Sometimes They Come Back: Recovery and Reinterpretation of a Trackway Slab from the Permian Coconino Sandstone of the Southwestern United States

When a fossil vanishes to a private collection, it must be considered lost to science because, frequently, it is no longer available for study. Fortunately some fossils occasionally are regained. We had the opportunity to recoup an interesting footprint-bearing slab that was part of a private collection in Italy. The specimen, found in 1992 near Seligman, Arizona (USA) was described, before disappearing, as one of the best fossil examples of vertebrate (Chelichnus [Laoporus])-on-invertebrate (Octopodichnus) predation. After a careful re-examination of the slab, the primary conclusions of the former describers are demonstrably groundless. The reanalysis of the tracks, as well as peculiar sedimentary structures associated with the tracks, allowed obtaining new information about the depositional environment and the complex interactions between the type of substrate and trackmaker behavior. The re-examination of the specimen also revealed interesting aspects about trackmaker biomechanics.     

A New Species of Araucarioxylon Kraus from the Early Early Permian,Nei Mongol,China

A kind of silicified fossil wood with mixed pits on the radial tracheid wall is described. The fossil wood was collected from the top of Taiyuan Formation (early Early Permian) in Wuda Mining District, Nei Mongol. Compared with the Paleozoic fossil woods in the world, it is put into Araucarioxylon Kraus and named as A. laoshidanense sp. nov. Based on the character of possessing mixed pittings (alternate and opposite pittings) on the radial tracheid wall, the fossil wood is believed to be one of the unknown primitive conifers.Diagnosis of the new species: Only secondary xylem preserved and consisting of axial tracheids and rays. Growth ring boundary, resin duct and axial parenchyma absent. One to Four (commonly 2or3) seriates of bordered pits mostly alternate but sometimes opposite）on the radial tracheid wall. One to Four (commonly1, rarely2 to 4) Cupressoid pits in each cross-field. Rays usually uniseriate, sometimes partly-biseriate and 2 to 39 (mainly3-5) cells high.     

内蒙古早二叠世早期南洋杉型木属一新种

报道了一种具混合型纹孔（互列式纹孔和对列式纹孔）的化石本。化石木产自内蒙古乌达矿区老石旦矿附近太原组上部,地质时代为早二叠世早期。经比较,确认为南洋杉型木属（Ａｒａｕｃａｒｉｏｘｙｌｏｎ Ｋｒａｕｓ）一种新;老石旦南洋杉型木（Ａｒａｕｃａｒｉｏｘｙｌｏｎ ｌａｏｓｈｉｄａｎｅｎｓｅ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．）．根据混合型纹孔的存在及其他特征,认为新种可能代表了一种原始的松杉类植物的木材化石。主要特征：仅保存     

Discovery of Paratingia and Paratingiostachya from the Shanxi Formation of the Early Early Permian in the Wuda Area of Inner Mongolia,China

Specimens of Paratingia and Paratingiostachya were collected from the Shanxi (Shansi) Formation of the early Early Permian in the Wuda area of Inner Mongolia, China, including Paratingia datongensis Zhang and Paratingiostachya cathaysiana gen. et sp. nov. A pair of specimens of Paratingiostachya are well preserved together with those of Paratingia datongensis, which show Paratingiostachya in close association with Paratingia datongensis. Therefore, Paratingiostachya cathaysiana gen. et sp. nov. probably is referred to the reproductive organ of Paratingia datongensis. The discovery of Paratingiostachya cathaysiana gen. Et sp. nov. may provide some important evidences for the geographical distribution, classification and evolution of the genus Paratingia.     

Late Carboniferous-Early Permian Tetrapod Ichnofauna from the Khenifra Basin, Central Morocco

In terms of cumulative thickness and areal extent, the Khenifra Basin is one of the most important outcrops of Late Palaeozoic red-beds in central Morocco. Macro- and microfloral remains near the centre of the 1800 m-thick succession of interbedded conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones are considered to be of middle to late Early Permian age. Here we give the first comprehensive analysis of the vertebrate ichnofossil record from the study area, based on 17 specimens of isolated footprints and incomplete step cycles collected at three localities that are lithostratigraphically equivalent to the plant-bearing horizons. The tetrapod ichnofauna comprises tracks of the plexus Batrachichnus Woodworth - Limnopus Marsh, Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum (Pabst), Dimetropus Romer and Price, and Dromopus Marsh which can be referred to temnospondyl, diadectomorph, synapsid (“pelycosaurian”) and early sauropsid trackmakers. This clearly Euramerican footprint assemblage, including the first occurrences of Ichniotherium and Dimetropus from outside Europe and North America, indicates a Late Carboniferous to Early Permian age of the fossiliferous strata. Judging from the relatively diverse ichnofauna and flora, the Khenifra Basin must have represented a well-established terrestrial ecosystem during that period. Its habitat could be specially important for the understanding of the phylogeny and dispersal of early tetrapods, inasmuch as we are able to report on an extremely rare type of diadectomorph footprint hitherto known only from the Early Permian of central Germany.     

