bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marjuman (Cambrian) agnostoid trilobites of the Cow Head Group, western Newfoundland
Authors: Westrop Stephen R. , Ludvigsen Rolf , Kindle Cecil H.
Published: August 2016

Shelf-derived limestone boulders in debris flows of the Cow Head Group, western Newfoundland, have yielded rich mid- to Upper Cambrian trilobite faunas. The agnostoid component of Marjuman boulders consists of 23 species assigned to 11 genera;Kormagnostus boltoniandKormagnostus?copelandiare new. Cladistic parsimony analysis of the Ptychagnostidae Kobayashi reduces this family to 3 genera:PtychagnostusJaekel,PseudophalacromaPokrovskaya andLejopygeHawle and Corda;Ptychagnostusincludes three non-obligate subgenera:P. (Ptychagnostus) (= TomagnostusHowell);P. (Goniagnostus) Howell andP. (Aotagnostus) öpik (=Myrmecomimusöpik). Correlation with zonations established in northern Canada and Utah indicates that the Cow Head Group includes a nearly complete sequence of agnostoid faunas from the mid-CambrianPtychagnostus gibbusZone to the Upper MarjumanCedaria brevifronsZone.
Eocene Caribbean reef corals: a unique fauna from the Gatuncillo Formation of Panama
Authors: Budd Ann F. , Stemann Thomas A. , Stewart Robert H.
Published: August 2016

Forty-three species of 25 genera are described in a collection of 170 large, massive reef corals from the upper Eocene Gatuncillo Formation near Lago Alahuela in central Panama. Comparisons with type material for other Eocene Caribbean reef corals suggest that 27 of these species are new. Twenty-four of these species are named herein. Like other Eocene Caribbean reef-coral faunas, the fauna is rich in Astrocoenia, Actinacis, and Astreopora; however, unlike other faunas, plocoid and meandroid members of the family Faviidae (e.g., Montastraea, Agathiphyllia, Goniastrea, and Colpophyllia) are abundant. Also present are the oldest known representatives of the genera Meandrina, Coscinaraea, Alveopora, Heliopora, and Pocillopora, as well as the only recorded occurrences of Coscinaraea and Cyathoseris from the Caribbean. Comparisons with Oligocene and Recent Caribbean reef-coral faunas suggest that the generic composition of Cenozoic Caribbean reefs became established during the Eocene. With exception of the family Mussidae, much of the post-Oligocene history of the Caribbean is one of extinction at the generic level (19 of the 28 Eocene genera became extinct) and proliferation of species within the surviving genera.
Anchicodium Johnson: branched or phylloid?
Authors: Torres Andrew M. , Baars D. L.
Published: August 2016

Membranous phylloid algae of the late Paleozoic have commonly been identified as Anchicodium Johnson, whereas the genus was originally described as being cylindrical and branched, much like modern Codium. The holotypes cannot be located, but examination of one lectotype specimen and neotypic thin sections from material from several of Johnson's original collection sites indicates that the original descriptions were valid.
Algae, proalgae, and eualgae
Authors: Van Valen Leigh M.
Published: August 2016

As Torres (1991) and others have noted, the term “algae” no longer refers to a taxonomically useful group. It does, though, refer to an easily recognized adaptive facies. This adaptive facies contains both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, as do various others (e.g., nanoplankton or decomposers). The blue-green algae are thus indeed algae in this useful sense. More than terminology is involved, because a concept like that of adaptive facies can be forgotten if we focus solely on taxa. The terms “proalgae” and “eualgae” can be used transparently when we want to distinguish prokaryotic from eukaryotic algae. “Proalgae” has in fact been proposed as a formal taxon (Van Valen, 1986); the terms come from Van Valen and Maiorana (1980). Similarly, one can refer to the nonhomologous kinds of flagellae as proflagellae and euflagellae while retaining a general term.
Dinohyusaff.D. hollandi(Mammalia, Entelodontidae) in Alabama
Authors: Westgate James W.
Published: August 2016

In 1968, R. H. Kilpatrick of Milton, Florida, discovered three large entelodont teeth in the bed of the Conecuh River in Alabama. Frank C. Whitmore, Jr. of the U.S. Geological Survey identified the specimens, visited the fossil locality, and began a study of this unique find. Two decades later, Whitmore realized that devotion to his true research interest, the study of fossil cetaceans, would not allow him time to complete the study of the entelodont remains. He generously passed the specimens on to the writer to finish the project for which he had laid the groundwork.
Microfossil vacuum picker—a new tool for micropaleontologists
Authors: Némethy Sándor , Malmgren Björn A.
Published: August 2016

A considerable part of micropaleontological work consists of picking microfossils for various types of analyses. Physical removal of specimens from a sample is necessary, for example, in morphometric, stable isotope, geochemical, and molecular studies of microfossils. The traditional method for picking microfossils involves transfer of each specimen from the picking tray to a slide using a moistened brush or a needle. This process requires a great deal of time and the risk of losing or damaging the specimen on the way from the picking tray to the slide is apparent. Furthermore, in geochemical analyses, the use of a moistened brush or needle for picking considerably increases the risk of contamination by undesirable organic substances, such as amino acids and polysaccharids. The brush-licking practised by some micropaleontologists results in anthropogenic contamination, which affects the results of molecular micropaleontologic analyses. We present a simple and effective device for microfossil picking, which may save about 60 percent of the time devoted to picking microfossils and prevent contamination during preparation.
Ostracodes from the Maxville Limestone (Mississippian, Chesterian) from Ohio
Authors: Hoare R. D.
Published: August 2016

A diverse fauna of ostracodes comprising 21 species representing 20 genera are described from the Maxville Limestone in central Ohio. Eight new species are proposed—Roundyella incompta, Deloia spinula, Lokius morsei, Bairdia prolixa, Acratia prolata, Waylandella depresssa, Pseudobythocypris securis, and Paracavellina cooperi.

