Reefs of the Middle Devonian Edgecliff Member of the Onondaga Formation in New York and Ontario, Canada, contain three distinct paleocommunities: the Phaceloid Colonial Rugosan Paleocommunity, the Favositid/Crinoidal Sandstone Paleocommunity, and the rare Delicate Branching Tabulate Paleocommunity. The reefs may be classified as mounds or composite structures based on the degree of intergrowth of the rugosan and favositid paleocommunities. Composite structures may be further subdivided into mound/bank, thicket/bank, and ridge/bank structures based on the degree of development of the rugosan paleocommunity. Geographic distribution of reef types suggests that these patterns of reef growth were controlled by water depth.

The new edrioasterine Pseudedriophus guensburgi n. gen. n. sp., is described from the Lower Ordovician Ninemile Shale of central Nevada based on three complete to partial small specimens, a well-preserved large ambulacrum, and an isolated ambulacral floor plate. The weathered-out holotype of this edrioasterine exposes the bottom surface of the theca that bears an aboral collar, peduncular stalk, and attachment disk, features that are poorly known in this clade. These specimens were found with a single specimen of a new edrioblastoid, Porosublastus inexpectus n. gen. n. sp., only the second edrioblastoid ever found in the Early Ordovician. Some of the ambulacral cover plates are stripped off one of the ambulacal grooves, revealing new information about how the ambulacra are built in this rare group of bud-shaped edrioasteroids.

Postibullinid edrioasteroids are a small clade of discoidal edrioasteroids that are locally common members of Devonian to Pennsylvanian, shallow marine, hard substrate faunas in North America and Europe. A small discoidal theca, narrow, highly elevated ambulacral cover plates, a highly elevated anal pyramid, and in many forms a posterior oral protuberance characterize this clade (Bell, 1976b; Sumrall et al., 2000). Here we describe the oldest known postibullinid, Pyrgopostibulla belli n. gen. and sp., a species that differs from other postibullinids by having a well-developed pedunculate zone and a complex, five-plate pattern of ambulacral cover plates. A dense population of these edrioasteroids preserved at a single stratigraphic horizon provides a census sample of individuals that were killed as a part of a final and abrupt burial pulse on this Lower Devonian hardground (Cornell et al., 2003). As such, this case study provides insight into the ontogeny and colonization strategies of isorophinid edrioasteroids.

The Kanosh Formation of the Great Basin of western North America contains the oldest abundant and moderately diverse bryozoan fauna known from North America. Six species are here described from this formation at Ibex in the Confusion Range, Utah. They comprise three species of esthonioporine stenolaemates and three trepostomes. Two new genera (Ibexella and Kanoshopora) and three new species (I. multidiaphragmata, K. droserae, and Eridotrypa hindsi) are introduced. The endozone of Kanoshopora n. gen. is very unusual among bryozoans in being filled with vesicles that are divided by beaded walls into longitudinal files close to the boundary with the exozone.

Two new limpets with a caenogastropod-type larval shell are described from the Mississippian (Early Carboniferous) of Australia and assigned to Australoscutula n. gen. of the family Pragoscutulidae. This family has previously been reported only from the Early Devonian of Europe (Czech Republic, Prague Basin). Therefore, it survived the Late Devonian biotic crisis. the fact that one of the earliest certain caenogastropods has a patelliform shell is noteworthy given most other Middle to Late Paleozoic caenogastropods are high-spired or fusiform. Pragosutulidae are interpreted as an early patelliform caenogastropod offshoot derived from coiled ancestors. the Pragoscutulidae are the oldest gastropod limpets with well-preserved larval shells. Their teleoconch is entirely limpet-shaped without helicoid coiling. However, the helicoid turbiniform larval shells suggests that this group evolved from an ancestor with turbiniform or even high-spired adult shell. Moreover, the multi-whorled dextral larval shells show that Pragoscutulidae are Caenogastropoda and document that early Caenogastropoda displayed considerable disparity.

The Cambrian Yanwangbian assemblage (Series 2, Stage 4) in South Shaanxi, China, is one of the Burgess Shale–type faunas as it represents the only relatively diverse Cambrian biota from the north margin of the Yangzte Platform, South China. The paleoscolecids (Cycloneuralia) illustrated herein are one of the major components of the fauna, although they appear to be much less abundant than skeletonized fossils, according to available collections. A new taxon, Shaanxiscolex xixiangensis new genus new species, is described based on the scleritome pattern: each annulus has two rows of alternating Hadimopanella-type plates positioned close to the borders, and a mosaic pattern of microplates occurs between the plates and within intersegmental furrows. The occurrence of the new taxon confirms a fairly diversified and widespread distribution of paleoscolecidan worms recognized in the early Cambrian of South China. Moreover, the ecology of paleoscolecids is reappraised based on burial position of the S. xixiangensis and gut contens of Cambrian taxa from South China, hinting that paleoscolecids (at least some taxa) were both deposit feeders and carnivores, as well as active bioturbators in the substrates of the Cambrian sea, which sheds new light on the ‘Cambrian Substrate Revolution.’