Hyloidichnus bifurcatus Gilmore, 1927 and Limnopus heterodactylus (King, 1845) from the Early Permian of Southern Alps (N Italy): A New Equilibrium in the Ichnofauna

Studies on Early Permian tetrapod ichnofauna emphasized the scarcity of forms from Italian sites. A revision work on the entire collections revealed the presence of Hyloidichnus bifurcatus Gilmore, 1927 and Limnopus heterodactylus (King, 1845). The ichnoassociation now lists seven ichnogenera: Amphisauropus, Batrachichnus, Dromopus, Erpetopus, Hyloidichnus, Limnopus, Varanopus. These new data enlarge the ichnoceonosis, adding tracks of medium-size captorhinomorphs (Hyloidichnus) and temnospondyls (Limnopus) to the Italian ichnofauna, previously characterized by scarcity of predators and amphibians. Radiometric ages give a strong age constraint to the ichnoassociation (Early Kungurian), allowing useful correlations to contemporary successions all over the world. The main difference is the absence of Ichniotherium and Dimetropus, and this could have a stratigraphic or paleoenvironmental significance. The fauna is similar in two main basins, Collio and Orobic. It differs solely in the proportions between ichnotaxa, with a predominance of areoscelid traces (Dromopus) in the Collio Basin and of captorhinomorph traces (Erpetopus, Varanopus, Hyloidichnus) in the Orobic Basin. This datum could reflect slightly different environments, seasonal in the Collio Basin (alluvial plain) and more arid in the Orobic Basin (playa-like). The lack of some forms in smaller basins of the Athesian Volcanic Complex is probably due to a bias.     

New species of the isolated Psaroniaceous rachis from the Early Permian in China

A new kind of marattialean raches are reported from the coal balls in Coal Seam No.7 in the upper part of the Taiyuan Formation （early Early Permian） from Taiyuan, Shanxi, China and are assigned to the genus Stipitopteris Grand＇Eury （Psaroniaceae）. The present specimens are different from all six reported species of the genus, and are therefore proposed as a new species： Stipitopteris shanxiensis. The raches of the new species are generally dorsi-ventrally flattened. The main raches usually exhibit scales of different forms on their surface. Beneath the epidermis is a zone of parenchymatous cells, some of which contain tannin-like contents. Inside this is a zone of small sclerenchymatous cells. Inward are the ground tissue and vascular bundles. The vascular bundles are continuous and are in two circles： the outer circle assumes a transversely elliptical shape with the gap and pinna trace, and the inner circle assumes a shallow C.shape with inrolled ends. The ground tissue located at the inner side of the vascular bundle is composed of thicker-walled parenchymatous cells. The cells of the ground tissue are vertically elongated in longitudinal sections. Subordered raches are smaller and have simpler structures than the main raches. The parenchyma zone beneath the epidermis is thinner, usually one to two cells wide and the sclerenchyma zone is usually absent. The scales are poorly developed and there is only one C-shaped vascular bundle. The new species is comparable to the crosiers of Psaroniaceae of the Euramerican Flora in some aspects, for example, it has a dorsi-ventrally flattened rachis and scales on the surface of the rachis. However, the other features and the preservative conditions of the present specimens indicate that they are not crosiers, but fully developed or mature raches. The new species is the first well-studied anatomically-preserved rachis of Psaroniaceae from the Cathaysian Flora and bears significance not only in understanding the anatomy and taxonomy of Psaroniaceae in the Cathaysian Flora, but also in the relationship between the Euramerican Flora and the Cathaysian Flora.     

