SOME SILURIAN CORALS FROM THE VICINITY OF BEIYIN OBO,INNER MONGOLIA

The material dealt with in this paper was collected in 1955 by Mr.L.H.Wong and others of 241.Party of the Geological Bureau of North China,Ministry of Geology,at a locality about 20 km north-east of Beiyin Obo,InnerMongolia.According to the collectors'field observation,all the corals occur ina limestone imbedded in a red sandstone series,striking east to west and dip-ping to north.The thickness of the red sandstone series is unknown,it is over-lain by the Upper Carboniferous Triticites bed.The coral-horizon is estimatedat about 2,500 meters below the Triticites bed.No detailed stratigraphical dataare available.The corals described here comprise the following species:     

CARBONIFEROUS-PERMIAN BOUNDARY BEDS AND FUSULINID ZONES AT XIAODUSHAN, GUANGNAN, EASTERN YUNNAN

The Xiaodushan section is situated at about 5 km from the Babao village in Guangnan County in eastern Yunnan. In this section, the stratigraphic suecession from Lower Carboniferous to Middle Permian is continuous and ex-     

NEW FINDS OF MARIOPTERIS-REMAINS FROM CHINA

Mariopteris is one of the most important Carboniferous pteridosperms in the Eura-merican floras.It is represented by more than fifty species,most of which occur ratherwidely and abundantly in the Westphalian,and not uncommon in the Upper Namuriandeposits.A thorough study of the family Mariopterides including the form generaMariopteris,Tetratmema,Dicksonites,Pseudomariopteris and many species attributed tothem commonly found in the Carboniferous of North France has been made by P.Danzé-Corsin in 1953.The genus has hitherto not definitely been known in Eastern Asia;only a few frag-mentary specimens have been described by Kawasaki(1931—34,p.157,pl.28,fig.53)as?Mariopteris sp.from the Jido Series of Korea,by Sze(1934,p.604,pl.5,fig.8)asMariopteris?sp.from the Hsuanmachuang Series of Tachingshan,Inner Mongolia and byStockmans and Mathieu(1939,p.8,pl.8,fig.3)as Mariopteris?hallei from the Chaoko-chuang Series of Kaiping Basin.     

Identification of Contaminations Hiding Beneath the α- and β-Subunits of Partially Purified Nitrogenase MoFe Protein on the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Gel

To identify the unknown proteins that would contaminate the α- and β-subunits of nitrogenase MoFe protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE）, the partially purified MoFe protein （Avl） preparation was obtained from Azotobacter vinelandii Lipmann OP by chroma- tography on DEAE-cellulose （DE52） and Sephacryl S-200 columns and analyzed by PAGE and matrix- assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight （MALDI-TOF） mass spectrometry. The Av 1 preparation was shown to have two main bands at the position of the α- and β-subunits of crystalline Avl on the SDS gel. However, on the anoxic native PAGE, in addition to the Avl band, the preparation was shown to have three other main bands that migrated slower than Av 1. Of these three main bands, the protein with the fastest migration was identified as bacterioferritin elsewhere. The proteins on the other two bands, termed Upper and Middle, were suggested to be two different homopolymers with the same apparent subunit electrophoretic mobilities as the α- and β-subunits of Avl, respectively. By analysis of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the Upper was identified as GroEL, which belongs to the heat shock protein 60 family, and the Middle was identified as glucose-6-phosphate isomerase （PGI）. In our preparation, anoxic native electrophoresis indicated that GroEL was composed of 14 identical subunits and that PGI was composed of 10 identical subunits. This is the first report of PGI, with so many subunits. The contaminating proteins in the Av 1 preparation, mainly GroEL and PGI, could be totally or partially removed from Av 1 if the shoulders and center of the elution peak were collected separately from the Sephacryl S-200 column and the center fraction was purified further by Q-Sepharose developed with an NaC1 concentration gradient. Thus, Avl with more than 90% purity was obtained. Obviously, this modified method is useful for the purification of mutant MoFe proteins with a high purity.     

