A large arthropod from the Lower Old Red Sandstone (Early Devonian) of Tredomen Quarry,south Wales

Abstract: A large arthropod from the Lower Old Red Sandstone of Tredomen Quarry, near Brecon, Powys, southeast Wales is described as Bennettarthra annwnensis gen. et sp. nov. The animal is incomplete, preserved to a length of 30 cm, and displays a trunk of at least ten, non‐diplopodous segments. The trunk may be delineated into two distinct tagmata: the anterior three somites (as preserved in the fossil) appearing ornamented and apparently bearing robust, ornamented, segmented walking legs; the posterior somites appearing relatively smooth, of which at least the anterior five somites bear simple, sclerotized rudimentary appendages. Unfortunately, diagnostic features such as detailed appendage arrangement for the anterior tagma and the head and tail region are largely missing, frustrating detailed classification. However, the delineation of the non‐diplopodous trunk into two tagmata, each displaying apparently distinct appendage morphology, together with the large size of the fossil, is a feature hitherto unknown in any arthropods from terrestrial/freshwater fossil assemblages of this age. In terms of taxonomic placement, based on the currently limited morphological evidence, a malacostracan or hexapodan affinity for Bennettarthra appears most likely. The animal is preserved in laminated sandstone with plant debris, osteostracan fish and abundant thin irregularly shaped carbonaceous sheets. The sandstone was deposited from a river flood that buried and preserved articulated fish and Bennettarthra. These animals were probably buried alive and suffocated in sediment. Trace fossils including Diplichnites trackways and Beaconites burrows occur in close stratigraphic proximity to the flood deposit, and it is possible that this arthropod was the maker of one or both of these traces.     

A trace fossil assemblage from fluvial Old Red deposits (Wood Bay Formation; Lower to Middle Devonian) of NW-Spitsbergen, Svalbard

From the fluvial Old Red Sandstone (ORS) of the Lower to Middle Devonian Wood Bay Formation (NW-Spitsbergen), a diverse trace fossil assemblage, including two new ichnotaxa, is described: Svalbardichnus trilobus igen. n., isp. n. is interpreted as the three-lobed resting trace of an early phyllocarid crustacean (Rhinocarididae). Cruziana polaris isp. n. yields morphological details that point towards a trilobite origin. This occurence of presumably marine trace makers in a fluvial red bed sequence raises the question of whether we are dealing with marine ingressions that are not sedimentologically expressed, with homeomorphy, or with an adaptation of marine groups to non-marine environments.     

A re-investigation of Halle's Drepanophycus spinaeformis Göpp. from the Lower Devonian of Yunnan Province, southern China

New collections of microphyllous plants identical to those described by Halle almost 60 years ago and identified by him as Drepanophycus spinaeformis Göpp., 1852 have been made from the Emsian Xujiachong Formation, near Qujing City, eastern Yunnan Province. New information relates to orientation of leaves, epidermal and xylem anatomy, vegetative and fertile leafy shoots with roots and sporangia. The latter, dehiscing distally into two equal valves diat are elliptical to circular in face view, are attached directly to the stem by short stalks. They show no consistent relationship to leaves and are supplied by a separate vascular trace much wider than that to leaves. Detailed comparison is made with the cosmopolitan and stratigraphically long-ranging species D. spinaeformis. The Chinese specimens can be distinguished on leaf orientation, their anomocytic stomata and sporangial characters, although the latter remain conjectural in D. spinaeformis, and are therefore placed in a new species Drepanophycus qujingensis. Hypotheses relating to cooksonioids, zosterophylls and the origin of the lycopsids are reviewed and the phylogenetic position of the new taxon assessed. It is concluded that it has greatest affinity with Astewxylon mackiei, and that both exhibit the kind of fertile organization that might be anticipated in the ancestors of the lycopsids.     