New Dinosaur Footprints from the Upper Cretaceous of Poland in the Light of Paleogeographic Context

The Late Cretaceous track assemblage of southeastern Poland includes intriguing ichnotaxa with Asian or North American affinities. New finds of the ceratopsian-like ichnite and small hadrosauroid track refer directly to this problem, whereas the re-evaluation of foraminifer taxa estimates the stratigraphic positions of the track-bearing horizon and allowed to understand paleogeographic context of the studied and adjacent areas. The results demonstrate that during the Late Cretaceous times, migration of dinosaurs was possible from Asia through the East European Land to Kukeritz Island and the islands at peri-Tethys area.     

A gorgonopsian from the Wutonggou Formation (Changhsingian,Permian) of Turpan Basin,Xinjiang, China

Gorgonopsians were widely distributed during the Permian, and went extinct by the end of Permian. However, their fossil localities in the North Hemisphere are concentrated in the eastern European portion of Russia, except for one possible canine from the North China. A specimen from the Wutonggou Formation of Turpan Basin, Xinjiang, China, dated ～253.3 Ma, is identified as a gorgonopsian based on dental features. This discovery shows that the gorgonopsians survived in northern warm temperate zone about ～253.3 Ma, contemporaneous with the latest records of Russia and South Africa. This specimen may represent one of the latest records of gorgonopsians.     

Megaspores from the Late Permian, Lower Whybrow coal seam, Sydney Basin, Australia

More than 300 megaspore specimens have been recovered from samples from the Late Permian, Lower Whybrow coal seam of the Wittingham Coal Measures of the Sydney Basin. Only two species are recognised: Singhisporites surangei (Singh) Potonié, emend. and a new species of Singhisporites. Species distribution within the seam is controlled by a major fire event, as recognised by coal petrology and mesofossil content: Singhisporites surangei is dominant before the event, but following it, it is subordinate to the new species.

The abundance of megaspores recovered has allowed recognition of the full range of morphologic variation of Singhisporites surangei, which encompasses specimens assigned previously to Singraulispora Pant & Mishra, 1986 and Mammilaespora Pant & Srivastava, 1961; both are regarded as junior synonyms of Singhisporites Potonié, emend. Ultrastructurally, the new species shows affinities with Mesozoic isoetalean megaspores.     

Amphibian Body Impressions from the Mississippian of Pennsylvania,USA

Temnocorpichnus isaacleai is a new ichnogenus and ichnospecies of temnospondyl amphibian body impression from the Mississippian (Visean) Mauch Chunk Formation of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The shovel-shaped head, robust limbs, relatively short trunk and smooth integument diagnose the ichnotaxon and readily distinguish it from Hermundurichnus and Sauropleura, the only other named body impressions of Paleozoic tetrapods. Temnocorpichnus is a compound ichnogenus in which the footprint ichnogenus Batrachichnus is a behaviorally distinct component. The temnospondyl identity of Temnocorpichnus adds to the sparse and earliest records of temnspondyls, which are of Visean age. The smooth integument of the ichnogenus does not support the presence of ventral scales or armor in the earliest temnospondyls, but body proportions of the Mauch Chunk body impressions indicate a relatively terrestrial temnospondyl not matched by any taxon now known from bones. Three closely associated impressions of Temnocorpichnus on a single bedding plane suggest some sort of gregarious behavior in Mississippian temnospondyls and may support speculation that internal fertilization and associated courtship behavior evolved independently in one group of amphibians more than 300 million years ago.     

Early Permian facies and paleogeography of the Southeastern Russian craton

Summary During the Early Permian deep-water basins existed in the southeastern part of the Russian craton. North and west of the Cis-Ural foredeep and the Precaspian depression (micro-ocean) carbonate platforms were formed on a shallow-marine shelf during the Asselian, Sakmarian and Early Artinskian. Reefs developed on the margin of these platforms along the slopes of the Cis-Ural foredeep and the Precaspian depression. The reefs shifted platform ward in the eastern areas, due to the tectonic subsidence of the platform margin and at the same time, prograded basinward in the south. Movements of continental blocks from the south during the Late Artinskian and Kungurian caused the separation of the Early Permian basin of the Russian craton from the Palaeo-Tethys, followed by evaporite sedimentation in the restricted basins. The existence of source rocks (bituminous deep-water sediments), thick reservoir rocks (limestones and dolostones), evaporitic seals and structural as well as stratigraphic traps are responsible for large productive gas and oil fields (e.g., Orenburg field), some of which are distinctly associated with reef carbonates.     