Identification of Contaminations Hiding Beneath the α- and β-Subunits of Partially Purified Nitrogenase MoFe Protein on the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Gel

To identify the unknown proteins that would contaminate the α- and β-subunits of nitrogenase MoFe protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the partially purified MoFe protein (Av 1) preparation was obtained from Azotobacter vinelandii Lipmann OP by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose (DE52) and Sephacryl S-200 columns and analyzed by PAGE and matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The Av 1 preparation was shown to have two main bands at the position of the α- and β-subunits of crystalline Avl on the SDS gel. However, on the anoxic native PAGE, in addition to the Ay 1 band, the preparation was shown to have three other main bands that migrated slower than Avl. Of these three main bands, the protein with the fastest migration was identified as bacterioferritin elsewhere. The proteins on the other two bands, termed Upper and Middle, were suggested to be two different homopolymers with the same apparent subunit electrophoretic mobilities as the α- and β-subunits of Avl, respectively. By analysis of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the Upper was identified as GroEL, which belongs to the heat shock protein 60 family, and the Middle was identified as glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (PGI). In our preparation, anoxic native electrophoresis indicated that GroEL was composed of 14 identical subunits and that PGI was composed of 10 identical subunits. This is the first report of PGI, with so many subunits. The contaminating proteins in the Av 1 preparation, mainly GroEL and PGI, could be totally or partially removed from Av1 if the shoulders and center of the elution peak were collected separately from the Sephacryl S-200 column and the center fraction was purified further by Q-Sepharose developed with an NaCl concentration gradient. Thus, Avl with more than 90% purity was obtained. Obviously, this modified method is useful for the purification of mutant MoFe proteins with a high purity.     

PRELIMINARY NOTE ON PRESENCE OF EARLY CARBONIFEROUS FLORULE FROM JILIN

The purpose of the present paper is to recordthe discovery of Early Carboniferous plants of An-gara floral aspects from Jilin province,with spe-cial reference to its geological and phytogeographi-cal bearings.The material was gathered by thegeologists of the Regional Geological Survey,Bure-au of Geology and Mineral Gesources,Jilin fromthe Lower Carboniferous Lujuantun Formation inPanshi District,Jilin Province(about 43°14′N Lat.and 125°31′E Long.)(Text fig.l)during geologicalmapping.The Lujuantun Formation,a set of darkgray to black,slightly metamorphic siltstone seriessome 500 m in thickness,is overlain by the UpperCarboniferous Mopanshan Formation.Here pub-lished is the stratigraphical sequence of a sectionof the Lujuantun Formation in descending orderfor reference.Overlying Mopanshan Formation(C_2m)     

湖北西部下二叠纪介虫类化石

The Upper Cambrian fossils were not known in South and SouthwesternChina before 1938,though a thick limestone series ranging from not less than100m to over one thousand meters known as the Ichang Limestone of the Gorgedistrict of the Yangtze and the Loushankwan Limestone of North Kueichou hasbeen partially referred by various authors to represent some part of the Upper     

NIPPONOSTENOPORIDAE,A NEW FAMILY OF TREPOSTOMIDA(BRYOZOA) FROM LATE EARLY CARBONIFEROUS OF ZHANYI,EASTERN YUNNAN

The bryozoans assigned to the Nipponostenoporidae (fam. nov.) including Nipponostenopora sinensis Yang, N. yanfangensis sp. nov. and Yunnanopora zhanyiensis gen. et sp. nov. were collected from the Carboniferous strata outcropping in the mountain area of Yanfang, a village in Zhanyi, eastern Yunnan. According     

Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja （Juglandaceae） from the Hunchun Formation （Eocene）, Jilin Province, China

The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation （Middle Eocene） shows similarity to that of modem C. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest fossil record in Europe and Asia. The distributions of C. cf. paliurus and other fossil records, such as Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Nyssa, and Liquidambar, in Hunchun flora show that it would have been a warmer-temperature to subtropical climate in Hunchun District during the Eocene period.     

