Early and Middle Jurassic Sporo-Pollen Assemblages of Qiquanhu Coal-Field of Turpan Xinjiang

One hundred and thirteen species of spores and pollens belonging to 58 genera were found from 66 core samples taken from two boreholes of the Early and Middle Jurassic deposits in the Qiquanhu coal-field of the Turpan Basin, Xinjiang have been investigated in this paper. Two of the species are described as new. Three sporo-pollen zones from lower to upper are described as follows: Sporo-pollen zone Ⅰ (equivalent bed: Badaowan Formation) . The pteridophytic spores are slightly more abundant than the gymnospermous pollen in this assemblage. The most abundant spores are Cyathidites minor, C. australis and Undulatisporites pflugii, U. taenus and so on. The second important fern spores are Osmundacidites, Lycopodiumsporites, Apiculatisporis and Duplexisporites. The most important gymnospermous genus is Cycadopites which ranks highest in the assemblage and includes C. nitidus and C. typicus.The other gymnospermous pollen include Classopollis, Pinuspollenites, Protoconiferus Piceites. Besides, there are a few pollen grains of Taeniaesporites and Chordasporites surviving from the Late Triassic in this assemblage. The present assemblage may be compared with the Early Jurassic sporopollen assemblage from the Daling Formation of the North-East Guangxi. Therefore, the Badaowan Formtion may be referred to Early Jurassic in age, probably Early Lias. Sporo-pollen zone Ⅱ (equivalent bed: Sangonghe Formation) In this assemblage the gymnosperms are predominant.Of them, Podocarpidites and Pinuspollenites increase obviously, and Quadraeculina and Protoconiferus are common. Few surviving elements are observed. The most abundant spores are those of Cyathidites, and the particularly abundant pollens are those of Cycadopites, This assemblage may be compared with the Late Lias sporo-pollen assemblage from the Fuxian Formation of the Northern Shangganning Basin. Therefore, the Sangonghe Formation should belong to Early Jurassic, probably Late Lias in age. Sporo-pollen zone Ⅲ (equivalent bed: Xishanyao Formation). The contents of the spores and pollens are almost equal in this assemblage. Cyathidites and Cycadopites are the most important spores and pollen. Osmundacidites and Quadraeculina are common. Neoraistrickia, Lycopodiumsporites and Eucommiidites troedssonii are present. Ancient striate bisaccate pollen disappears. The characteristics of this assemblage show some resemblances to those of the Middle Jurassic Yanan Formation in Chongxin county of Gansu province. So the Xishanyao Formation should belong to Middle Jurassic.     

The oldest Cretaceous North American sauropod dinosaur

Sauropod dinosaurs have been found in sediments dating to most of the Cretaceous Period on all major Mesozoic landmasses, but this record is spatiotemporally uneven, even in relatively well-explored North American sediments. Within the 80 million-year-span of the Cretaceous, no definitive sauropod occurrences are known in North America from two ca. 20–25 million-year-long gaps, one from approximately the Berriasian–Barremian and the other from the mid-Cenomanian–late Campanian. Herein, we present an undescribed specimen that was collected in the middle part of the twentieth century that expands the known spatiotemporal distribution of Early Cretaceous North American sauropods, partially filling the earlier gap. The material is from the Berriasian–Valanginian-aged (ca. 139 Ma) Chilson Member of the Lakota Formation of South Dakota and appears to represent the only non-titanosauriform from the Cretaceous of North America or Asia. It closely resembles Camarasaurus and may represent a form closely related to that genus that persisted across the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary.     

