bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Permian representatives of ammonoid superfamilies Marathonitaceae and Cyclolobaceae
Authors: Glenister Brian F. , Furnish W. M.
Published: August 2016

Familial groupings of two upper Paleozoic superfamilies of Goniatitina, Marathonitaceae and Cyclolobaceae, are reviewed. It is concluded that the Marathonitidae gave rise to the Hyattoceratidae and together constitute the Marathonitaceae. Eohyattoceras n. gen. is the Lower Permian ancestral hyattoceratid, and is represented by two new species, the type, E. gerthi from the Roadian of Timor, and E. leei from the Sakmarian of Nevada. An advanced marathonitid from the Lower Permian (Roadian) of Timor is described as Cardiella martodjojoi n. sp.

Two lineages within the exclusively Permian family Cyclolobidae are recognized as the subfamilies Kufengoceratinae and Cyclolobinae. Type designations proposed herein fix usage of Demarezites Ruzhentsev (1955) as referring to ancestral Cyclolobinae, and D. oyensi (Gerth, 1950) and D. lidacensis (de Roever, 1940) are redescribed from the Lower Permian (Roadian) of Timor. The Cyclolobidae are derived from the Vidrioceratidae and together constitute the Cyclolobaceae.
The Llandovery—Wenlock Halysitidae from New Brunswick, Canada
Authors: Young G. A. , Noble J. P. A.
Published: August 2016

A large collection of Silurian halysitids, mainly from the Limestone Point, La Vieille, and Petit Rocher Formations of northern New Brunswick, includes nine species distributed among Catenipora Lamarck, Halysites Fischer von Waldheim, and Cystihalysites Tchernyshev. One species, Cystihalysites belledunensis, is new, and, of the others, half are previously unknown in the Chaleur Bay region and half have been described before from this area.

All species are defined using both qualitative and quantitative data. Statistical analysis of serial sections of a corallum of Cystihalysites belledunensis suggests that any random section of a halysitid will yield quantitative data representative of that colony.

Preliminary analysis of the relationships between species distributions and stratigraphy and sedimentary associations suggests strong facies-control on the distribution of the four most abundant species. Both Catenipora simplex (Lambe) and Catenipora micropora (Whitfield) occur mostly in outer shelf facies. Cystihalysites belledunensis n. sp. and Cystihalysites encrustans (Buehler) never occur together, the former being found in predominantly high-energy inner shelf facies and the latter in the outer shelf facies.
Bryozoan astogeny and evolutionary novelties: their role in the origin and systematics of the Ordovician monticuliporid trepostome genus Peronopora
Authors: Hickey David R.
Published: August 2016

Modifications of primitive astogenetic patterns were central to the origin of bifoliate Peronopora. Outgroup comparison with Prasopora indicates that fundamental events in the former's origin included vertical growth of basal lamina skeleton to form the median lamina and heterochronic modifications of early and later-stage astogeny. Heterochronic modifications of early astogeny included acceleration of budding rates in the ancestrular disc, disc enlargement, and reduction of the basal expansion. Later-stage heterochronic modifications included reduction of zooecial length and width of “endozonal” growth and parallel orientation of cystiphragms about maculae. Also important were “2-D” budding in longitudinal ranges and a unique mode of secondary frond formation. Paedomorphosis resulted in constraints on zoarial form, autozooecial morphology, cystiphragm patterning, and increased colonial integration. Coordination of early and later-stage astogenetic events suggests developmental integration linked to median lamina formation. Heterochronic modifications are inferred to have been products of spatial competition in early astogeny and competitive avoidance and resource exploitation in later astogeny. Restricted biogeographic distribution and characteristics of the ancestrula suggest that the larvae of bifoliate Peronopora were nonplanktotrophic.

A shared derived suite of characters including the median lamina unite the bifoliate Peronopora clade. Results of cladistic analyses indicate that bifoliate Peronopora comprise a cohesive, statistically significant clade. Character analysis, phylogenetic results, and the restricted biogeographic distribution of bifoliate species support the hypothesis of a monophyletic bifoliate Peronopora clade of generic rank. The generic concept of Peronopora is revised and limited to bifoliate species.
Trilobites of the Gilmore City Limestone (Mississippian) of Iowa
Authors: Brezinski David K.
Published: August 2016

Four trilobite species are present in the Gilmore City Limestone (Kinderhookian–Osagean) of Humbolt County, Iowa. The most common trilobite taxa,Perexigupyge hodgesin. gen. and sp. andPerexigupyge gerkin. gen. and sp., make up the greatest percentage of the trilobite population. Two other species are known from fragmentary cranidia and are assigned to the generaRichterellaandProetides.Prior to the description of these forms, the only trilobite previously described or illustrated from the Gilmore City Limestone was a cranidium ofProetides insignis(Winchell) from the type area.

