Search

Deep-time (=pre-Quaternary) maar lakes and certain other, hydrologically deep volcanogenic lakes, are often excellent Konservat-Lagerstätten representing unique windows into past biota and ecosystems. Many deposits from such lakes contain animal and plant remains in extraordinary preservation, often with soft tissues or fine morphological and anatomical details preserved. Such Lagerstätten have the potential to provide in-depth information on a variety of organisms, which is important for understanding their biology and ecology, their evolution and palaeobiogeography, but also for elucidating entire ecosystems with their numerous biotic and abiotic interactions. The formation of such Lagerstätten is intimately linked to volcanic processes, amongst which phreatomagmatic explosions that formed maar-diatreme volcanoes are probably the most important, but also other volcanic processes can lead to the formation of deep volcanogenic lakes (e.g. in certain calderas). Maar lakes and other volcanogenic Konservat-Lagerstätten occur in a large number of volcanically active regions worldwide, although older deposits are often difficult to access as they are more likely to be eroded or covered by younger deposits. The accessibility of many of the better-known localities is often connected to the mining of natural resources, ranging from diamonds, to volcanic rocks such as basalts to the lacustrine sediments that may have filled volcanic craters, including diatomites and 'oil-shales'. Most or even all of the maar and other volcanogenic lakes presented here in greater detail, can be considered as important geoheritage sites. Although currently some of these deposits have at least some kind of legal protection as monuments of natural heritage, others remain in danger of being exploited commercially for natural resources and hence, ultimately destroyed. Moreover, many scientific questions related to these ancient lakes and their biota covered here in more detail, as well as those related to lakes only briefly mentioned in passing, have not been posed, let alone answered. This makes maar lakes and other volcanogenic lakes important resources for present-day and future research. The present contribution should be seen as a global call to scientists to find further localities that represent similar volcanogenic lacustrine settings, as they may be the source of vital and surprising new information about the plants, animals, and environments of the past. Examples of pre-Quaternary maar and other volcanogenic lakes that are presented here in greater detail include the following localities: Paleocene: Menat (France); Eocene: Messel, Eckfeld (Germany), Mahenge (Tanzania); Oligocene: Enspel, Rott, Hammerunterwiesenthal, Baruth, Kleinsaubernitz (Germany); Miocene: Foulden Maar, Hindon Maar Complex (New Zealand), Randeck Maar, Hirnkopf-Maar, Höwenegg, Öhningen (Germany); Pliocene: Ruppach-Goldhausen (Germany), Camp dels Ninots (Spain). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance our understanding of Brazilian paleontological heritage, we have launched the special edition titled “Brazilian Fossiliferous Sites with Paleobiological Importance”. A total of seven manuscripts have been accepted and published in Vol. 7 No. SI2 (2024). Recognizing our fossil heritage is essential for the scientific and cultural advancement of Brazil. We strongly encourage paleontologists to continuously publish papers on our rich fossiliferous deposits.

The problematic colonial organism Webbyites has previously been considered to be a hydroid (phylum Cnidaria). In this paper, we describe a new species, Webbyites felix sp. nov., from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Konservat-Lagerstätte of Morocco. One specimen preserves some soft-tissue zooid remains. The presence of a stolon system in the new species and the type species indicates that Webbyites is a benthic graptolite. Webbyites lacks bithecae; thus, it is not a dendroid graptolite.

The problematic colonial organism Webbyites has previously been considered to be a hydroid (phylum Cnidaria). In this paper, we describe a new species, Webbyites felix sp. nov., from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Konservat-Lagerstätte of Morocco. One specimen preserves some soft-tissue zooid remains. The presence of a stolon system in the new species and the type species indicates that Webbyites is a benthic graptolite. Webbyites lacks bithecae; thus, it is not a dendroid graptolite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se presenta el tercer ejemplar del trilobites asáfido Megistaspis (Ekeraspis) cf. hammondi con conservación excepcional de apéndices, procedente del Fossil-Lagerstätte ordovícico de tipo Burgess Shale más importante del mundo, localizado en Marruecos. Los trilobites con apéndices o partes blandas se detectan en niveles del Tremadociense superior dentro de la Formación de Fezouata, pero son fósiles muy raros. El ejemplar estudiado conserva la antena derecha y nueve apéndices situados bajo el exoesqueleto, localizados en la parte derecha del cuerpo. Se trata principalmente de endópodos, pero al menos en dos apéndices se reconocen partes de los exópodos porque conservan sus largas lamelas. El primer endópodo parece corresponder al extremo distal del tercer apéndice cefálico, y el resto son apéndices torácicos. Las antenas observadas en ejemplares comerciales de la misma especie suelen estar manipuladas por los preparadores y son poco fiables. Además del asáfido estudiado, la conservación de partes blandas y apéndices se conoce en otras cuatro especies coetáneas, totalizando medio centenar de ejemplares publicados. Pero es muy posible que existan muchos más casos en los que los apéndices de aquellos ejemplares que conserven las antenas permanezcan en realidad ocultos bajo el caparazón dorsal.