Microfossil assemblage from the Late of Middle Carboniferous in Western Shaan-Gan-Ning Basin,Northwest China

In this paper, some results of the study on the sporepollen of the Yanghugou Formation in the western Shaan-Gan-Ning (Ordos) Basin of Northwest China axe reported. Plenty of well preserved microfossil, which 136 types belong to 62 microspore genera and one megaspore genus, including 2 new genera , 13 new species, I Acritarch (Chamosphaera pseudozonatus gen. et sp. nov.), from 8 bore-holes and outcrop have been discribed. In generally, the microfiora of the Yanghugou Formation is similar to the Taiyuan Formation (Upper Carboniferous). According to the spore-pollen assemblage of Yanghugou Formation may correlate with those in the Middle Carboniferous of Great Britain, Belgium the north of France, German and North America. Besides, the assemblage are similar to Middle Carboniferous of Nortth Shandong and Hengshanbu of Ningxia in the microfossil assemblage. The geological age of the beds is considered to Late of Middle Carboniferous.     

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。     

ZOSTEROGRAMMIDA, A NEW ORDER OF MILLIPEDES FROM THE MIDDLE SILURIAN OF SCOTLAND AND THE UPPER CARBONIFEROUS OF EURAMERICA

Abstract:  New Palaeozoic millipedes, Zosterogrammus stichostethus gen. et sp. nov. and Casiogrammus ichthyeros gen. and sp. nov., are described from the Francis Creek Shale Member of the Carbondale Formation (Upper Carboniferous: Pennsylvanian), Mazon Creek, Illinois, and the Hagshaw Hills Inlier (Middle Silurian: Wenlock) of the Midland Valley of Scotland, respectively. These millipedes, together with Purkynia lata Fritsch from the Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian D) of Nýřany, Czech Republic, are placed in the new family Zosterogrammidae within the new order Zosterogrammida. All of these millipedes have very broad terga with a microsculpture consisting of fine transverse terrace lines along the anterior of the terga and oblique terrace lines across the remainder. Zosterogrammida have a trunk-ring architecture consisting of an arched diplotergite, a pair of free ventral diplopleurites and a pair of free ventral sternites, indicating a relatively basal phylogenetic position within Chilognatha. Although the exact phylogenetic position is indeterminate, Zosterogrammus stichostethus has divided sternites, indicating a possible affinity with the Pentazonia. The Hagshaw Hills millipede contributes significantly to the high-rank diversity of Middle Silurian millipedes as all previously described taxa of this age belong to the Archipolypoda.     

海南岛昌江地区石炭纪牙形刺化石

海南岛昌江地区前人所称南好组第四段及第三段分别发现的牙形刺Siphonodella isosticha-S.cooperi组合及Mesogondolella clarki组合,表明该组包括了早石炭早期及晚石炭世早中期,而不是传统的认为的属早石炭世并可能包括中－晚泥盆世,同时还证实原南好组第三段层位远远高于第四段,而不是位于其下,从而纠正了前人长期沿用的该地区石炭系层序的错误,并指出昌江地区石炭纪牙形刺属华南古生物地理系。     

The identification of the dermal bones of the head

The discovery of the ichthyostegid Amphibia in Upper Devonian rocks by Säve-Söderbergh (1932) introduced further difficulties into the already complex problems of the dermal bones of the skull roof. For some years previously ideas about the origin of the tetrapods had been dominated by Watson's (1926) Croonian Lecture in which he had demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the crossopterygian fishes and not the Dipnoi were their ancestors, and had attempted to show that many of the features of the Carboniferous labyrinthodonts were a direct inheritance from these fishes. It was to be expected, therefore, that any Amphibia from the Upper Devonian would be intermediate in their structures between the Middle Devonian osteolepids and the Carboniferous labyrinthodonts, but when discovered the ichthyostegids did not conform at all well to this expectation. While their skulls showed some very primitive features which might have been expected, the pattern of the dermal bones did not conform to plan, for these new animals had lost, it seemed, the intertemporals, bones found in both the osteolepids and nearly all early labyrinthodonts, and had a single postparietal bone in place of the paired bones of all other early Amphibia. The osteolepid skull had many more bones than these earliest Amphibia.     