The Gilmore City Limestone in Humbolt County, Iowa, represents deposits associated with an oölitic sand-shoal environment, including washover-lobe and back-shoal deposits. Morphologic attributes exhibited by the Gilmore City Limestone trilobites, such as low relief and vaulting to the exoskeleton and subdued surface ornamentation, may have been adaptations that enabled them to inhabit current-swept shoal environments. Conversely, coarsely tuberculate forms may have used the tubercules as a mimic of the surrounding coarse-grained sediment or to strengthen the exoskeleton.
First occurrence ofHelicotomaSalter (Gastropoda) from the Ordovician of Alaska
Authors: Rohr David M. , Blodgett Robert B.
Published: August 2016

Middle and lower Ordovician gastropods have not previously been described from Alaska, and the genusHelicotomaSalter has not been reported from western and arctic North America with the exception of one locality in California (Rohr, 1980). Like many other Paleozoic gastropod genera,Helicotomahas several species assigned to it, but the species are often based on poor material and, in some cases, on a single specimen. This lack of knowledge of variation within the species as well as the detailed features of the shell make further interpretations of the gastropods difficult. The occurrence of relatively abundant, well-preservedHelicotomaspecimens in Alaska is important for biogeographic and biostratigraphic studies of lower Paleozoic mollusks.
Ecological succession on cobble substrates: a reply
Authors: Wilson Mark A.
Published: August 2016

In a recent paper, Kobluk and Lysenko (1987) described the effects of hurricanes on coral and milleporid distribution in coral reef rubble near the coast of a Fijian island. Their main thesis was that cryptic sub-rubble coral populations may act as “preserves” for reef surface communities. This was supported by data showing that on the protected undersides of boulders the composition of post-hurricane coral and milleporid populations were little changed from their pre-hurricane states. In a final section entitled “Paleontological implications,” Kobluk and Lysenko (1987, p. 673) stated, “Wilson (1985) studied just such a rubble-dwelling fauna in the Ordovician of Kentucky.” The authors then discussed “another interpretation” of the paleoecologic succession described in Wilson (1985). Because the Ordovician succession described by Wilson may be one of the few valid examples of an autogenic ecological succession in the fossil record (see Miller, 1986) the re-interpretation by Kobluk and Lysenko (1987) must be answered.
Craterolithus: a new calcareous nannofossil genus from the Oligocene of the Labrador Sea
Authors: Firth John V.
Published: August 2016

Craterolithus n. gen. is described. Craterolithus hoerstgensis (Müller) n. comb. is designated as type species, and its description is emended. This distinctive species occurs within a restricted range in the middle Oligocene (NP 23 to lower NP 24) of the Labrador Sea and northern Germany.
Appalachian Carboniferous trilobites
Authors: Brezinski David K.
Published: August 2016

Trilobites are a relatively rare faunal component in Carboniferous marine strata of the north-central Appalachian Basin. Three of the seven trilobite species known from the Lower Mississippian Waverly Group of Ohio, Griffithidella waverlyensis Hessler, Paladin marginatus (Hyde), and Brachymetopus nodosus Wilson, are monotypic and are known only from the type material. More commonly occurring species include Proetus (Pudoproetus) missouriensis (Shumard) and Breviphillipsia sampsoni (Vogdes), which are present in the Wooster and Meadville Shales and Byers Sandstone. The rare species, Australosutura lodiensis (Meek) and Piltonia eurybathrea (Hessler), are found most commonly in the Wooster and Meadville Shales. At least two species are present in Upper Mississippian strata. Paladin chesterensis (Weller) is found in most Upper Mississippian marine units and ranges through most of the Chesterian. Paladin cf. P. pyriformus Chamberlain is present in a single horizon in the lower Mauch Chunk (lower Chesterian) in southwestern Pennsylvania. Five trilobite species are present in Pennsylvanian strata. Sevillia trinucleata (Herrick) and Sevillia sevillensis Weller are present in upper Atokan and lower Desmoinesian strata of the Pottsville Group of Ohio. Ameura missouriensis (Shumard) first occurs in the Lower Mercer marine horizon (upper Atokan) and ranges to the Ames (Virgilian) marine unit. Ditomopyge scitula (Meek and Worthen), the most pervasive Pennsylvanian trilobite species, ranges from the Lower Mercer (upper Atokan) marine interval into the Portersville (Missourian) marine interval. Ditomopyge decurtata (Gheyselinck) is known only from the Ames marine interval (Virgilian), but may be present in higher marine zones.
Early Devonian vertebrate microfossils from the Simpson Park Range, Eureka County, Nevada
Authors: Turner Susan , Murphy Michael A.
Published: August 2016

Vertebrate microfossils are commonly present as minor constituents of acid-etched limestone residues in the Lochkovian (Lower Devonian). This paper describes the fish taxa from the Simpson Park Range section at Coal Canyon, central Nevada. These include thelodont scales of the family Nikoliviidae; heterostracan scales; acanthodian scales, platelets, and spines of Nostolepis type, Gomphonchus type, Acanthodes type, Machaeracanthus type, and climatiid type; placoderm scales of buchanosteid and radotinid types; and the shark, Polymerolepis whitei.
A new species of beaver (Rodentia, Castoridae) from the Middle Oligocene (Orellan) of Nebraska
Authors: Korth William W.
Published: August 2016

Agnotocastor readingi n. sp., from the Orellan of Nebraska, is intermediate in size between the Chadronian A. galushai Emry from Wyoming and the Orellan A. coloradensis Wilson from Colorado. It differs slightly in dental and mandibular morphology from these latter species and cannot be transitional between them. The simplification of the dentition in A. readingi may indicate a position ancestral to the Whitneyan A. praetereadens Stirton from South Dakota.
Upper Precambrian through Lower Cambrian of Cape Breton Island: faunas, paleoenvironments, and stratigraphic revision
Authors: Landing Ed
Published: August 2016

