised. Apart from the isolated remains of Isocrinida, Millericrinida, and Thiolliericrinida, the presence of any other taxon reported from this area should be treated with extreme caution. A rare example of non-regenerative columnal healing (the so-called callus) in I. amblyscalaris is also described. Based on sedimentology and microfacies, the Jurassic limestones were deposited in various palaeoenvironments of upper carbonate platform and shelf lagoon (0 to > 50 m palaeodepth).     

新疆准噶尔盆地侏罗纪石树沟组上部一大型兽脚类跖骨

准噶尔盆地中侏罗世晚期到晚侏罗世早期沉积的石树沟组产出过包括多种兽脚类恐龙在内的大量脊椎动物化石。描述了一件新的采自准噶尔盆地东北缘五彩湾地区石树沟组上部的兽脚类恐龙左第四跖骨标本(IVPPV18060)。通过与其他兽脚类恐龙第四跖骨对比,该标本可归入异特龙超科(Allosauroidea)。它与其他异特龙超科第四跖骨的相似性包括:近端关节面三角形并有一向后方延伸的舌状突出,向外侧轻微弯曲的骨干,位于骨干后方靠近外侧边的半月形肌肉凹陷,三角形骨干横截面。在异特龙超科当中,V18060与准噶尔盆地将军庙地区石树沟组中发现的董氏中华盗龙(Sinraptordongi)最为相似(除了以上相似性,V18060和董氏中华盗龙的相似性还包括远端关节轮廓呈近梯形,骨干后部肌肉凹陷与周围边界呈半开放状态)。但是,V18060和董氏中华盗龙也存在着一些明显的区别:V18060明显比董氏中华盗龙的第四跖骨粗壮,远端内外两髁大小差异相反。这些形态差异可能是由于个体发育或者性双形造成的,也可能代表分类学差异。对比研究和基于第四跖骨形态信息进行的分支系统学分析结果更偏向后一种解释:V18060代表一个不同于董氏中华盗龙但与后者亲缘关系很近的新的兽脚类恐龙。新材料的发现增加了中晚侏罗世石树沟动物群兽脚类恐龙的分异度。在五彩湾和将军庙地区发现不同的中华盗龙类恐龙指示了晚侏罗世早期准噶尔盆地中相邻地区可能存在着一定的生态分异性或者地理隔离。     

贵州中三叠世预言鱼目(近鲱形类)一新属种:奇异盘县鱼(Panxianichthys imparilis gen.etsp.nov.)（英文）

预言鱼目是中生代海生近鲱形类的一个绝灭的支系。由于与弓鳍鱼目密切的亲缘关系,预言鱼目在研究近鲱形类的早期演化和生物地理学中具有重要意义。然而,早期预言鱼目的化石证据非常匮乏;直到最近,产于云南中三叠世罗平生物群的强壮鱼是该目中最古老的也是三叠纪唯一的成员。本文根据产于贵州西部中三叠世盘县动物群的两块保存良好的标本命名了预言鱼目一个新的属种,奇异盘县鱼(Panxianichthys imparilis gen.et sp.nov.)。盘县鱼的生存时代略晚于强壮鱼,但它比产于欧洲晚侏罗世和美洲早白垩世的预言鱼目其他成员要早很多。盘县鱼具有预言鱼目的共近裔性状,上颌骨上具有感觉管,但它保留了一些其他预言鱼目鱼类所不具有的原始特征。分支分析的研究结果表明盘县鱼是最原始的预言鱼目鱼类,为揭示预言鱼目的演化提供了新的信息。强壮鱼和盘县鱼的相继发现表明,预言鱼目的早期分异比我们之前想象的要快得多。     

Sunosuchus (Archosauria, Crocodyliformes) from the Toutunhe Formation (Middle Jurassic) of the Southern Junggar Basin (Xinjiang, NW-China)

A new specimen of the widespread Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Asian gonipholidid crocodilian genus Sunosuchus is described on the basis of a partial skeleton from the Upper Toutunhe Formation (Middle Jurassic, ?Bathonian-Callovian) of Liuhonggou, SW of Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. The specimen is represented by a partial mandible, teeth, vertebrae, limb and girdle bones and osteoderms. It can be distinguished from other nominal species of the genus by a unique combination of characters: slightly heterodontous dentition, strongly sculptured posteroventral part of the mandible, short fenestra mandibularis, convex dorsal surface of the retroarticular process, keeled cervical vertebral centra and ventral osteoderms with a distinctive sculpture of wide pits and narrow ridges. The heterodontous dentition is a potential autapomorphy of this form. The new specimen is closest in morphology to material described recently from the Callovian of Kirghisia as Sunosuchus sp. It represents the second Middle Jurassic record of the genus, the first crocodile from the Toutunhe Formation, the first substantial crocodile find from the Mesozoic of the Southern Junggar Basin, and the first Middle Jurassic record of Sunosuchus from China. This extends both the paleobiogeographical distribution of the genus in Asia and its stratigraphic distribution in China considerably.     