Oliganisus secunda (Croneis and Bristol), Glyptopleura costata (McCoy), and Geffenina praelonga Cooper are represented by tecnomorphs and heteromorphs. Specimens of Sansabella bradfieldi Coryell and Sohn show reversal of valve overlap.

The ostracode fauna indicates a Chesterian age for the Maxville Limestone.
An unusual new asteriid (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from the Cretaceous of California
Authors: Blake Daniel B. , Peterson Dallas O.
Published: August 2016

Pegaster stichos n. gen. and sp., from the Cretaceous Chico Formation of Northern California, is the first-known fossil representative of the hitherto monogeneric Neomorphasterinae (Asteroidea: Asteriidae). Pegaster is morphologically similar to living Neomorphaster, again demonstrating the conservative evolution noted elsewhere among asteroids. Pegaster probably lived in a shallow shelf environment subject to strong storm action whereas Neomorphaster is known only from considerably greater depths; Pegaster provides a new example of an asteroid taxon excluded from shallower habitats through time.
A specimen of Timoroblastus coronatus Wanner (Blastoidea: Fissiculata; Permian) with inverted basals
Authors: Foote Mike
Published: August 2016

Although basic skeletal design tends to be rather stable within classes and lower level taxa of echinoderms, Echinodermata as a phylum shows an enormous range of symmetries, including forms that are amorphous, bilateral, and pentameral. Variations in symmetry within taxa are not simply curiosities, but have been used to infer modes of development and patterns of evolution of symmetry (Lane and Webster, 1967; Macurda, 1980; Galloway, 1990). During a recent morphometric study (Foote, 1991) involving the blastoid collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology (UMMP), a specimen of the fissiculate blastoid species Timoroblastus coronatus was found with the azygous basal in the CD interray. This appears to represent the first reported case of basal inversion in this species, and increases the number of blastoid genera in which basal inversion is known to at least six.
Proceedings of the Eighty-fourth Annual Meeting Cincinnati, Ohio, October 25–28, 1992
Authors: Wolberg Donald L.
Published: August 2016

The Outgoing Council met Sunday, October 25, 1992, in the Hyatt, Bluegrass Room A-B, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The meeting was called to order by President Kaesler at 7:00 PM. Present for the Outgoing Council Meeting were: Roger Kaesler, Tom Bolton, Rod Feldmann, Steve Stanley, June Ross, Don Wolberg, Don Steinker, Arnie Miller, Carl Koch, Steve Culver, and Scott Lidgard. President Kaesler asked for a motion to approve the agenda and June Ross so moved, Rod Feldmann seconded the motion, which passed without objection.
Presentation of The Paleontological Society Medal to Malcolm C. McKenna
Authors: Flynn John J.
Published: August 2016

I have the great pleasure to be the citationist for presentation of the 1992 Paleontological Society Medal to Dr. Malcolm C. McKenna. Malcolm McKenna has had a profound influence on our profession, both as a research scientist and a mentor. He is one of the most broadly trained and interested scientists I know, and he has a consuming passion for learning. He loves all aspects of paleontology—field work, literature, laboratory analysis of specimens, theory, even fossil preparation (in his enthusiasm to uncover critical specimens, or trusting only himself to perform delicate preparation of unique fossils). Malcolm has never been afraid to propose controversial ideas, to change his mind when wrong, to tackle problems that others consider insoluble, or to incorporate new scientific techniques in his work before others realize their significance.
A new hexactinellid sponge from the Eocene of Kutch, India
Authors: Rigby J. Keith , Mohanti Manmohan
Published: August 2016

A single specimen of the new dictyonine hexactinellid speciesVerrucocoelia biswasiwas collected from the Middle Eocene Fulra Limestone from Lakhpat Fort, Kutch, western India. The euretoid species is broadly bowl-shaped, 7–8 cm wide and 5–6 cm high, with walls of branched to weakly anastomosed tubes that extend upward and outward from a simple, unfluted, walled spongocoel. Skeletal strands diverge upward and outward from near the gastral surface of each tube. The sponge occurs in silty tan marl with abundant alveolinids and less common other large foraminifera, bivalves, and gastropods in sediments thought to have accumulated in a quiet, sheltered environment, possibly a lagoon.
Pacific Slope Cretaceous bivalves: eight venerid species
Authors: Saul L. R.
Published: August 2016

Four new venerid species from the Cretaceous of the North American Pacific Slope are described and four previously described species are reassigned. Of the new species, two are allotted to new genera: Rhaiphiale based upon Rhaiphiale pharota n. sp. and Egrona based upon Egrona fallax n. sp., both Turonian in age and from southern California. The other new species are Loxo quintense n. sp., of late Maastrichtian age from California, and Paraesa cedrina n. sp., late Albian in age from Baja California, Mexico. The previously described species “Meretrix” arata Gabb, 1864, Turonian, and “?Meretrix” fragilis Gabb, 1869, late Maastrichtian, are placed in the new genus Callistalox; “Meretrix” lens (Gabb, 1864), Campanian age, and Flaventia zeta Popenoe, 1937, Turonian, are provisionally assigned to Paraesa Casey, 1952. This is the first identification of Paraesa from the Pacific Slope of North America. No species of Flaventia Jukes-Brown, 1908, is now known in Pacific Slope faunas.
Evolution in Yoderimyinae (Eomyidae: Rodentia), with new material from the White River Formation (Chadronian) at Flagstaff Rim, Wyoming
Authors: Emry Robert J. , Korth William W.
Published: August 2016

Three species of Yoderimyinae (Eomyidae: Rodentia) are recognized from the lower part of the White River Formation (early to medial Chadronian) in the Flagstaff Rim area, Wyoming. The new material allows an improved diagnosis for the subfamily. The enamel microstructure of Yoderimyinae supports its inclusion in the Eomyidae.