Latest Precambrian through Early Cambrian tectonic history and stratigraphy are comparable in southeastern Cape Breton Island and the western Placentia–Bonavista axis, southeastern Newfoundland. The lithostratigraphic nomenclature of southeastern Newfoundland is used for this interval in Cape Breton Island. Upper Precambrian volcanic rocks of the Forchu Group (=“Giant Lake Complex,’ designation abandoned) are unconformably overlain by uppermost Precambrian through lowest Cambrian strata termed the “Morrison River Formation’ (designation abandoned). This depositional sequence consists of three formations: 1) red beds through tidalites of the Rencontre Formation (to 279+ m; =“Kelvin Lake Formation,’ designation abandoned); 2) prodeltaic clastics of the Chapel Island Formation (to 260 m); and 3) macrotidal quartzites of the Random Formation (to 71 + m). Post-Random block faulting and 300 m of local erosion took place prior to onlap of the “MacCodrum Formation’ (abandoned). Siliciclastic mudstones of the lower “MacCodrum’ are re-assigned to the middle Lower Cambrian Bonavista Group. Sub-trilobitic faunas from the Bonavista Group include“Ladatheca’ cylindricafrom the West Centre Cove Formation(?) and higher diversity faunas (23 species) in theCamenella balticaZone of the Cuslett and Fosters Point Formations. Trilobite-bearing, upper Lower Cambrian (Branchian Series) strata (Brigus Formation, =upper “MacCodrum’ and overlying “Canoe Brook’ Formations) unconformably overlie the Placentian Series in Cape Breton Island, southeastern Newfoundland, Shropshire, and, probably, eastern Massachusetts. Correlations based on small shelly fossils indicate an earlier appearance of trilobites in Avalon than on the South China Platform. Twenty-six species are illustrated.Halkieria fordin. sp., the conodont(?)“Rushtonites’ asiatican. sp., and the zhijinitid(?)Samsanoffoclavus matthewin. gen. and sp. are described.Ischyrinia? sp. may be the oldest ischyrinoid rostroconch.
The type species ofLingulella(Cambrian Brachiopoda)
Authors: Sutton Mark D. , Bassett Michael G. , Cherns Lesley
Published: August 2016

The poorly known type species ofLingulella, Lingula davisiiM'Coy, 1851b, is redefined from new material collected from the type locality and horizon (Upper Cambrian, North Wales).Lingulellais similar toObolusand toUngulain its musculature mantle canals, and pseudointerareas, but has a thinner shell and irregular pits over its internal surface, concentrated in the visceral areas. A dissolution method that can facilitate the study of lingulate brachiopods preserved in clastic lithologies is described, and its wider adoption is recommended in order to reveal diagnostic morphological characters.
Dutrochus, a new microdomatid (Gastropoda) genus from the Middle Devonian (Eifelian) of west-central Alaska
Authors: Blodgett Robert B.
Published: August 2016

A new gastropod genus, Dutrochus, is established for members of the family Microdomatidae that are characterized by a reticulate ornament of spiral cords and intersecting, finer collabral threads, with all but one spiral cord being of nearly equal strength, and the single remaining cord being of stronger (nearly twice the order) magnitude and being situated at the periphery. It is represented by the type and only known species, Dutrochus alaskensis n. gen. and sp., from the upper part (lower Middle Devonian; lower Eifelian) of the Lower? and Middle Devonian Cheeneetnuk Limestone, McGrath A-5 quadrangle, west-central Alaska. The genus is very close and nearly homeomorphic to the Permian microdomatid genus Glyptospira, but differs from the latter in possessing an extremely strong, peripheral spiral cord and an extremely thick, multi-layered apertural margin.
Trilobite malformations and the fossil record of behavioral asymmetry
Authors: Babcock Loren E.
Published: August 2016

Malformations of trilobites are classified as healed injuries, teratological conditions, and pathological conditions. An improved method of recognizing such malformations combines information about the conditions under which cell injury can occur, the processes by which animal tissues react to injury, and trilobite morphology.

Study of healed injuries of polymeroid trilobites shows that injuries attributed to sublethal predation tend to be most commonly preserved on the pleural lobes, the posterior half of the body, and the right side. Statistically significant differences in the number of predation scars between the right and left sides is interpreted as evidence of right-left behavioral asymmetry in some predators of trilobites or the trilobites themselves. Asymmetrical, or lateralized, behavior in present-day animals is one manifestation of handedness, and is usually related to a functional lateralization of the nervous system. Evidence of behavioral lateralization in some Paleozoic predators or prey suggests that those organisms also possessed lateralized nervous systems. Right-left differences in preserved predation scars on trilobites date from the Early Cambrian (OlenellusZone), and are the oldest known evidence of behavioral asymmetry in the fossil record.

Other examples of structural or behavioral asymmetry from the fossil record of animals are cited. Lateralization is recognized in representatives of the Arthropoda, Annelida, Bryozoa, Echinodermata, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Chordata, and Conodonta, and in trace fossils.
Growth stages of the middle and late Pennsylvanian trilobite Ditomopyge scitula from the North American midcontinent
Authors: Pabian Roger K. , Borovich James , Mapes Royal H.
Published: August 2016

Larval forms of the middle and late Pennsylvanian trilobite Ditomopyge scitula (Meek and Worthen, 1865) have been collected from seven localities in the Desmoinesian of Oklahoma, Missourian of Oklahoma and Texas, and Virgilian of Nebraska and Texas. These larval trilobites have been interpreted as degree 1 through degree 8 meraspides. Although these larval forms are extremely rare, an essentially complete growth sequence was reconstructed and an ontogeny synthesized. During growth, D. scitula absorbed the brim and posterior spines into the pygidium and developed first the lateral then the median preoccipital glabellar lobes; the anterior cephalic margin is more prominent in juvenile stages, becoming narrower in late mersapide molts and finally overlapped by the glabella in early holaspide stages.
Stephanocrinus (Echinodermata, Blastozoa) from Europe
Authors: Donovan Stephen K. , Paul Christopher R. C.
Published: August 2016