First record of Eretmophyllum (Ginkgoales) with well-preserved cuticle from the Middle Jurassic of the Ordos Basin,Inner Mongolia,China

The genus Eretmophyllum, a characteristic and widespread taxon of the order Ginkgoales, is restricted in the Mesozoic floras of Eurasia. In China, although some specimens were assigned to Eretmophyllum based on gross leaf morphology, none have epidermal structure, which is essential for species delimitation within this genus. In this paper, we describe a new species, Eretmophyllum neimengguensis n. sp., from the Middle Jurassic Yan’an Formation of the Ordos Basin, China. This is the first record of the genus Eretmophyllum (Ginkgoales) from the Ordos Basin as well as from China based upon the gross leaf morphology and the epidermal structure. The new record significantly extends the stratigraphic and geographic distribution of Eretmophyllum in China and Eurasia. It also improves our understanding of its leaf morphology, epidermal structure, and past diversity. The taxonomic position and the stratigraphic and geographical range of the genus Eretmophyllum are discussed. Briefly, leaf morphological and epidermal characters of the new species, associated plant assemblages, and sedimentology indicate that the regional climate of the Ordos Basin was warm and humid with seasonal temperature and precipitation fluctuations in warm-temperate zone during the Middle Jurassic. Furthermore, given the relationship between the distribution/diversity of the genus and the climate, the genus Eretmophyllum may be confined to the warm-temperature climate, is intolerant of heat and frost, and can be considered as an indicator of humid and warm climatic conditions.     

Sinaspidoneura magnifica nov. gen., nov. sp., first Chinese Caloneurodea (Insecta: Archaeorthoptera)

We describe the first Chinese Caloneurodea, Sinaspidoneura magnifica nov. gen., nov. sp., from the middle Permian Yinping Formation. This new genus and species belongs to the small family Aspidoneuridae, previously known from two genera and species, one from the latest Carboniferous of France and another from the late early Permian of North America. This discovery shows that this order was more widespread during the middle Permian than previously supposed, under a great variety of palaeoclimates. This clade is still unknown in the late Permian, and possibly became extinct because of the crisis of biodiversity that happened at the end of the middle Permian.     

A new tree fern stem,Heilongjiangcaulis keshanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Cretaceous of the Songliao Basin,Northeast China: a representative of early Cyatheaceae

A new genus and species of Cretaceous Cyatheacean tree fern, Heilongjiangcaulis keshanensis gen. et sp. nov., is erected for several permineralized stems collected at the Keshan County in Songliao Basin, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. The new taxon is characterized by a dictyostelic, erect stem with dense multicellular scales and surrounded by persistent petiole bases and adventitious roots. The stem contains a central pith lacking medullary bundles, which is surrounded by a dictyostele, and the cortex externally. Each meristele of the dictyostelic ring is enclosed by a sclerenchyma sheath. The pith and cortex are parenchymatous. The proximal petiole bases present a frond trace composed of numerous meristeles, arranged in 1 abaxial and 2 adaxial arcs, with internally projecting bundles on the upper and lateral sides. The feature combination of the new genus is nearly identical to the anatomical structures of modern scaly genera of the Cyatheaceae apart from the absence of medullary bundles. It is interpreted as a primitive representative of early Cyatheaceae, that closely resembles the modern scaly genera, which suggests that in the Cretaceous, the tree ferns in this family were already in possession of most of the anatomical characteristics observed in extant taxa. The fossil records of the stems, petioles, and spores indicate that during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, the Northeastern region of Asia may have been one of the distribution centers of early Cyatheaceae.     

Morphology and microstructure of Pellites hamiensis nov. sp., a Middle Jurassic liverwort from northwestern China and its evolutionary significance

Pelliales is a basal lineage of the simple thalloid liverworts. Here, we describe a simple thalloid liverwort from the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation of the Turpan–Hami Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. The thalloid fossil liverwort is described as a new species: Pellites hamiensis (Pelliaceae, Pelliales). Pellites hamiensis nov. sp. resembles the extant species of Pelliaceae in having ribbon-like segments, conspicuous costae that appear as ridges on the ventral surface, rectangular cells with thickened walls adjacent to the margin, and elongated cells in the middle part of the thallus. The occurrence of P. hamiensis nov. sp. extends the fossil records of Pellites back to the Aalenian-Bajocian or Bajocian (ca. 170 Ma) and suggests that the divergence time of the Pelliaceae is no later than the Middle Jurassic.     