A new genus, Zemiodontomys, is established for Yoderimys burkei Black, and new material, including upper dentition, is referred to this species. This genus differs from Yoderimys in having higher crowned and more lophodont teeth and in lacking P3. A second new genus, Litoyoderimys, is established for Yoderimys lustrorum Wood, and a new species, L. auogoleus, is referred to the genus. This genus has lower crowned, more cuspate teeth than Yoderimys.

Through early and medial Chadronian time, evolution in yoderimyines includes the following morphologic transformations: increase in size; increase in crown height and lophodonty of cheek teeth; reduction of P3 (from double-rooted, to single-rooted, to absent); increase in relative size of P4 and p4; and increased longitudinal torsion of the mandible.
Late Pleistocene vertebrates from downtown San Francisco, California
Authors: Rodda Peter U. , Baghai Nina
Published: August 2016

Disarticulated elements from three individuals ofMammuthuscf.M. columbi(Falconer) and one individual ofBisoncf.B. latifrons(Harlan) were recovered from an excavation in gravelly, sandy clay of the Colma Formation at the southeast base of Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California. This is the most abundant collection of late Pleistocene terrestrial vertebrates reported from San Francisco, and only the fourth record from excavations in the city proper. TheMammuthus-Bisonassociation indicates a Rancholabrean age, and elements of these two taxa from this site have been radiocarbon dated at 25,380 ± 1,100 years B.P. Geologic setting, lithology, associated diatoms and pollen, and preservation of the bones suggest that these animals were buried rapidly in a boggy environment on the west margin of the broad valley now occupied by San Francisco Bay.
The trace fossil Dactyloidites ottoi (Geinitz, 1849) from the Neogene August Town Formation of south-central Jamaica
Authors: Pickerill Ron K. , Donovan Stephen K. , Dixon Harold L.
Published: August 2016

Rosette-shaped problematica are relatively common structures in the Phanerozoic rock record. Historically, they have been accorded a variety of names and documented from various shallow to deep marine environments. Unfortunately, the detailed interpretation of many such structures as biogenic (trace fossils, medusoids, or other body fossils; see, for example, Häntzschel, 1970, 1975) or nonbiogenic (for example, Pickerill and Harris, 1979) in origin still remains to be resolved. However, a detailed analysis of one such structure by Fürsich and Bromley (1985), namely Dactyloidites Hall, 1886, convincingly demonstrated its biogenic origin. The distinctive morphology of Dactyloidites and its synonyms was interpreted by Fürsich and Bromley (1985) to result from successive probings of an essentially stationary deposit-feeding, worm-like organism, possibly possessing a proboscis, to produce a rosetted, vertical spreiten with a centrally located, vertical or subvertical shaft.
Clarification of the genus Nematothallus Lang
Authors: Strother Paul K.
Published: August 2016

Upper Silurian and lowermost Devonian fossil plant assemblages are often dominated by fragmentary remains of problematic land plants that are composed of a tubular anatomy. Traditionally, these remains have been divided into two morphotypes: large three-dimensionally preserved axes (the Prototaxites group), and smaller thalloid incrustations referred to the genus Nematothallus Lang. Because of their peculiar anatomy of different combinations of tubular elements, these plants do not appear to be closely related to the Tracheidatae (sensu Bremer et al., 1987). Neither do they fit easily into any extant algal groups (Rossat, 1952; Edwards, 1982; Strother, 1988). For these reasons, when he first described the genus Nematothallus, Lang (1937) constructed an informal class of plants, the nematophytales, to include these fossils. Strother (1988) further emphasized the differences between the nematophytales and both embryophytes and algae by placing them into a new group, the Paraphyta.
Patterns and processes of heterochrony in lower Tertiary turritelline gastropods, U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains
Authors: Allmon Warren D.
Published: August 2016

Heterochrony is an important component of evolutionary change in the shell sculpture of turritelline gastropods from Paleocene and Eocene sediments of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains. A survey of heterochronic modes in these gastropods indicates that peramorphosis is dominant over paedomorphosis, a result counter to the pattern previously reported in gastropods and most other groups. Although lack of ontogenetic age data makes firm conclusions impossible at present, peramorphic patterns may have been produced by more than a single process. Possible explanations for the dominance of peramorphosis in the evolution of shell form in this group include a bigger role for intrinsic constraint in controlling shell form versus soft-part anatomy, selection for larger shell size, and the chance discovery of only peramorphosis in this study.
Ammonite fauna from the Wenonah Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of New Jersey
Authors: Kennedy W. J. , Cobban W. A.
Published: August 2016