Webster (1991) is to be congratulated for clarifying the validity of the various contributions made to the literature of fossil echinoderms by V. J. Gupta. However, in correcting the paleogeographic database, an error has crept in which itself needs amending.
Athyridida versus Athyrida (Brachiopoda)
Authors: Alvarez Fernando , Brunton C. Howard C.
Published: August 2016

During recent years, there has been an increase in the number of papers that include taxonomical descriptions of brachiopods belonging to the order Athyridida. In these papers, the authors do not use the same spelling while referring to suprageneric taxa (e.g., Dagys, 1974; Grunt, 1989; Cooper and Dutro, 1982; Brunton, 1984; Modzalevskaya, 1985; Wang Yu and Rong Jia-yu, 1986; Carter, 1988; Alvarez, 1990) and commonly names or adjectives such as 〈athyroids〉, 〈athyridoids〉, 〈athyridids〉, 〈athyrids〉, 〈athyridaceans〉, 〈athyrididaceans〉 etc. vary considerably.
Aktastioceras nishikawai n. sp., a first Permian bactritoid cephalopod from Japan
Authors: Niko Shuji , Nishida Tamio , Hamada Takashi
Published: August 2016

A new Permian bactritoid cephalopod, Aktastioceras nishikawai n. sp., was discovered from the Uyamano Formation of the Taishaku Limestone Group at Miharanoro, Hiroshima Prefecture (Figure 1). The Uyamano Formation represents the Lower Permian portion of the Central Facies, which was defined by Hase et al. (1974) in a large reef complex deposited during the period of Early Carboniferous to Late Permian age. Lithofacies of the formation mainly consist of limestone, including the reef core facies with minor amounts of a limestone conglomerate. The specimens of Aktastioceras occur in light-gray massive limestone of the lowest Uyamano Formation, belonging to the Pseudoschwagerina Zone (Akagi, 1958), which indicates Asselian age. This is the first record of a Permian bactritoid from Japan.
4th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology
Authors: Herring Susan
Published: August 2016

In recognition of the renaissance enjoyed in the field of vertebrate morphology and the success of the previous European congresses, we are now planning our 4th International Congress for Chicago, July 31–Aug. 4, 1994. Plenary lectures and symposia as well as contributed posters and talks will be presented.
The earliest mammal of the European Paleocene: The multituberculateHainina
Authors: Peláez-Campomanes P. , López-Martínez N. , Álvarez-Sierra M.A. , Daams R.
Published: August 2016

A new species of multituberculate mammal,Hainina pyrenaican. sp. is described from Fontllonga-3 (Tremp Basin, Southern Pyrenees, Spain), correlated to the later part of chron C29r just above the K/T boundary. This taxon represents the earliest European Tertiary mammal recovered so far, and is related to otherHaininaspecies from the European Paleocene. A revision of the species ofHaininaallows recognition of a new species,H. vianeyaen. sp. from the Late Paleocene of Cernay (France). The genus is included in the family Kogaionidae Rãdulescu and Samson, 1996 from the Late Cretaceous of Romania on the basis of unique dental characters. The Kogaionidae had a peculiar masticatory system with a large, blade-like lower p4, similar to that of advanced Ptilodontoidea, but occluding against two small upper premolars, interpreted as P4 and P5, instead of a large upper P4. The endemic European Kogaionidae derive from an Early Cretaceous group with five premolars, and evolved during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene. The genusHaininarepresents a European multituberculate family that survived the K/T boundary mass extinction event.
Paleoecology of hardground encrusting and commensal crinoids, Middle Ordovician, Tennessee
Authors: Guensburg Thomas E.
Published: August 2016

Aspects of functional morphology are examined and lifestyles proposed for seven exceptionally well-preserved crinoids from the Middle Ordovician Lebanon Limestone, Middle Tennessee. Potential ranges of motion are based on plate shapes, articular surfaces of attachment, and feeding structures. This diverse group of crinoids includes disparid inadunates (Columbicrinus crassusandTryssocrinus endotomitus), a hybocrinid (Hybocrinus bilateralis), reteocrinids (Reteocrinus polkiand R.variabilicaulis), and rhodocrinitid camerates (Archaeocrinus snyderiandGustabilicrinus plektanikaulos). Using attachment structures as the basis, these crinoids can be divided into two groups: encrusters and commensals. Encrusters are the most diverse and include all taxa except the rhodocrinitids. They have a small discoidal holdfast and xenomorphic column. Proxistele-mesisteles were holomeric or pentameric. Flexure potential of this region of the column in disparids was increased by wider ligament gaps at nodal-internodal articulations; in other taxa flexure was enhanced by increasing the frequency of columnals. Short dististeles are polymeric or a plate mosaic. This region functioned as a resilient buffer between the mesistele and holdfast. Columns as a whole had moderate flexure potential. Feeding-structure design was varied, although all butHybocrinus bilateralishad pinnulate or nonpinnulate parabolic filtration fans.Hybocrinus bilateralishad atomous arms arrayed in a bilaterally symmetrical pattern; the symmetry plane was oriented parallel to prevailing currents. Commensals in the Lebanon are the rhodocrinitids. Their attachment structures are characterized by a long distally tapering column terminating in a coil. Densely pinnulate arms formed a well-developed parabolic filtration fan.