Leonophyllum tenellum nov. gen., nov. sp., an enigmatic plant from the Early Jurassic of the Mecsek Mts (Hungary)

The Early Jurassic flora of the Mecsek Mountains is diverse, with numerous representatives of ferns, seed ferns, cycadophytes, ginkgophytes, and conifers. Its (para-)autochthonous deposition, good preservation and low collection bias has permitted researchers to save delicate, small plant remains that would generally be missing from the fossil record. These plant fossils are characterized by having a “filmy” (probably unilayered) structure, thin stalks with flat leaf-like branches and ultimate irregular segments with streamlined epidermal cells having thick cell walls. Due to the absence of sporangia, the plant remains cannot be confidently assigned to any higher plant group, although they show some similarities to thalloid liverworts with raised vegetative bodies and also have some resemblance to the fern family Hymenophyllaceae. The new genus and species Leonophyllum tenellum Barbacka et Kustatscher is erected.     

An exceptional cheloniid turtle, Osonachelus decorata nov. gen., nov. sp., from the Eocene (Bartonian) of Catalonia (Spain)

Osonachelus decorata nov. gen., nov. sp., is the first named chelonioid turtle from the Iberian Peninsula. This Eocene turtle was found in the marine sediments of the Vespella Marls Member (Vic-Manlleu Marls Formation, upper Bartonian) that occur in the Osona county (eastern Ebro Basin, Province of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain). The area is rich in invertebrate, fish, and plant fossils but various vertebrates, including several chelonian taxa, have remained unpublished. This paper is the first dedicated to the fossil turtles of this area. Osonachelus nov. gen. is a large turtle with an impressive, massive skull revealing a specialized diet, a large and well-fenestrated shell (well ornamented dorsally and much lightened ventrally), and large paddles for high-sea locomotion. It is phylogenetically located among relatively advanced cheloniids, just basal to modern forms. Although apparent similarities in shell morphology exist with Allopleuron from the Maastrichtian of Holland, Osonachelus nov. gen. is distinct due to its masticatory apparatus, less usual among cheloniids and seemingly closer to that of the Lutetian Eochelone from Belgium. Based on the deeply concave and smooth lower jaw symphysis, its diet probably consisted of soft animals or plants rather than hard-food items. Therefore, it occupied a specialized ecological niche that is unique for the Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula.     

中国北京地区弓蜻属一新种(蜻蜓目:伪蜻科)

记述中国弓蜻属1新种——北京弓蜻Macromia beijingensis Zhu et Chen,sp．nov．。模式标本保存于山西大学。     

福建狭翅蟌属一新种(蜻蜓目:蟌科)

记述采自福建省华安县的狭翅蟌属一新种华安狭翅蟌（Aciagrion huaanensis Xu, sp.nov.）,模式标本存放于福建省漳州教育学院.     

Crepidolithus cantabriensis nov. sp., a new calcareous nannofossil (Prymnesiophyceae) from the Lower Jurassic of northern Spain

A new calcareous nannofossil, Crepidolithus cantabriensis nov. sp., is described from the Lower Jurassic marls and marly limestones of the Cantabrian Range (Northern Spain). The new species is characterized by medium-sized, normal to narrowly elliptical coccoliths with open central-areas. In the light microscope, under crossed nicols and in distal view, it displays a characteristic bicyclic extinction pattern. Its inner rim edge shows maximum birefringence colours, which vary from white to yellow, whereas the faintly outer rim margin exhibits low birefringence, tending to grey, and they are separated by a dark and sigmoidal isogyre. C. cantabriensis nov. sp. seems closely related to Crepidolithus crassus on the basis of shared morphological characters. Both of them have a distal shield composed of around thirty sub-vertical, dextrally imbricating laths. The central-area width of C. cantabriensis nov. sp. is approximately half of the coccolith width, whilst it is reduced to one or two tiny lenticular slits in C. crassus. Nevertheless, the phyletic relationships between C. cantabriensis nov. sp. and Crepidolithus cavus are not clear, since they show different rim structures, and C. cavus has a delicate bar aligned along the minor axis of its central area. The first specimens of C. cantabriensis nov. sp. have been recognized within the Raricostatum AZ in the Tudanca section. This species seems to be more abundant in the Reinosa area, which occupied a more distal position with respect to the Iberian Massif during the studied time interval. It is hypothesized here that C. cantabriensis nov. sp. could have inhabited the lower-photic zone.