The Wenonah Formation of New Jersey yields an ammonite fauna comprisingMenuites portlocki(Sharpe, 1855),Placenticeras placenta(DeKay, 1828),P. minorn. sp.,Nostoceras (Nostoceras) puzosiformen. sp.,Nostoceras (Nostoceras)aff.N. colubriformisStephenson, 1941,Didymocerasn. sp.,Didymocerasspp.,Parasolenocerassp.,Baculitescf.B. scottiCobban, 1958,Baculitessp., andTrachyscaphites pulcherrimus(Roemer, 1841). Although commonly regarded as lower Maastrichtian by micropaleontologists, the presence ofM. portlockiandT. pulcherrimusis an indicator of upper, but not uppermost, Campanian in a northwest European sense, and the presence ofBaculitescf.B. scottisuggests uppermost middle Campanian in terms of the Western Interior provincial substages.
Occurrence of the rare genus Anapteris (Bivalvia: Corbulidae) in the Eocene of California
Authors: Givens Charles R.
Published: August 2016

Anapteris van winkle (1919) is a distinctive corbulid genus characterized by the left valve having a peculiar wing-like flare anteriorly and both valves having the posterior area set off by a prominent umbonal keel (Vokes, 1945; Keen, 1969). Heretofore this genus has been known only from the type species, A. regalis Van Winkle (1919; 1921), which has been recorded only from the upper middle Eocene (Bartonian) Piney Point Formation in Virginia (Ward, 1985). The purpose of this note is to record the second known occurrence of Anapteris. The genus is present in the lower middle Eocene of southern California, where it is represented by Corbula wardii Hanna (1927).
Planalvus(Brachiopoda, Athyridida) from the Lower Devonian of the Armorican Massif, northwest France
Authors: Racheboeuf Patrick R. , Copper Paul , Alvarez Fernando
Published: August 2016

Cryptonella?cailliaudiBarrois, 1889, from the Lower Devonian of the Armorican Massif, is tentatively assigned to the athyridid brachiopod genusPlanalvusCarter, thus far known only from the Lower Carboniferous of eastern North America. In addition, a new species,Planalvus rufus, is described from the Bois-Roux Formation (Pragian) of Brittany, France. These French species are small brachiopods with complex spiralial and jugal structures, which permit assignment to the order Athyridida.
Paleoenvironmental control of species distributions and intraspecific variability in Neogene Corbulidae (Bivalvia: Myacea) of the Dominican Republic
Authors: Anderson Laurie C.
Published: August 2016

The widespread occurrence and local abundance of corbulid bivalves in Neogene deposits of the northern Dominican Republic provide an opportunity to evaluate physical controls on species distributions and intraspecific variability in this group. First and last appearances of species probably do not record speciation and extinction, but instead represent migrations into and out of the study area, and reflect corbulids' preference for marginal-marine and shallow-marine conditions.Corbula cercadicaandC. vimineashow patterns of intraspecific morphologic variability over time and space.Corbula cercadicashows continuous morphologic variability along a paleoenvironmental gradient of salinity, depth, and bioclastic fabric, whereas variation inC. vimineais morphologically clinal from west to east in roughly contemporaneous sediments, with variability related to sediment type and bioclastic fabric. Ecophenotypic variation or genetic differences, rather than taphonomic processes, seem to control geographic variability withinC. cercadicaandC. viminea.Although it is not possible to determine whether intraspecific morphologic variability was under genetic control, its stronger relationship with paleoenvironmental conditions relative to stratigraphic position suggests lack of anagenetic morphological evolution.
Australian Triassic lungfish skulls
Authors: Kemp A.
Published: August 2016

Skull bones ofGosfordia truncataWoodward, 1891, from the Lower Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone of New South Wales, Australia, are described for the first time. The skull roofing pattern suggests possible affinities betweenG. truncataandParaceratodus germaini(Triassic, southwest Madagascar). A three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull ofCeratodus formosusWade, 1935, based on the holotype, found in a Lower Triassic deposit at Brookvale in New South Wales, is included. This reconstruction indicates that this species is not closely related either to the recent Australian lungfish,Neoceratodus forsteri, or to the TriassicCeratodus(Tellerodus)sturiifrom Nord Alpen in Austria, and it has no close affinities withG. truncata.A new genus,Ariguna, is therefore proposed to receiveCeratodus formosusWade, 1935. Without associated tooth plate material,G. truncataandA. formosacannot be defined more precisely.
A medusoid from the Late Ordovician or Early Silurian of Jämtland, central Sweden
Authors: Cherns Lesley
Published: August 2016

Patanacta pedina n. gen. and sp. is interpreted as a medusoid from the late Ordovician or early Silurian of Jämtland, central Sweden. The unique specimen is from the Kyrkås Quartzite Formation, a poorly fossiliferous, allochthonous sequence of metasediments in a lower nappe of the frontal zone of the Scandinavian Caledonides. A marginal marine depositional environment is inferred for the Kyrkås facies.
Morrowan lithistid demosponges and hexactinellids from the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas
Authors: Rigby J. Keith , Manger Walter L.
Published: August 2016

Silicified and well-preserved specimens of the new orchocladine anthaspidellid genus and species, Virgaspongia ichnata, the rhizomorine haplistiid, Haplistion sphaericum Finks, 1960, and various root tufts, and the new hexactinellid species Steioderma hadra are reported from the Brentwood Member of the Morrowan Bloyd Formation from the Sulphur City quadrangle, in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas. Virgaspongia is a subcylindrical branched or unbranched sponge that lacks a spongocoel and has a dendroclone-based skeleton in which trabs diverge upward and outward from an axial region. It is abundant here but is one of only a few anthaspidellid genera known from the Pennsylvanian. This is the first record of Haplistion from Pennsylvanian rocks of Arkansas, although the genus is widespread in upper Paleozoic rocks. The new hexactinellid species, Stioderma hadra, also documents the first occurrence of that genus from Arkansas and in Morrowan rocks. Only fragments were recovered but the swollen grotesque spicules, of several sizes, that make the fused dermal layer and outer sponge wall are distinctive, particularly where combined with an inner layer(?) or root tuft of monaxons of various sizes. Two different root tufts and one demosponge wall fragment(?) also occur in the collection.
Speocarcinus berglundi n. sp. (Decapoda: Brachyura), a new crab from the Imperial Formation (late Miocene-late Pliocene) of southern California
Authors: Tucker Annette B. , Feldmann Rodney M. , Powell Charles L.
Published: August 2016

