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The present study describes two occurrences of clam shrimps ("Conchostraca"). Following a formbased classification of Schneider et al. (2005, 2022) and Schneider & Scholze (2018), the conchostracans have been classified as Pseudestheria form Oberbozen and Pseudestheria form Le Fraine. They come from the Guncina and Tregiovo formations, repectivey. These units are part of the northern Athesian Volcanic Group, North Italy. All of this material were obtained from grey coloured, fine-grained siliciclastic, lacustrine deposits of Kungurian (late Cisuralian, late Early Permian) age. Their carapace valves in lateral view are marked by concentric ribs. Often, growth lines can be observed to decrease in their preservation towards the umbonal area of the valve. An open nomenclature is applied to the taxonomy at the species level herein, because of either limited number of individuals or a plastic deformation due to tectonics. So far, the records reported herein are restricted geographically and stratigraphically to respective single occurrences. Further studies are recommended to establish their full biostratigraphic ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accretionary complexes in the Japanese Islands preserve material from parts of the oceanic plates of Panthalassa that have subducted and are now lost. The age of the oceanic plate that is incorporated into the Jurassic accretionary complex of Japan has been previously estimated from scant data on Carboniferous bedded chert. In this study, we investigated a Carboniferous to Permian basalt-chert sequence in the Jurassic accretionary complex of the North Kitakami-Oshima belt in Northeast Japan. The sequence is composed of basaltic rocks, red bedded chert and grey bedded chert in ascending order. The basaltic rocks at the base contain red cherty nodules that yielded conodonts indicating the Bashkiran to early Moscovian, the latter age being more likely (late Carboniferous). The red bedded chert yielded middle Sakmarian (early Permian) radiolarians. The grey bedded chert yielded conodonts indicating the latest Kungurian to earliest Roadian. Thus, our study section demonstrates a formation of the oceanic plate in the late Carboniferous and a following deposition of pelagic siliceous sediments. This is the first time that basaltic rocks within the Jurassic accretionary complex of Japan are directly dated. While previous data need careful reviewing, our results demonstrate that the oldest part of the oceanic plate within the Jurassic accretionary complex is Serpukhovian or older and the youngest part may be as young as the Sakmarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are important morphological differences between the dominant higher taxa (classes) in associations of radiolarians that inhabited different depths of paleobasins. A similar inversion of dominant radiolarian taxa can be seen in the Early Tournaisian (Mississippian) and the Kungurian (Cisuralian) and may indicate a change in their habitat from deeper conditions dominated by porous Sphaerellaria, to shallower shelf environments, in which spongy-lattice Spumellaria prevailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amb Formation of the Permian age is exposed in the Salt Range in the upper Indus basin of Pakistan. This rock unit is mainly composed of sandstone and shale in which three facies (named AF1, AF2, AF3) and five microfacies were distinguished based on field and petrographic study, respectively. Porosity and permeability have changed and exhibit various diagenetic processes. Sequence stratigraphy identifies the zones of all upward concaving cycles and HST. The petrophysical study indicates good reservoir characteristics for the Amb Formation and this can act as reservoir rock in the petroleum system. Fossil assemblages, including Fusulina spp., identified during petrographic analysis indicate an Early Permian age of the Amb Formation in the study area. The multidisciplinary study carried out in the study area allowed us to reconstruct the depositional model for the Amb Formation which occurred in the middle to inner shelf and in a shallow marine environment. Interpretation of well logs of the Dhermund well show good reservoir properties of the Amb Formation including total porosity (13%), effective porosity (9.04%), volume of shale (14.54%), water saturation (34%), hydrocarbon saturation (65%), permeability (121.92 mD), total thickness of the formation (107 m) and net reservoir thickness (13.12m). This research approach of combined field and laboratory stratigraphy and biostratigraphy would be applied in other areas of exposure of the Amb Formation to unravel the age and depositional environment of this formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kungurian radiolarians from the Lower Permian sections Alegazovo on the Ai River and Mechetlino on the Yuryuzan River on the western slope of the South Urals were studied. The distribution of 23 radiolarian species in the studied sections was analyzed, enabling the recognition of two new radiolarian ecozones: Astroentactinia mirifica of the Saraninian Regional Substage in the Neostreptognathodus pnevi conodont Zone and Alexialeks uralicus–Octatormentum permicum of the Irenian Regional Substage, corresponding to the Neostreptognathodus imperfectus conodont Zone. The ecozones are based on the quantitative ratio of high-ranking taxa (classes). The use of the method of correlation of taxa of higher rank at the class level as an indicator of changes in paleoenvironments shows the inversion of the taxonomic composition of radiolarian associations of new ecozones of the Saraninian and Irenian regional substages indicating a change in the radiolarian habitats due to the shallowing of the basin. The taxonomic compositions of the radiolarian associations of the basinal and shelf environment are shown to be different. Three new radiolarian species from the Kungurian Stage of the South Urals are described: Astroentactinia mirifica Afanasieva, sp. nov., Helioentactinia parvispina Afanasieva, sp. nov., and H. venusta Afanasieva, sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facies of the Permian Lyons Sandstone are described and interpreted based on analyses of 23 cores from Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado. Here, the Lyons Sandstone consists of very fine- to medium-grained sandstone with minor silt and mudstone interbeds. The unit has five recurrent siliciclastic facies that can be grouped into two facies associations (FA). FA1 consists of (1) high-angle, cross-laminated sandstone (Facies 1; interpreted as eolian dune remnants); (2) low-angle, crosslaminated and horizontally laminated sandstone (Facies 2; interdune); and (3) chaotically bedded to folded sandstone (Facies 3; lower dune flanks). FA2, in contrast, is mainly (4) wavy- to irregularly laminated silty sandstone (Facies 4; wet to damp interdune); and (5) massive to wavy-laminated silt-rich mudstone (Facies 5; ponded water areas between dunes) with minor amounts