扬子北缘钟祥地区奥陶系弗洛阶笔石动物群研究

湖北钟祥下奥陶统弗洛阶岩性以灰黑色页岩为主,夹粉砂岩及灰岩透镜体,化石丰度和分异度高。通过系统的化石采集和鉴定,于钟祥温峡口剖面识别出笔石7属31种,大体上为扬子地台区的常见属种。自下而上分为Didymograptellus bifidus带、Corymbograptus deflexus带和Azygograptus suecicus带。该序列与宜昌、南漳地区一致,但在笔石动物群组成面貌上差异较大,可能与钟祥地区在早奥陶世位于扬子台地边缘,富集的营养物质和低氧的环境更利于笔石动物群的繁盛和笔石化石的保存有关。     

湖北西陵峡地区的植被

湖北西陵峡地区处于我国亚热带向暖温带过渡的区域,植被及植物成分具有明显的过渡特征,其类型及其种类极为复杂。本文重点探讨该地区主要的植被类型组合及分布情况,计自然植被有5个植被型,9个群系纲,15个群系组,46个群系;人工植被有1个植被型,2个群系纲,5个群系组,8个群系。     

Geological summary of the Busidima Formation (Plio-Pleistocene) at the Hadar paleoanthropological site, Afar Depression, Ethiopia

The Hadar paleoanthropological site in Ethiopia preserves a record of hominin evolution spanning from approximately 3.45 Ma to 0.8 Ma. An angular unconformity just above the ca. 2.95 Ma BKT-2 complex divides the sediments into the Hadar Formation (ca. 3.8-2.9 Ma) and the Busidima Formation (ca. 2.7-0.15 Ma). The unconformity is likely a response to a major tectonic reorganization in the Afar Depression, and activation of the As Duma fault near the Ethiopian Escarpment (west of Hadar) created a half-graben in which the Busidima Formation was deposited. The pattern and character of sedimentation in the region changed dramatically above the unconformity, as cut-and-fill channel conglomerates and silt-dominated paleosols that comprise the Busidima Formation stand in sharp contrast to the underlying deposits of the Hadar Formation. Conglomerate deposition has been related to both the perennial, axial paleo-Awash and ephemeral, escarpment-draining tributaries. Overbank silts have yielded fossils attributed to early Homo and Oldowan stone tools. Numerous tuffaceous deposits exist within the Busidima Formation, but they are often spatially limited, fine-grained, and reworked. Recent work on the tephrostratigraphic framework of the Busidima Formation at Hadar has identified at least 12 distinct vitric tephras and established the first geochemical-based correlations between Hadar and the neighboring project areas of Gona and Dikika. Compared to Gona and Dikika, where Busidima Formation sediments are exposed over large areas, the highly discontinuous sediments at Hadar comprise less than 40 m in composite section and are exposed over an area of <20 km², providing only snapshots into the 2.7-0.15 Ma window. The stratigraphic record at Hadar confirms the complex depositional history of the Busidima Formation, and also provides important details on regional stratigraphic correlations and the pattern of deposition and erosion in the lower Awash Valley reflective of its tectonic history.     

秦岭地区石炭纪两种新的扇状脉植物

记述的两种新植物分别来自秦岭地区的凤县和镇安县。产于凤县草凉驿红花铺草凉驿组的Adiantites honghuapuensis sp．nov．,至少二次羽状复叶,羽片线形,以宽角着生于羽轴上;小羽片椭圆形,羽片基部的小羽片偶尔分裂为2—3个裂片。小羽片基部收缩,有短柄或以较宽的基部着生于羽轴上,扇状脉。另一产自镇安县茅坪东山梁二峪河组的Qinlingopteris orientalis gen．et sp．nov．,其特征是二次羽状复叶,末二级羽轴与末级羽轴夹角较小,大约30^#左右。小羽片亚对生,长卵形或亚圆形,顶端较窄,中部较宽,基部较狭并具短柄;叶脉扇状;羽轴上具间小羽片,间小羽片与正常小羽片等形同大。草凉驿组的地质时代大致为纳缪尔期至维斯发早期,而二峪河组则为早石炭世维宪期。     