Speocarcinus berglundi n. sp. is described from the Imperial Formation in Riverside County, California. Although the Imperial Formation spans late Miocene through late Pliocene time, the part of the unit that bears crabs has been radiometrically dated as late Miocene. The identification of a new species was based upon comparison with four extant species and represents the first documented fossil occurrence for the genus. The occurrence of this new species suggests that the genus may have originated in the Pacific and, during the Miocene, dispersed through the Isthmus of Panama to the Caribbean. Two of the specimens exhibit parasitism by Bopyridae (Isopoda).
New Lower Silurian (Llandovery) encrinurine trilobites from the Mackenzie Mountains, Canada
Authors: Edgecombe Gregory D.
Published: August 2016

Silicified encrinurine trilobites from Telychian strata of the Whittaker Formation east of Avalanche Lake, District of Mackenzie, Canada, includeBriania jeffersonin. gen. and sp. andJohntempleia pamaen. gen. and sp. Morphology ofBrianiasuggests an origin near the divergence ofPacificurusfrom thevariolarisplexus.Johntempleiaalso includes Rhuddanian–Aeronian diversity from Scotland, and is resolved as the basal branch of thepunctatusplexus.Briania jeffersoniandJohntempleia pamaeco-occur with rare taxa of thevariolarisplexus (“Nucleurus” spp. A and B) in a deep-water assemblage dominated byCromusand the odontopleuridStelckaspis.Stratigraphic range data for encrinurine genera identify the late Telychian to early Sheinwoodian as a time of taxonomic turnover.
Andinacaste (Trilobita) from the earliest Devonian of Argentina
Authors: Edgecombe Gregory D. , Waisfeld Beatriz G. , Vaccarp Norberto E.
Published: August 2016

The acastomorph calmoniid trilobite Andinacaste Eldredge and Braniša, 1980, has been known from the basal Devonian (Lower Lochkovian) of Bolivia. Andinacaste espejensis n. sp., described from probable Lower Lochkovian strata of the Los Espejos Formation in the Precordillera of San Juan Province, is the first Argentine record of this genus. Accordingly, Andinacaste is identified as a typical component of basal Devonian trilobite assemblages over a broad geographic range in Andean South America.
New species and subspecies of Streptognathodus (Conodonta) from the Virgilian (Late Carboniferous) of Kansas
Authors: Ritter Scott M.
Published: August 2016

Three new species and one new subspecies of Streptognathodus were discovered during systematic stratigraphic study of conodonts from Virgilian cyclothems of Kansas. Streptognathodus bitteri n. sp. characterizes faunas from the middle of the Plattsmouth Limestone but ranges into the upper Wabaunsee Group. Streptognathodus brownvillensis n. sp. is restricted to the Brownville Limestone. Streptognathodus holtensis n. sp. occurs in the Holt Shale, as well as the Church, Burlingame, Wakarusa, and Elmont Limestones. A new subspecies of S. pawhuskaensis (S. pawhuskaensis deflectus) was recovered from the lower half of the Shawnee Group.
Morphological and microstructural evidence for the origin and early evolution of Ecphora (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
Authors: Carter Joseph G. , Rossbach Thomas J. , Robertson Keith J. , Ward Lauck W.
Published: August 2016

Ecphora is one of the most easily recognized gastropod genera in late Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene marine formations in the southeastern United States. Its generally large size, strong spiral ribs, and brown, calcitic exterior are much prized by fossil collectors. However, despite speculations by Petuch (1988), its evolutionary origins have remained obscure. The present shell microstructural and mineralogical evidence suggests that the earliest ecphoras were entirely aragonitic and that the thick calcitic outer layer of the later Miocene and Pliocene species originated as a thin calcitic crust on the crests of the ribs of a latest Oligocene or earliest Miocene species.
Stratigraphic distributions of genera and species of Neogene to Recent Caribbean reef corals
Authors: Budd Ann F. , Stemann Thomas A. , Johnson Kenneth G.
Published: August 2016

To document evolutionary patterns in late Cenozoic Caribbean reef corals, we compiled composite stratigraphic ranges of 49 genera and 175 species using Neogene occurrences in the Cibao Valley sequence of the northern Dominican Republic and faunal lists for 24 Miocene to Recent sites across the Caribbean region. This new compilation benefits in particular from increased sampling at late Miocene to early Pleistocene sites and from increased resolution and greater taxonomic consistency provided by the use of morphometric procedures in species recognition.

Preliminary examination and quantitative analysis of origination and extinction patterns suggest that a major episode of turnover took place between 4 and 1 Ma during Plio-Pleistocene time. During the episode, extinctions were approximately simultaneous in species of all reef-building families, except the Mussidae. Most strongly affected were the Pocilloporidae (Stylophora and Pocillopora), Agariciidae (Pavona and Gardineroseris), and free-living members of the Faviidae and Meandrinidae. At the genus level, mono- and paucispecific as well as more speciose genera became regionally extinct. Many of the extinct genera live today in the Indo-Pacific region, and some are important components of modern eastern Pacific reefs. Global extinctions were concentrated in free-living genera. During the turnover episode, no new genera or higher taxa arose. Instead, new species originated within the surviving Caribbean genera at approximately the same time as the extinctions, including many dominant modern Caribbean reef-building corals (e.g., Acropora palmata and the Montastraea annularis complex).