of high-angle, cross-laminated sandstone (Facies 1) and low-angle, cross-laminated and horizontally laminated sandstone (Facies 2). FA1 is hypothesized to have been produced in an eolian system akin to those that might exist in the dunedominated portion of an erg, whereas FA2 was deposited in the intermittently wet portion of this eolian system, perhaps along erg margins or in flat dune-adjacent settings that were impacted by the water table. Isopach data suggests that the study area is on the fringe of a larger Lyons system that spans > 100,000 km², and was deposited close to the Ancestral Rockies--a paleogeography consistent with deposition in erg to erg-margin paleoenvironments. Detrital zircon populations from nearby Colorado Front Range outcrops and from 12 correlative eolian units are dominated by small, well-rounded Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic grain populations that are remarkably similar between units, signaling a well-mixed system that also received an influx of distally sourced sediment from the Appalachian orogen. Detrital zircon-based maximum depositional ages of the Lyons Sandstone and its equivalents are internally consistent with deposition of the unit during the latest Artinskian to Kungurian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kungurian period in the late Palaeozoic was characterized by a climatic transition from icehouse to greenhouse conditions, during which organisms flourished. Thick carbonate rocks developed in shallow water in most of the low-latitude palaeogeographic areas of the globe in this period. The sedimentary environments have long been considered steady and unidirectional. However, studying the Xuyong section in South China and comparing it with other regions may change this view. In this study, we obtained the lithological and geochemical data for slope facies carbonate rocks, including eight sedimentary microfacies from MF1 to MF8. The results showed transgressions in the Xuyong section characterized by an increase in palaeosalinity, a decrease in seawater temperature, and an increase in reduction. By comparing 13 sections from the same low palaeolatitude, we found that there may be four changes in the carbon isotope and strontium isotope chemical strata. These changes might provide support for a potential global palaeoenvironment event, the Kungurian Carbon Isotopic Excursion. Moreover, although the geochemical characteristics in different regions include good comparability, nonetheless seawater circulation and the palaeoclimate were found to be the main factors influencing the carbon cycle after excluding the influence of tectonic factors and volcanic eruptions. Additionally, we inferred that although thick carbonate rocks were produced in different low-latitude oceans, these carbonate rocks did not necessarily form in the same environment. During periods of tectonic stability, the influence of palaeoclimatic conditions on sedimentary environments cannot be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi is considered one of the biostratigraphic marker species for the Lopingian of Europe. A morphological comparison between Kungurian (Cisuralian) and Wuchiapingian (Lopingian) Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi prepollen (dispersed from five outcrops and in situ from one cone) from the Southern Alps has been carried out. Dispersed Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi prepollen grains from the Kungurian (Cisuralian) of the Athesian Volcanic District (AVD) and the Wuchiapingian (Lopingian) of Bletterbach have been compared with the in situ prepollen grains isolated from an Ortiseia cone of the Bletterbach outcrop. Using light microscopy, we measured overall size, central body size, and laesurae length of the prepollen grains revealing significant overlaps in morphological characteristics between the different assemblages. The main difference is the bigger size of the in situ pollen grains in comparison with the dispersed ones, but a significant overlap is still observed. This implies that the prepollen grains from the Kungurian sedimentary successions of the Athesian Volcanic District can be assigned confidentially to the dispersed prepollen species Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi and hence, represent the so far oldest record of this taxon, extending the species range from the Guadalupian back to the late Cisuralian. • Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi is a biostratigraphic marker for the Lopingian of Europe. • In situ (Wuchiapingian) and dispersed (Kungurian, Wuchiapingian) prepollen were studied • Morphological comparisons revealing significant overlaps in morphological characters. • The first appearance of Nuskoisporites dulhuntyi is now in the Kungurian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to introduce the history of Russian and Soviet study of Permian ammonoids, from the middle of the 19th century to the present, to a wider audience of geologists, and particularly to a younger generation of students and researchers. Permian ammonoids played the leading role in the substantiation of all stages of the lower series of the Permian (Cisuralian). The Artinskian Stage was first established in the late 19th century by A.P. Karpinsky, the Sakmarian Stage in 1938, and the Asselian Stage in 1954, both by V.E. Ruzhencev. The Carboniferous-Permian boundary was established and ratified based on the changes in assemblages of conodonts, ammonoids, and fusulinids. Its stratotype (GSSP) was officially accepted in the Aidaralash Section, first proposed by V.E. Ruzhencev. Permian ammonoids have been a subject of study since the recognition of the Permian System; the first described Artinskian taxon was Goniatites orbignyanus Verneuil, 1845. The initial stage of the study consisted mainly of the accumulation and generalization of data, including the first attempts to study phylogenesis. It is associated with the names of A.P. Karpinsky, P.I. Krotov, A.A. Chernov, T.M. Emelyantsev and others. The first collections of Permian ammonoids came mainly from the Southern Urals. Then they were discovered in the Darvaz Range and in the Crimea. Major progress was made, both in the study of taxonomic diversity and in the classification of the collected data, in the middle of the 20th century, starting in the 1930s. V.E. Ruzhenсev made a huge contribution to the research of this group of fossils. At the same time, the foundations of onto-phylogenetic studies of ammonoids were developed. The geography of the Permian ammonoid sites has expanded, as reflected in the publication of numerous regional works with monographic descriptions of the ammonoid faunas of the Northeast and Far East of Russia, as well as Central Asia. Currently, Permian ammonoid studies are very diverse, and, along with the description of new taxa, reconstruction and analysis of the phylogenies and morphogenesis of taxa of family rank, include multidisciplinary ecosystem, morphofunctional, and biogeographical research. Ammonoid biostratigraphy also remains in demand.