A new species of the marsupial Peradectes is described from the early Eocene Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia. It is the first Tertiary marsupial known from the Atlantic Coastal Plain north of Florida. The smallest species of Peradectes, it is more closely related to species known from the Western Interior of North America than to contemporaneous European species.

The Mississippian Fort Payne Formation of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama is well known for its abundant crinoids and a diverse array of autochthonous and allochthonous carbonate and siliciclastic facies. Using Principal Coordinate Analysis and Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling, it is demonstrated that distinct, contemporaneous, and geographically adjacent autochthonous facies in south-central Kentucky supported distinct crinoid assemblages. The two carbonate buildup facies had different assemblages dominated by camerate crinoids, carbonate channel-fill deposits were dominated by advanced cladid crinoids and the camerate Elegantocrinus hemisphaericus, and green shale facies supported a fauna dominated by disparids and primitive cladid crinoids. Allochthonous facies contain neither distinctive nor exotic taxa. Thus, these transported assemblages are considered a mixture of elements from the recognized, autochthonous facies. Faunal assemblages from Dale Hollow Reservoir are allochthonous; and faunas in north-central Alabama and south-central Tennessee are different from others, which may reflect slight biogeographic distinctions.

Three gravity cores (LZK1, ZKA4, and CSJA6) from the incised Yangtze paleo-valley comprise a thick sequence of the post-glacial deposit. Nineteen genera (26 species) of the benthic foraminifers are described from these cores, with detailed down-core foraminiferal variations to investigate their paleoenvironmental implications. Three foraminiferal assemblages are recognized for the lower, middle, and upper parts of the cores respectively. The lower part is dominated by Ammonia beccarii var. and Florilus decorus with lower abundance and diversity. In the middle part, the foraminifers are abundant and diverse, dominated by both Ammonia beccarii var. and Elphidium advenum. Cavarotalia annectens, Pararotalia nipponica, and porcellaneous benthic foraminiferal forms are always present, sometimes abundant. The upper part is characterized by the Ammonia beccarii-Elphidium magellanicum assemblage, except for the Core ZKA4, which is barren of foraminifers in this interval. AMS 14C dates and foraminiferal assemblages both confirm that the transgression-regression sequence in these cores belongs to the “Ammonia transgression” during the Holocene. In addition to documenting the post-glacial sea-level fluctuations, the benthic foraminifers also reflect a warmer climate during the early–middle Holocene. The foraminiferal differences among the three cores can be used to interpret the influence of seawater during the post-glacial sea-level fluctuations. The area in the vicinity of Core ZKA4 was affected by marine water only during the middle Holocene, which was much shorter than the areas of the other cores.

The Brechin Lagerstätte (Katian, Ordovician) from the Lake Simcoe region of Ontario, Canada contains a diverse array of echinoderms. Here, we describe seven disparid and two hybocrinid crinoids (subclass Pentacrinoidea, infraclass Inadunata), including a new disparid species belonging to the Anomalocrinidae (order Homocrinida). In total, the disparids include Anomalocrinus astrictus n. sp.; Cremacrinus guttenbergensis Kolata, 1975; C. inaequalis Billings, 1859; Daedalocrinus bellevillensis Billings, 1883; Eustenocrinus springeri Ulrich, 1925; Iocrinus trentonensis Walcott, 1883; and Isotomocrinus tenuis Billings, 1857b. The hybocrinids include Hybocrinus tumidus Billings, 1857a and Hybocystites problematicus Wetherby, 1880. Previously known from only the holotype, three additional specimens of E. springeri expand our understanding of this unusual crinoid. Nomenclatural acts include: (1) the recommended designation of D. kirki Ulrich, 1925 as a junior synonym of D. bellevillensis is followed; (2) Hybocrinus pristinus Billings, 1858 is designated as a junior synonym of H. tumidus, and previous decisions are followed to retain Hybocystites eldonensis (Parks, 1908) as a junior synonym of H. problematicus; (3) although probably assignable to Anomalocrinus Meek and Worthen, 1865, the aberrant crinoid Glaucocrinus falconeri Parks and Alcock, 1912, and its genus Glaucocrinus Parks and Alcock, 1912, are designated as nomena dubia; (4) Iocrinus similis (Billings, 1857) is also designated as a nomen dubium; and (5) Iocrinus subcrassus torontoensis Fritz, 1925 is designated a junior synonym of I. subcrassus Meek and Worthen, 1865.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/90f8580b-ed7e-4405-97b2-73c9069de7f5