Encrusters were limited to hardgrounds or skeletal substrata. Commensals were more opportunistic, utilizing a variety of substrates, and they were widespread in Lebanon subenvironments including those with both soft and hard seafloors. Lebanon hardground assemblages are characterized by high diversity, particularly among crinoids and bryozoans. They are strikingly tiered according to elevation above the seafloor (and probably additionally by feeding limitations). This assemblage was the result of longterm coevolution in association with hardgrounds.

Ontogenetic development of the column of encrusting crinoids indicates that the evolution of holomeric columnals occurred through a simpler sequence than previously proposed and need not have included gradual alignment of offset pentameres as intermediate steps. Columnals evolved from a poorly organized plate mosaic through a polymeric stage.
Upper premolar configuration ofDidelphodon vorax(Mammalia, Marsupialia, Stagodontidae)
Authors: Lofgren Donald L.
Published: August 2016

Stagodontid marsupials were a common component of late Mesozoic vertebrate faunas of the Western Interior of North America and were among the largest mammals that coexisted with Late Cretaceous dinosaurs. Two genera have been described,DidelphodonandEodelphis; three ifPariadens(?Stagodontidae) from the Cenomanian of Utah (Cifelli and Eaton, 1987) is included. The dental arcade of stagodontids is notable for the presence of bulbous premolars, each with a massive main cusp and a large accessory lobe. The most complete stagodontid material consists of a maxillary fragment and a few nearly complete dentaries referred toDidelphodon(see Clemens, 1968, 1973; Fox and Naylor, 1986). However, the configuration of the anterior upper dentition ofDidelphodonand other stagodontids is uncertain because of the lack of specimens preserving this portion of the skull. Thus, based on isolated teeth, upper premolars ofDidelphodonhave been interpreted to have been oriented with their accessory lobes either on their labial (Clemens, 1966) or lingual (Clemens, 1968; Lillegraven, 1969; Archibald, 1982; Fox and Naylor, 1986) sides.
The Silurian encrinurine trilobitePacificurus: new species from North America
Authors: Edgecombe Gregory D. , Ramsköld Lars
Published: August 2016

The first Laurentian records ofPacificurusRamsköld, 1986 are provided byPacificus chilorhodusn. sp. (latest Llandovery?–early Wenlock, Mackenzie Mountains, Canada) andPacificurussp. A (early Ludlow, northern Maine). These closely related species represent an early divergence (minimally late Llandovery) from Australian/Asian congenerics.
Late Devonian (Frasnian and Famennian) conodonts from the Wadleigh Limestone, southeastern Alaska
Authors: Savage Norman M.
Published: August 2016

Conodont faunas from the upper part of the Wadleigh Limestone, Alexander terrane, southeastern Alaska, are of Frasnian to early Famennian age and include the new taxa Polygnathus aspelundi nanus n. subsp., Polygnathus decorosus dutroi n. subsp., Polygnathus elegantulus sparus n. subsp., Polygnathus gracilis n. subsp. A, Polygnathus n. sp. A, Palmatolepis subrecta youngquisti n. subsp., and Icriodus subterminus uyenoi n. subsp. Four distinct age-determined faunal assemblages are recognized. The lowest is assigned to the Lower Palmatolepis rhenana Zone (the chronozones of Ziegler and Sandberg, 1990, are treated herein as time-rock equivalent assemblage zones). The next is exposed on three small islands just south of Wadleigh Island and is correlated with part of the Lower to Upper Palmatolepis rhenana Zones. The third assemblage, on the eastern side of Wadleigh Island from close to the top of the section, is correlated with part of the Palmatolepis linguiformis Zone. Nearby and overlying this is the fourth assemblage, which is correlated with part of the Lower Palmatolepis triangularis Zone and thus appears to be within the lower Famennian. These Wadleigh Limestone conodont faunas have affinities with faunas from equivalent horizons of the cratonic regions of the Northwest Territories and Alberta in Western Canada and to other faunas globally. The more provincial conodont taxa lend weak but positive support to brachiopod faunal evidence that places the Alexander terrane close to the North American craton during the Late Devonian.
Petridiostroma, a new name for Petrostroma Stearn, 1991, not Petrostroma Döderlein, 1892
Authors: Stearn Colin W.
Published: August 2016

The generic name Petrostroma proposed by Stearn (1991) for a Paleozoic stromatoporoid with type species Petrostroma simplex (Nestor, 1966) is preoccupied by a calcareous sponge described in 1892 by Döderlein.
Numerical taxonomy of fenestrate bryozoans: evaluation of methodologies and recognition of intraspecific variation
Authors: Holdener E. J.
Published: August 2016

Species-level taxonomy of fenestrate cryptostome bryozoans has been greatly advanced by a recent study of the fenestrate fauna of the Warsaw Formation (Osage–Meramecian) of the Mississippi Valley; subsequent quantitative analysis placed the earlier research on a sound statistical basis. Reproducibility of these results is tested here, and it is demonstrated that subsequent researchers can duplicate earlier data collection and results. The methodology is then extended in space and time to a second fenestrate faunule (Virgilian of east-central Kansas); morphs within two traditionally defined fenestrate species are successfully distinguished.