[Display omitted] • New high-precision radioisotopic age for the Irati Formation. • Kungurian anoxic events recording in the Paraná Basin. • Confirming Choiyoi magmatism source for the Irati Formation bentonite. The early Permian Irati Formation is well known for its black shale oil and gas reserves and its widespread lateral correlation throughout the entire Paraná Basin. This unit records an effective water circulation restriction between the Whitehill-Irati Sea and the Panthalassa Ocean, which along with other factors, controlled the organic-rich shale deposition in several southern basins of Gondwana. The Permian was also a period of intense magmatism in this region due to the Terra Australis Orogen (Gondwanides Orogeny). Several volcanoclastic horizons are preserved within the sedimentary record, and in this study, a high-precision chemical abrasion isotope dilution U-Pb zircon age of 275.75 ± 0.29 Ma for a volcanic tuff in the Irati Formation of the southern Paraná Basin is presented. The Kungurian age agrees with previous published radioisitopic and relative ages for the Assistência Member (upper Irati Formation) and Mangrullo Formation, a stratigraphical correlated unit in Uruguay. In addition, zircon trace elements and whole-rock geochemistry allow the constraining of the magmatic characteristics of the volcanic source and its similarity with the lower Choiyoi magmatism (Argentina). Therefore, this study contributes to the understanding of the timing of black shale-bearing rocks of the Irati Formation and the anoxic events recorded in the southern Paraná Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-marine bivalves are key fossils in Permian continental stratigraphy and palaeogeography. Although known since the end of 19th century, the occurrences from the continental basins of the Southern Alps have never been extensively studied. The non-marine bivalves from the Lower Permian Collio Formation (Brescian pre-Alps) are herein revised, and those from the Guncina Formation (Athesian District) are described for the first time. These two units yielded non-marine bivalves belonging to the genus Palaeomutela sensu lato, which is widespread in the Permian continental successions of eastern Euramerica. Three Palaeomutela morphotypes have been herein described: oval-subtriangular, subtrapezoidal and elongated. The latter includes several specimens herein assigned to Palaeomutela (Palaeanodonta) berrutii sp. nov. and dominates the Collio Formation association. The Guncina Formation yielded also the genus Redikorella, for the first time co-occurring on the same stratigraphic horizon of Palaeomutela, herein assigned to Palaeomutela (Palaeanodonta) guncinaensis sp. nov. To-date, it was generally accepted that the first members of the genera Palaeomutela and Redikorella occurred during the Ufimian (late Kungurian of the global scale) in the non-marine basins of the Cis-Ural Foredeep and of Angara, respectively. Such new finds in the early-middle Kungurian of southwestern Europe, well constrained by radioisotopic dating, suggest new global first appearance (First Appearance Datum) and a possible new center of origin of these genera. This fact raises new questions on biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology, which will require further research. If we assume that the genera Palaeomutela and Redikorella had only one center of origin, we need to hypothesise possible migration routes from SW Europe to the continental basins of Eastern Europe and Angara. Apparently, such migration could be better supported by a Pangaea B palaeogeographic configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-marine bivalves are key fossils in Permian continental stratigraphy and palaeogeography. Although known since the end of 19th century, the occurrences from the continental basins of the Southern Alps have never been extensively studied. The non-marine bivalves from the Lower Permian Collio Formation (Brescian pre-Alps) are herein revised, and those from the Guncina Formation (Athesian District) are described for the first time. These two units yielded non-marine bivalves belonging to the genus Palaeomutela sensu lato, which is widespread in the Permian continental successions of eastern Euramerica. Three Palaeomutela morphotypes have been herein described: oval-subtriangular, subtrapezoidal and elongated. The latter includes several specimens herein assigned to Palaeomutela (Palaeanodonta) berrutii sp. nov. and dominates the Collio Formation association. The Guncina Formation yielded also the genus Redikorella, for the first time co-occurring on the same stratigraphic horizon of Palaeomutela, herein assigned to Palaeomutela (Palaeanodonta) guncinaensis sp. nov. To-date, it was generally accepted that the first members of the genera Palaeomutela and Redikorella occurred during the Ufimian (late Kungurian of the global scale) in the non-marine basins of the Cis-Ural Foredeep and of Angara, respectively. Such new finds in the early-middle Kungurian of southwestern Europe, well constrained by radioisotopic dating, suggest new global first appearance (First Appearance Datum) and a possible new center of origin of these genera. This fact raises new questions on biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology, which will require further research. If we assume that the genera Palaeomutela and Redikorella had only one center of origin, we need to hypothesise possible migration routes from SW Europe to the continental basins of Eastern Europe and Angara. Apparently, such migration could be better supported by a Pangaea B palaeogeographic configuration.

We report the results of a multidisciplinary study of the early Permian (Artinskian–Kungurian) Sotres Formation of northern Spain integrating sedimentology, palaeosols, mineralogy, stable isotopes, palynology, ichnology and tectonics. This continental unit was deposited in the near-equatorial Peri-Tethyan Cantabrian Basin. Having developed in the middle of the Variscan fold belt, it is preserved within the present-day Cantabrian Mountains. Three subunits are recognised in the Sotres Formation based on tectono-stratigraphic and sedimentological data: a lower alluvial subunit, a middle carbonate lacustrine subunit, and an upper palustrine subunit. Multidisciplinary results reveal an upward change in climate from humid-subhumid conditions at the base of the formation (Artinskian) to semi-arid and arid conditions at the top of the formation (Kungurian), which may reflect global deglaciation near the end of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age and a probable northward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. This general upward warming/drying climate trend was interrupted by a short-lived interval of monsoon conditions in mid-Kungurian times, which may have coincided with a pulse of global cooling. Our findings are in agreement with the climate trends reported for other central Pangaean basins. Rising CO2 levels may have been a driving factor for climate transition during this time interval. However, in our study area, which lies within the active central Variscan orogenic belt, tectonic conditions must have also played a role in driving climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Late Paleozoic, West Junggar (Xinjiang, NW China) experienced a shift in tectonic setting from compression to