A new rhyniopsid with novel sporangium organization from the Lower Devonian of South Wales

SHUTE, C. H. & EDWARDS, D., 1989. A new rhyniopsid with novel sporangium organization from the Lower Devonian of South Wales. Re-investigation of permineralized plants originally called Cooksonia sp. from the Lower Old Red Sandstone (Siegenian) of Gwent, S. Wales shows them to be rhyniopsids with simple isotomous branching in smooth axes and ellipsoidal terminal sporangia that are longer than wide and that possess a complex wall organization. They are thus placed in a new genus. The sporangial wall is several cells thick, the outermost comprising a layer with pronounced thickening of the anticlinal and outer periclinal walls, which is interrupted by a zone of thinner-walled cells parallel to the longest dimension of the ellipsoidal organ and considered to be involved in its dehiscence into two equal halves. The alete isospores have a bilayered wall, the outer interpreted as an ornamented perispore. Similar granular ornament seen on sheets and globules in the vicinity of the spores and on the innermost surface of the sporangium wall possibly demonstrates the activity of a periplasmodial tapetum. The permineralized sporangia are considered conspecific with those in compression fossils with elliptical outlines and pronounced borders. Comparison of presumed dehiscence mechanisms in a number of Silurian and early Devonian fossils suggests that splitting into two equal valves along the longest dimension, so that a maximum area of spores was exposed to the atmosphere, arose independently in a number of unrelated plants.     

A trigonotarbid arachnid from the Lower Devonian of Tredomen, Wales

A new trigonotarbid (Arachnida: Trigonotarbida) Arianrhoda bennetti gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) of a quarry near Tredomen, Powys, mid Wales, UK. This relatively complete specimen is the first record of a pre-Carboniferous arachnid from Wales, one of only a handful of early Devonian arachnids, and the second oldest trigonotarbid recorded. Based on the rounded prosomal dorsal shield and the relatively narrow, elongate opisthosoma we refer this new fossil to the family Anthracosironidae. A distinct flange-like ornament on the leg 4 tibia in the new fossil is unique among trigonotarbids and is the primary autapomorphy for the new genus.     

Lower Devonian Polyplacophora from New South Wales, Australia

Silicified polyplacophorans are common in the Lower Devonian Garra Formation in New South Wales. Four taxa occur within the lower 237 m of the formation at 14 horizons associated with an abundant and diverse fauna. Chelodes calceoloides Etheridge ranges through the section. New taxa are Chelodes cordatus sp. nov., Acutichiton depressolatus sp. nov., and Jugochiton patulus gen. and sp. nov. A single plate of an indeterminate genus occurs in the lower portion of the Camelford Limestone.     

A new aglaspidid arthropod from the Lower Ordovician of Wales

A new genus and species of aglaspidid arthropod, Tremaglaspis unite , is described from the well-known upper Tremadoc locality of Y Garth in North Wales, and compared with other Cambrian and Ordovician taxa. It is remarkable in having a large hypostome, a character shared with other primitive arachnomorphs.     

Some new acanthodian material from the Lower Devonian of Europe

The following material is described: (a) a climatiid shoulder girdle from the Old Red of Podolia and the British Lower Old Red Sandstone, and (b) ischnacanthid jaw-elements and a fin spine from the Lower Devonian of Vestspitsbergen. A discussion is given of the shoulder girdle in Climatius reticulatus and of the characters distinguishing the dentigerous jaw-bones of the Ischnacanthidae from those of the early Climatiidae. It is pointed out that in the dermal skeleton of the Climatiidae one may trace phylotie changes in the structure of mesodentine and bone tissue closely paralleling those of the corresponding hard tissues in the Osteostraei. A trend towards the emergence of acellular bone tissue is traceable not only in the Climatiidae but also in certain parts of the dermal skeleton of the Ischnacanthidae.     

Thelodont Scales from the Lower Devonian Red Bay Group, Spitsbergen

Scales of nine thelodont taxa are described from the Red Bay Group of Spitsbergen, also characterized by its assemblage of other typical Early Devonian vertebrates. The four thelodont–bearing horizons of the lower Fraenkelryggen Formation yield typical Lochkovian thelodont assemblages, containing Boreania minima , Canonia grossi , Nikolivia depressa sp. nov., Nikolivia elongata , Nikolivia gutta and Turinia pagei . One horizon from the younger Ben Nevis Formation has a similar thelodont assemblage, except for two new taxa; Apalolepis angelica sp. nov. and Turinia barentsia sp. nov. The appearance of Turinia polita and the disappearance of Boreania minima is also characteristic for this assemblage. Comparison with similar faunas from the Northern Hemisphere supports this faunal change and allows further elaboration of Early Devonian thelodont biostratigraphy.     

