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We reconstruct the apparatus architecture of the gondollelid conodont Nicoraella kockeli based on fused clusters from the early Middle Triassic (middle Anisian, Pelsonian) of Luoping County, east Yunnan Province, south‐west China. This material was characterized non‐invasively using synchrotron x‐ray tomographic microscopy and the ensuing data analysed using computed tomography, allowing us to infer the composition, homologies and architectural arrangement of elements within the apparatus. Much of the original three‐dimensional architecture of the apparatus is preserved and our apparatus reconstruction is the best characterized of any taxon within the superfamily Gondolelloidea. This allows us to test architectural models for gondolelloids and prioniodinins, more generally, as well as the functional interpretations based upon them. In particular, we reject a recent functional interpretation of the conodont feeding apparatus which was based on a biomechanically‐optimized inference of apparatus architecture in a close gondolelloid relative of Nicoraella. Nevertheless, our architectural model provides a foundation for future functional interpretations of gondolleloids and prioniodinins, more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absolute motion of tectonic plates since Pangea can be derived from observations of hotspot trails, paleomagnetism, or seismic tomography. However, fitting observations is typically carried out in isolation without consideration for the fit to unused data or whether the resulting plate motions are geodynamically plausible. Through the joint evaluation of global hotspot track observations (for times <80 Ma), first‐order estimates of net lithospheric rotation (NLR), and parameter estimation for paleo–trench migration (TM), we present a suite of geodynamically consistent, data‐optimized global absolute reference frames from 220 Ma to the present. Each absolute plate motion (APM) model was evaluated against six published APM models, together incorporating the full range of primary data constraints. Model performance for published and new models was quantified through a standard statistical analyses using three key diagnostic global metrics: root‐mean square plate velocities, NLR characteristics, and TM behavior. Additionally, models were assessed for consistency with published global paleomagnetic data and for ages <80 Ma for predicted relative hotspot motion, track geometry, and time dependence. Optimized APM models demonstrated significantly improved global fit with geological and geophysical observations while performing consistently with geodynamic constraints. Critically, APM models derived by limiting average rates of NLR to ~0.05°/Myr and absolute TM velocities to ~27‐mm/year fit geological observations including hotspot tracks. This suggests that this range of NLR and TM estimates may be appropriate for Earth over the last 220 Myr, providing a key step toward the practical integration of numerical geodynamics into plate tectonic reconstructions. Key Points: New global absolute plate motion models integrating geodynamic principles and geological observations for the last 220 million yearsModels derived by constraining trench migration and net lithospheric rotation produce optimum plate motion characteristicsNew models of absolute motion for nine hotspots from the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The widespread development of microbialites in shallow areas of the Tethys Ocean at the start of the Early Triassic reflects the deterioration of marine ecosystems in the aftermath of the extinction that marked the demise of the majority of Palaeozoic marine faunas. Here we present a study of the evolving microbialite forms and associated biotic assemblages of this pioneering microbialite interval from exposures at Chongyang, Hubei Province, China. This research provides a perspective on the effects of eustatic transgression on marine ecosystems as water depths increased at the beginning of Mesozoic, through the study of the changing forms, microfacies and distribution of microbialites. Microbialite forms evolved from stratiform stromatolites to a sequence of tabular thrombolites (with an intercalated layer of columnar stromatolites), followed by domical thrombolites that were overlain, in turn, by oolites. The stratiform stromatolites contain poorly preserved remains of calcified cyanobacteria, but microfossils with chambered structure can also be seen. Metazoan fossils increased from the base of the overlying tabular thrombolite, reflecting increasing biodiversity with deepening of seawater. The occurrence of columnar stromatolites within the tabular thrombolite may indicate a temporary sea-level shallowing. Foraminiferans and other metazoans are absent within the columnar stromatolites, but spherical cyanobacterial remains are extremely abundant. Well-preserved calcified cyanobacteria may reflect an absence of metazoan predation and/or carbonate supersaturation of seawater. As water deepened, domical thrombolites developed and the more complex seafloor relief created varied niches between and within the domes that harboured more ecologically diverse communities. During the process of transgression within the microbialite interval, carbon isotopes exhibit a negative relationship with biodiversity, implying that upwelling of anoxic deep-ocean water, if associated with the negative excursion of carbon isotope values, did not inhibit the diversification of benthic organisms at least on shallow carbonate platforms in the period immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction. Highlights • Stromatolites changed into thrombolites during Early Triassic transgression. • Moderate sea-level rise favors the diversification of marine animals. • Enhanced metazoan predation has a marked impact on the fabric of microbialites. • Carbon isotopic value exhibits negative correlation with the depth of sea water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Whether body size reduction (the Lilliput Effect) occurred in the Early Triassic invertebrates remains a matter of debate. Here, we investigate the size evolution of brachiopods spanning the Late Permian through the Early to Middle Triassic based on 3316 brachiopod specimens from South China. Our results show that the maximum and median size among species decreased dramatically from the latest Permian (Changhsingian) to the earliest Triassic (Griesbachian), and then increased during the Olenekian and Anisian. Our data support the Lilliput Effect on brachiopods during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and its immediate aftermath. Size plots at species, genus, and family levels suggest that the earliest Triassic size reduction resulted from two factors: the preferential extinction of large brachiopod taxa (size-selective extinction), and the size reductions in the survivors. Persistent increases in brachiopod size in the Olenekian and Anisian are likely the result of the extinction of small survivors, the appearance of large-sized species and the Cope's rule that the new lineages tend to increase in body size over the early evolutionary time. The cause of the earliest Triassic size reduction of brachiopods might be environmental pressures such as global warming, oceanic anoxia, and increased water turbidity. Highlights • Brachiopod's sizes were smaller in the Early Triassic than nearby intervals. • Extinction of large taxa and size reduction of survivors are two key factors. • The results support the Lilliput effect on Early Triassic brachiopods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We document a diverse ichnoassemblage from marine interbeds of the Lower Triassic terrestrial succession in the Houzhougongmiao (HZGM) section of Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. Integrated biostratigraphic data (bivalve, palynology and conchostracan) reveals that the ichnofossil-bearing marine beds are Griesbachian (Induan, Early Triassic) in age. The marine interbeds are interpreted to be the result of the earliest Triassic transgression of the Paleotethys Ocean northward onto the southern margin of the North China Craton. The HZGM ichnoassemblage includes 17 ichnospecies in 16 ichnogenera and is dominated by shallow-tier Asteriacites and Biformites produced by ophiuroids, the scratch marks or trackways Dimorphichnus , Diplichnites , and Monomorphichnus produced by arthropods, and a rare occurrence of the fish swimming trace Undichna. Of these, the hook-shaped imprints Biformites , representing the moving arm impressions of ophiuroids, are reported for the first time from the Lower Triassic. These trace-makers are interpreted to have lived in a low energy, semi-restricted, shallow embayment environment. Although possessing relatively high ichnodiversity, the HZGM ichnoassemblage differs clearly from other coeval diverse ichnocoenoses in the lack of complex burrow forms (i.e. Thalassinoides , Diplocraterion , or Rhizocorallium) and a mixed layer, and in having abundant shallow tiers. In addition, high ichnodiversity may occur at both high and low latitudes during the Griesbachian (or Induan). Accordingly, the resting trace or trackway-dominated ichnoassemblage from the HZGM section may represent the initial recovery of the trace-maker ecosystem after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Trace-makers such as arthropods and ophiuroids were perhaps opportunistic organisms that proliferated in marginal marine settings when other biota were still suffering post-extinction biotic depletion and environmental stresses. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • We report a diverse marine ichnoassemblage from the late Griesbachian. • Dominated by Asteriacites and Biformites produced by ophiuroids, arthropods trackways. • The HZGM ichnoassemblage lack of complex burrow forms (i.e. Thalassinoides , Rhizocorallium). • High ichnodiversity may occur at both high and low latitudes during the Griesbachian. • Arthropods and ophiuroids perhaps were opportunistic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We present recent study results of the Lower Triassic conodont succession from the Ganxi and Jianshi areas of Enshi city, western Hubei Province, South China, which were situated on a carbonate ramp at the northeastern margin of the Upper Yangtze Platform. Therein, the uppermost Permian to Lower Triassic succession is well exposed and yielded abundant conodonts. A total of nine conodont zones are differentiated: (1) Clarkina yini Zone, (2) Clarkina meishanensis Zone, (3) Hindeodus changxingensis Zone, (4) Hindeodus parvus Zone, (5) Hindeodus postparvus Zone, (6) Clarkina planata Zone, (7) Neoclarkina aff. discreta Zone, (8) Neospathodus dieneri Zone, and (9) Novispathodus waageni Zone. The Ns. dieneri M1, Ns. dieneri M2, and Ns. dieneri M3 Subzones have also been distinguished within the Ns. dieneri Zone, and the Nv. waageni eowaageni and Nv. waageni waageni Subzones are recognizable within the Nv. waageni Zone in Jianshi. Most of the zones occur in succession, but the C. planata Zone is a local ecozone reflecting deeper water biofacies during H. postparvus Zone time. In the Jianshi section, the Permian–Triassic boundary is placed at Bed 136-2 based on the appearance of Hindeodus parvus immediately above the disappearance of Changhsingian taxa, while the Induan–Olenekian boundary (IOB) is drawn at Bed 225 + 40 cm based on the first appearance of Nv. waageni eowaageni within the upper range of the Ns. dieneri Zone indices. The Enshi conodont zones overall correlate well with those recognized elsewhere in South China and worldwide. Highlights • Nine conodont zones were established from the Enshi area. • The Permian–Triassic boundary is placed at Bed 136-2 in the Jianshi section. • The Induan–Olenekian boundary is drawn at Bed 225 + 40 cm in the Jianshi section. • The Enshi conodont zones overall correlate well with those recognized elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ronchi et al. (in press) comment on the stratigraphic, sedimentological, mineralogical and palaeontological analyses performed in the recently described Coll de Terrers Permian–Triassic terrestrial succession from the Catalan Pyrenees by Mujal et al. (2017a). The comment debates our interpretation of a succession of red-beds as Permian (Upper Red Unit, URU). Instead, the comment infers that the analysed succession is part of the regional upper Buntsandstein facies unit (Triassic), debating the proposed stratigraphic scheme by using the tectonic evolution as the main argument. Here, we clarify and present more details on the interpretation published in Mujal et al. (2017a). Based on this clarification and taking into account the comment, we arrive to the conclusion that the interpretation and inferences presented in Mujal et al. (2017a) are sound and justified. Highlights • Reply to comment on Mujal et al. (2017a) study of the Permian–Triassic transition at Coll de Terrers (Catalan Pyrenees). • Previously exposed ideas derived from the originally published data are shown as valid. • The proposed stratigraphic framework is discussed and demonstrated as valid, further studies on the region are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The northern Atlas region of Tunisia is characterized by northeast-trending compressional structures that affected the extensionally formed Late Permian to Mid Cretaceous Tunisian Trough. More recently, Late Cenozoic extensional forces have formed a series of northwest-trending grabens whose origins are partially controlled by geologic structures formed since the Late Permian. In order to aid in determining how these grabens were formed, a detailed gravity analysis was conducted in the western region of the Tunisian Trough. The gravity analysis included the construction of a residual gravity field using wavelength filtering which was further analyzed using derivatives, Euler deconvolution and three-dimensional modeling. The resulting residual gravity anomaly field consists of a series of short wavelength maxima that are mainly related to anticlinal structures and minima related to sediment-filled grabens. To better define the structure of the basins, three-dimensional (3D) gravity models were constructed, where the grabens were found to be approximately 3–5 km in thickness and mainly bounded by normal faults and underlain by low density Triassic evaporites. This evaporitic layer was not underlying the entire study area but only in the vicinity of the grabens. In particular, the Kef Basin region was found to be two separate grabens, the Kef and the Ksour located southeast of the Kef graben. The Kef graben has a maximum thickness of 3–4 km while the wider Ksour graben is between 4 and 5 km thick. The gravity analysis cannot determine exact origin of the grabens but extension is the most plausible cause of the grabens with strike-slip motion may have played a role in the formation of the Ksour graben if not the other grabens. The location of the grabens was controlled by the lateral extent of the Triassic evaporates which provided the rheological weakness to initiate the grabens. Highlights • First detailed gravity analysis of the Kef region of Northwest Tunisia. • Map analysis locating NW- and NE-trending lineaments related to structures. • First detailed 3D gravity modeling of the Kef region to determine graben thicknesses. • Graben origin related to strike-slip, extension, and compressional stresses. • Triassic evaporite movement may have contributed to graben total thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The Khorat Plateau Basin consists of late Paleozoic and Mesozoic successions. • The basin is subdivided two tectonic regions by structure map using seismic profile. • Upper Paleozoic sequences were eroded at Indosinian I unconformity of P-T boundary. • The unconformity was caused by collision of the South China and Indochina blocks. • The collision of the South China and Indochina blocks initiated Indosinian Orogeny. Abstract The late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic Indosinian Orogeny in Southeast Asia was characterized by subduction in the Paleo-Tethys and collisions among continental blocks and fragments. The Khorat Plateau Basin in northeastern Thailand covers much of the Indochina Block and was subjected to complex tectonic activity during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic. The Mesozoic sequence of the basin comprises thick, gently folded non-marine sediments that include red beds and is separated from the underlying upper Paleozoic sequence by the major angular unconformity of the Permo-Triassic boundary, which we refer to as the "Indosinian I event" in the Khorat Plateau Basin. Seismic and well data acquired for oil and gas exploration indicate that the upper Paleozoic sequence is heavily faulted and structurally complex. Our study showed that in some areas about 2000 m of the upper Paleozoic sequence has been eroded at the Indosinian I unconformity, although thicknesses of up to ∼6000 m of upper Paleozoic rocks remain in some areas. Previous interpretations of oil and gas exploration data attribute the erosional event to back-arc closure due to collision of the Indochina and Sibumasu blocks during subduction in the Paleo-Tethys Ocean. However, our detailed structural mapping indicated that the Indosinian I unconformity was a consequence of the collision of the Indochina and South China blocks during the late Permian to Middle Triassic. We propose that this collision initiated the Indosinian Orogeny in mainland Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Triassic non‐mammaliaform epicynodont Galesaurus planiceps formed an important part of ecosystems following the Permo‐Triassic Mass Extinction, the greatest mass extinction in Phanerozoic history. Here, we re‐examine the postcranial skeleton of Galesaurus and present data which sheds light on the biology, ecology and possible survival strategies of this species. We find evidence for two distinct morphotypes, a gracile and a robust morph, which we interpret as stages in an ontogenetic series. The primary differences between the morphs manifest in the girdles, with further subtle differences in the fore and hind limbs. Our study also reveals postcranial differences between Galesaurus and the contemporaneous taxon Thrinaxodon liorhinus, allowing these taxa to be distinguished in the absence of cranial material. We also report the first evidence of intraspecific variation in the presence and distribution of disc‐like phalanges in a non‐mammaliaform cynodont. An analysis of the osteohistology of Galesaurus reveals rapid growth to skeletal maturity within one year, thereafter transitioning to slow intermittent growth. This growth pattern is similar to that of Thrinaxodon, which also grew rapidly and continuously to skeletal, and possibly reproductive, maturity within its first year of life. Features such as a strong, reinforced pelvis, elongated ilium, thick, robust forelimbs and stout unguals indicate that Galesaurus was capable of actively excavating burrows. The combination of rapid maturation and fossoriality may have aided its survival in the harsh, unpredictable post‐extinction Early Triassic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Moscow Syneclise on the East European Platform is an important area for the study of the continental biota of late Permian to Early Triassic age in continuous sections. This study attempts a taxonomic description of the late Permian conchostracan fauna of this area. The rich, new material was collected, bed by bed, during geological and paleontological excavations of lacustrine and fluvial deposits of the Obnora Formation and Vokhma Formation of the late Permian Zhukovian Regional Stage near the towns of Vyazniki and Gorokhovets. The conchostracan fauna of the Zhukovian Regional Stage consists predominantly of Pseudestheria and less frequently of Palaeolimnadiopsis. In the earliest Triassic Vokhmian Regional Stage, a more diverse fauna including Euestheria, Magniestheria, Cornia, Palaeolimnadiopsis, and Rossolimnadiopsis was already recorded. The preliminary taxonomic determination of the pseudestheriids from the Zhukovian Regional Stage is intended to serve as a prerequisite for future studies of late Permian conchostracan biostratigraphy on the regional to interregional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bed-by-bed sampling of the lower portion of the Daye Formation at Gujiao, Guizhou Province, South China, yielded new Griesbachian–Dienerian (Induan, Early Triassic) ammonoid faunas showing a new