extension. Ha'erjiao is an important area for investigating collisional structures, post–collisional structures, and magmatic activities. Based on the petrological and geochemical characteristics of pyroclastic and other volcanic rocks in the Permian Kalagang Formation from the borehole ZKH1205 in the Jimunai Basin, the main types of source rock for the pyroclastic rocks deposited in the basin are identified and their implications for the Early Permian tectonic setting examined. The abundance of basalt and andesite lithic fragments in the pyroclastic rocks, together with the REE characteristics and the contents of transition and high field strength elements show that the source rocks were chiefly intermediate–basic volcanic rocks. High ICV values, low CIA values, low Rb/Sr ratios, low Th/U ratios and the mineralogical features suggest weak chemical weathering of the source rocks; the geochemical patterns of the pyroclastic rocks might not only have been impacted by crustal contamination but also might be related to the nature of the magma from the source area. The geochemical properties of the pyroclastic rocks distinguish them from arc‐related ones, and such samples plot in the within‐plate basalt (WPB) field in some diagrams. This is consistent with the formation background of the Early Permian volcanic rocks in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane seepage along continental margins has been linked to climatic warming, yet it is uncertain whether such seepage took place during the Permian, a period that witnessed a transition from an icehouse to a greenhouse world. To address this issue, we investigated calcareous concretions and layers within mudstones/shales of the Kungurian Angie Formation in the Xainza area, central Tibet. A combination of petrographic, mineralogical, elemental, and carbon‑sulfur isotopic analyses provide strong evidence for a hydrocarbon-seep origin of these carbonates, with thermogenic methane and crude oil being the most likely carbon sources. Our dataset also indicates that, although fueled by a common deep-buried hydrocarbon reservoir, these layers and concretions experienced different biogeochemical processes due to variable rates of cold-seep fluid flux combined with persistently low sulfate concentrations in bottom waters of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean. A biogeochemical switch from sulfate-dependent to iron oxide-coupled anaerobic oxidation of methane in the sulfate-methane transition zone, likely triggered by sulfate exhaustion, was inferred to affect carbonate layer formation near the sediment-water interface. If true, this switch, together with common vent structures, would have resulted in escape of large amounts of methane directly to the ocean-atmosphere system. The hydrocarbon seeps in the central Lhasa Block was approximately coeval with rapid climate warming in the peri-Gondwanan region during the early Kungurian. Although further investigations are required in the future, this study demonstrates a possible causal relationship between regional tectonic evolution, hydrocarbon seepage, and global climate change. Unlabelled Image • Abundant calcareous concretions and layers in Kungurian Angie Fm in Tibet • Formed in cold seeps with thermogenic methane and crude oil as carbon sources • Likely switch from SD-AOM to Fe-AOM involved in carbonate layer formation • This switch led to large-scale methane release and Early Permian climatic warming • Cold-seep greenhouse gas fluxes possibly contributed to LPIA termination [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent finds of ammonoids from the Artinskian-Kungurian deposits of Pay-Khoy are reviewed. Based on these data, the phylogeny and systematics of the family Paragastrioceratidae are studied. It is concluded that at the beginning of the Kungurian a new genus Margoceras gen. nov. appeared and was a transitional link between the Sakmarian-Artinskian genus Paragastrioceras and the Late Kungurian Baraioceras. Three new paragastrioceratid species, Paragastrioceras cantabrignianum sp. nov., Tumaroceras paveli sp. nov. and Margoceras boreale gen. et sp. nov., are described [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The youngest Paleozoic vertebrate-bearing continental deposits of North America are Middle Permian (Guadalupian) in age and occur in the Chickasha Formation (El Reno Group) of central Oklahoma and the lithostratigraphically lower San Angelo Formation (Pease River Group) of North-Central Texas. Although regarded originally as Guadalupian, these deposits have been assigned recently to the Early Permian on the basis of marine fossils and questionable lithostratigraphic correlations between marine and continental strata. A review of ammonoid genera recovered from the Blaine Formation, which overlies both the Chickasha and San Angelo in Oklahoma and Texas, shows that they range globally in age from the Early to Late Permian, but most occur in the Guadalupian or Middle Permian. A modest but intensively studied paleobotanical record of compression fossils from the San Angelo, as well as palynomorphs in rocks associated with the Chickasha, presents an unquestionably Middle to Late Permian flora dominated by voltzian conifers. The Chickasha and San Angelo vertebrate assemblages are overwhelmingly dominated by large caseid synapsids and indicate a biostratigraphic signal of early Guadalupian. The occurrence of the tupilakosaurid temnospondyl Slaugenhopia, the parareptile Macroleter, and the eureptile Rothianiscus suggests a Roadian age (lowermost Guadalupian) given the global records of closely related forms. These plant and vertebrate assemblages contrast sharply with those of underlying Cisuralian rocks of the Hennessey Formation of Oklahoma and the Clear Fork Formation of Texas, both of which are much more fossiliferous than those of the Guadalupian in the region. A barren interval of up to 300 m in thickness separates these fossil-bearing intervals. This true void in the late Kungurian was first reported a half century ago but has not been recognized in recent biochronology studies. Our findings, as well as those of other vertebrate paleontologists who have evaluated the San Angelo and Chickasha data by other means, strongly refute the current notion of “Olson’s Gap” as spanning most of the Roadian.