A new microphyllous plant from the Lower Devonian of Yunnan Province, China

Sterile and fertile shoots of a microphyllous vascular plant are described from the Lower Devonian Posongchong Formation (? upper Siegenian), Yunnan Province, southern China and placed in the new taxon Halleophyton zhichangense gen. et sp. nov. The sterile axes are characterized by conspicuous, contiguous swollen rhomboidal to hexagonal leaf bases and relatively broad spatulate laminae. The relief of the leaf bases is not so pronounced in the fertile areas, which bear numerous cauline sporangia with two equal valves. In vegetative characters the new fossils, although smaller and more fragmentary, resemble Drepanophycus gaspianus but in the absence of information on the fertile parts of the latter and because of the controversy surrounding the concept of the genus Drepanophycus, we decided to erect a new genus. Its relationship to the lycophytes sensu stricto is equivocal as exact details of the relationship of sporangium with leaf and sporangium vascularization remain unknown.     

A cyanolichen from the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert

The 400 million-year-old Rhynie chert has provided a wealth of information about various types of fungal interactions that existed in this Early Devonian paleoecosystem. In this paper we report the first unequivocal evidence of a lichen symbiosis from the Rhynie chert. Specimens of a new genus, Winfrenatia, consist of a thallus of superimposed layers of aseptate hyphae and, on the upper surface, numerous uniform depressions. Extending into the base of each depression are hyphae that form a three-dimensional netlike structure. Enclosed within each of the net spaces is a coccoid cyanobacterium, each cell of which is surrounded by a thick sheath. These photobiont cells divide in three planes, resulting in cell clusters of up to perhaps 64 individuals. The photobiont is parasitized by the fungus in the base of each net as new cyanobacterial cells are formed distally. Reproduction is by endospores and soredia. Affinities of the mycobiont appear closest to members of the Zygomycetes, while the photobiont is most similar to coccoid cyanobacteria of the Gloeocapsa and Chroococcidiopsis types. We speculate that this cyanobacterial symbiosis was well adapted to exploit and colonize new ecological niches, especially in the periodically desiccated environment postulated for the Rhynie chert paleoecosystem.     

云南曲靖下泥盆统西山村组四营鱼属(Siyingia)一新种(英文)

主要采用形态学与比较解剖学的方法,对采自云南曲靖地区下泥盆统西山村组中的1件盔甲鱼类标本进行了详细的形态学研究,建立了多鳃鱼类四营鱼属1新种:宽棘四营鱼(Siyingia perlatuspinosa sp.nov.),并据此修订了四营鱼属的特征。在此基础上,应用分支系统学对多鳃鱼类属一级的系统发育关系进行了重新分析与探讨,确定了四营鱼在多鳃鱼类中的系统发育位置。系统发育分析结果显示,四营鱼(Siyingia)与多鳃鱼(Polybranchiaspis)亲缘关系最近,二者形成了一个单系类群,与宽甲鱼(Laxaspis)+坝鱼(Damaspis)组成的单系类群互为姊妹群。宽棘四营鱼的发现不仅拓宽了四营鱼在华南的时空分布范围,而且丰富了多鳃鱼类的多样性,并为多鳃鱼类的深入研究提供了可靠的化石新证据。     

A new scolenaspidid (Osteostraci, Vertebrata) from the Lower Devonian of Podolia, Ukraine

Anew osteostracan genus and species,Victoraspis longicornualis n. gen., n. sp., is described based on material from Rakovets’, present day Ukraine. This new taxon shares characters with the two generaStensiopelta Denison, 1951 andZychaspis Janvier, 1985. A phylogenetic analysis supports the position ofVictoraspis as the sister group to a monophyleticStensiopelta, while the interrelationships of the various species ofZychaspis are poorly resolved. A morphometric analysis is carried out in an attempt to further resolve the taxonomic affinity. This analysis groups all examinedZychaspis species closely together, and further supports the establishment ofVictoraspis as separate genus.      