The Orígens Geopark UGGp situated in Lleida (Catalonia) is characterized by a rich Early Cretaceous paleontological heritage. One of the most impressive fossil collections comes from the La Pedrera de Meià quarry (Vilanova de Meià village), which has provided a huge amount of lithographic limestone slabs with vertebrates, non-vertebrates (including insects), plants and coprolites of Barremian age (about 125 mya) preserved as two-dimensional structures that show even the soft parts and several three dimensional fossils, mainly vertebrates. This palaeontological site is known for providing one of the most primitive angiosperm plants (Montsechia vidalii (Zeiler) Teixeira, 1954) and the presence of the primitive bird Noguerornis gonzalezi Lacasa, 1989. Hitherto, the site has yielded 113 holotypes and paratypes, and 151 different species, which gives a real indication of its palaeontological importance. However, this site is almost unknown except for specialised researchers, because these fossils have been disseminated in more than ten public collections and an indeterminate number of private ones. The collection of the fossils from both European universities and local amateurs started at the beginnings of commercial exploitation as a lithographic limestone quarry, in 1898. The weak palaeontological Spanish scientific network together with the lack of heritage laws has allowed this dispersion during the first 75 years of the twentieth century. This situation changed, in the mid-seventies, with the implication of the Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs (IEI), a scientific and cultural branch of the Diputació de Lleida, which was involved in the fieldwork campaigns of the site and keeps in its collection more than 4000 fossils. Moreover, the implementation of the Spanish and Catalan Heritage laws, in 1985 and 1993, respectively, was fundamental to protect this heritage and to avoid the uncontrolled collection. The IEI collection is the basis of the exhibition housed in Vilanova de Meià that shows the most interesting fossils found in the two sites and its history. This exhibition should be one of the cultural attractions of this small village and a point of attraction for cultural tourism. Finally, to assign the real importance of this palaeontological site, a global European database of the spread fossils is being built to disseminate them on a virtual platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new terrestrial, plant-rich Fossil-Lagerstätte discovered at Magliano Vetere (Campania region, S Italy) in the middle Cenomanian of the Apennine Carbonate Platform. The deposit, 1.42 m thick, is made up of a thin-bedded interlayering of evenly laminated dolomicrites, lenticular dolorudites and carbonaceous seams, which contain well-preserved remains of terrestrial plants yielding cuticles and minor fishes. This study focuses on plant remains, to provide systematical, taphonomical and palaeoenvironmental considerations; nevertheless, a preliminary analysis carried out on fossil fishes has led to the identification of pycnodontids and teleosts. The Fossil-Lagerstätte retains sterile foliage-bearing shoots with epidermal features belonging to the genus Frenelopsis of the extinct conifer family of the Cheirolepidiaceae. Plant remains possibly represent a stable biotope, as floral composition displays no variation along the deposit. Nevertheless, episodes of harsh environmental conditions occurred as demonstrated by a fish mortality event and Ca-sulphate evaporite precipitation. Taphonomical considerations and sedimentological evidence from the encasing sediments suggest a parautochthonous deposition of fossil plants in a supratidal/intertidal mudflat, including a salt-marsh that was characterised by a restricted sea-water circulation, deposition of primary dolomite and episodical wildfires. The presence of xeromorphic features in Frenelopsis from Magliano Vetere could represent an adaptation to haline environment which was subjected to microtephra supply from a distant, orogenic volcanism. The facies evolution of the studied Fossil-Lagerstätte records a rapid regressive and a following slower transgressive trend, and constitutes the lowermost portion of a ~20 m thick interval characterised by several dolomitic plattenkalk, up to 1.50 m thick, which are separated by cyclically stacked peritidal limestones. We infer that: 1) the ~20 m thick, Plattenkalk-bearing interval represents a Sequence Boundary Zone in the stratigraphical record of the middle Cenomanian ApCP; 2) Frenelopsis thrived at the verge of an arid–semiarid climatical phase during a major pulse of relative sea-level fall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein document the various ammonoid faunas, of which 8 are newly described taxa, recently collected from the Falang Formation at Nimaigu (Wusha) near Xingyi (Guizhou, South China) and also define their biostratigraphy, correlation and age. The sampled interval includes the Zhuganpo Member, which contains the world famous Xingyi Fossil-Lagerstätte, and the lowermost part of the overlying Wayao Member. Ammonoids are quite abundant, but preservation is usually very poor. New genera Yangites, Haoceras and Sinomeginoceras are described on the basis of four new species. The new subfamily Haoceratinae (family Trachyceratidae) is erected to accommodate Haoceras and Sinomeginoceras. Xenoprotrachyceras, Detoniceras, Ptychites, Trachyceras and Clionitites are also recognized, together with a specimen attributed with doubt to Parasturia. Most of the faunas are endemic and typical representatives of Upper Ladinian ammonoid zones have not been recognized. A new local biostratigraphic scale is proposed, consisting of the Haoceras xingyiense zone, Trachyceras beds and Trachyceras multituberculatum zone, in stratigraphic order. The Trachyceras beds and the Trachyceras multituberculatum zone are attributed to the Lower Carnian, but most of the bio-chronostratigraphic analysis is focused on the Haoceras xingyiense zone, because it directly overlies the vertebrate-bearing interval. Correlation of the new biozone is discussed and its stratigraphic position is referred, at least in part, to the lower Sutherlandi Zone of the North American scale. This correlation pinpoints the age of the Xingyi Fossil-Lagerstätte as middle Late Ladinian, which until now had been a matter of debate for 30+ years.