The study of taxonomic diversity and dynamics of development of the small foraminifera (SF) at the Artinskian/Kungurian transition in the Chikali section, one of the typical Kungurian successions, revealed four stratigraphically successive SF assemblages. The lowermost assemblage corresponds to the upper part of the Artinskian and three younger assemblages characterize the Kungurian interval. It is shown that the stratigraphic potential of SF makes possible their use for detailed subdivision of a typical Kungurian succession (Chikali section) and interregional correlation of sedimentary successions. The taxa common for Urals, North and North-East Russia include Hemigordius permicus, H. longus, Midiella ovata minima, Omoloniella prima , small specimens of Howchinella (H. semiovalis, H. breggeri, H. impolita), Nodosinelloides mirabilis, N. bella, N. shiknanica, N. cubanicus elongatus, N. pugioidea, Geinitzina chapmani sylvae, G. postcarbonica, G. ex gr. spandeli, Pachyphloia angulata irregularis and Lateenoglobivalvulina ovalis. New comprehensive description of the characteristic species of the early Kungurian Saranian Horizon such as Hemigordius permicus and Midiella ovata minima are given based the study of topotypical material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Permian carbon isotopic and clay mineralogical records were recovered from the carbonates in the Xikou section, a complete and uninterrupted Upper Carboniferous to Lower Triassic carbonate-dominated succession exposed in Zhen'an, Shaanxi Province, central China, which were used to document carbon isotopic signatures and climatic changes affecting the easternmost Paleo-Tethys region during the Permian. Both carbon isotope and clay mineralogical data suggest fluctuating climatic conditions and trends that can be approximately correlated with eastern Australian glaciations and North American craton during the Artinskian to Capitanian Stages. Two global carbon isotopic anomalies across the Permian-Triassic boundary and the Guadalupian-Lopingian Series boundary were detected for the first time in the stratigraphic record of the South Qinling micro-continental block. The Capitanian Stage comprises an early phase of climatic warming followed by a later phase of climatic cooling. The Kungurian Stage represents a climatic warming interval and the main phase of deglaciation during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA). A δ13C positive shift across the boundary of the Artinskian to Kungurian Stages, together with the following negative excursion recorded in the early Kungurian Stage can be used as an indicator for the boundary between the Artinskian and Kungurian Stage. Highlights • Build a complete Permian carbon isotopic record in easternmost Paleo-Tethys. • Build a complete Permian clay mineral record in easternmost Paleo-Tethys. • Recover the Permian climatic conditions in easternmost Paleo-Tethys. • Suggest the deglaciation of LPIA mainly happened at Kungurian. • Provide an ideal section to explore the Permian events and phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Clausiuraloceras mechetlense sp. nov., is described from the lower part of the Kungurian (pnevi Zone) of the Mechetlino-3 (quarry) section, which is a candidate for the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Artinskian-Kungurian Boundary. The species has a set of characters in the sutural outline, shell shape and ornamentation, the appearance of which indicates the beginning of a new stage in the morphogenesis of paragastrioceratids of Cisuralia. Beds with C. mechetlense are recognized in the southern Cisuralian Region, the lower boundary of which is placed at the base of the Kungurian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kungurian (late Cisuralian) is associated with elevated atmospheric p CO 2 levels and numerous substantial changes in the ocean and terrestrial systems, but carbon cycle perturbations through this time interval are poorly understood. Here, three well-dated organic carbon isotope (δ 13 C org ) curves from South China, paired with their respective carbonate carbon isotope (δ 13 C carb ) data published before, are presented for the first time. Their comparison demonstrates that a prominent, rapid, and synchronous negative excursion in δ 13 C org and δ 13 C carb occurred in the early Kungurian (the herein proposed KCIE event dated to ca. 277.9–277.4 Ma). A comparable shift is observed in other deeper-water marine sections in South China and two terrestrial sections in North China and eastern Australia. Based on carbon mass-balance calculations and a review of concurrent geological records, we propose that the KCIE event was driven by an intensive volcanism of a large igneous province in northern Gondwana, dissociation of voluminous methane hydrates induced by this volcanism, and the ensuing worldwide conflagrations. Predicted elevated production of greenhouse gases involved would have warmed the Earth and further resulted in ocean stagnation, anoxia, and acidification, all of which are in conformity with the documented sedimentological, geochemical, and palaeontological data. This major anomaly in the carbon cycle in the late Cisuralian is considered here to play a key role to promote the transition of the Earth to a greenhouse mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Solenoid Complex comprises a fossil wood assemblage with stratigraphic distribution restricted to the middle-late Kungurian, present in Western (Irati Formation, Paraná Basin, Brazil) and Eastern (Upper Barakar Interval of the Indian basins) Gondwana. Its occurrence seems to be related to the adaptation of certain plant groups to paleoenvironmental stress in lowland niches of coastal areas subject to salinity variation. The disappearance of these forms in the latest Kungurian is probably linked to the cessation of these conditions, which is confirmed by the sedimentary record. The here designated “Solenoid Complex Zone” correlates with the acme in diversification of striate and taeniate patterns especially in bisacatte pollen grains, but also in monosacatte ones, reflecting important tectonically and climatically driven changes in the vegetational pattern. The waning icehouse stage during the Permian was an important factor to the development of similar vegetation patterns in Western and Eastern Gondwana in the latitudinal belt of 40° – 55°.

A major global change, the transition from an icehouse to a greenhouse world, took place during the Permian. In the equatorial Euramerican floral realm this resulted in stepwise changes from sub-humid climates in the early Cisuralian to semi-arid/arid climate by the late Cisuralian. During the same time interval we see a change from spore plant-dominated lowland floras, to increasingly drought-tolerant floras dominated by conifers and other seed plants. A recently discovered Kungurian (late Cisuralian) flora from the “Le Fraine” section near the village of Tregiovo (Trento Province, NE-Italy), is characterized by several types of conifers, callipterids, sphenopterids, and sphenopsids. The conifer fossils included both vegetative and reproductive organs. Five different ovuliferous dwarf shoot types were found, ranging from forms with many scales and interspersed sporophylls, that typically resemble late Pennsylvanian and early Permian walchian conifers, to stalked forms with largely fused sterile scales and sporophylls, comparable to early and late Permian voltzian conifers. One of the voltzian-type dwarf shoots belongs to the genus Dolomitia , extending the range of this genus back to the late Cisuralian. Another form strongly resembles those of the voltzian conifer Pseudovoltzia . The other three dwarf shoot types show a wide morphological variation, but cannot be assigned to any known genus due to the imperfect preservation. In western Euramerica, the transition from walchian- to voltzian-conifer-dominated floras took place during the late Cisuralian. This study shows that this change occurred across the entire equatorial Euramerican realm. The well-dated Tregiovo flora is one of the very few late Cisuralian floras of Euramerica. As such, this flora documents an important step in the evolution of Permian terrestrial biotas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insect fauna of the Lower Permian Tyulkino locality in the Perm Region of Russia is considered. New members of the orders Trichoptera and Eoblattida are