江苏北部始新统戴南组、三垛组孢粉植物群及古生态环境

该文通过对苏北—南黄海盆地高邮凹陷和海安凹陷16口石油探井中戴南组及上覆三垛组690块岩心样品的孢粉分析研究,建立了始新世三个孢粉植物组合,它们分别是早始新世Ulmipol-lenites-Inaperturopollenites-Pterisisporites组合(称第一孢粉组合,分布于戴南组一段至二段的Ⅰ亚段)、早始新世Taxodiaceaepollenites-Caryapollenites组合(称第二孢粉组合,分布于三垛组一段Ⅰ亚段)和中始新世晚期Nitrariadites-Retitricolpites-Euphorbiactes组合(称第三孢粉组合,分布于三垛组二段Ⅱ亚段)。讨论了这三个组合的特征和所属时代,提出了与以往戴南组、三垛组众多研究者将其归于渐新世的不同意见。文章还简要地阐述了各孢粉植物群的生态环境。对新发现的13个种作了描述,其中8新种,2未定种,对2种作了重新组合。     

河南郑州三李西沟更新世的几种腹足类化石

报道河南郑州三李西沟更新世马兰组、潞王坟组的腹足类化石４种：Ｐｈｙｓａａｓｓｕｔｕｒａｌｉｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ，Ｉｎｄｏｐｌａｎｏｒｂｉｓｅｘｕｓｔｕｓ（Ｄｅｓｈａｙｅｓ），Ｃａｔｈａｉｃａ（Ｐｌｉｏｃａｔｈａｉｃａ）ｒｉｃｈｔｈｏｆｅｎｉ（Ｍａｒｔｅｎ），Ｃ．（Ｅｕｃａｔｈａｉｃａ）ｆａｓｃｉｏｌａ（Ｄｒａｐａｒｎａｕｄ）。认为潞王坟组沉积时的水域可能比马兰组沉积时广宽，其时代归入早更新世，沉积环境与现代相似，气候比现代温暖。     

The earliest fossil evidence of bone boring by terrestrial invertebrates,examples from China and South Africa

We report the oldest fossil evidence of osteophagia by terrestrial invertebrates on both the Asian and African continents. Bones attributable to the Middle Jurassic dinosaur Chuanjiesaurus (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) were found with post-mortem insect modification in the Chuanjie Formation, Yunnan Province, China. The morphology of the borings closely matches the ichnogenus Cubiculum. Based on the lack of bioglyphs observed in Cubiculum ornatus, a new ichnospecies is proposed here. The new trace fossil, Cubiculum inornatus isp. nov., is interpreted to have been constructed for pupation by an unknown taxon of insect. Additionally, we report even older borings from Early Jurassic dinosaur bones of the Elliott Formation in the Karoo Basin, which represent the second oldest occurrence of insect traces in bone from continental settings. Both trace fossils sites have palaeogeographic implications for the origins and dispersal of osteophagia amongst terrestrial invertebrates during the Mesozoic. These discoveries push back the antiquity of pupation in animal bones by more than 100 million years to the Middle Jurassic, indicating that this behaviour, and osteophagy more generally, originated early in the Mesozoic, roughly comparable with the origination of insect pupation in woody substrates (Late Triassic).     

江西长兴组顶部与大冶组底部牙形刺的再研究

本文描述了江西信丰铁石口镇古南桃江剖面和修水清水岩乡东岭剖面长兴组最顶剖与大冶组（或铁石口组）最底部粘土层的牙形刺共１属６种和亚种,并把长兴组最顶部和大冶组最底部粘土层分别归属于Ｃｌａｒｋｉｎａ ｃｈａｎｇｘｉｎｇｅｎｓｉｓ ｙｉｎｉ－Ｃ．ｍｅｉｓｈａｎｅｎｓｉｓ ｚｈａｎｇｉ和Ｃｌａｒｋｉｎａ ｍｅｉｓｈａ－ｎｅｎｓｉｓ ｍｅｉｓｈａｎｅｎｓｉｓ带,它们分别可与浙江长兴煤山标准剖面长兴组最顶部和     

Oligocene larger foraminifera from United Arab Emirates,Oman and Western Desert of Egypt

An early Oligocene (Rupelian) diagnostic larger foraminiferal assemblage is described and illustrated from marls and limestones of the Asmari Formation, at Jabals Hafit and Malaqet in the UAE. An equivalent assemblage is identified in the mudstones of the Tahwah Formation, Wadi Suq, Oman. Although Nummulites intermedius (D'Archiac 1846) and N. fichteli are fully synonymous (e.g. Roveda 1970; Schaub 1981; Sirel 2003), in this study both species are biometrically differentiated, distinct and both names are valid. N. fichteli Michelotti 1841, N. intermedius (D'Archiac 1846) and N. emiratus n. sp., which are index for the early Oligocene (Rupelian), and they are replacing each others competitively and environmentally.

