Early Permian brachiopod faunas from Peninsular India: Their Gondwanan relationships

The Early Permian (Late Asselian? to Aktastinian?) brachiopod faunas of Peninsular India are revised in terms of current taxonomy. Genera such as Semilingula, Arctitreta, Etherilosia, Strophalosia, Aulosteges, Bandoproductus, Cyrtella, Neospirifer, Crassispirifer, Tomiopsis and Gilledia confirm the Gondwanan aspect of the faunas and a close relationship, at the generic level, to the Early Permian brachiopod faunas of Western Australia. Peninsular Indian Early Permian brachiopod faunas belong to a complex of Gondwanan and peri‐Gondwanan faunas from Oman and the Pamirs in the West to Australasia in the east. This distribution implies relative freedom of migration for the faunas along the northern margin of Gondwana during the Early Permian.     

Two new radiolarian genera from the uppermost Permian of southern China

Two new genera (Sinosphaera and Trigonosphaera), including two new species and another left in open nomenclature, are described from the Changxingian (upper Permian) of southern Guangxi, southern China. They are characterized by a single spherical, subspherical or rounded triangular cortical shell composed of two spongy layers and the likely absence of both a medullary shell and internal spicule. They are tentatively grouped within the family Xiphostylidae Haeckel, 1881 and are considered as the most primitive representatives of this family.     

Middle Permian Ostracods from Tak Fa Limestone, Phetchabun Province, Central Thailand

This paper presents the first Permian ostracod fauna discovered in Thailand. The ostracods are recovered from the Tak Fa Limestone (Middle Permian) in Phetchabun province, central Thailand. The ostracods belong to eight genera and 15 species. Four species are newly described: Sargentina phetchabunensis nov. sp., Geffenina bungsamphanensis nov. sp., Reviya subsompongensis nov. sp. and Bairdia takfaensis nov. sp. The ostracod assemblages characterize a shallow marine, near shore environment at the time of deposition. Except for one species, which shows palaeobiogeographical links between Central Thailand and South China, all the other species are endemic.     

Mississippian (early Carboniferous) radiolarian biostratigraphy of northern Thailand (Chiang Dao area)

Well-preserved Carboniferous radiolarian faunas were obtained from ribbon-bedded siliceous sediments (radiolarites) north of Chiang Dao city, Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. These sediments are rich in identifiable radiolarian faunas, including more than 44 species and sub-species belonging to 15 genera. Among them, Albaillellaria and Latentifistularia are dominant, but few Entactinaria are present. Five Early Carboniferous radiolarian assemblage zones are recognised and compared to those of Germany, France and North America. They are, in ascending order: the Albaillella paradoxa gr. assemblage; the Albaillella indensis gr. assemblage: the Albaillella cartalla-Albaillella furcata furcata assemblage which includes the Palaeolithocyclia rota subassemblage; and the A. furcata rockensis-Latentifistula impella gr. assemblage. The age assignment of each assemblage is well-controlled by co-occurring conodonts, which are abundant during this time interval in the area. The Thai radiolarian assemblage zones are rather similar to those of Germany and North America, indicating that the albaillellarian form has a global distribution and can be readily used as a world key indicative fauna. These results also provide an additional data set indicating that distal oceanic deposits are present in northern Thailand from the Devonian to the Late Triassic, which provides evidence for a long-lived oceanic realm between the Indochina and Shan-Thai continental terranes (nearly 200 My).     

广东韶关仁化地区中二叠世孤峰组的放射虫动物群

首次描述广东仁化地区中二叠世孤峰组放射虫Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis-Ps.globosa动物群6属11种(包括3个未定种),它们分属于1目5科。这个动物群完全可以同苏皖南部孤峰组Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis-Ps.longtanensis带、广西钦州小董--板城地区板城组Ps．globosa带对比。本文还讨论了孤峰组的分布及孤峰阶参考剖面的选择问题。     

Book review

H. D. Holland, The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., 1984. 94 tables and 230 figures, xii + 582 pp., $75.00; paper $24.00.     

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.     

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.     

First record of Cisuralian–Guadalupian plant fossils from the Shan Plateau,eastern Myanmar

Permian plant fossils have never been reported from the Shan Plateau in eastern Myanmar. Recently, a black to gray carbonaceous mudstone unit containing abundant plant fossils was discovered just below the lowest part of Thitspin Limestone Formation from the Linwe Area, eastern Myanmar. Although only five taxa were identified, the plant assemblage provides the first evidence of the occurrence of Cathaysian elements in eastern Myanmar and potentially indicates the presence of a highly diverse Permian flora. Among the five species, Cordaites principalis and Annularia mucronata were cosmopolitan species; while Callipteridum cf. koraiense, Taeniopteris crassinervis Mo and Rhipidopsis lobata were mostly recorded in the Cathaysia Flora. Therefore, the present assemblage generally indicates a palaeobiogeographical affinity to the Cathaysian Province. Stratigraphically, Callipteridum cf. koraiense was mainly reported from Cisuralian to Wordian; whereas Taeniopteris crasssnervis Mo and Rhipidopsis lobata were recorded from Capitanian to Changhsingian, which suggests a general Permian age based on the plant assemblage itself only. However, the carbonaceous mudstone at the outcrop is overlain by the Thitspin Limestone Formation containing middle Guadalupian fusulinids. Based on previous faunal analyses, the Sibumasu terrane contains typical Gondwanan cold-water faunas during the early Cisuralian, warm-water faunas occurred after Sakmarian. Thus, age of the fossil-plant-containing carbonaceous mudstone is very likely between late Cisuralian and early Guadalupian as constrained by its overlying fusulinids and its warm Cathaysian palaeobiogeographical affinity.     