described. Members of the primitive family Microptysmatidae (suborder Protomeropina) are typical of the Lower and Middle Permian deposits of Eurasia and are represented by the two genera: Microptysmella Kukalová-Peck et Willmann, 1990 and Kamopanorpa Martynov, 1928. Kamopanorpa tyulkiana sp. nov. and K. tamarae sp. nov. (Trichoptera, Microptysmatidae) and Parakhosara kamica sp. nov. (Eoblattida, Megakhosaridae) are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little attention has been focused on the stratigraphical imprints of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age on the equatorial eastern Paleo-Tethys. An integrated study of biostratigraphy, microfacies, and stable carbon isotope stratigraphy was carried out on Pennsylvanian–middle Guadalupian carbonates of the Gongchuan section in the Bama Platform, South China. It records seven cooling and two warming pulses in the pre-Kungurian interval, comparing with ice-proximal stratigraphical records and far-field indirect proxies in lower latitudes. A Kungurian negative δ 13 C excursion (from + 4.4‰ at the base of the Kungurian to + 1.6‰) recorded only in the subequatorial belt is documented here. It is followed by a global positive δ 13 C trend reaching + 5.3‰ near the Cisuralian–Guadalupian boundary. Seven third-order shallowing–upward cycles are reported for the first time from the Kungurian succession. The duration of each cycle is estimated to ca. 1 myr. These cycles are interpreted as being of glacioeustatic origin and mainly driven by long-period modulations of obliquity (~ 1.2 myr) under major p CO 2 decreasing condition. This interpretation is supported by recent climate–ice sheet modeling and Cenozoic glaciation studies, which argue that astronomical forcing will be amplified by large-magnitude perturbations in the carbon cycle, when only localized ice-centers persist. Our results emphasize the need for integration of sedimentological and paleoclimatological proxies in elucidating the dynamics of the deglacial phases of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permian strata from the Tieqiao section (Jiangnan Basin, South China) contain several distinctive conodont assemblages. Early Permian (Cisuralian) assemblages are dominated by the genera Sweetognathus, Pseudosweetognathus and Hindeodus with rare Neostreptognathodus and Gullodus. Gondolellids are absent until the end of the Kungurian stage--in contrast to many parts of the world where gondolellids and Neostreptognathodus are the dominant Kungurian conodonts. A conodont changeover is seen at Tieqiao and coincided with a rise of sea level in the late Kungurian to the early Roadian: the previously dominant sweetognathids were replaced by mesogondolellids. The Middle and Late Permian (Guadalupian and Lopingian Series) witnessed dominance of gondolellids (Jinogondolella and Clarkina), the common presence of Hindeodus and decimation of Sweetognathus. Twenty main and seven subordinate conodont zones are recognised at Tieqiao, spanning the lower Artinskian to the middleWuchiapingian Stage. The main (first appearance datum) zones are, in ascending order by stage: the Sweetognathus (Sw.) whitei, Sw. toriyamai, and Sw. asymmetrica n. sp. Zones for the Artinskian; the Neostreptognathodus prayi, Sw. guizhouensis, Sw. iranicus, Sw. adjunctus, Sw. subsymmeticus and Sw. hanzhongensis Zones for the Kungurian; the Jinogondolella (J.) nankingensis Zone for the Roadian; the J. aserrata Zone for the Wordian; the J. postserrata, J. shannoni, J. altudaensis, J. prexuanhanensis, J. xuanhanensis, J. granti and Clarkina (C.) hongshuiensis Zones for the Capitanian and the C. postbitteri Zone and C. transcaucasica Zone for the base and middle of the Wuchiapingian. The subordinate (interval) zones are the Pseudosweetognathus (Ps.) costatus, Ps. monocornus, Hindeodus (H.) gulloides, Pseudohindeodus ramovsi, Gullodus (G.) sicilianus, G. duani and H. excavates Zones. In addition, three new species, Gullodus tieqiaoensis n. sp., Pseudohindeodus elliptica n. sp. and Sweetognathus asymmetrica n. sp. are described. Age assignments for less common species (e.g., G. duani, H. catalanoi and Pseudosweetognathus monocornus etc.) are reassessed based on a rich conodont collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termination of the late Paleozoic icehouse (LPI) serves as the Earth's first icehouse-to-greenhouse transition when the continents were covered by extensive vegetation. However, low-latitude climatic and biological responses to this climate transition remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a cyclostratigraphic analysis of a shallow marine succession of the Tieqiao section in South China. Variations in gamma rays that reflect continental weathering strength in the source regions are paced by Milankovitch cycles, including 405-kyr long eccentricity, 31.7-kyr obliquity, and ∼ 20-kyr (20.1 kyr and 18.7 kyr) precession. Based on the 405-kyr-scale cyclostratigraphic correlation between the Tieqiao section and the deep marine succession of Naqing, a floating astronomical time scale for the late Early Permian was constructed, and the base of the Kungurian stage was estimated as 284.83 ± 0.40 Ma. Climatic and astronomical variations were synchronized to this refined timescale and further compared with a geochronologically independent marine invertebrate biodiversity time series to interpret the dynamics of marine biological evolution during the late Paleozoic icehouse-to-greenhouse transition. The impacts of low-frequency obliquity forcing (with a period of ∼1.35 Myr) on climatic and biotic systems have differentiated in the changing climate backgrounds. When Gondwana land was minimally glaciated during the Artinskian, increased marine speciation was associated with elevated climatic humidity, nutrient inputs, linkage to glacial building at low-amplitude obliquity oscillation intervals (obliquity nodes). This cause-and-effect relationship gradually changed from ∼285.1 Ma, along with the termination of Gondwanan glaciation and tropical aridification over the long term. In an arid greenhouse, continental aridity and marine transgression at obliquity nodes led to a low nutrient level that the suppressed marine biodiversity. Our results show differential dynamics involving the Earth's astronomical parameters, climate change, and marine invertebrate biodiversity between icehouse and greenhouse conditions in the late Paleozoic Era. • The constructed astronomical time scale yields an age for the basal Kungurian stage of 284.83 ± 0.40 Ma. • Obliquity nodes led to climate humidity and marine speciation during the partially glaciated period. • Obliquity nodes led to aridity, marine transgression and reduced biodiversity in an ice-free world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granite pebbles from an Eocene or Oligocene conglomerate lying on a Ghomaride nappe of the Internal Zones of the Rif belt (Alboran domain, Morocco) have been dated by U/Pb on zircon at 281 Ma. No granite pluton being known in the Rif belt nor in the neighbouring Betic Cordillera, the origin of these calc-alkaline Kungurian (end of the Early Permian) granites is discussed. A provenance from a nearby unit presently drowned in the Alboran sea is likely. Comparisons with other circum-Mediterranean domains show that this late plutonism characterizes an original domain in the Variscan orogen.

The Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau in the world, is relatively difficult to access. Therefore, the stratigraphy and fossils in this area are poorly known, although they are very important for interpreting the palaeogeographical evolution of different tectonic blocks. Here we report the new discovery of an abundant conodont fauna from the lowest part of the Xiala Formation in the central part of the Lhasa Block, Tibet. This conodont fauna includes three genera and four species (Mesogondolella idahoensis,M. siciliensis,Vjalovognathus nicolliYuan, Shen & Henderson sp. nov. andHindeodussp.). The conodont fauna indicates that the lowest part of the Xiala Formation is late Kungurian in age based on the presence of abundantMesogondolella idahoensisand the denticle characters ofVjalovognathus nicollisp. nov. The presence of the conodont genusVjalovognathus, the associated small solitary corals and the absence of any fusulinids clearly suggest a cool-water condition in the lower part of the Xiala Formation. Thus, the Xiala Formation in the central Lhasa Block can be restricted to an age from late Kungurian to Wuchiapingian. This is in contrast to the warm-water faunas consisting of abundant fusulinids, compound and large solitary corals, and warm-water conodonts in the upper part of the Xiala Formation from late Guadalupian to Wuchiapingian in age. This dramatic faunal change suggests that either the palaeoclimate had greatly changed from a cold condition to a warm condition after the late Kungurian in the peri-Gondwanan region, or the palaeogeographical position of the Lhasa Block had drifted northward into the warm-water regime from the late Kungurian to Guadalupian. The new family Vjalovognathidae Shen, Yuan & Henderson fam. nov. and the new speciesVjalovognathus nicolliYuan, Shen & Henderson sp. nov. are proposed, based on abundant specimens from central Tibet. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:35EFEF79-315E-4CCE-A72E-5BE27CFAFBF5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palynological record from the Permian part of the Çakraz Formation from the Çamdağ area of NW Turkey has been investigated in order to obtain a more precise age assessment than achieved in previous studies. The 'Late Permian' age and a possible age range beginning in the Roadian (mid Permian) were discussed before for sections of palynomorph-bearing strata occurring within the formation. These deposits are now assigned to the late Cisuralian/Guadalupian and considered to be not older than early Kungurian, and not younger than Capitanian. The new age assessment was conducted via a long-distance, intercontinental palynostratigraphic correlation from NW Turkey to South America, where results of radiometric datings were linked to some siliciclastic sections by absolute ages to the chronostratigraphy. Common conspicuous taxa in pollen-dominated assemblages from both regions are Lueckisporites and Vittatina such as Lueckisporites virkkiae, L. latisaccus, L. stenotaeniatus, Vittatina corrugata, V. subsaccata and V. wodehousei. These species co-occur in strata of the northern as well as southern palaeohemisphere settings (NW Turkey and S America). Thus, Lueckisporites latisaccus, L. stenotaeniatus and Vittatina corrugata are, as well as L. virkkiae or V. subsaccata, considered as being cosmopolitan. Due to the more precise palynological dating of part of the Çakraz Formation and surrounding deposits they are here broadly correlated with Permian continental successions from the Southern Alps, Italy, including the Val Daone Conglomerate and the Verrucano Lombardo/Val Gardena Sandstone (Gröden) red beds, and the Rotliegend deposits of Germany. These results support some earlier views regarding the age and stratigraphic equivalences with European deposits. The new age for the Çakraz Formation also supports recent considerations as middle Permian (part Guadalupian), and as Cisuralian for the lower parts of the formation, such as the fossil-bearing section with plants and tetrapod traces further east in NW Turkey, where the unit also crops out. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Cisuralian is known as a time of increasing aridity, compared to the Late Pennsylvanian–Early Cisuralian. Although several studies highlighted this trend at low latitudes of Western Pangaea, little is known from Central Pangaea environments. The discovery of new fossiliferous horizons in the Late Cisuralian Tregiovo Formation (Northern Italy), allowed a new palaeoenvironmental study based on facies analysis, ichnology, palaeobotany, plant–insect interaction and palynology. Three facies associations were identified (A–C), and correspond to floodplain lake, ephemeral lacustrine and distal alluvial fan environments, respectively. The tetrapod ichnoassociation is more diverse than previously known, including abundant diapsid and non-diapsid reptile tracks and rarer temnospondyl amphibian tracks. Plant fossils are characterized by a predominance of hinterland taxa (conifers), hygrophytic plants are present as well. The sporomorph association is dominated by miospores of Cordaitales, Voltziales, and Peltaspermales while trilete lycopsid and fern miospores are rare which corresponds well with the macroflora. Invertebrate trace fossils and feeding traces on plant fossils are described for the first time from the Tregiovo Basin suggesting transitional, low energy environments, and a relatively low level of herbivory, respectively. This study evidences the development in the Tregiovo Basin of a wet-and-dry (probably seasonal) climate, which became drier between facies associations A–B. This environment constitutes an important reference since few data are known to infer the Late Cisuralian climatic conditions of Central Pangaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent studies on Permian captorhinomorph (non-diapsid eureptile) footprints from North America, North Africa, and Europe raised the interest on their taxonomic and biostratigraphic significance. They seem to radiate in the late Early Permian, but the scarcity of absolute dating in the classic sections bearing these trace fossils is not helpful in order to unravel their distribution. The continental Collio Formation cropping out extensively in the central Southern Alps of Italy can cover this gap of knowledge, since it preserves a rich testimony of these trace fossils ( Erpetopus , Hyloidichnus , Varanopus ) and it is well-constrained from radiometric datings and fossil content. For this and because of the huge amount of stored but unanalyzed material, a revision was necessary, through careful taxonomic assignations. These taxa are here confirmed and/or identified as being: Amphisauropus kablikae , cf. Batrachichnus isp., Dromopus lacertoides , Erpetopus cassinisi , Hyloidichnus bifurcatus , Limnopus heterodactylus and Varanopus isp. The occurrence of Erpetopus at the base of the Collio Formation (Kungurian base) suggests its minimum age of first appearance in a global context: this is a very important presence in order to build a reliable tetrapod footprint biostratigraphy during the Permian. The quantity of material yielded in the different facies of the Collio and Dosso dei Galli Formations also permit new insights on the paleoenvironments and climatic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A late Kungurian (Cisuralian, Permian) fauna including conodonts and fusulines is reported for the first time from the limestone units in the lower part of the Lugu Formation in the South Qiangtang Block (SQB) in Tibet. The conodonts include Mesogondolella siciliensis , M. qiangtangensis sp. nov., Sweetognathus subsymmetricus and S. guizhouensis. They all consistently indicate a late Kungurian age. The associated fusulines in the same interval include Armenina asiatica , Neoschwagerina simplex , Pseudodoliolina ozawai minima and Cancellina sp., which reliably indicate a Murgabian age. The coexistence of these conodonts and fusulines provides direct correlation between the base part of the Murgabian Stage in the fusuline-based Tethyan