Excluding this episode, the taxonomic composition of the Caribbean reef-coral fauna remained relatively unchanged during the Neogene. Minor exceptions include: 1) high originations in the Agariciidae and free-living corals during late Miocene time; and 2) regional or global extinctions of several important Oligocene Caribbean reef builders during early to middle Miocene time.
The Permian ammonoid Demarezites Ruzhencev from the Phosphoria Formation, Idaho
Authors: Spinosa Claude , Nassichuk W. W.
Published: August 2016

Representatives of the ancestral cyclolobin ammonoid Demarezites Ruzhencev (Cyclolobidae) are known from only a few localities in North America where they occur as rare faunal elements. Demarezites furnishi n. sp. is based on a single specimen from “Middle” Permian (Roadian) strata in the Meade Peak Member of the Phosphoria Formation in eastern Idaho. Several specimens of the closely comparable Demarezites n. sp., described herein, are known from the Pipeline Shale Member of the Brushy Canyon Formation in West Texas.
Planktic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and87Sr/86Sr isotopic stratigraphy of the Oligocene-to-Pleistocene sedimentary sequence in the southeastern Calabrian microplate, southern Italy
Authors: Patterson R. Timothy , Blenkinsop John , Cavazza William
Published: August 2016

Integration of foraminiferal biostratigraphy,87Sr/86Sr isotope stratigraphy, and traditional physical stratigraphy has provided a refined age control of a poorly known Oligocene-to-Pleistocene sedimentary sequence nonconformably covering the crystalline basement complex of the Calabrian microplate, a continental block which rifted off the southern margin of the European plate during Neogene time. In spite of the fossil-poor content of the sequence, the simultaneous use of paleontological and geochemical techniques have resulted in the following conclusions. 1) The age of an unnamed, thin calcarenite unit locally present at the base of the sequence, previously considered Rupelian to early Aquitanian in age, has been refined to Chattian (27.8–24.8 Ma). This calcarenite was considered a basal, conformable member of the overlying Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Formation. However, this study indicates that it is separated from the Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Formation either by an angular unconformity or by a disconformity representing a significant time interval. 2) The Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Formation has a latest Chattian–earliest Aquitanian to Burdigalian age. Previously published reports suggested deposition over a much longer time span, ranging from late Rupelian to Langhian. 3) An unnamed deep-marine siliciclastic unit mostly composed of conglomerate and sandstone and previously considered Tortonian in age is, in fact, Serravallian to Tortonian. 4) The depositional interval of the “trubi,” fine-grained marine deposits, has been independently confirmed to span the Pliocene-Pleistocene.

The results of this study provide a framework for future sequence–stratigraphic and paleotectonic studies in the area, and prove the effectiveness of an integrated paleontological and geochemical (87Sr/86Sr) approach in the study of fossil-poor sedimentary sequences.
The type species ofStictostromaParks, 1936 (Porifera, Stromatoporoidea)
Authors: Stearn Colin W.
Published: August 2016

The typical species of Parks' stromatoporoid genusStictostromadesignated asStromatopora mammillataNicholson, 1873, and renamedS. mamilliferumto avoid homonymy by Galloway and St. Jean (1957), had unknown internal structure because Nicholson's type specimens were not sectioned. Parks' (1936) diagnosis of generic characters was based on specimens from a location (Gorrie) far from the type locality ofS. mammillatathat he assumed were conspecific with Nicholson's species. Investigation of the type specimens ofStromatopora mammillata = Stictostroma mamilliferumby thin sections shows that they are very poorly preserved and not conspecific with the specimens on which Parks based the genus. Because paleontologists for many years have usedStictostromaas amended from Parks' description by Galloway and St. Jean, the species from Gorrie that clearly shows these characters should be recognized as the typical species and given a new name.
Invertebrate ichnology of the nonmarine Lepreau Formation (Triassic), southern New Brunswick, eastern Canada
Authors: MacNaughton Robert B. , Pickerill Ron K.
Published: August 2016

Alluvial fan and braided fluvial redbeds of the Triassic Lepreau Formation of southern New Brunswick, eastern Canada, contain a moderately diverse and abundant invertebrate ichnofauna. Fourteen formal ichnotaxa are recognized:Ancorichnus coronus, Ancorichnuscf.A. ancorichnus, Aulichnitesisp.,Cruziana problematica, Fuersichnusisp.,Gordia marina, Palaeophycus striatus, Palaeophycusisp.,Planolitesisp.,Rusophycusisp.,Skolithos linearis, cf.Skolithosisp., andTaenidiumisp. Two vernacular ichnotaxa, “inclined meniscate burrows” and “surface pit structures,” also occur. All these ichnotaxa are figured and briefly described. Collectively, the entire assemblage can confidently be assigned to theScoyeniaichnofacies that, in the Lepreau Formation, represents a fluvial channel ichnocoenose.