Betelgeusia brezinai new species (Radiasteridae, Paxillosida, Asteroidea) is described from diversely fossiliferous Upper Cretaceous methane seep deposits of South Dakota. Asteroids are rare at modern chemosynthetic settings, although a hydrothermal vent occurrence is known, and two possible fossil methane seep occurrences have been reported. The Radiasteridae is important to the interpretation of crown-group asteroid phylogeny. Two extant genera are assigned to the family: Radiaster is known from relatively few but geographically widely dispersed largely deeper-water settings, and Gephyreaster is uncommon over a range of depths in the North Pacific Ocean. Jurassic and Cretaceous radiasterids have been described from geographically widely separated localities. In morphological-based phylogenetic analyses, the Radiasteridae has been assigned to the order Paxillosida, and Gephyreaster is similarly placed in a molecular evaluation; Radiaster has not yet been treated in a molecular study. In molecular treatment, an approximately traditional Paxillosida is a sister taxon to a significant part of the traditional Valvatida. Comparative morphology of Mesozoic and extant asteroids enables a hypothesis for a stemward, Mesozoic paxillosidan.

The first systematic analysis of the Danian carditids of Patagonia is presented, which includes four genera—one new genus and the first records of three other genera in South America. They consist of Claibornicardia paleopatagonica (Ihering, 1903), a widely distributed species occuring in the Jagüel, Roca and Salamanca formations (Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut Provinces); Rotundicardia Heaslip, 1968, represented by the new species R. mariobrosorum n. sp., which is restricted to the Roca Formation (Río Negro Province); Cardites feruglioi (Petersen, 1846) (Roca and Lefipán formations, Río Negro and Chubut Provinces); and by Kalelia new genus, which includes K. burmeisteri (Böhm, 1903) from the Salamanca and Roca formations (Río Negro and Chubut Provinces), which is related to the Paris Basin species K. multicostata (Lamarck, 1806) n. comb. and K. pectuncularis (Lamarck, 1806) n. comb. ‘Venericardia’ iheringi (Böhm, 1903), a species known only from internal molds, is described and regarded as a carditid with uncertain affinities. The presence of Claibornicardia, Rotundicardia, and Cardites in Patagonia constitutes the most ancient record of these genera and confirms biogeographical connections previously established between the Danian Argentinian and North American/European fossil faunas.

We described a Late Cretaceous fish fauna from the Campanian-age Blufftown Formation in western Georgia (Case and Schwimmer, 1988), including 15 selachian taxa and 8 osteichthyans; however, at that time no chimaeras had been found in the region. A well-preserved specimen of Ischyodus bifurcatus Case, 1978, was subsequently collected from the same general locality described in the above study, but in the immediately superjacent Cusseta Formation. This is a note of the new occurrence of this fish and a summary of its known geographic and stratigraphic distribution (Appendix).

Titanopterans are spectacular, giant, predatory insects mainly known from the Triassic, but they are known from a few localities in Central Asia (including European Russia) and Australia. The Nampo Group is a nonmarine sequence, located on the southwestern Korean Peninsula, the age of which has remained controversial, due to lack of proper age-constraining fossils. Here, we report a new titanopteran Magnatitan jongheoni n. gen. n. sp. from the Amisan Formation, Nampo Group. The division of the radius anterior and radius posterior beyond the distal half of the fossil wing is a characteristic of the family Paratitanidae. This is the first discovery of a titanopteran fossil outside of Central Asia and Australia, suggesting a possible circum-Tethys oceanic distribution. Given the possibly widespread distribution of titanopterans, this group might have played a critical role as giant predatory insects in Triassic terrestrial ecology. Because titanopterans have never been found beyond the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, the occurrence of a titanopteran corroborates the Triassic age of the Nampo Group.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/10177029-0044-424f-9816-e3fb057cfe85

Fragments of a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, Garfield County, Montana, are unlike any known ceratopsian. Diagnostic features include a low, rounded nasal boss, an especially deep rostral-premaxillary pit, and paired choanae. The snout is elongate. The new taxon, Ugrosaurus olsoni, is referred to the Ceratopsidae.