PHYSOSTOMA CALCARATUM SP. NOV., A TENTACLED SEED FROM THE MIDDLE PENNSYLVANIAN OF KANSAS

A new species of Physostoma is described from Kansas coal balls of Middle Pennsylvanian age. The seed is small, ovoid, and radially symmetrical. The integument consists of 6–10 rounded segments, fused in the lower half of the seed but free in the upper. Distinct spurs are formed by the segments near the base of the seed. The integument is essentially non-sclerified and has a distinct blow-off epidermis. Each segment is supplied by a single vascular trace. The pollen reception mechanism consists of a short cylindrical salpinx, a bell-shaped lagenostome, and a shallow plinth. A central column is present within the salpinx. It is suggested that the Upper Carboniferous seed genera Conostoma and Physostoma may have been derived from the Lower Carboniferous genera Salpingostoma-Euryostoma and Genomosperma-Hydrasperma, respectively.     

STUDIES OF CARBONIFEROUS FUNGI. II. THE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF MYCOCARPON,SPOROCARPON, DUBIOCARPON,AND COLEOCARPON (ASCOMYCOTINA)

The problematic organism, Sporocarpon, was among the first fossil fungi to be described. The genus was actually a heterogeneous assemblage of fungal forms, and was eventually divided into several taxa including Sporocarpon, Dubiocarpon, and Mycocarpon. In the present paper these organisms, as well as a similar, previously undescribed genus, Coleocarpon; are described from Lower, Middle, and Upper Pennsylvanian strata in North America, and from Upper Carboniferous sediments in England. Although initially considered to be radiolarian-like protozoa, these structures show far more similarity to ascomycetous cleistothecia. All forms are ornamented, spherical bodies with a complex wall which encloses scattered asci and ascospores. Taxa are distinguished primarily by differences in the organization of the cleistothecial wall. Structurally similar organisms are found today among the Eurotiales.     

The Middle‐Upper Tournaisian boundary event

The Middle‐Upper Tournaisian boundary broadly correlating with the Kinderhookian‐Osagean boundary in North America represents a level of a conspicuous lithological as well as biotic change. The decline of Chernyshinella and increased representation of eurythermal and agglutinated forms marks the end of Cherepet evolutionary cycle in calcareous foraminifers. In conodonts the decline of Siphonodella inhabiting the pelagic to hemipelagic dysphotic to aphotic environment accompanied by a widespread dispersal and diversification of nektobenthic gnathodids characterizes the end of the first Tournaisian conodont cycle. A major regression associated with important sedimentological changes marks the boundary between the middle and upper Tournaisian mega‐sequences. The above changes in fauna and lithology seem to be connected with climatic oscillations and accompanying oceanographic changes. They are a part of the broader Upper Devonian‐Lower Carboniferous cyclic scheme which appears to have been modified by a complicated interplay of cyclic and nonrecurring processes.     

Revision of Famennian-Tournaisian (Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous) conodont biostratigraphy of Sardinia,Italy

Conodont biostratigraphy of the Famennian and Tournaisian of Sardinia is provided on the basis of all data available in the literature. More than 130 conodont taxa documented from this time-interval allow recognition of nineteen conodont biozones. The zonation scheme adopted here is broadly similar to the standard zonation schemes used in the Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous, though a few variations are needed to better accommodate the species occurrences in Sardinia: the velifer Zone and the styriacus Zone have been reintroduced, even though with slightly different meanings than previously used; the Lower praesulcata Zone is expanded to include the Middle praesulcata interval. The Upper praesulcata Zone and the sulcata Zone are missing. All zones are described and discussed and a complete list of bioevents is provided.     

Revision of the family Idelinellidae,with a review of the Permian Eoblattida (Insecta)

Permian Eoblattida, which include the families Tillyardembiidae, Protembiidae (=Sylvardembiidae), Soyanopteridae, and Idelinellidae, are reviewed. The latter family is revised; it includes Idelinella macroptera Storozhenko, 1997 from the Middle Permian (Lower Kazanian Substage) of northern European Russia, Permostriga augustalis Novokshonov, 1999, Sylvastriga miranda Aristov, 2004, Strigulla cuculiophora (Aristov, 2002) comb. nov., Cucullistriga cucullata Aristov et Rasnitsyn, gen. et sp. nov., Scutistriga scutata Aristov et Rasnitsyn, gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Permian (Kungurian Stage) of the Urals, Permeoblatta borealis Rasnitsyn et Aristov, 2010 from the Upper Permian (Upper Severodvinian Substage) of northern European Russia, and probably also Rasstriga americana Aristov et Rasnitsyn, gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Carboniferous (Desmoinesian Stage) of Illinois.