Arm hooks and structural features in the Early Permian Glochinomorpha Gordon,indicative of its coleoid affiliation

Data on the re‐examined‐type specimens of the Early Permian Glochinomorpha stifeli Gordon 1971 (Coleoidea, Cephalopoda) gives new insight into the evolutionary origination of gladius‐bearing coleoids in the Late Palaeozoic and suggests their parallel evolution with the belemnoids and phragmoteuthids. The iron‐oxidized arm hooks are found in front of a gladius on an un‐illustrated paratype (USNM 170614). They are dispersed in a maximum distance equal to 2.5 the gladius length from the incomplete anterior end of the rachis of the gladius. The hook height ranges from less than 1 mm to as much as 4 mm. They have a massive curved base, and a strongly curved shaft with a long thin distal part. The hooks confirm the cephalopod and the coleoid affiliation of G. stifeli that is widely rejected. The iron‐oxidized gladii (preserved length is less than 20 mm) show micro‐laminations and a fibrous ultrastructure; the fibre bundles are approximately 0.5 μm thick. Lack of calcium and the high content of nitrogen (up to 12% of total weight) confirm the originally non‐biomineralized (apparently chitin) composition of the gladii suggested by their fibrous ultrastructure. These data lead to the conclusion that in the evolutionary history of gladius‐bearing coleoids, the biomaterial (biochemical) development of the skeleton preceded its morphological transformation. This phenomenon resulted in a recombination of an advanced composition (being non‐biomineralized) with archaic features (sensu morphological structure of the posterior part) in the gladius of G. stifeli. The data cast doubt on the hypothesized origination of a gladius from a phragmoteuthid pro‐ostracum as well as the evolutionary origination of the gladius‐bearing coleoids from pro‐ostracum‐bearing phragmoteuthids or belemnitids.     

A diversified vertebrate ichnite fauna from the Dasheng Group (Lower Cretaceous) of southeast Shandong Province,China

The Qingquan dinosaur tracksite, from the Lower Cretaceous Dasheng Group, Shandong Province, China adds to the growing record of saurischian-dominated ichnofaunas of the region. The site reveals the presence of avian theropods (Koreanaornis) and non-avian theropods tentatively referred to Jialingpus. Sauropod tracks are referred to Brontopodus. One site shows evidence of extensive trampling attributable to sauropods and theropods that moved in the same westerly direction, though not necessarily at exactly the same time. This site is reminiscent of the famous Davenport Ranch site in Texas which has provoked much debate about the herding behavior of sauropods as a defense strategy against theropod predators.     

Middle-late Asselian (Early Permian) fusulinid fauna from the post-Variscan cover in NW Anatolia (Turkey): Biostratigraphy and geological implications

The earliest autochthonous cover of the Variscan basement of the Sakarya Composite Terrane (SCT) in NW Anatolia is represented by basal conglomerates and limestones. The microfacies types of the limestones in ascending order are: (1) bioclastic grainstone/packstone, (2) fusulinid grainstone/packstone, (3) smaller foraminiferal grainstone/packstone, (4) Anthracoporella (dasycladale) grainstone/packstone, and (5) wackestones. Twenty-three species assignable to 15 genera of fusulinids were recovered from the studied materials of the Kadirler section; Quasifusulinaguvenci nov. sp. and Pseudoschwagerinabeedeimagna nov. subsp. are created. Rugosofusulinids, sphaeroschwagerinids, pseudoschwagerinids, occidentoschwagerinids, pseudochusenellids, quasifusulinids, rugosochusenellids and paraschwagerinids are the main faunal elements of the succession, which shows two distinct faunal intervals. Eoschubertella, Schubertella, Biwaella?, Rugosofusulinastabilis group, and Pseudochusenella correspond to the first interval at the base; the second interval is characterized by the species of Sphaeroschwagerina, Pseudoschwagerina,Occidentoschwagerina, the Rugosofusulinalatispiralis group, and diverse quasifusulinids. A biostratigraphic correlation shows that the Kadirler section in the SCT in NW Anatolia shares many common species with Central Asia in the East but especially with the Carnic Alps and Karavanke Mountains in the West. The new data suggest that the close faunal relationship in the Late Carboniferous between eastern Alps, Ural Mountains, NW Turkey and Central Asia also continued during the Asselian.     