Lithologic characteristics of the two Virgilian study units suggest differences in depositional environments between the horizons and therefore simple ecophenotypy and intraspecific variation cannot be dismissed. However, chamber dimensions, which provide the most sensitive characters for taxonomic discrimination, change in parallel for the two species, whereas exterior skeletal dimensions, which would presumably respond more readily to microenvironmental fluctuations, vary nonsystematically between populations. These results provide a starting point for the evaluation of morphologic change within fenestrates through stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental sequences. Cumulative data sets spanning long time intervals would allow evaluations of evolutionary histories among members of this important Paleozoic clade.
Demosponges and hexactinellid sponges from the Lower Devonian Ross Formation of west-central Tennessee
Authors: Rigby J. Keith , Clement Craig R.
Published: August 2016

A fauna of eight taxa of demosponges and hexactinellid sponges has been collected from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) Ross Formation, largely out of the upper Birdsong Shale Member in Benton, Decatur, and Perry Counties in west-central Tennessee. The Upper Birdsong Shale (“bryozoan zone”) in which the sponges are most common appears to have been deposited below normal wave base in a quiet marine environment, and represents a terrigenous clastic sediment influx onto a carbonate shelf that had existed in the area from at least the middle Silurian. Benton Quarry in Benton County was the most productive locality for fossil sponges.

The new demosponge genera and species Ginkgospongia foliata and Coniculospongia radiata occur with the new species Haplistion lobatum and skeletal mats of fine spicules, along with moderately rare specimens of Hindia sphaeroidalis Duncan. The new hexactinellid genus and species Stiodermiella amanita and Stiodermiella tetragona are characterized by peculiar ornamented papillose, swollen spicules that produce a massive, armored layer on the upper part of the sponge. The latter are associated with the new hexactinellid species Twenhofelella bulbulus, which has relatively normal-appearing hexactines, and with an indeterminate hexactinellid genus, which has spinose hexactines in irregular orientation in a small, platelike fragment. Root tufts of probable hexactine origin also occur.

Swollen spicules in Stiodermiella are reminiscent of swollen spicules in the family Stiodermatidae Finks, largely from the Permian of western Texas, but elements of the family are also known from Lower Carboniferous to Permian rocks in Europe and North America.
The otarionine trilobitesHarpidellaandMaurotarion, with species from northwestern Canada, the United States, and Australia
Authors: Adrain Jonathan M. , Chatterton Brian D. E.
Published: August 2016

MaurotarionAlberti, 1969, is a diverse otarionine clade that can be readily distinguished fromHarpidellaM'Coy, 1849. Both genera appear in the Upper Ordovician and range until the Middle Devonian. A new diagnosis for each taxon is given. New species of the genera from the Ordovician and Silurian of the central Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada, includeHarpidella kurrii(Ashgill),H. tikkaneni(Llandovery),H. greggi(Wenlock), andMaurotarion messieri(Llandovery).Harpidella megalops(M'Coy, 1846),H. triloba(Hu, 1975),H. spinafrons(WilliamsinCooper and Williams, 1935),Maurotarion struszi(Chatterton, 1971), andM. instita(Whittington and Campbell, 1967) are revised.
Eoparisocrinid crinoids from the Middle Ordovician (Galena Group) of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota
Authors: Brower James C.
Published: August 2016

Two species of eoparisocrinid crinoids from the Middle Ordovician Galena Group of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota are described, namelyEoparisocrinus crossmanin. sp. andE. grandein. sp. The post-larval development ofEoparisocrinus crossmaniis examined. Crinoid arms grow by addition of new plates at their distal tips in conjunction with calcite deposition on old plates. New branches appear where axillary plates are initiated. Consequently, the growth rates for number of brachials and length of food-gathering system compared to crown volume are much faster than if the animals were isometric. The number of food particles collected is related to the number of food-catching tube-feet, which can be estimated if the length of the arms and height of the covering plates are known. The size of the largest food item is constrained by the food groove width. Thus, food-gathering capacity is the number of food-catching tube-feet multiplied by food groove width. The food-gathering capacity increases more rapidly than if the animal grew isometrically, and the ratio of food-gathering capacity: crown volume only declines slightly over the known growth range. All Ordovician cladid crinoids examined follow nearly identical ontogenetic trajectories. The ecological niche of a stalked crinoid is related to four basic parameters: stem length, food groove width, tube-foot spacing, and branch density. Stem length limits the highest elevation above the seafloor. The column ofE. crossmanibecomes longer during ontogeny due to the formation of new columnals and height growth of old ones. Consequently, individuals gradually “move up” until the adult elevation of about 50 mm is reached. The growth rates of stem length relative to crown size are slow in the youngest and mature animals but rapid in juveniles. The food grooves become wider throughout growth so that older crinoids ate larger food particles than younger ones. The food groove width increases less rapidly than if the shape were constant, because distal plates and branches are more narrow and have more slender food grooves than proximal plates. Growth curves for food groove width versus stem length and elevation were generated forE. crossmaniand other crinoids that commonly occur in the same beds. Together, elevation and food particle size define the main dimensions of the niche. The various taxa are more or less separated by different food groove widths at most comparable elevations. This pattern minimizes ecological overlap and probably competition between the different species. The tube-foot spacing ofE. crossmaniis constant regardless of size, which suggests that it employed the same type of feeding mechanism throughout post-larval ontogeny. The arm branches of adults gradually become less densely spaced relative to the area of water filtered than in juveniles.
Paleoautecology and systematic re-evaluation of Camptocrinus alabamensis (Mississippian: Chesterian) from northern Alabama
Authors: Maples Christopher G. , Waters Johnny A.
Published: August 2016

Camptocrinus alabamensis Strimple and Moore, from the Gasperian (Mississippian: Chesterian) part of the Monteagle Limestone and overlying Bangor Limestone in northern Alabama, is the only species of Camptocrinus known to have more than 10 arms. Camptocrinus alabamensis exhibits morphological features (basals that are taller on their posterior ends than on their anterior ends, flattened primanal, shorter posteriormost secundibrachs on C ray and D ray) indicative of a tightly coiled life position, with most of the stem lying along the sediment. Unlike other coiled crinoids, Camptocrinus alabamensis had a double-folded stem and more than 10 arms, which we interpret to have been compromise solutions to the problems of protection from high current energy and predation pressure coupled with the need to lift the animal into a feeding posture. In addition, C. alabamensis is the only dichocrinid exhibiting highly modified pinnules, which may have been used as rheo/chemosensory organs. Camptocrinus alabamensis was a leeward passive suspension feeder that, in times of danger, could fold in its arms and coil tightly against the sediment.