The phylogeny of the 'higher' temnospondyls (Vertebrata: Choanata) and its implications for the monophyly and origins of the Stereospondyli

A parsimony analysis of 'higher' temnospondyls (all temnospondyls descended from the common ancestor of Eryops and Parotosuchus ) was performed using 37 terminal taxa and 121 osteological characters. Bremer support values for each internal node were calculated as a measure of clade strength. Additionally, the shortest trees that conformed to some alternative hypotheses were searched for. The following new taxa are established on the basis of the results: Euskelia (the clade containing the Eryopoidea and Dissorophoidea), Limnarchia (the clade containing Trimerorhachidae, Dvinosauroidea, Archegosauroidea and Stereospondyli), Dvinosauria (the clade containing Trimerorhachidae and Dvinosauroidea), Stereo-spondylomorpha (the clade containing Archegosauroidea and Stereospondyli), Capitosauria (the clade containing Lydekkerina and 'capitosauroids'), and Trematosauria (the clade containing Trematosauroidea, Rhytidosteidae, Plagiosauroidea, Metoposauroidea and Brachyopoidea). The monophyly of the assemblage of Mesozoic families called the Stereospondyli by Romer is supported. The dominance of the Stereospondyli in the Mesozoic and its rarity in the Palaeozoic is discussed. It is suggested that the radiation of the diverse stereospondyl clades, the Capitosauria and Trematosauria, began in the Late Permian of Gondwana, in a 'safe haven' that was less severely affected by the Late Permian extinction event. It is further speculated that the 'safe haven' was located in Antarctica, or possibly Australia.     

泰国早二叠世与Perrinites菊石动物群共生的verbeekinacean(筳)类

泰国中南部Saraburi地区Saraburi群的灰岩中,Kungurian期的verbeekinacean类与Perrinites菊石群在该地区的碎屑灰岩中共生。两种生态完全不同的生物群的共同存在,对只含单一类型化石的地层之间的区域地层对比有"搭桥"性的意义。     

云南墨江上三叠统歪古村组燧石质砾石中的晚古生代放射虫化石及其地质意义

云南哀牢山缝合带由于长期未找到晚石炭世至二叠纪深海环境的化石及沉积地层记录,对哀牢山古特提斯盆地演化历史存在着不同认识。文中报道了采自云南墨江坝留地区上三叠统歪古村组底砾岩中的早石炭世和中二叠世放射虫化石,所有放射虫化石发现于4件燧石质砾石中,共计11属9种和7未定种及1属种未定放射虫。其中,3件砾石含有Albaillella deflandrei Gourmelon,Albaillella sinuosa Won and Seo等早石炭世放射虫化石组合,另1件砾石含有Pseudoalbaillella spp.,Quadricaulis scalae Caridroit and De Wever,Cauletella sp.和Ishigaum sp.等中二叠世放射虫化石组合。由此表明,哀牢山缝合带存在着早石炭世和中二叠世深海盆地沉积地层记录,哀牢山深海盆地应该在中二叠世之后封闭。该成果为探讨哀牢山古特提斯盆地演化提供了放射虫古生物学证据,进而说明哀牢山缝合带与金沙江缝合带一样,也存在石炭纪和二叠纪深水洋盆沉积地层记录,指示其演化历史是相同的。     

Lower Permian bivalves from central Patagonia, Argentina

The earliest Permian faunal successions of central Patagonia show compositional changes that probably reflected the environmental warming at the end of the Gondwana glaciations. Bivalves of Asselian to probably Early Tastubian age are described. A new genus,Sueroa, is proposed to reunite a previously known species and a new species,Sueroa andreisi n. sp. Another five new species:Parallelodon? quichaurensis n. sp.,Heteropecten cortignasi n. sp.,Etheripecten saraviae n. sp.,Streblopteria montgomeryi n. sp. andPraeundulomya moreli n. sp. are described. Two previously known species:Malimania patagoniensis (González) andEuchondria sabattiniae González are revised and new occurrences are reported. A further eleven species are described, but they are left in open nomenclature being because they are insufficiently known; these are:Phestia? n. sp.,Modiolus sp.,Palaeoneilo sp.,Stutchburia sp.,Schizodus sp.,Vacunella? sp.,Edmondia sp.,Myonia? n. sp.,Myonia? sp. andPachymyonia? n. sp.     

Sur une flore a Glossopteropsida et Lycopsida de Namibie (Sud-Ouest Africain)

The study of imprints of fossil plants collected in the Permian from the country of Hammanskraal (Namibia) leads to the following identifications: Glossopteris sp., Gangamopteris sp., Noegerrathiopsis sp., Gondwanidium sp., Asterotheca sp. and Lycopodiopsis derbyiB. Renault, Lycopodiopsis costilatus n. sp., Brasilodendron pedroanum(W. Carruthers) W.G. Chaloner & alii, Brasilodendron africanum n. sp. This flora has affinities with some fossil floras from South Africa and from Brazil, and is, probably, of upper Permian age.