regional Induan ammonoid succession. This biostratigraphic scheme includes in chronological order the late Griesbachian Ophiceras medium and Jieshaniceras guizhouense beds, and the middle Dienerian Ambites radiatus bed. The latter is recognized for the first time as a separate biozone in South China. Eight genera and 13 species are identified, including one new species, Mullericeras gujiaoense n. sp. The new data show that a relatively high level of ammonoid taxonomic richness occurred rather rapidly after the Permian/Triassic mass extinction in the late Griesbachian, echoing similar observations in other basins, such as in the Northern Indian Margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Triassic rocks are widespread in China, and both marine and terrestrial strata are well developed. The Triassic stratigraphic architecture of China is very complex in both spatial variation of the so-called "South Marine and North Continental", i.e. the southern areas of China occupied mostly by marine facies while the northern China by terrestrial facies during the Triassic Period, and temporal transition of the "Lower Marine and Upper Continental", i.e. the lower part of the Triassic System composed mainly of marine facies and the upper part of terrestrial strata especially in South China. Although the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Permian-Triassic boundary is located in South China, the Triassic of China except for some marine Lower-Middle Triassic depositions shows significantly local characteristics and is hardly correlated with the global chronostratigraphic chart. Consequently, the Triassic of China contains not only the international research hotspots but also difficult points in stratigraphic study. This paper aims to present a brief review of the Triassic in China, including chronostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy, and summarize an integrated Triassic stratigraphic framework of China. Accordingly, a stratigraphic correlation is proposed for the lithostratigraphic sequences among the three tectono-paleogeographic stratigraphic regions. The comprehensive study indicates that ammonoids are the classic index fossils in Triassic biostratigraphy but conodonts are more advantageous in the study and definition of the Triassic chronostratigraphic boundaries. China still has the potential to optimize the GSSPs of the Induan-Olenekian boundary and Olenekian-Anisian boundary. The correlation of the Permian-Triassic boundary between marine and terrestrial facies might be achieved with the help of the Permian-Triassic "transitional bed" and its related biotic and environmental events in association with the biostratigraphic study of conchostracan, vertebrate and plant fossils. In addition, the carbon isotopes have been proved to be one of the powerful methods in marine Triassic stratigraphic study, whereas the oxygen and strontium isotopes may be additional important bridges to establish the correlation between the marine and terrestrial strata, but as yet lacking of relevant studies in terrestrial strata. Considering the most stratigraphic intervals of the Triassic and the terrestrial Triassic in China are difficult to be correlated to the global chart, the proposed Chinese (regional) Triassic chronostratigraphic chart of marine and terrestrial stages would be of importance to the study of Chinese Triassic stratigraphy and related aspects, but the stages must be conceptually in line with international standards and studied as soon as possible in order to finalize the definition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanystropheidae is a clade of early archosauromorphs with a reported distribution ranging from the Early to the Late Triassic of Asia, Europe, and North America. Although some specimens with possible tanystropheid affinities from the Lower Triassic beds of Brazil have been previously attributed to "Protorosauria", little is known about the tanystropheid record in Gondwana. Here, two new and one previously reported specimen from the Sanga do Cabral Formation (Induan-Olenekian) of Brazil are described and interpreted as Tanystropheidae. These records, together with other tetrapods previously reported for the Sanga do Cabral Formation, increase the knowledge of the biotic diversification during the beginning of the Triassic. This contribution reinforces that the archosauromorph diversification occurred shortly after the Permo-Triassic extinction, making the Sanga do Cabral Formation an important unit for the study of early Mesozoic faunas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two isolated teeth, a dorsal vertebra, fragments of a humerus and femur, a fragmentary pubic "boot" and part of an ischium shaft, identified here as belonging to a large predatory archosaur were discovered in the Upper Triassic site at Marciszów near Zawiercie (southern Poland). Comparisons of the new fossils from Marciszów with the dorsal vertebrae, pubic "boot", ischium and femur of the theropod-like Smok wawelski from Lisowice (Silesia) reveal that the two taxa are very similar. Nevertheless, due to the lack of more diagnostic elements (e.g., braincase or cranial elements), we prefer to consider all described specimens from Marciszów as Smok sp. Smok sp. shares a low mound-like, anterior trochanter with trochanteric shelf on the femur, a massive pubic "boot" with a distinct depression (= bevelled area), and a transversely lenticular ischium shaft in cross-section with S. wawelski. Some observed characters of the dorsal vertebra (e.g., lack of some lamina, shape and position of zygapophyses), however, are different from S. wawelski and may also suggest that the new findings represent a second species of the genus in the Upper Triassic of Poland. The discovery of Smok sp. at Marciszów is significant because it is the second example of the co-occurrence of this genus with: (i) bones of a large dicynodont; and (ii) record of gnawed tetrapod bones. The discovery of Smok sp. and the lack of significant morphologic divergence from S. wawelski suggest that this taxon is the only large-bodied predator currently known from the Upper Triassic of Poland. This new evidence expands the record of the genus and contributes, in some measure, to our knowledge of the stratigraphical distribution of large predatory archosaurs from the Polish Upper Triassic bone-bearing levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sacisaurus agudoensis is the only silesaurid known from the Triassic beds of the Santa Maria Supersequence and the correlation of its type locality to the other Triassic deposits of south Brazil has always been controversial. In an attempt to improve this, a handful of dinosaur and cynodont remains found associated to S. agudoensis are here described and compared. The anatomy of the sauropodomorph is more similar to that of Norian forms such as Pantydraco caducus and Unaysaurus tolentinoi than to that of Carnian taxa such as Saturnalia tupiniquim and Pampadromaeus barberenai. The cynodonts recovered based on isolated teeth include a brasilodontid and a Riograndia-like form. This assemblage is consistent with a Norian age, as is also suggested by local stratigraphic correlation, which positions the site in the Caturrita Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil insects from the Triassic-Jurassic boundary of England could provide an important resource for investigating the severity of extinction events in the terrestrial realm of the uppermost Triassic. However, the fossil record is poorly understood for this period even though there are abundant historical collections. Many of these collections are still in need of taxonomic revision before they can be used to reconstruct past entomofaunas and make inferences about diversity change through time. This paper is part of a larger project to revise the taxonomy of insects across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary of England to better understand changes in insect diversity through the Triassic-Jurassic boundary and associated extinction period. Herein, the damsel-dragonfly family Liassophlebiidae Tillyard, 1925 is revised and an additional specimen from the Early Jurassic of Antarctica is included. Rossiphlebia new genus is erected for Liassophlebia jacksoni Zeuner, 1962; L. batheri Tillyard, 1925 is considered nomen dubium and another specimen originally attributed to L. batheri is identified as L. withersi Tillyard, 1925. Liassophlebia (?) clavigaster Tillyard, 1925 and L. (?) hopei (Brodie, 1845) are considered incertae sedis at the generic level. Liassophlebia gigantea Zeuner, 1962 is based on a fragmentary specimen but has several unique key characteristics. We redescribe it in Anglophlebia new genus and tentatively in Anglophlebiidae new family in Heterophlebioptera. Also discussed are L. magnifica Tillyard, 1925, L. withersi, and L. pseudomagnifica Whalley, 1985, which are redescribed with updated figures. Caraphlebia antarctica Carpenter, 1969 was originally described from the Early Jurassic of Antarctica as being closely related to Liassophlebia; it is herein confirmed in Selenothemistidae Handlirsch, 1939. UUID: http://zoobank.org/8fe9a39c-1c3b-4bda-92a6-92c1a0fc95b8 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and species of the Elcanidae (Orthoptera, Elcanoidea), Cascadelcana virginiana n. gen. n. sp., is described based on a forewing specimen from the Upper Triassic (Norian) Cow Branch Formation in the Solite Quarry Lagerstätte near the North Carolina-Virginia boundary, USA. It is distinguished from other elcanid species by its RP+MA1 with six branches, M with two branches before stem MA1 fused with RP, and short CuA almost vertical against the posterior margin. This fossil represents the earliest definitive record of the family Elcanidae and the first orthopteran described from the Triassic of North America. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses show that the veins and a pterostigma-like structure on the wing of C. virginiana n. gen. n. sp. are preserved as carbonaceous compressions. The presence of a pterostigma-like structure in elcanids indicates that they may have evolved a particular flight mechanism distinct from those of other orthopterans. UUID: http://zoobank.org/49526c99-5da4-48e3-ba6e-7018b8f9b1ae [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Permian extinction interval is in many marine locations characterized by the development of anoxic conditions. The Finnmark Platform is one of few exceptions, as sedimentological and palynofacies evidence indicate oxygenated conditions throughout the event. Changes in acritarch assemblages and morphology were studied in order to better understand the link between acritarchs and environmental conditions. The main taxa are of Micrhystridium , Baltisphaeridium and leiospheres, while Veryhachium and the prasinophytes Cymatiosphaera and Tasmanites were present in low abundances. Increased concentrations of acritarchs, particularly Micrhystridium , show that the environmental changes at the start of the extinction event may have resulted in enhanced marine productivity. A shift from Micrhystridium/Baltisphaeridium dominance before and during the extinction event, to leiosphere-dominance after the extinction event, indicates a shift towards a more inshore environment. The new data are compared with published Late Permian acritarch records from East Greenland, China and Pakistan. A striking difference between the East Greenland and Finnmark Platform, which are both expanded Upper Permian/Lower Triassic sections, is that the acritarch record from Greenland shows a strong decrease in process length of the acritarch Micrhystridium . Together with a change in the acritarch assemblage, this change in morphology was interpreted to represent a decrease in salinity at the site, resulting from increased run-off. The differences between the East Greenland and the Finnmark records are likely due to their palaeogeographical settings, as the East Greenland section was located in a narrow and elongated basin which was likely more sensitive to evaporation and run-off changes than the Finnmark Platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower Triassic conodont biostratigraphy has been well studied around the world in the past decades, but the Induan-Olenekian boundary (IOB) remains undecided. The Novispathodus waageni group has been taxonomically re-assessed based on abundant new materials from the Jianshi and Chaohu sections, South China. New study shows that Nv. waageni typically possesses: (1) an approximately equi-dimentional P1 blade element, (2) an accurate upper profile with denticle height descending in both directions, (3) a denticulated posterior edge (lower denticles posterior of the highest denticle), and (4) a round basal cavity outline. Of the three proposed subspecies of the waageni species, both Nv. waageni waageni (Sweet, 1970) and Nv. w. eowaageni (Zhao and Orchard, 2005) are valid, and the former differs clearly from Nv. w. eowaageni in having (1) a slightly higher length/height ratio (holotype=1.30 : 1.23), (2) a thicker blade, sometimes with medial thickening, (3) fewer (broader) denticles per unit length, (4) generally recurved denticles, not straight and upright, (5) highest denticles closer to posterior, (6) common differentiation of a posterior cusp, and (7) more sinuous basal profile, with increased posterior upturning. A third subspecies illustrated as Nv. waageni n. subsp. A sensu Goudemand, 2014 is not conspecific with older individuals of Nv. w. eowaageni, and also cannot be assigned to the Nv. waageni group. Abundant new materials demonstrate a clear ontogenic process for Nv. w. eowaageni, indicating that Nv. w. eowaageni occurring in the Induan−Olenekian boundary (IOB) succession is rather stable. Small, earlier individuals (i.e., those from Bed 225 in Jianshi) are referred to as Nv. w. eowaageni Morphotype A, and are thought to have likely evolved from Ns. dieneri Morphotype 3, and to be the precursor of mature elements of Nv. w. eowaageni. The first appearance datum of Nv. w. eowaageni therefore is an ideal mark defining the IOB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Luoping Biota discovered from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) Guanling Formation of southwestern China represents a fully recovered shallow marine ecosystem, marking the end point of Early Triassic biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction. Contemporaneously preserved are prolific trace fossils, which offer good opportunities to understand the palaeoecology of marine invertebrates from a fully recovered shallow marine ecosystem. Here we present a newly discovered sinuous branching burrow from the fossil-bearing unit in Member II of the Guanling Formation. Several features, including the horizontal regular sinuous nature, the branching pattern, typical H-junction, and the small wavelength/amplitude ratio of these sinuous structures within the burrow systems justify assignment of these traces as Sinusichnus sinuosus, a trace possibly produced by decapod crustaceans. Close association of S. sinuosus with Rhizocorallium commune suggests a deposit-feeding strategy of these trace makers. The newly reported Anisian material from the Guanling Formation in Luoping represents first report of Sinusichnus from South China. The global record of Sinusichnus occurrence suggests that these burrows might have an older history than Early Middle Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial floras underwent important changes during the Lopingian (Late Permian), Early Triassic, and Middle Triassic, i.e., before, during, and after the end-Permian mass extinction. An accurate account of these developments requires reliable correlation. Macrofossils of land plants can only provide a low-resolution biostratigraphy, while detailed zonation schemes based on palynomorphs are available for many regions. Their applicability is still limited due to several factors, such as (micro-)floral provincialism, a lack of suitable marker taxa commonly occurring at important boundaries, and in many cases a lack of independent age control. Nevertheless, these palynostratigraphic schemes are regularly used for dating and correlation of successions between different regions. To support such efforts, the biozonation schemes based on palynomorphs from the Lopingian up to and including the Middle Triassic from across the world are summarized and revised. Thus, a consistent correlation of palynozones with the currently recognized international stages is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the central part of the External Dinarides in Plavno, Croatia, near Knin, a remarkably thick (927.5 m) Early Triassic depositional sequence was investigated. The Plavno sequence starts in the EarlyGriesbachian and ends with a continuous transition into the Anisian strata. A complete 13C isotope curve has been achieved and combined with conodonts, bivalves and ammonoids to establish and correlate stage and substage boundaries. The δ13C curve is consistent with former studies. It displays a general increase from the Griesbachian to a prominent maximum beyond the +8‰ amplitude around the Dienerian-Smithian boundary (DSB), followed by a steep and continuous decline to low, negative values in the Smithian. Around the Smithian-Spathian boundary (SSB) a steep rise to a second maximum occurred. It is followed by a saw-tooth shaped decline in the Spathian and a similar increase to a peak at the Spathian-Anisian boundary (SAB).Sedimentologically, the Plavno sequence is interpreted as having been deposited on an extensive epeiric ramp under long-term transgressive conditions, sharing depositional characteristics of both the epeiric platform and the carbonate ramp. The entire Plavno sequence was deposited above the storm-wave base and was storm influenced. Three informal members are differentiated: 1) the dolostone member (Early Griesbachian); 2) the siliciclastic member (red-coloured shale, siltstone, sandstone with oolitic/bioclastic grainstone intercalations), which can be further divided into lower, middle and upper intervals (Late Griesbachian, Dienerian and Smithian); and 3) the mudstone member (grey lime mudstones, marls and calcisiltites with common ammonoids and gastropods-Spathian). The Plavno sequence is compared with other western Tethyan sections. Observed differences stem from local controls on deposition in the overall shallow marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the end-Permian mass extinction, genus Claraia (Bivalvia) was the most abundant and most noticeable fossil during the survival and recovery stage. However, the reasons for the proliferation of Claraia are still debated. This paper describes a new Griesbachian (Early Triassic) mollusc fauna from deep-water settings in South China in the aftermath of end-Permian mass extinction. This fauna yielded five bivalve species in two genera (Claraia griesbachi, C. wangi, C. stachei, C. radialis, and Promyalina putiatinensis) and two ammonoid species (Ophiceras sp. and Ussuridiscus sp.) and could be assigned to the Claraia wangi-C. griesbachi assemblage zone, indicating a Middle-Late Griesbachian Age. The bivalves were dominated by Claraia griesbachi and were featured by articulated Claraia fossils. As Claraia was epibyssate, it was an excellent autochthonous fauna. While the shallow and deep marine water became dysoxic to anoxic globally, as indicated by recent studies of the early Early Triassic, we suggest the genus Claraia could tolerate dysoxic and/or anoxic conditions and its proliferation could be attributed to its physiological features which were adapted to the stressed environment. The wide distribution of Claraia was probably related to its planktonic larval stage. Where the larva of Claraia could have been transported by ocean flow and increased its potential for long-distance dispersal. In addition, Claraia was a significant disaster and opportunistic taxon during the Early Triassic based on observations in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report here U‐Pb age and in situ Hf isotopic results for detrital and magmatic zircons from one conglomerate and four tuffite samples from the Late Triassic Nadigangri Formation across the North Qiangtang depression, Tibet. Coupled with previously published data in the region, this paper proposes new insights into the geochronological framework for the Nadigangri Formation. The deposition ages of tuffite from top to bottom in the Woruo Mountain, Quem Co and Dongqu River, are 203 Ma, 226 Ma, 221.5 Ma and 221.1 Ma, respectively. The detrital