Camptocrinus alabamensis is removed from synonymy with C. cirrifer and the diagnosis of Camptocrinus is modified. Species of the genera Camptocrinus and Neocamptocrinus should be used only for specimens in which calyces are known; therefore, the plethora of stem-species erected over the years should all be assigned to stem genera unless adequate calyx descriptions are available.
Aldebarania arenitea, a new genus and species of Astropectinidae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Peedee Formation of North Carolina
Authors: Blake Daniel B. , Sturgeon Keith
Published: August 2016

Aldebarania arenitea (Astropectinidae; Asteroidea; Echinodermata) is described from the Rocky Point Member of the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Peedee Formation of North Carolina. A turbulent, shallow-water environment is suggested by sedimentary features, a diverse marine fauna, and the morphology of Aldebarania. Aldebarania appears to be a partial ecological equivalent of living Astropecten and Luidia; however, phylogenetic relationships within the Astropectinidae are unstudied and the origin of similarities is unknown.
A new genus of cassiduloid echinoid from the lower Eocene of the Pacific coast of western North America and a new report ofCassidulus ellipticusKew, 1920, from the lower Eocene of Baja California Sur, Mexico
Authors: Squires Richard L. , Demetrion Robert A.
Published: August 2016

The cassiduloid echinoidCalilampas californiensisn. gen. and sp. is described from middle lower Eocene (“Capay Stage”) shallow-marine sandstones in both the middle part of the Bateque Formation, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and the lower part of the Llajas Formation, southern California. The new genus is tentatively placed in family Pliolampadidae. The cassiduloidCassidulus ellipticusKew, 1920, previously known only from the “Capay Stage” in California, is also present in “Capay Stage” shallow-marine sandstones of the Bateque Formation.
The problem of vast numbers of cladodont shark denticles in the Pennsylvanian Excello Shale of Pike County, Indiana
Authors: Zangerl Rainer
Published: August 2016

While studying X-ray films of new iniopterygians (Subterbranchialia, Chondrichthyes) in the Excello Shale from the Field Museum of Natural History's Bethel Quarry locality in southern Pike County, Indiana, a moderately dense spread of tiny cladodont shark denticles was noticed on the radiographs, confined to micro-horizons of shale about 7.5 mm thick, which also contained the iniopterygians.

These denticle spreads, which are entirely unrelated to the iniopterygians, but are seen on X-ray films of most of the chondrichthyan skeletons collected from a sheet of Excello Shale of about 500 m2 in extent, and mostly from two very fossiliferous levels, have an average density of about nine denticles per 1 cm2. Because the chondrichthyan skeletons were collected from all parts of the quarry, it is probable that the denticle spreads in several micro-horizons extended over the entire quarry area and perhaps beyond. The number of denticles in each of the micro-horizons in 500 m2 of shale thus amounts to about 4.6 million.

A discussion of the origin of these vast numbers of cladodont denticles, given a variety of taphonomic and depositional constraints, results in the conclusion that these large numbers of denticles could not have resulted from the two species of sharks, Denaea meccaensis and Stethacanthulus longipeniculus, that are members of the burial assemblage and bear dentition teeth indistinguishable from those in the areal spread. Evidence suggesting very rapid deposition of organic muds that produced the characteristic Mecca Quarry type carbonaceous, sheety shales rules out the possibility of accumulation of the denticle spreads over extended periods of time. Because sharks do not possess nearly enough dentition teeth to account for this occurrence, one must entertain the possibility that the denticles are not all dentition teeth, but perhaps for the most part mucous membrane (or even dermal) denticles, though none such are presently known to display cladodont design.
A statistical study ofRhamphorhynchusfrom the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany: Year-classes of a single large species
Authors: Bennett S. Christopher
Published: August 2016

A statistical and morphological study of the pterosaurRhamphorhynchusfrom the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany shows that specimens fall into discrete size-classes that are year-classes resulting from seasonal mortality or preservation of specimens. Taxonomic characters used in the past to separate species ofRhamphorhynchusare all related to size and ontogeny, and all specimens belong to a single species,R. muensteri.Thus, the collections ofRhamphorhynchusprovide an unequaled record of the growth and development of a Jurassic rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur.Rhamphorhynchusdid not have rapid determinate growth; the growth rate was comparable to that of extant crocodilians, and growth continued over the course of at least three years after individuals began to fly.
New Late Oligocene to Pleistocene hyaline calcareous unilocular foraminifera from DSDP site 357 (Leg 39) on the Rio Grande Rise, southwest Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Patterson R. Timothy , Burbidge Susan M.
Published: August 2016

Thirty-two new species of unilocular benthic foraminifera were described from 50 Late Oligocene to Pleistocene samples from DSDP Site 357 (Leg 39) on the Rio Grande Rise in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. These new species make up nearly one-third of the 112 species of unilocular foraminifers identified in the core. Such a high proportion of new taxa is not unexpected as the group has been ignored by most researchers.