Specimens have been subject to marked taphonomic effects due to weathering and preservation in lithologies showing either insufficient variation in grain size or a grain size too coarse to preserve subtle morphological variations; as a consequence, ichno-taxobases are commonly obscured or obliterated. This may have influenced the apparent diversity of the assemblage, especially with regard to meniscate and simple horizontal burrows. It is proposed that application of “taphoseries,” theoretical series including ichnotaxa that may potentially be mistaken for each other with increasing taphonomic overprint, provides a safeguard against ichnotaxonomic misidentifications.
Belichnus new ichnogenus, a ballistic trace on mollusc shells from the Holocene of the Benguela region, South Africa
Authors: Pether John
Published: August 2016

Small holes of irregular outline and mainly 0.2 to 1.5 mm in diameter are present in the exteriors of molluscan shells obtained from the latest Quaternary transgressive sequence on the Orange Shelf, Benguela region, off southwestern Africa. In shell interiors, the shell surrounding the holes is broken out to form flaring, conical spalls. The holes are clearly not borings, but are punctures caused by a small, pointed object having been forcefully driven into the shell. The holes in bivalves occur preferentially in small, thin-shelled tellinids and are nonrandomly placed in the central portions of valves. It is proposed that the holes are praedichnia produced by the rapid, ballistic-like raptorial strikes of spearing stomatopods, the pointed dactyl tips having penetrated the shells. Associated evidence of shell smashing, consisting of large holes in valves and gastropod whorls, supports the suggestion of stomatopod activity. The only stomatopod that inhabits the Benguela ecosystem, the spearer Pterygosquilla armata capensis Manning, 1969, is the probable tracemaker. Although shell nearly 1 mm thick has been pierced, the apparent selection of thin-shelled tellinids (0.14 to 0.34 mm thick) may reflect the requirement of shelling smashing in order to access the tissues. Nevertheless, the spearing of shelled prey is atypical for stomatopods and therefore confirmatory zoological observations are required, particularly to clarify the context of shell spearing. The ichnogenus Belichnus is proposed to accommodate these unique traces of pointed impacts, with ichnospecies B. monos (single punctures) and B. dusos (combined punctures) to accommodate the main morphological varieties observed.
Palynology and paleoenvironments of a Pliocene carbonate platform: the Clino core, Bahamas
Authors: Head Martin J. , Westphal Hildegard
Published: August 2016

Neritic dinoflagellates from periplatform (slope) carbonates of the Clino borehole, located on the western, leeward margin of the Great Bahama Bank, record environmental fluctuations on the platform top. A lower Pliocene interval (3.6–4.2 Ma) contains platform-top sediments shed onto the lower slope when the platform was open and ramplike. Despite this open topography, abundantPolysphaeridium zoharyiindicate the presence of restricted marine environments on the platform top. Terrestrial palynomorphs are rare throughout this interval and imply a mostly or fully submergent platform top.

By late Pliocene times (about 2.1–2.3 Ma) the platform had become flat-topped and steep-sided, with the Clino site located on its upper slope. Samples characteristic of sea-level highstands and lowstands were selected for analysis.Polysphaeridium zoharyiis abundant only in lowstand samples and may have thrived in proximity to terrestrial vegetation. In highstand samplesLingulodinium machaerophorumreplacesP. zoharyi, perhaps in response to less restricted marine environments on the platform top. This change in assemblages, along with apparent variations in cyst influx, reflects a fluctuating history of currents and salinities over the platform top in the late Pliocene. Upper Pliocene lowstand samples contain anomalously high proportions of terrestrial palynomorphs, allowing the identification of two phases of emergence and vegetation of the platform top. Palynology therefore appears to be a sensitive indicator of short-term (4th-order) sea-level change on carbonate platforms.

Dinoflagellate concentrations correlate positively with carbonate compaction, and infer that compacted layers have undergone dissolution of their metastable constituents. Dinoflagellate concentrations therefore can be useful in the often difficult task of assessing compaction and dissolution in fine-grained limestones where other indicators are absent.

The following dinoflagellate species are formally proposed:Operculodinium bahamenseHead new species,Operculodinium?megagranumHead new species, andSpiniferites rhizophorusHead new species.
New rare bivalved arthropods from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang fauna, Yunnan, China
Authors: Xian-Guang Hou
Published: August 2016

Five new bivalved arthropods are described from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang fauna, Yunnan, China. All of them are rare in the fauna, represented by one or two individuals among thousands of specimens. Four of the five new taxa are preserved with soft parts that show a clear distinction between them. The new taxa provide new important information concerning the soft bodied and limb characters of the early bivalved arthropods. A significant lesson is that, not knowing any soft parts, it is virtually impossible to place systematically a new type of bivalved carapace. It is often impossible even to tell if it is a crustacean or not. A second antenna in the shape of a “great appendage” is identified for the first time among the bivalved arthropods. The new taxa include representatives of the order Pectocaridida, the families Pectocarididae, Clypecarididae and Occacarididae, the genera and speciesPectocaris spatiosa, Clypecaris pteroidea, Occacaris oviformis, Forfexicaris validaandYunnanocaris megista.
Early Cambrian trilobite larvae and ontogeny of Ichangia ichangensis Chang, 1957 (Protolenidae) from Henan, China
Authors: Zhang Xi-Guang , Pratt Brian R.
Published: August 2016

The Lower Cambrian Shuigoukou Formation of Xichuan, Henan province, China, yielded phosphatized instars belonging to the protolenid Ichangia ichangensis Chang, 1957, and two undetermined taxa. With relatively simple body plans, the three larval forms resemble each other to some extent, and protaspides of I. ichangensis show general similarities to those of the ellipsocephalid Palaeolenus lantenoisi Mansuy. However, their early ontogenetic processes exhibit subtle yet distinct differences. One group of unassigned protaspides possesses a sagittal glabellar furrow and protomarginal spines with branching extremities. The other unassigned protaspides bear especially long genal and protomarginal spines. The detailed preservation of these larvae reveals delicate structural variations that help provide a framework for evaluating relationships among Early Cambrian trilobites.
Ontogenies of some Ordovician Telephinidae from Argentina, and larval patterns in the Proetida (Trilobita)
Authors: Chatterton Brian D. E. , Edgecombe Gregory D. , Vaccari Norberto E. , Waisfeld Beatriz G.
Published: August 2016

The ontogenies of three new species of Telephinidae,Telephina calandria, Telephina chingolo, andTelephina problematicaare described from Arenig-Caradoc strata in the Argentine Precordillera, and compared with the larval stages of some other Proetida, including other telephinids.