zircons yield a younger cluster of ages of 201.5–225 Ma from the conglomerate of the Quem Co Formation. The Late Triassic Nadigangri Formation defines a temporal range approximately between 201 and 225 Ma (Norian‐Rhaetian), including three predominant groups of 220–225 Ma, 210–217 Ma and 201–205 Ma, which correspond with the three main rifting episodes of initial rifting, further rifting and final rifting. Positive εHf(t) value and low model ages in younger detrital zircons suggests a juvenile character. However, the Hf isotopes of magmatic zircons display the presence of reworked ancient crust with 1.1–1.8 Ga. These results provide strong constraints not only on the temporal range of the Late Triassic Nadigangri Formation, but also on the onset of the Qiangtang Mesozoic rift basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research of the petrology, geochemistry, and zircon U–Pb dating of detrital rocks in the Late Triassic Wenbinshan Formation in southwestern Fujian, and comparing the detrital zircon ages of Wenbinshan Formation with those of Late Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic main basins in South China, the sedimentary provenance of the Late Triassic in southwestern Fujian and its implications for changes in basin properties are discussed. The research results demonstrate that there is a major age peak at 222 Ma, two subordinate age peaks at 275 Ma and 1851 Ma, and two minor age peaks at 413 Ma and 2447 Ma in the detrital zircon age spectra of the upper samples (YGP–6) of the Wenbinshan Formation, whereas there are two major age peaks at 229 Ma and 1817 Ma and other minor age peaks 265 Ma 309 Ma, 415 Ma, 1968 Ma, and 2435 Ma in the detrital zircon age spectra of the lower samples (YGP–26) of the Wenbinshan Formation. The upper samples contain fewer old detrital zircons than the lower samples, but the upper and lower samples of Wenbinshan Formation are similar in major age composition, which indicates the main provenances of the upper and lower sediments are very similar. The source rocks are mainly sedimentary rocks and their provenances are derived from a source area of recycled orogenic belt and volcanic arc orogenic belt (acidic island arc). The detrital zircon composition of the Wenbinshan Formation is mainly composed of Paleoproterozoic zircon and Late Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic zircon. In the Paleoproterozoic, sedimentary provenances were mainly derived from the Wuyi Massif and partly from northwestern Fujian-southwestern Zhejiang. As for the period of Late Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic, the provenances of the Wenbinshan Formation were derived from magmatic active belts of the Early Indosinian Epoch of northern South China, eastern South China, and the Indosinian Period of northern South China and coastal areas of eastern South China. The similarities and differences between detrital zircon age peaks of the Wenbinshan Formation in southwestern Fujian and that of the main basins in South China during the period of Late Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic indicate that from eastern coastal areas of South China to the north and interior of South China, the age composition of basin sediments has changed from simple to relatively complex, and from young sediments to older sediments. There are similarities and differences in the detrital zircon compositions of the different basins, which can indicate differences in the nature of the basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brachiopod fauna from the Middle Triassic beds of the Socotra Island, collected along the Ras Momi log, consists basically of four species, here described: Nudirostralina mutabilis (Stoliczka, 1866), Lepismatina lilangensis (Stoliczka, 1866), Spirigerellina stoliczkai (Bittner, 1899), Adygella socotrana sp. nov. Additional, very rare, species are Koeveskallina sp. and an undescribed very large dielasmatid. This fauna is arranged in three assemblages, with different age. The older is represented by Adygella socotrana and dated as Bithynian according to the presence of the conodonts Neogondolella regalis and Paragondolella bulgarica. The middle one is the richest in specimens, with lumachelle of Spirigerellina stoliczkai and rare specimens of other species. Its age is Illyrian on the base of several species of Paragondolellids and Neogondolellids, The younger one contains rare very large dielasmatid, Nudirostralina mutabilis, and Spirigerellina stoliczkai, which continues to be fairly abundant. The age of this assemblage is an indefinite Ladinian, due to the presence of Budurovignathus sp. This fauna is compared with a few specimens from Himalaya (G. lilangensis, S. stoliczkai, and "Dielasma" himalayanum), which were collected from the sections of Muth (Spiti), Phugtal (Zanskar), and Tulong (South Tibet). The brachiopod fauna of Socotra has an obvious counterpart with the Himalayan fauna, indicating a strong connection during the Middle Triassic. Our palaeobiogeographic interpretation is that Socotra was a part of the Indian Plate fringe or lying nearby during the Triassic. In the latest Triassic-Jurassic it was detached from the Indian margin with the Gondwana fragmentation, and then with the subsequent opening of the Indian Ocean in the Late Cretaceous. Socotra remained attached to the Arabian Peninsula until the opening of the Gulf of Aden in the Miocene. This separated Socotra from the Arabian Peninsula and left it as the easternmost tip of the Somali Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simosaurus is a Triassic eosauropterygian genus known from cranial and postcranial elements, found in the Middle and Upper Triassic strata of Europe and the Middle East. Simosaurus gaillardoti is currently recognised as the only valid species of the genus, identified in Ladinian strata of an area that includes northeastern France (Lorraine) and southwestern Germany (Baden-Württemberg). The remains from this area include more than 20 skulls. Although some of them were described in detail and figured by several authors since the discovery of S. gaillardoti, many others remained unpublished. Here we study and figure 25 skulls from this taxon, reviewing the previously known specimens, and presenting and analyzing numerous unpublished skulls. This significant sample of skulls from a single taxon of a European Triassic eosauropterygian allows us to recognise intraspecific variability in characters previously identified as non-variable in this species, including some that are often included in phylogenetic analyses of these reptiles. Therefore, we markedly increase our knowledge of the cranial skeleton in this taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new bivalve genera and species are described from Upper Triassic hydrocarbon seep deposits from the Kasımlar shales in the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey. Terzileria gregaria and Kasimlara kosuni belong to the carditiid family Kalenteridae, and Aksumya krystyni belongs to the anomalodesmatan superfamily Pholadomyoidae. A single specimen is described in open nomenclature as Kasimlara sp. due to its significantly more angular shell profile compared to K. kosuni. The kalenterids Terzileria and Kasimlara narrow the stratigraphic gap between two seep-inhabiting "modiomorphid" clades: the Silurian-Devonian Ataviaconcha and the Late Jurassic-Cretaceous Caspiconcha. This raises the questions whether these four genera are members of a single phylogenetic lineage that continuously inhabited deep-sea hydrocarbon seeps from the Silurian to the Cretaceous (the "single lineage hypothesis"), or are repeated offshoots of various lineages that convergently developed similar morphological adaptations to this habitat (the "repeated colonization hypothesis"). Aksumya represents the first anomalodesmatan genus that appears to be restricted to the seep environment, considering that all previous claims of seep-inhabiting anomalodesmatans are questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe an Olenekian (Early Triassic) "fossil squid" belonging to the oldest complex Mesozoic marine biota collected in the Lower Shale unit of the Lower Triassic Thaynes Group in Idaho, USA. The studied specimen shows a tapered structure embedded in a cylindrical soft body. Morphological, ultrastructural and geochemical features of the specimen suggest that it corresponds to an internally-shelled cephalopod exhibiting a tapered micro-laminated gladius with rachis, narrow median and lateral fields and a large conus; a pair of posterior large fin-supported cartilages and fins; ventral and dorsal mantle band-shape structures, the dorsal one being cartilaginous; mantle patches; a stomach containing undigested arm-hooks and sheet-like pieces of potential flooded ink. Coupled SEM/EDS analyses show that (i) arm-hooks and ink were pseudomorphed by nanoparticles (less than 0.6 mm in diameter) of carbon, (ii) gladius and soft tissues were substituted by granules of calcium phosphate, (iii) cartilage canalicula's were partially filled with calcium phosphate grains and crystals of Zn- and S-containing minerals. The specimen was hence probably fossilized due to metabolism of P- and C-accumulating bacteria. Based on this specimen, Idahoteuthis parisiana Doguzhaeva and Brayard gen. et sp. nov. and Idahoteuthidae Doguzhaeva and Brayard fam. nov. are erected. This family is characterized by an elongated, cylindrical, dorsally cartilaginous muscular mantle; well-developed, about 0.2 mantle length, rounded anteriorly and acute posteriorly, fin-supported cartilages and similarly shaped two fins at conical mantle termination, and thin slender gladius with narrow median and lateral fields, rachis and breviconic conus. This family assumedly falls in Myopsida (Decabrachia). A streamlined body, large fin-supported cartilages and eroded arm-hooks in the stomach of Idahoteuthis Doguzhaeva and Brayard gen. nov. suggest that this was a maneuverable cannibal predator that dwelled in the subequatorial shallow sea of the west coast of Pangaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jiangaidarina granitic mass (JM) is an important part of the magmatic belt in Longmu Co–Shuanghu Suture Zone (LSSZ) in the central Tibetan Plateau. An integrated research involving whole–rock