New taxa described include Lagena praemeridionalis, Lagena rotundocostatina, Exsculptina sicula, Exsculptina umbelliforma Patterson and Cavazza, Favulina prolatella, Favulina quasiperthensis, Galwayella copiosotubula, Galwayella oscula, Galwayella spherula, Homalohedra anastomocostata, Homalohedra goniachrados, Homalohedra gothicofenestella, Homalohedra polykamptarion, Lagnea congestacolla, Lagnea derbiosa, Oolina curvella, Vasicostella lecythella, Vasicostella spinulafunda, Fissurina anapetebasilaris, Fissurina binaroculella, Fissurina favobasella, Fissurina fissuroscula, Fissurina labeona, Lagenosolenia angula, Lagenosolenia penna, Palliolatella anfracta, Palliolatella hadrocheilos, Pseudoolina becella, Pseudoolina oscillum, Parafissurina kladerorhektis, Parafissurina prolatolonga, and Pseudofissurina plastica.

The new name, Lagenosolenia incompta, is proposed for Lagena bicarinata (Terquem) var. polita Matthes, 1939.
Late Cretaceous and Tertiary aporrhaid gastropods from the southern rim of the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Zinsmeister William J. , Griffin Miguel
Published: August 2016

The new subfamily Struthiopterinae is proposed for the aporrhaid gastropods occurring in the Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary Weddellian Province along the southern margin of the Pacific. The following genera are placed within the Struthiopterinae: Struthioptera Finlay and Marwick, 1937; Austroaporrhais n. gen.; and Struthiochenopus n. gen. The temporal and biogeographic distribution of members of Struthiopterinae show a similar pattern to other Southern Hemisphere groups of Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic molluscs with initial disappearance from the western Australasia of the Weddellian Province by the Paleocene while surviving in Antarctica until the late Eocene and eventually disappearing in southern South America during the early Miocene.

Also included in this paper is a reappraisal of the species assignable to these genera from Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary of New Zealand, Antarctica, and southern South America together with the description of five new species. The following new species of the Struthiopterinae are described: Austroaporrhais larseni n. sp., A. stilwelli n. sp., A. dorotensis n. sp., Struthiochenopus antarcticus n. sp., and S. philippii n. sp.
Esmeraldina rowei and associated Lower Cambrian trilobites (1f fauna) at the base of Walcott's Waucoban series, southern Great Basin, U.S.A.
Authors: Fritz W. H.
Published: August 2016

Walcott described the If fauna from Silver Peak Range, Nevada in 1910 as consisting of Nevadia weeksi n. sp. and gen. and Holmia rowei n. sp. (herein recognized as Esmeraldina rowei). Being the oldest trilobite fauna known at the time, it played an important roll in Walcott's locating the base of his Lower Cambrian Waucoban Series. The original If collection is reviewed, as is more material collected near the type locality, “Nevadella” Zone, Montenegro Member of the Campeto Formation. Additional trilobite taxa herein recognized in the If collection are Esmeraldina? cometes n. sp., Esmeraldina lidensis n. sp., Palmettaspis consorta n. gen. and sp., and Palmettaspis parallela n. sp. A close similarity between E. rowei and the type species for Holmia in Baltica led Walcott to a controversial Laurentia–Baltica correlation. His incorporation of three trilobite taxa among his syntypes for Holmia rowei also posed a problem. Overriding these faults was Walcott's foresight in using the 1f fauna in his Waucoban concept. Even today, after the 1992 international agreement to lower the base of the Cambrian to a pre-trilobite horizon, the Waucoban is being applied in Canada to upper Lower Cambrian strata.
The color pattern on a Cretaceous nautiloid from South Dakota
Authors: Mapes Royal H. , Evans Timothy S.
Published: August 2016

Preservation of relict color patterns on fossil nautiloid cephalopods is a relatively rare phenomenon. Reports of this phenomenon as summarized by Kobluck and Mapes (1989, table 2) for the Paleozoic indicate that perhaps as many as 32 genera with coiled, orthoconic, and cyrtoconic conchs have been described with relict color patterns. However, reports of Mesozoic occurrences are limited to only Ophionautilus? in the Jurassic (Shimanski, 1962) and Eutrephoceras in the Cretaceous (Shimanski, 1962; Landman, 1982). Cenozoic reports are limited to Aturia in the Tertiary (Foerste, 1930; Shimanski, 1962; Teichert, 1964) and modern Nautilus (see Saunders and Landman, 1987, for an extensive treatment). The reports on both Mesozoic occurrences are limited to description of external conch morphology, detailed appearance of the color patterns, and the relationship of the remnant color pattern to the conch morphology. Indeed, the specimen discussed herein was originally illustrated by Landman (1982, fig. 8), with a caption indicating the presence of possible color banding. Analysis of this Cretaceous specimen allows comparison to Nautilus and provides a suggestion as to the evolution of certain mature color patterns in coiled cephalopods from the late Mesozoic to Recent.
A buffered formic acid technique for conodont extraction
Authors: Jeppsson Lennart , Anehus Rikard
Published: August 2016

Formic acid must be buffered with both calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate to be suitable for extraction of conodont elements and other phosphatic fossils from dolomites. All unbuffered solutions and those buffered with only calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate destroy the phosphatic fossils. Experimental effects using different concentrations and different combinations of phosphate and calcium carbonate are diagrammatically illustrated. A 10 percent formic acid solution with 20 g calcium carbonate and 1.2 g tricalcium phosphate per liter leaves conodont elements undamaged even for a period of 129 days. One liter of this solution dissolves 95 g dolomite.