timescale and the late Kungurian Stage in the conodont-based international timescale. The conodont species S. subsymmetricus and S. guizhouensis together with the associated fusulines and brachiopods generally indicate a warm condition when the Lugu Formation was deposited, therefore, the SQB had incorporated into the equatorial warm water province during the late Kungurian. This contrasts with coeval cool water Vjalovognathus fauna from the basal part of the Xiala Formation in the Lhasa Block, the lower part of the Moulmein Limestone in the Hpa-An area in southern Myanmar and the Wandagee Formation in Western Australia. In addition, typical warm water Tethyan fusulines are absent in the Lhasa Block in the equivalent strata. These distinct faunal differences suggest that a wide Bangong-Nujiang Ocean between the SQB and the Lhasa Block probably existed during the late Kungurian. • A new late Kungurian conodont and fusuline fauna is reported from the South Qiangtang Block, Tibet. • The lower limestone units of the Lugu Formation are determined to be of late Kungurian in age. • The basal part of Murgabian Stage is correlative with the upper part of the Kungurian Stage. • The Bangong-Nujiang Ocean might have had a considerable width during the late Kungurian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kungurian Stage is one of the three remaining stages of the Permian that is not yet defined at the base by a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). The candidate section at the Yuryuzan' River in the Urals yields few conodonts, and contains non-marine sediments near the boundary. The search for a suitable, continuous marine succession is a principal task for the Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy. The Leonardian, with its type area in the southwest United States, and in objective stratigraphic succession directly beneath the basal Guadalupian Roadian Stage, has priority to serve as a subseries of the Lower Permian. However, distinct provincialism limits the correlation of Leonardian fossil zones with the fusuline-based Tethyan timescale. Conodonts can be correlated in many important regions on opposite sides of Pangea, yet contradictions arise when relating conodont zones with fusuline and ammonoid zones. The different taxonomic philosophies are highly suspected for the cause of the conflicts, but also there are different conodonts from the type Roadian in West Texas. Given that the Pamir and Darvaz in central Asia are difficult to access, further investigations should focus on South China, where abundant fusulines and ammonoids facilitate correlation throughout the Tethyan region, and where conodonts permit correlation with North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foraminifera are documented from the type section of the Quinnanie Shale in order to interpret their bathymetric distributions in a shallow high-latitude interior sea during the Kungurian. The marine setting was a narrow elongate half-graben (Merlinleigh Sub-Basin of the Southern Carnarvon Basin) in the Western Australian portion of eastern Gondwana. The Quinnanie Shale is part of the Byro Group of formations that display pronounced shale–sand cyclicity recording frequent changes in bathymetry. The type section of the Quinnanie Shale shows an overall progradational pattern in lithofacies, and consists of five ‘cycles’, each culminating in a prominent sandstone bed. Foraminifera are abundant in the shale and are almost entirely siliceous (organic-cemented) agglutinated types that probably dominated the original fauna of the interior sea. Hierarchical cluster analysis of samples taken every meter through the 162-m-thick type section is used to distinguish ten biofacies, each defined by a different set of dominant agglutinated species. Although biofacies frequently change up-section, there is an overall trend that is related to the progradational trend suggested by the lithofacies. Based on comparisons between lithofacies and biofacies, a palaeobathymetric zonation is established for the foraminifera. This zonation, the sparse macrofauna, and the lithofacies suggest that the interior sea was stratified in terms of salinity and dissolved oxygen levels, and the water was generally hyposaline. Most of the agglutinated foraminiferal species have analogous morphotypes present in modern confined estuaries and interior seas and this points to great conservatism in the evolutionary and ecological development of this component of interior-sea faunas. Aaptotoichus quinnaniensis sp. nov., an organic-cemented agglutinated foraminifer, is described from the Quinnanie Shale type section. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recently discovered megafossil plant remains in late Early Permian (Kungurian) marine sediments on northern Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, provide a much needed datum point for paleobiogeographic considerations in this part of North America. The fossil plants represent at least ten families belonging to several major groups (sphenopsids, ferns, pteridosperms, ginkgos, cordaitaleans, and conifers). The conifers Rufloria and Walchia are the most commonly represented taxa, while other gymnosperms constitute much of the remaining collection. Lycopsids are absent and sphenopsids as well as ferns are present, but rare. The plant material probably originated from Crockerland and has a complex taphonomic history. There appears to be a strong phytogeographic connection with the Angaran floral realm. In addition, some floral elements occurring here are known mostly from the Early Mesozoic elsewhere. These findings support the idea that plant evolution was most intensive in extrabasinal settings; with migration into the depositional lowlands often occurring at times when climatic conditions became favorable for range expansion out of the uplands. The Axel Heiberg Island flora is another datum point for rare, but significant late Early Permian age floras on the North American continent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This research presents the palynostratigraphy of organic-rich shales from the Irati and the Corumbataí formations, Paraná Basin (PB), Southeastern Brazil, as part of an unconventional hydrocarbon source rock and CO 2 reservoir assessment study. Thirty-four samples from the Corumbataí Formation and the Assistência Member of the Irati Formation were collected in the states of Goiás (northern border of the PB), São Paulo and Paraná (eastern and southern border of the PB, respectively). The acquired data allowed to establish a comprehensive palynostratigraphic study across the basin where a total of 18 pollen genera (34 pollen species), seven spore genera, four microplankton genera (1 species), and Chlorophyceae algae species where identified. The palynostratigraphic analysis also reveals a clear dominance of bisaccate pollen grains such as Corisaccites alutas , Lueckisporites virkkiae , and Weylandites lucifer. The Lueckisporites virkkiae zone was identified in the upper part of the Irati Formation (Assistência Member) and the lowermost part of the Corumbataí Formation, indicating a Kungurian to Roadian age for this part of the succession. Differences in the Guttulapollenites hannonicus and T ornopollenites toreutos biostratigraphic ranges, recovered in the Corumbataí Formation, suggest an earlier development of these species in the Paraná Basin during the middle Permian. Therefore, to evaluate the differences in the first occurrences of key species within the Paraná Basin, a close palynostratigraphic correlation between the main Guadalupian-Lopingian South American Gondwana basins is tentatively established. • New palynostratigraphic data of middle Permian, in Paraná Basin, Brazil are achieved. • Earlier development species assigned to Corumbataí Formation. • Solid evidences of shallow marine deposition. • Correlation with palynoflora record and ages previously studied in South American Gondwana basins. • Improvement of the Paraná Basin stratigraphy and in geological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]