Archive

A new family of damselflies, based on Latibasalia elongata gen. et sp. nov. and L. quispeae gen. et sp. nov., is erected from the Upper Palaeocene Maiz Gordo Formation, north-western Argentina. Latibasaliidae fam. nov. can be included in the Zygoptera: Caloptera: Eucaloptera: Amphipterygida: Amphipterygoidea. Its phylogenetic relationships within the clade Eucaloptera Bechly, 1996 are discussed.

• Read more about A new damselfly family from the Upper Palaeocene of Argentina

The progonocytherid cytheracean ostracod genus Lophocythere and its immediate allies in the Jurassic are reviewed. All known species of 16 genera are considered. We consider that only eight of these genera (Acanthocythere, Afrocytheridea, Aulacocythere, Fuhrbergiella, Lophocythere, Neurocythere, Terquemula and Trichordis) remain valid; the eight rejected genera are Crucicythere, Cuvillierella, Dhrumaella, Infacythere, Nophrecythere, Paralophocythere, Pokornya and Tropacythere.

• Read more about A review of the Mesozoic ostracod genus Lophocythere and its close allies

Opsipedon gracilis Heer, 1865, is the oldest valid name for a fossil tanaidacean crustacean. The type material, which was originally described as coming from the Lower Jurassic 'Insect marls' (Insektenmergel, Hettangian), is actually of Middle Jurassic age (Opalinum Clay, Aalenian). A redescription of this species is given, and its position within the suborder Apseudomorpha is established. A new model is proposed which relates the occurrence of fossil tanaids with palaeo-oxygenation, both long-term average values and intensity of (seasonal) fluctuations.

• Read more about Redescription of Opsipedon gracilis Heer (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) from the Middle Jurassic of northern Switzerland, and the palaeoenvironmental significance of tanaidaceans

Abundant asterozoan trace fossils in the Lower Cretaceous Apeleg Formation of southern Chile were produced by the infilling of traces made by asteroids and ophiuroids on a muddy surface. Most are preserved as hypichnial ridges formed as casts on the bottom of fine-grained sandstone laminae. Star-shaped Asteriacites lumbricalis are interpreted as the infillings of shallow excavations made by asteroids.

• Read more about Asteroid and ophiuroid trace fossils from the Lower Cretaceous of Chile

Maiakarichnus currani ichnogen. et isp. nov. is a crustacean trace fossil from the Upper Miocene Camacho Formation of Uruguay. This trace fossil is a subspherical chamber preserved in full relief, with numerous thin shafts radiating in a stratigraphically upward direction mainly from its upper part and from the sides. In the Camacho Formation it can be found intergrading with Ophiomorpha and Thalassinoides.

• Read more about A new ichnogenus for crustacean trace fossils from the Upper Miocene Camacho Formation of Uruguay

Two fossil tree species, both with unusual characteristics, occur in the Upper Triassic of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA and adjacent areas. The first, Schilderia adamanica, has a highly idiosyncratic secondary xylem structure which contains normal uniseriate and broad complex multiseriate 'herring-bone' rays. The trunk cross-section of the secondary xylem may be either of a normal pycnoxylic type with a central pith and rays radiating from that or it may consist of appressed 'xylem masses' with rays curving towards one another at their extremities.

• Read more about The Late Triassic Schilderia adamanica and Woodworthia arizonica trees of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA

Primary homologization of wing venation is of crucial importance in taxonomic studies of fossil and recent insects, with implications for large-scale phylogenies. Homologization is usually based on relative relief of veins (with an insect ground plan of alternating concave and convex vein sectors). However, this method has led to divergent interpretations, notably because vein relief can be attenuated in fossil material or because wings were originally flat. In order to interpret better vein relief in fossil insect wings, we tested the application of non-contact laser scanning.

• Read more about Surface laser scanning of fossil insect wings

A new lycopsid, Monilistrobus yixingensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Wutung Formation (Famennian, Upper Devonian) of Jiangsu, China. The plant has many features typical of other Upper Devonian lycopsids, including dichotomous branching, helically arranged obovate expanded leaf bases, linear leaves with spiny appendages along the lateral margins, sporophylls widened proximally, and one elliptical sporangium attached to the adaxial surface.

• Read more about A novel lycopsid from the Upper Devonian of Jiangsu, China

A new trace fossil, Foersterichnus rossensis igen. nov. and isp. nov., is described from the Coniacian Hidden Lake Formation, James Ross Island, Antarctica. The trace fossil is a trackway comprising straight, or slightly curving, paired rows of elongate to tear-shaped impressions, parallel or slightly inclined to the long axis of the trackway. Foersterichnus is interpreted to be the trackway of a brachyuran decapod crustacean. It occurs in transgressive shallow marine deposits formed above the storm wave base in a shelf setting.

• Read more about A new decapod trackway from the Upper Cretaceous, James Ross Island, Antarctica

During an investigation of type collections in The Natural History Museum, London, made in India during the nineteenth century, the syntypes of Cypris subglobosa Sowerby have been re-discovered. This species is shown to belong to the genus Paracypretta and to be confined to the Upper Cretaceous, and possibly Palaeocene, non-marine intertrappean deposits of the Indian Deccan Volcanic Province. The numerous and widespread Recent and Quaternary records of this taxon are of a separate species that belongs to the genus Cypris.

• Read more about The identity of the non-marine ostracod Cypris subglobosa Sowerby from the intertrappean deposits of Peninsular India