The non-marine Lower Cretaceous ostracod genus Kegelina new genus (Cypridoidea, Cyprideidae) is known from South America (Bahia state, eastern Brazil), West Africa (Gabon and ‘Congo'), and North America (Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, U.S.A.). It comprises five species: Kegelina anomala (Peck, 1941) new combination, Kegelina armata (Krömmelbein, 1962) new combination, Kegelina bisculpturata (Wicher, 1959) new combination, Kegelina depressa (Moura, 1972) new combination, and Kegelina kegeli (Wicher, 1959) new combination, all of which having formerly been described as representatives of Cypridea Bosquet, 1852. The closer relationships of Kegelina new genus among the Cyprideidae Martin, 1940 are discussed. Other potential species of Kegelina n. gen. are presumed to occur in northeastern China and Europe but remain to be examined.

A new genus and species of Asteroidea (Echinodermata), Embolaster graffhami, Embolasteridae, n. fam., is described from the Upper Ordovician Bromide Formation of Oklahoma. Embolaster is important in part because of the presence of two similar ossicles on each interbrachial plane in the axillary position; only a single axillary is recognized in most Paleozoic asteroids. the axillary traditionally has been considered to be a part of the marginal series, although marginals are almost always paired. the two ossicles are interpreted as axillaries and the homologues of an ancestral proximal marginal pair. the odontophore, which lies distal to the mouth angle pair of most asteroids, tentatively is the homologue of the proximal axillary.

Embolaster also is important because of the presence of an ossicular series between the ambulacrals and the putative adambulacrals. An extra ossicular series in this position is known from taxa traditionally assigned to the ophiuroids; however, other characters of Embolaster indicate asteroid affinities for this genus. the two ossicles lateral to and aligned with the ambulacrals in Embolaster are interpreted as homologous with the similarly arranged radial virgal series of somasteroids, although specific ossicular homologies are problematic.

A part of the mouth frame structure of Embolaster is exposed, although it is tiny and therefore difficult to interpret. the mouth frame arrangement is reminiscent of those of somasteroids, with small, narrow circumorals and apparent buccal podial basins directed toward the mouth opening. Many of the striking characters of Embolaster probably are plesiomorphic; apomorphies are difficult to ascertain.

Most species of the middle and late Hettangian psiloceratid genus Sunrisites are endemic to the eastern Pacific, where they are common members of ammonoid assemblages. the Taseko Lakes map area in British Columbia yields diverse and well-preserved Sunrisites faunas which are formally described here for the first time. Three new species are recognized, S. brimblecombei, S. chilcotinensis, and S. senililevis. the new species require an extension of the morphological range of the genus to include forms that become moderately involute at large shell diameters. Signs of sexual dimorphism are apparent within all three new species of Sunrisites. This work extends the stratigraphic range of Sunrisites to include the latest Hettangian Rursicostatum Zone in North America. The distribution of Sunrisites suggests that the Hispanic Corridor, which linked the western Tethyan Ocean and the eastern Pacific, may have been open during the Hettangian. Furthermore, occurrences of the genus constrain the Hettangian position of several allochthonous terranes to the northeastern Pacific.

The fluid flow through the complex hydrospires of the spiraculate blastoid Pentremites rusticus was analyzed using the first high-resolution three-dimensional digital image (and animation) of the hydrospires taken from a serially sectioned specimen. Measurements of the cross-sectional areas within the hydrospires, in conjunction with the Principle of Continuity, were used to infer the relative water velocity throughout the structures. Even though the calyx narrows adorally, the hydrospires expand in size, keeping pace with the increasing volume of water that entered through the hydrospire pores. Thus, the water maintained a relatively constant velocity within the hydrospire canals, 3.4 to 4.5 times the incurrent velocity. The spiracular openings are sufficiently large that no substantial increase in the exit velocity of the seawater would have been achieved unless the spiracular cover plates were used to reduce the size of the spiracular openings, which we infer was probably the case. The three-dimensional images underscore the fact that the two hydrospires that lie under each ambulacrum do not share the same spiracle and are not connected. Thus, we here redefine the term “hydrospire set” to refer to the pair of hydrospires that are connected. A number of anomalous accessory pores and canals were identified in the digital images. This initial study is based on a single specimen, and thus we were unable to determine the full range of variation present in Pentremites rusticus. Nonetheless, the digital image and the application of the Principle of Continuity offer new insights into the form and function of these remarkable respiratory structures.