The presence of Blondeauina bouillei n.gen., N. emiratus n.sp., N. intermedius, N. fichteli, Planoperculina complanata (Defrance 1822) and Austrotrillina asmariensis Adams 1968 ascribed the section of the Asmari Formation to the early Oligocene (Rupelian). The studied marls and limestones were deposited in outer and inner shelf environments, respectively. The Asmari Formation in the area studied consists mainly of marl in its lower portion and reefal limestone in its upper part, indicating a major marine regression. The Tahwah Formation in Oman is composed of bioturbated silty and muddy marls and is a facies equivalent to the Asmari Formation marls. The Asmari Formation facies change probably relates to a mid-Oligocene fall in global sea level.

In this study, the Dabaa Formation, a subsurface unit of late Eocene–Oligocene marine shales in the north Western Desert of Egypt, was chosen to correlate with the Oligocene of Emirates and Oman. The Dabaa Formation comprises Spiroclypeus ornatus (Henson 1937) and Eulepidina dilatata (Michelotti 1861). The environment of deposition was inner shelf to littoral, which become estuarine towards the top in many areas. This Oligocene Dabaa sequence is correlatable with Wadi El Arish sequence recently discovered by Kuss and Boukhary (2008) from Risan Aneiza, Northern Sinai, Egypt.     

滇西保山地区丁家寨组、卧牛寺组牙形刺的时代

本首次描述了滇西保山卧牛寺组及永德丁家寨组的Rabeignathus牙形刺动物群,其中2个新种：Rabeignathus yunnanensis sp．nov．,R．ritterianus sp．nov．,并划分出3个牙形刺带,进一步确定了古生物地层工作争论已久的卧牛寺组的时代为Artinskian晚期-Kungurian早期;丁家寨组上段为Sakmarian晚期-Artinskian早期。该牙形刺动物群为暖温型动物群,结合保山地块当时的古地磁资料,丁家寨组、卧牛寺组沉积之时,应处于边缘冈瓦纳区。卧牛寺组玄武岩喷发时间的确定,预示了保山地块从边缘冈瓦纳区分离出来的时间为Artinskian晚期。     

新疆准噶尔盆地西北缘三叠纪孢粉组合

本文对新疆准噶尔盆地西北缘红山咀区拐１１４井和百口泉区３８井的下克拉玛依组、上克拉玛组、下白碱滩组层段１３块样品中所含的孢子花粉进行了系统的分析研究,共获得孢粉７７属１７０种,描述了３１种,其中包括１新属２１新种,根据陷粉组合特征,详细地讨论了上述地层的时代,认为下克拉玛依组属中三叠世,上克拉玛依组及下白碱滩组属晚三叠世。     

记河北省后城组新发现之小型兽脚类足迹(英文)

几十年前人们就已经开始研究中国东北侏罗纪—白垩纪界线附近地层中的小型兽脚类恐龙足迹,虽然这些遗迹化石比辽宁省义县组带羽毛的恐龙及其他实体化石逊色了许多。本文记述了河北省承德南双庙后城组(土城子组)最下部河流相沉积中发现的一组兽脚类恐龙足迹。南双庙足迹具有三趾,趾粗大,其形态与美国下侏罗统经典的"brontozoid"足迹(Gral- lator,Anchisauripus和Eubrontes)相符。虽然许多产自辽宁土城子组中基本同时的brontozoid足迹被鉴定为小型的跷脚龙足迹属(Grallator),但南双庙足迹更大一些(全长可达28.8 cm),可能应该归入安琪龙足迹属(Anchisauripus)。南双庙足迹很可能是一群小型兽脚类行走而产生。在辽宁义县组的兽脚类恐龙中,最可能留下这类足迹的是小型的窃蛋龙类——尾羽龙(Caudipteryx)。不过这个解释还很勉强,因为这些足迹缺乏鉴定性特征,而且河北的后城组与辽宁的义县组之间还有一定的时间及地理间隔。     