geochemistry, zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions was carried out to define the timing, genesis and tectonic setting of the JM. Zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb ages have been obtained ranging from 210 to 215 Ma, rather than the Early Jurassic as previously thought. Fifteen granite samples contain hornblendes and show a negative correlation between P2O5 and SiO2, indicating that the JM is an I –type granite. All the granites are enriched in LREE relative to HREE, with negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*=0.56–0.81), and have similar trace elements patterns, with depletion of Ba, Nb, Sr and P. These suggest that the JM was fractionated, and this is also proved by the characteristic of negative correlations between oxide elements (TiO2, MgO, FeOt, MnO, CaO) and SiO2. Almost all εHf(t) values of the granites are between −10.3 and −5.8, implying that the JM has a crustal source intimately related with the South Qiangtang Block (SQB), except for one (+10.2), showing a minor contribution from mantle source. Moreover, relatively low Na2O/K2O ratios (0.42–0.93) and high A/CNK values (0.91–1.50) reflect that the JM was predominately derived from the medium–high potassium basaltic crust, interacted with greywacke. Our new geochemical data and geochronological results imply that the Late Triassic magmas were generated in a post–collisional tectonic setting, probably caused by slab break–off of the Longmu Co –Shuanghu Tethyan Ocean (LSTO). This mechanism caused the asthenosphere upwelling, formed extension setting, offered an enormous amount of heat, and provided favorable conditions for emplacement of voluminous felsic magmas. Furthermore, the LSTO could be completely closed during the Middle Triassic, succeed by continental collision and later the slab broke off in the Late Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first palynostratigraphic scheme of Upper Triassic deposits in northern Switzerland was established based on spore-pollen associations and dinoflagellate cyst records from the upper part of the Upper Triassic Klettgau Formation and the lower part of the Lower Jurassic Staffelegg Formation. Drill cores from the Adlerberg region (Basel Tabular Jura) and from Weiach (northern part of Canton Zurich) as well as from an outcrop at the Chilchzimmersattel (Basel Folded Jura) were studied and five informal palynological associations are distinguished. These palynological associations correlate with palynological association of the Central European Epicontinental Basin and the Tethyan realm and provide a stratigraphic framework for the uppermost Triassic sediments in northern Switzerland. Throughout the uppermost Triassic to Jurassic palynological succession a remarkable prominence of Classopollis spp. is observed. Besides Classopollis spp. the three Rhaetian palynological associations A to C from the Upper Triassic Belchen Member include typical Rhaetian spore-pollen and dinoflagellate taxa (e.g., Rhaetipollis germanicus, Geopollis zwolinskae, Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica, and Dapcodinium priscum). Association B differs from association A in a higher relative abundance of the sporomorph taxa Perinopollenites spp. and the consistent occurrence of Granuloperculatipollis rudis and Ricciisporites tuberculatus. Spore diversity is highest in the late Rhaetian palynological association C and includes Polypodiisporites polymicroforatus. A Rhaetian age for the Belchen Member is confirmed by palynological associations A-C, but there is no record of the latest Rhaetian and the earliest Jurassic. In contrast to the Rhaetian palynological associations the Early Jurassic associations W and D include Pinuspollenites spp., Trachysporites fuscus (in association W), and Ischyosporites variegatus. In the view of the end-Triassic mass extinction and contemporaneous environmental changes the described palynofloral succession represents the pre-extinction phase (associations A and B) including a distinct transgression, the extinction phase (association C) associated with a regression, and the post-extinction phase (association W). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The links between large-scale volcanism, carbon cycle perturbations and the biotic crises at the End-Triassic Extinction event (ETE) are not well understood. The ETE seems to be marked by three carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) likely triggered by different eruptive phases of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). These three CIEs appear to occur during the late Rhaetian, close to the Triassic/Jurassic boundary (TJB), but the relative timing connecting the volcanism, carbon perturbations and extinctions is still subject to debate resulting from: i) the difficulties in long-distance biostratigraphic correlations of Rhaetian successions due to the step-like extinction pattern characterizing the ETE, and to the lack of globally correlatable key-fossil group(s) across the system boundary; ii) the limit of coverage of available δ 13 C profiles to the system boundary interval, rather than the entire Rhaetian; iii) the inherent difficulties in correlating CIEs without clear biostratigraphic markers. Here we present a δ 13 C org curve from the Lombardy Basin which covers for the first time the entire Rhaetian. Using this chemostratigraphy, we propose two possible correlations (option 1 and option 2) with other late Rhaetian to early Hettangian successions worldwide. These two possible correlations rely on a combination of paleontological (ammonoids, pollens, conodonts), lithostratigraphic and geochemical constraints. Option 2 in particular has important implications for the causality and geochronology of the ETE events by suggesting that the sharp negative peak usually considered to be the “initial” CIE in the Lombardy might represent a carbon perturbation within the negative trend of the “main” CIE. This implies that a reconsideration of the succession of biotic events occurring during this time interval is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ictidosaurian genera are allocated to two families, Tritheledontidae and Therioherpetidae. This paper provides a diagnosis for Ictidosauria. The previously named family Brasilodontidae is shown to be a junior synonym of a family, Therioherpetidae. It is concluded that Ictidosauria originated from Late Permian procynosuchid non-mammalian cynodonts rather than from Middle Triassic probainognathid non-mammalian cynodonts. The structure of the skull and jaws of a derived traversodontid Ischignathus sudamericanus from the early Late Triassic of Argentina supports an earlier view that tritylodontids are more closely related to traversodontid than probainognathid non-mammalian cynodonts. Tritylodontids should not be included in Ictidosauria, nor should they considered to be a sister group to mammaliaforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive palaeontological type catalogue of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest) was published in 2008. In the following ten years several new type specimens were deposited in the collection, both invertebrates and vertebrates, from microscopic radiolarians to large dinosaur bone remains. Triassic radiolarians and ammonoids, Jurassic brachiopods, Cenozoic molluscs, and Cretaceous vertebrates represent the most dynamically growing parts of the type collection. This supplement to the original catalogue contains the data of 175 species and subspecies, of which 148 are new taxa for the type catalogue. Among them 125 are represented by holotypes, and an additional 199 inventory lots of their paratypes; 23 new taxa are represented only by paratypes, in an additional 74 inventory lots. The vast majority of these taxa were recently described (between 2008 and 2018), although a few of them are previously established taxa with type material that was newly recognized to exist in our collection. This supplement also contains the data of four recently designated neotypes, as well as 16 rediscovered old type specimens which were reported as missing in the 2008 catalogue. We also include the known revisions and illustration of 14 previously established species and subspecies (in three cases with lectotype designation). At the end of 2018, the invertebrate and vertebrate palaeontological collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum holds more than 2500 inventory lots of different type specimens, including name-bearing types of 1056 nominal species and subspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass extinctions have profoundly influenced the history of life, not only through the death of species but also through changes in ecosystem function and structure. Importantly, these events allow us the opportunity to study ecological dynamics under levels of environmental stress for which there are no recent analogues. Here, we examine the impact and selectivity of the Late Triassic mass extinction event on the functional diversity and functional composition of the global marine ecosystem, and test whether post-extinction communities in the Early Jurassic represent a regime shift away from pre-extinction communities in the Late Triassic. Our analyses show that, despite severe taxonomic losses, there is no unequivocal loss of global functional diversity associated with the extinction. Even though no functional groups were lost, the extinction event was, however, highly selective against some modes of life, in particular sessile suspension feeders. Although taxa with heavily calcified skeletons suffered higher extinction than other taxa, lightly calcified taxa also appear to have been selected against. The extinction appears to have invigorated the already ongoing faunal turnover associated with the Mesozoic Marine Revolution. The ecological effects of the Late Triassic mass extinction were preferentially felt in the tropical latitudes, especially amongst reefs, and it took until the Middle Jurassic for reef ecosystems to fully recover to pre-extinction levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triassic brachiopods from the Betic Range were unknown hitherto. Herein we describe the first brachiopod occurrences in the early Ladinian of this domain referable to a new genus and species Misunithyris goyi