Paleogeographic significance of Early Permian crinoids and blastoids from Oman

Early Permian crinoids and blastoids from Oman show relationship with Late Paleozoic Tethyan faunas of Timor and Western Australia and support an Early Permian age for part of the Basleo fauna of Timor. The camerate crinoidPlatycrinites omanensis n. sp. and the blastoidsTimoroblastus andDeltoblastus are reported for the first time from Sakmarian strata of northeastern Oman, doubling the known Permian echinoderms from Oman. The blastoids suggest an offshore lower energy shelf environment of deposition.      

Small Amphibian and Reptile Footprints from the Permian Carapacha Basin,Argentina

This paper contains a taxonomic study of the Permian tetrapod ichnofauna from the Carapacha Basin. Tetrapod traces are analyzed in their environmental context and compared with similar faunas from Europe and North America. This ichnofauna is particularly relevant because of the scarcity of Permian tetrapod tracks from South America and also of Permian tetrapod fossils from Argentina. Ephemeral fluvial and shallow lacustrine deposits compose the sedimentary succession of the basin, which is represented by the Carapacha Formation. Most of the tracks have been collected from the upper member of the formation (Urre-Lauquen Member), mainly from freshwater ephemeral lake deposits as well as from playa-lake mudflats. The deposits of this member have been attributed to the early Late Permian on the basis of a Glossopteris fossil flora. Ichnotaxonomic designations of tetrapod traces are made on the basis of morphologic features that reflect the anatomy of the producer and special attention has been paid to extramorphologic deformations observed in the track assemblage. A total of four footprint ichnotaxa have been recognized, namely Batrachichnus salamandroides (Geinitz, 1861 Geinitz, H. B. 1861. Dyas oder die Zechsteinformation und das Rhotliegende—Die animalischen Überreste der Dyas, 130 ppLeipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann.  [Google Scholar]), Hyloidichnus bifurcatus Gilmore, 1927 Gilmore, C. W. 1927. Fossil footprints from the Grand Canyon: second contribution. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collection, 80(3): 1–78.  [Google Scholar], cf. Amphisauropus isp. and cf. Varanopus isp. These track taxa are associated with two forms of vertebrate swimming traces (Characichnos isp. and type A swimming trace) and a possible fish trail. Invertebrate trace fossils include abundant arthropod locomotion traces and Scoyenia isp. The ichnofauna is composed of six tetrapod ichnocoenoses that are dominated by tiny amphibian tracks attributed to Temnospondyli (Batrachichnus and type A swimming trace) and Seymouriamorpha (Amphisauropus), and also contain the footprints of small reptiles, mostly Captorhinomorpha and possibly Pelycosauria (Hyloidichnus and Varanopus). Even if the ichnofauna of the Carapacha Basin is slightly younger than typical examples from the literature of the Early Permian “red bed ichnofacies” (Hunt et al., 1995b Hunt, A. P., Lucas, S. G., Lockley, M. G., Haubold, H. and Braddy, S. 1995b. Tetrapod ichnofacies in Early Permian red beds of the American Southwest. Bulletin New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 6: 295–301. Early Permian footprint facies [Google Scholar]), a comparison is made. However, further detailed case studies are needed to formally define this “red bed ichnofacies” and its prospective subdivisions.     

Ichnology and sedimentology of the early Permian deep-water deposits from the Lercara-Roccapalumba area (Western Sicily,Italy)

Summary Diverse and abundant trace fossils of the deep-waterNereites ichnofacies have been found in well-dated Early Permian deep-water turbidites (Lercara Formation) of western Sicily (Italy). Conodonts indicate a latest Artinskian to Cathedralian (late Early Permian) age. Microfossils (pelagic conodonts, albaillellid Radiolaria, paleopsychrospheric ostracods, foraminiferal associations dominated byBathysiphon), trace fossils (deep-bathyal to abyssalNereites ichnofacies) and sedimentologic data collectively indicate a deep-water environment for the Early Permian turbidites of the Lercara Formation. The dominance ofAgrichnium and of thePaleodictyon subichnogeneraSquamodictyon andMegadictyon suggests that this icnofauna is closely related in ichnotaxonomic composition to other late Paleozoic deep-water ichnofaunas. The occurrence ofAcanthorhaphe. Dendrotichnium andHelicoraphe, to date only reported from Cretaceous or Tertiary flysch deposits, suggests that the entire ichnofauna corresponds well to previously documented Silurian-Tertiary flysch ichnofaunas. Eight new ichnospecies and a new ichnosubgenus,Megadictyon, are described.