Proterochampsa barrionuevoi (Archosauriformes: Proterochampsia) from the Late Triassic (Carnian) of Argentina and a phylogenetic analysis of Proterochampsia

Abstract: Restudy of skulls and available postcrania of the proterochampsian archosauriform Proterochampsa barrionuevoi from the Ischigualasto Formation (Upper Triassic, Carnian) in the San Juan Province, Argentina, confirms that the genus is diagnosed by autapomorphies that include dermal sculpturing consisting of prominent ridges and nodular protuberances, a large hook‐like lateral projection on the quadratojugal, an antorbital fossa restricted to a depression along the maxilla, lateral expansion of the premaxilla anterior to the premaxilla–maxilla contact, absence of a supratemporal fossa, exclusion of jugal from suborbital fenestra, basal tubera of parabasisphenoid facing ventrally and reaching laterally beyond the basipterygoid process, and a ventral lamina on the angular. Proterochampsa nodosa is a valid species distinguished from P. barrionuevoi by fewer cranial ridges with larger protuberances, relatively smaller supratemporal fenestrae and width of frontals between orbits less than that of the nasals. A phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Proterochampsia consisting of Proterochampsa, Chanaresuchus bonapartei, Gualosuchus reigi, Tropidosuchus romeri and Cerritosaurus binsfeldi. A temporal separation between the two basal proterochampsians with earliest records in the Late Triassic (Proterochampsa and Cerritosaurus) and Chanaresuchus, Gualosuchus and Tropidosuchus in the Middle Triassic indicates hidden proterochampsian diversity in the Middle Triassic.     

New fossil mantidflies (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae) from the Mesozoic of north‐eastern China

Abstract:  Three new genera and four new species of the extinct mantidfly subfamily Mesomantispinae (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae) are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning and the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia: Archaeodrepanicus nuddsi gen. et sp. nov., A. acutus gen. et sp. nov., Sinomesomantispa microdentata gen. et sp. nov., (Yixian Formation) and Clavifemora rotundata gen. et sp. nov. (Jiulongshan Formation). The specimens described herein represent the first Mesozoic mantidfly compression fossils to have body parts preserved, including the specialized raptorial forelegs articulated to the prothorax anteriorly, an autapomorphy of the family. These new taxa further confirm the placement of the subfamily Mesomantispinae within the family Mantispidae; however, the monophyly of Mesomantispinae has not been confirmed, and it is likely that it will prove to be paraphyletic.     

辽宁中华弓鳍鱼(Sinamia)一新种

记述了辽宁西部九佛堂组和义县组中华弓鳍鱼一新种:辽宁中华弓鳍鱼Sinamia liaoningensis,并与该属的其他种进行了比较.新材料具有中华弓鳍鱼科的3个定义特征:单一的顶骨,三对额外肩胛骨和膜质翼耳骨短并与顶骨等长,无疑应归入该科.新种的后眶下骨较小,背鳍长大,鳞片菱形,因此,归入中华弓鳍鱼属.辽宁中华弓鳍鱼在以下几个方面不同于中华弓鳍鱼的5个已知种:体型短粗,吻骨较短,鼻骨近四方形,围眶骨较多(6),前鳃盖骨强烈弯曲,背鳍条较少(18),尾鳍条较多(16),臀鳍鳍基起点到鱼体背缘的鳞列较多(32),鳞片后缘不具锯齿,尾鳍具有纤维状的角质鳍条.     

山东寒武系苗岭统三叶虫消化系统的化石证据

三叶虫是寒武纪演化动物群中最引人注目的成员之一,其内部解剖结构一直以来受到广泛关注.与其他非生物矿化软体结构相比,三叶虫的消化系统更容易留下化石记录,为探索其内部结构提供了难得的机会.本文描述了来自山东省潍坊市寒武系馒头组的Proasaphiscus,Lioparia,Deiradonyx和Iranoleesia,以及...