derived from three localities of the south-Iberian Triassic outcrops. The analysis of internal and external characters of this brachiopod allowed to characterize systematically and biogeographically this fauna in a chronostratigraphic interval when the paucity of brachiopod records is attributable to the entire peri-Iberian epicontinental platform system established in the westernmost Tethyan margin. The new record is endemic to the Betic Range and represents a new faunal constituent of the multicostate zeillerids stock. This fauna inhabited the epicontinental seas of the Sephardic bioprovince since a closer affinity with the low-latitude Tethyan assemblages is revealed. The possible linkage of the Triassic stock with the Early-Middle Jurassic multicostate zeillerid representatives suggests feasible phylogenetic relationships between both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hump-backed ginglymodian fishKyphosichthys grandei, from the Anisian (Middle Triassic) of South China, is re-described. The revised description presents much previously unknown or misidentified anatomical information, such as the presence of a median gular plate; a short, broad, squarish rostral; two pairs of extrascapulars, of which the lateral one is fused with the parietal bone; parasphenoid having relatively large, dorsoposteriorly oriented ascending processes which articulate with the sphenotics; a complete row of scales bordering the body lobe; and supracleithrum with a concave facet for articulation with the posttemporal, etc. Taxonomical comparison clearly distinguishesKyphosichthysfrom other known hump-backed ginglymodians – that is,Luoxiongichthys,Lophionotus,SemiolepisandParalepidotus– and a potential stem-group ginglymodianDapedium. A more comprehensive cladistic analysis of the Ginglymodi is conducted herein based on incorporation of more morphological characters and taxa, and rectification of the character states of some taxa used in previous analyses after re-description ofKyphosichthys grandeiand better knowledge ofLuoxiongichthys hyperdorsalisandSangiorgioichthys suibased on our observations of specimens at the Geological Museum of Peking University, Beijing, China. The results of our analysis produce the most completely resolved and best-supported hypothesis for the monophyletic group Semionotiformes to date, and also support a new hypothesis that the Middle Triassic ginglymodiansLuoxiongichthys,SangiorgioichthysandKyphosichthysform a monophyletic group at the base of the Ginglymodi, of whichKyphosichthys grandeiis the sister group ofSangiorgioichthys sui. The new family Kyphosichthyidae is introduced. The present contribution supplements previous analyses of the Ginglymodi, especially for basal taxa and the clade Semionotiformes, and sheds new light on the origin and early diversification of the Ginglymodi. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C8ACA263-8658-4A66-BFF9-99F6D5C84E91 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Foliage of a new peltaspermalean seed fern is described on the basis of a large collection of well-preserved plant adpressions with cuticle from the Upper Triassic Karamay Formation in Xinjiang Province, NW China. Pinnae are lanceolate with undulate-dentate margins and with fascicular lateral veins in lobes. Tertiary veins are simple as are interfascicular veins that occur between fascicular lateral veins. Cuticles are thick, amphistomatic, with abaxial and adaxial cuticles being similar to each other and having clear costal and intercostal areas. Stomata are sunken and randomly distributed on both the abaxial and the adaxial cuticle. The stomatal complex is monocyclic and comprises 4–7 subsidiary cells. Papillae are present on ordinary cells and on subsidiary cells surround the stomatal aperture. The adaxial leaf surface has a stomatal index of 3.27 and an average stomatal density of 15 per mm 2 , whereas the abaxial surface has a stomatal index of 5.25 and an average stomatal density of 30 per mm 2 . This is the first report of the cuticular structure of Scytophyllum from the Junggar Basin, which now enables detailed comparison with other species of the genus from Eurasia. Analysis of the sedimentary succession containing Scytophyllum suggests a humid or seasonally dry environment, but the thick cuticles with sunken stomata and abundant papillae indicate that the plant was adapted to living in water-stressed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from the Triassic to Jurassic is associated with dramatic changes in Earth's climate. Pangaea was breaking up as North America rifted away from Africa, the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province erupted, and the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide increased dramatically. This article summarises the changes in Earth's climate associated with this transition, including a discussion of the various impacts of the increased carbon dioxide on the Earth system, the question of whether the wet episode in the Carnian was a global or regional event, the formation of bauxite deposits, and how dinosaur distributions changed over time. Palaeoclimate model simulations reveal the spatial changes in climate between the Triassic and Jurassic, illustrating the subtropics becoming slightly cooler and wetter despite the warming trend for the Earth's average temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how the marine biosphere recovered from the late Permian mass extinction event is a major evolutionary question. The quality of the global fossil record of this interval is, however, somewhat poor due to preservational, collection and sampling biases. Here we report a new earliest Induan (Hindeodus parvusZone) marine assemblage from the Deltadalen Member of the Vikinghøgda Formation, central Spitsbergen, which fills a critical gap in knowledge. The fully silicified fossils comprise the oldest silicified assemblage known from the Triassic and provide critical new systematic data. For its age, the assemblage is exceptionally diverse with 14 species of bivalves and gastropods, as well as conodonts and ammonoids. Four new bivalve species (Austrotindaria antiqua,A. svalbardensis,Nucinella tayloriandN. nakremi) and one new gastropod species (Glabrocingulum parvum) are described, and five families are recorded in the Induan for the first time. Some of the common and globally widespread Early Triassic taxa, such asUnionites, are also present, and their exceptional preservation reveals key morphological characters that are documented for the first time. Taxonomic and ecological revisions based on these new data suggest that shallow-infaunal deposit-feeders were a dominant component of pre-Spathian benthic communities. The gastropods and bivalves all possessed a planktotrophic larval stage, which may have been a particular advantage in the wake of the late Permian mass extinction. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3EBCAEF3-27C2-4216-9F18-89F195FA534F [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoophycos is a well-known trace fossil common throughout the Phanerozoic. Paleozoic forms show important differences in morphology and habitat distribution with respect to the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cenozoic ones. Therefore, Early-Middle Triassic is considered a crucial time-span for the understanding of the evolution of this trace fossil. So far, Early Triassic Zoophycos is unknown and Middle Triassic forms were recorded only in deposits from Thuringia. The morphology and paleoenvironment of Zoophycos from the middle-upper Muschelkalk of the Iberian Range is herein described. The best-preserved trace fossils occur in a dolomicritic bed Ladinian in age, and are represented by small forms with a subcircular, slightly lobed outline and very little penetration depth. They were deposited in a very shallow, quiet-water environment with transition to supratidal/emerged areas. The low diversity of both trace fossils and skeletal remains point to stressful conditions related to strong salinity variations and/or poor water circulation. A comparison was made with Zoophycos from Anisian deposits of the Muschelkalk in Germany. This showed that both forms are quite simple and penetrate only the shallowest tiers, although they are different in whorl outline and lobe shape. This confirms that, notwithstanding the morphological variability of this group, Zoophycos still maintained a quite simple structure in the Triassic. A shallow-water environment was deduced for both localities, confirming that at least until the Early Jurassic Zoophycos had not definitively migrated toward deep-water areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tetrapod faunas from the terrestrial Middle-Late Triassic basins of Africa and South America are among the richest in the world, especially in non-mammalian cynodonts. Despite the great abundance of cynodont specimens found in these basins, there are few known taxa that exhibit interbasinal distributions. Here we describe a new species of traversodontid cynodont of the genus Scalenodon from the Triassic Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Supersequence, from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Scalenodon ribeiroae sp. nov. is based on a partial skull that possesses a combination of features not observed in any other South American traversodontid: ellipsoid upper postcanines with the transverse crest formed by three cusps, lacking a mesiobuccal accessory cusp, and with lingual cusp projected lingually creating a concave lingual surface on the upper postcanines; the paracanine fossa is positioned medially to the upper canine, and jugal lacks a suborbital process. A phylogenetic analysis places the new taxon in a basal position within the Family Traversodontidae, with the African Scalenodon angustifrons as sister-taxon. The new specimen of Scalenodon represents the first record of this genus outside of the Manda Beds of Tanzania, and reinforces the biostratigraphical and biogeographical connection between Gondwanan Middle-Late Triassic tetrapod faunas. Although recent advances have been made, our current knowledge of these faunas is limited by the lack of absolute dates for most units and by uncertainties in the taxonomy and stratigraphical provenance of key