A new genus for isolated bivalved sporangia with thickened margins from the Lower Devonian of the Welsh Borderland

A new taxon Sporathylacium salopense gen. et sp. nov . is based on small isolated coalified sporangia from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian: micrornatus—newportensis spore zone) from the Welsh Borderland. The sporangia have two equal valves with multi-layered walls and thickened borders, and contain trilete crassitate, non-curvaturate isospores that are completely covered by a microgranular ornament with possible distal verrucate/murornate structures. They differ from zosterophyll sporangia in details of the presumed dehiscence zone extending around the entire free convex margin, particularly in the presence of a wedge of amorphous material between the valves, and in spore characters. Absence of any information relating to water-conducting cells prevents further assignment within the embryophytes. Spherical bodies associated with spores and a resilient sporangial lining are compared with similar structures in extant free-sporing plants and with Ubisch bodies. The mode of sporangial dehiscence involving anatomical modifications of the valve margins and the novel wedge of tissue which connects them remains speculative.     

A new actinolepid arthrodire (Class Placodermi) from the Lower Devonian Sevy Dolomite, East-Central Nevada

A new genus and species of actinolepid arthrodire, Aleosteus eganensis , is described from the Lower Devonian (Late Emsian) Sevy Dolomite in the Egan Range of east-central Nevada. A cladistic analysis of the family Actinolepidae is presented for the first time and shows the Baltic Actinolepis species form the primitive sister-group of all other actinolepids. Rapid evolution of the Actinolepidae during the Lochkovian is reflected in the dispersal of the family around the Old Red Sandstone Continent at this time followed by the development of endemic faunas through the Lower Devonian and into the Middle Devonian.     

Sedimentological evidence for rooting structures in the Early Devonian Anglo-Welsh Basin (UK), with speculation on their producers

Rooting structures preserved as casts in alluvial deposits of the Lower Devonian Lower Old Red Sandstone occur more extensively than previously thought in the Anglo-Welsh Basin. Two rooting structure morphotypes are identified: morphotype 1 being predominantly horizontal, and morphotype 2 comprising vertical forms. Both morphotypes taper along their length, are oval in cross-section, branch, and can be linear or sinuous. Fills are heterolithic in nature. The rooting structures are observed in sediments deposited in a wide variety of environments including both low-sinuosity within-channel bar-tops and accretionary bar surfaces (inclined-heterolithic stratification); accretionary banks of sinuous ephemeral channels (inclined-heterolithic stratification); floodplains (including margins of shallow floodplain ponds) of both ephemeral and perennial river channels, and well-developed calcic Vertisols. Although a vascular plant origin to the rooting structures cannot be discounted, there is circumstantial evidence that the structures were produced by the enigmatic Prototaxites, recently reinterpreted as a giant fungus. It is possible that they represent underground aggregates (rhizomorphs or cords) of hyphae involved in anchorage and nutrient foraging. Organic matter associated with biofilms and crusts is hypothesized as a source of nutrients for the presumed saprotroph.     

A bryozoan buildup from the Lower Carboniferous of North Wales

A carbonate buildup dominated by trepostome Bryozoa is described from Dinantian (Asbian) strata near Llandudno in North Wales. A three-phase ecological succession is recognised within the buildup: (i) a basal diverse community with fenestrate, ramose, encrusting trepostome and cystoporate bryozoans in a mud rich wackestone; (ii) a bulk facies, dominated by encrusting and foliaceous, trepostome bryozoans in a fine packstone, and (iii) a thin capping phase, dominated by unilaminar, encrusting trepostome bryozoans in a slightly coarser lithology, including skeletal debris derived from the mound top and possible flanking beds. The buildup probably had topographic relief and developed in a shallow marine environment. The internal tripartite zonation reflects the growth of the structure into a shallower, higher energy regime, with the capping beds being deposited just below wave base. The buildup developed to the north of St. George's Land, on a carbonate shelf edge bordering the deeper basinal facies of the Irish Sea Basin. Dinantian, Asbian, buildup, trepostome Bryozoa, Foraminifera, corals, calcareous algae, Carboniferous, North Wales .