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The partly articulated specimen of the Palaeozoic (Early Carboniferous) chondrichthyan 'Cladodus' neilsoni Traquair from East Kilbride has been known since the late nineteenth century. As such, 'C.' neilsoni Traquair has been cited in numerous publications, but it has become increasingly clear that its anatomy and systematic affinities are obscure.

• Read more about Reassessment of 'Cladodus' neilsoni Traquair: a primitive shark from the Lower Carboniferous of East Kilbride, Scotland

A primitive cryptodiran turtle, Indochelys spatulata gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Early Jurassic Kota Formation, a member of the Upper Gondwana Group in the Pranhita-Godavari Valley, Deccan, India. The shell morphology of lndochelys differs substantially from that of the Triassic Proganochelys of Germany but is significantly similar to the oldest known Early Jurassic cryptodire, Kayentachelys, from the Kayenta Formation of Arizona. Indochelys also shares many shell characters with the Late Jurassic North American turtles, in particular Dinochelys.

• Read more about The first Jurassic turtle from India

The Lower Cretaceous ostracod Pattersoncypris micropapillosa Bate is redescribed, and Reconcavona sp. indet. with appendages preserved is described for the first time. The morphology of the carapace and especially of the appendages of P. micropapillosa is compared in detail with that of the Recent Cyprididae Eucypris virens, which demonstrates that there are substantial similarities. In addition to the adults of P. micropapillosa, a number of juveniles have also been recovered and described, and these are compared with the juveniles of E. virens. The ontogenetic development of P.

• Read more about Morphology and ontogeny of Cretaceous ostracods with preserved appendages from Brazil

ODP Leg 171B investigated the sediments of the Blake Plateau off northern Florida and recovered 36 Upper Albian ammonites - one from Site 1050C, the others from Site 1052E. This unusually large number of specimens from an ODP site permits the dating of the interval between 668 to 621 m below sea-floor at Site 1052E as late Late Albian, Stoliczkaia (S.) dispar ammonite zone. This zone is indicated by the genera Mortoniceras and Stoliczkaia (S.). Site 1050C (Interval 171B-1050C-31R-3, 0.80-0.86 m) cannot be dated more precisely than Late Aptian to Mid Cenomanian by ammonites.

• Read more about Upper Albian ammonites from ODP Leg 171B off northern Florida

Examination and measurement of many of the trunks attributed to Araucarioxylon arizonicum Knowlton eroded from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona demonstrate that the living tree did not closely resemble any of the present-day Araucaria trees of the southern hemisphere as postulated in past reconstructions. The research indicates that it was a tall monopodial tree with branches occurring in a disordered manner on the trunk from the base to the crown.

• Read more about The Late Triassic Araucarioxylon arizonicum trees of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA

An osteological re-study of the holotype skull of Plesiosaurus brachypterygius leads to a correction of several inaccuracies and misidentifications of the original description by von Huene and reveals additional facts on the cranial anatomy of this plesiosaur. Comparison with the type species, Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus, from the Lower Lias of England shows considerable differences in many parts of the cranial skeleton, even though the two species are generally so similar that their inclusion in the same genus proposed by von Huene, and agreed with by all subsequent authors, can be supported.

• Read more about Cranial osteology of the sauropterygian Plesiosaurus brachypterygius from the Lower Toarcian of Germany

The skull of Grippia longirostris, one of the basal ichthyopterygians, is redescribed, based on a newly prepared referred specimen and the examination of others. Grippia had been considered to be the most basal ichthyopterygian until recently, and it has been suggested that the quadratojugal enters the upper temporal fenestra in this species. This and other unique features, which were considered plesiomorphic for ichthyopterygians, obscured the relationship of the group to other amniotes.

• Read more about Skull of Grippia longirostris: no contradiction with a diapsid affinity for the Ichthyopterygia

• Read more about Middle Ordovician bivalves from Mid-Wales and the Welsh Borderland: corrigendum

Until now, only two Psychodoidea were known from Lebanese amber. We describe two new genera and species of Phlebotomidae (Mesophlebotomites hennigi gen. et sp. nov., Libanophlebotomus lutfallahi gen. et sp. nov.) and four new genera with six new species of Psychodidae (Paleopsychoda solignaci gen. et sp. nov., Paleopsychoda jacquelinae sp. nov., Protopsychoda nadiae gen. et sp. nov., Protopsychoda hammanaensis sp. nov., Libanopsychoda abillamai gen. et sp. nov., Cretapsychoda inexpectata gen. et sp. nov.) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Hammana/Mdeirij, Lebanon.

• Read more about New genera and species of psychodoid flies from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon

Isolated scales of Boothialepis thorsteinssoni gen. et sp. nov. are described from a fossiliferous calcareous dolomite at the base of the Somerset Island Formation of the Boothia Peninsula, Arctic Canada. A new family, Boothialepididae (Thelodonti), is established on features of the scale morphology and histology. The new genus and species are distinguished by characteristics of crown sculpture, neck, and unusual size of the base.

• Read more about A new Late Silurian or Early Devonian thelodont from the Boothia Peninsula, Arctic Canada