fossils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enigmatic fissure deposits of south-western England and southern Wales are famous for their unique assemblage of Late Triassic vertebrates, although their age is contentious. While recent studies of palynomorphs have dated some as Rhaetian, their conchostracan (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) assemblages have not been described in detail nor used in biostratigraphy. We find that species determination of British Late Triassic conchostracans requires detailed observations of size, shape and ornamentation. We provide evidence that although Euestheria brodieana is invariably smaller than E. minuta, with some slight differences in carapace ornamentation, the traditional view that they are very similar is upheld. The use of conchostracans as a biostratigraphical tool is here tested by application to the British Triassic fissures at Cromhall quarry where the usual stratigraphical evidence provided by superposition is absent. We find no distinction between conchostracans from bedded Rhaetian deposits of the UK and specimens collected from the fissure deposits of Cromhall Quarry, Gloucestershire, supporting a late Rhaetian age for these deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithospheric subduction prior to the assembly of the South China and North China blocks is traditionally considered to be directed northward. However, some critical geological and geochemical data cannot be reconciled with this northward subduction. This paper presents new lines of evidence against the traditional models and proposes a new and revolutionary tectonic model to explain the distribution and exhumation of high pressure (HP)-ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks of the Dabie-Sulu Belt. We emphasize the following: 1) The Triassic tectonic environment of the southern margin of the North China Block was passive, not active, based on the stratigraphy; 2) In the southern margin of the North China Block no arc magmatism was recorded. 3) Many Paleoproterozoic slices of Jiaobei affinity of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt in the North China Block were located in the Triassic Sulu Orogen. 4) Many 1.85 Ga metamorphic zircons are preserved in the Dabie-Sulu high pressure-ultra-high pressure (HP-UHP) metamorphic rocks. 5) The geometric asymmetry of many structural patterns in the HP-UHP slices indicates top-to-the northwest thrusting during the exhumation of HP-UHP slices. 6) Blueschists occur in the south of the UHP eclogite slices. 7) In the eastern segment of the North Qinling Orogen, no components with an affinity of the South China Block have been found. Along the Shangdan Suture of the Qinling Orogen has been recorded an apparent northward subduction. We consider that the suture is just a lateral subduction zone rather than a major collisional zone. Along the Shangdan Suture, the rarity of I-type plutonism can be attributed to a transform-type continental margin. The Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block has an affinity to the South China Block based on its similarity regarding the Paleozoic history of deformation and Triassic blueschist metamorphic facies metamorphism. The Bureya-Jiamusi-Khanka Block could be the northern extension of the Dabie-Sulu Belt, and this gigantic belt could be interpreted as an orocline related to the southeastward subduction of the North China Block beneath the Greater South China Block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A taxonomically rich and ecologically diverse silicified bivalve-dominated fauna is critically examined from the upper Norian Hound Island Volcanics of Kuiu Island, southeast Alaska. More than 1000 silicified bivalve specimens isolated by acid digesion of carbonate blocks yield a wealth of taphonomic, paleoecologic, paleogeographic, and taxonomic information. Petrographic analyses and scanning electron microscopy reveal specimens are preserved with silicification fabrics of quartzine-lutecite bladed masses and spherulitic chalcedony conserving fine details of original skeleton by both selective and complete replacement. Taphonomic indices indicate the fauna represents a parautochthonous stormcondensed assemblage of a shallow subtidal and relatively soft-bottom carbonate setting. Bivalves, ammonoids, conodonts, and the hydrozoan Heterastridium largely suggest a late Norian (Gnomohalorites cordilleranus ammonoid zone) age for the fauna. The assemblage is taxonomically rich, containing 31 recognizable bivalve species (or equivalent taxa in open nomenclature) distributed amongst 11 orders, 17 superfamilies, 24 families, and 30 genera. Of the 31 taxa, 12 are incompletely known and left in open nomenclature and the following 11 are new: Palaeonucula muffleri n. sp., Pinna keexkwaanensis n. sp., Plagiostoma scallanae n. sp., Entolium alaskanum n. sp., Filamussium walleri n. sp., Harpax articulatum n. sp., Erugonia boydi n. sp., Minetrigonia newtonae n. sp., Myophorigonia parva n. sp., Palaeopharus orchardi n. sp., and Tancredia norica n. sp. The Erugoniidae n. fam. is proposed for smooth shelled trigonoideans with trigoniidgrade dentition but lacking marginal carina. The fine-scale preservation and large sample size revealed previsoulsy unrecognized morphologic details permitting revision of two bivalve families (Palaeopharidae Marwick, 1953 and Palaeocarditidae Chavan, 1969) and one genus (Septocardia Hall & Whitfield, 1877). The most diverse group is the Pteriomorphia with 16 species (51.6% of species and 69% of individuals), followed by the Heteroconchia with 12 species (38.7% of species and 28% of individuals) and Protobranchia with three species (9.7% of species and 2.8% of individuals). The assemblage is dominated by the pterioid Cassianella cordillerana McRoberts in McRoberts & Blodgett, 2002, which, taken with other reclining suspension-feeding species, accounts for 43.9% of individuals. Shallow infaunal burrowers comprise the second most common trophic group (27.6% of individuals), followed by epifaunal cementing forms (15.5% of individuals). The assemblage is dominated by endemic taxa, yet several species are known from other Norian faunas of the South American Cordillera and, to a lesser extent, North American terranes (Wrangell, Nixon Fork, and Wallowa). The biogeographic relationship with the Norian molluscan faunas of South America supports a southerly paleolatitude for the Alexander terrane with some biogeographic connection with other tropical terranes of eastern Panthalassa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on zircon U-Pb ages of 12 volcanic ash layers and volcanogenic sandstones from two deep water sections with conformable and continuous formational Permian–Triassic boundaries (PTBs) in the Nanpanjiang Basin (South China). Our dates of single, thermally annealed and chemically abraded zircons bracket the PTB in Dongpan and Penglaitan and provide the basis for a first proof-of-concept study utilizing a Bayesian chronology model comparing the three sections of Dongpan, Penglaitan and the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) at Meishan. Our Bayesian modeling demonstrates that the formational boundaries in Dongpan (251.939±0.030Ma), Penglaitan (251.984±0.031Ma) and Meishan (251.956±0.035Ma) are synchronous within analytical uncertainty of ∼40ka. It also provides quantitative evidence that the ages of the paleontologically defined boundaries, based on conodont unitary association zones in Meishan and on macrofaunas in Dongpan, are identical and coincide with the age of the formational boundaries. The age model also confirms the extreme condensation around the PTB in Meishan, which distorts the projection of any stratigraphic points or intervals onto other more expanded sections by means of Bayesian age–depth models. Dongpan and Penglaitan possess significantly higher sediment accumulation rates and thus offer a greater potential for high-resolution studies of environmental proxies and correlations around the PTB than Meishan. This study highlights the power of high-resolution radio-isotopic ages that allow a robust intercalibration of patterns of biotic changes and fluctuating environmental proxies and will help recognizing their global, regional or local significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctosaurus osborni is known only from an incomplete cervical vertebra from the Upper Triassic Heiberg Formation of Cameron Island, Nunavut, Canada. Re-examination of the unique specimen indicates that it represents an archosauromorph reptile, possibly from the clade Allokotosauria. To date, Arctosaurus osborni represents the sole record of Late Triassic continental tetrapods from Nunavut and the northernmost record of such animals anywhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deposits of the Carnian Kasımlar Formation within the Taurus Platform Units of south-western Turkey represent an important archive of a Late Triassic ecosystem. New palaeontological information was obtained by analysing the Kasimlarceltites mass occurrence, located within the Kasımlar Formation and named after the Lower Carnian (Julian) ammonoid genus Kasimlarceltites. This is the dominant taxon (> 94%) within the mass occurrence: nearly 775 million ammonoids and 50 million gastropods were extrapolated for the whole extension (at least 5 km2) of the Kasimlarceltites beds. This calculation is one of the main findings within this study, as it is the first time that such a fossil mass occurrence was quantified. Additionally, orientation measurements of the planispiral ammonoids and the helical gastropods enabled reconstructing the history of the mass occurrence and interpreting the underlying transport mechanisms. Further taphonomic aspects (e.g. biofabric, preservation, bioerosion or genetic classification) as well as comparisons with samples of the same acme zone from different localities near Aşağiyaylabel (AS IV, KA I-II) point to a two-phased genetic history. Accordingly, local mass mortality within the Kasimlarceltites fauna due to oxygen fluctuations or methane degassing may have initially led to a primary accumulation. These deposits were then reworked and redeposited basinward by gravity flows to create the present-day secondary allochthonous concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]