New findings reveal 1) a radical metamorphosis in the ontogenies of theseTelephinaspecies late in the meraspid period, not previously described among Trilobita; and 2) distinctive hypostomes of Telephinidae containing long, thin anterolaterally and dorsally splayed anterior wings. Early ontogenies of different species currently assigned to the genusTelephinafall into at least two distinct morphological and life history groups, and hypostomes (if correctly assigned in previous works) vary significantly. The three new species strengthen the hypothesis of a phylogenetic connection betweenOopsitesandTelephina.

Three morphological types of protaspid instars are described for proetide trilobites. Two are anaprotaspides, and the third is a metaprotaspis. They always occur in the same sequence in the ontogeny, but no cases are known of all three types in the same species. These larval types are important for understanding the systematics and life cycles of the Proetida. Benthic/pelagic transitions identify four life history patterns among the the Proetida. The best larval synapomorphy for the Proetida is the distinctive metaprotaspid larval type, which is absent in very few proetides (some Telephinidae), perhaps as a result of heterochronic displacement of this stage into the meraspid period.
Siluro-Devonian Scutelluinae (Trilobita) from the Czech Republic: morphology and classification
Authors: Whittington Harry B.
Published: August 2016

Complete exoskeletons of species of eight genera of Siluro-Devonian Scutelluinae show the morphology of the cephalon and thorax, particularly glabellar lobation, the wide inward extent of the doublure, and the development of fulcral processes and sockets, the latter more prominent on the external surface in stratigraphically younger species. The thorax of ten segments has axial rings with an articulating furrow and halfring as in most trilobites. The differences between the exoskeletons of Scutelluinae and Illaenidae are many, and imply anatomical differences. It is considered that Scutelluinae are related to the Ordovician Stygininae, and are to be united with them in Styginidae; a common origin for Styginidae and Illaenidae appears questionable.
New species of protocetid archaeocete whale,Eocetus wardii(Mammalia: Cetacea) from the middle Eocene of North Carolina
Authors: Uhen M. D.
Published: August 2016

A new species of protocetid archaeocete,Eocetus wardiin. sp., is named based on material from the late Lutetian (middle Eocene, 43-44 Ma) Comfort Member of the Castle Hayne Formation, North Carolina. This material includes portions of the skull, thoracic, lumbar and caudal vertebrae, ribs, and the right innominate. The innominate (pelvis exclusive of the sacral vertebrae) has some characters in common with the innominata of other protocetids, including sufficient size to support a weight-bearing hind limb. This suggests thatEocetus wardiiwas capable of both terrestrial and aquatic locomotion. The innominate also includes some features in common with basilosaurid archaeocetes including a shift in the relative positions of the pubis and obturator foramen. In addition, the bone histology ofEocetusis found to be very different from that of other archaeocetes and sirenians (sea cows and dugongs). The ribs and vertebrae are composed of a central area of trabecular bone enveloped by layers of dense cortical bone.Eocetushas previously only been known from a few specimens from Gebel Mokattam near Cairo, Egypt. This identification makesEocetusthe only protocetid archaeocete genus known from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Silurian (Llandovery/Wenlock) foraminiferida in carbonate environments of southeastern Wisconsin
Authors: Watkins Rodney , Walsh Kathleen A. , Kuglitsch Jeffrey J.
Published: August 2016

This note presents the first stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and systematic account of Silurian foraminifers in Wisconsin, which include nine previously described species of Ammodiscus, Glomospirella, Hemisphaerammina, Hyperammina, Lagenammina, Psammosphaera, Stomasphaera, Thurammina, and Webbinelloidea (Appendix 1). Early Silurian carbonates in this area (Fig. 1) were deposited in shelf and ramp environments in the western part of the Michigan Basin (Harris et al., 1998), and the foraminifers are associated with macrofaunal communities that represent Benthic Assemblages BA3 to BA5 of Brett et al. (1993).

Silicified agglutinated foraminifers were obtained from acidinsoluble residues processed for conodonts, sponge spicules, and macrofauna (Watkins et al., 1994; Kuglitsch, 1996; Watkins and Kuglitsch, 1997; Watkins and Coorough 1997a, 1997b). Silicification of the specimens, rather than a composition of agglutinated siliceous grains, is indicated by lack of detrital silica in enclosing dolostones, variable detail of preservation, and association with other silicified fossils.
The microstructure of Michelinia meekana Girty, 1910
Authors: Plusquellec Yves , Sando William J.
Published: August 2016

The wall of Michelinia meekana Girty is composed predominantly of lamellae that are approximately parallel to the median dark line, confirming its placement in the genus Michelinia s.s. The presence of a Praemichelinia-type microstructure in some parts of the wall is a recurrence of primitive architecture that suggests derivation of Michelinia from Praemichelinia.