Archive

The musculature and dentition of Merismopteria Etheridge jun. 1892 are described and illustrated. Muscles are present both in front and behind the 'clavicle' or buttress ridge. Lateral and cardinal teeth may be present. Merismopteria is closely related to and may be a synonym of Leiopteria Hall 1883.

• Read more about The Permian leiopteriid Merismopteria and the origin of the Pteriidae

The occurrence of young specimens of Lima lineata (Schlotheim) within the lunules of adults of this German Triassic species is held to be due to photonegative habits and points to a possible origin of nest-building in the Limidae. The non-occurrence of this feature in some parts of Germany and its abundance in other parts is believed to depend on whether or not the adult was byssally attached.

• Read more about Photonegative young in the Triassic lamellibranch Lima lineata (Schlotheim)

The three genera comprising the Peltaspermaceae, Lepidopteris (leaf), Antevsia (pollen organ), Peltaspermum (seed organ) are discussed. The following are redescribed: L. stormbergensis (Seward) Townrow, L. martinsii (Kurtze) comb. nov., A. zeilleri (Nathorst) Harris, A. extans (Frenguelli) comb. nov., and P. thomasi Harris. The evidence for referring isolated organs to their parent plant, and the morphology and affinities of the family are considered. The Peltaspermaceae range from the Thuringian to the Rhaetic (inclusive), the earliest species coming from Europe.

• Read more about The Peltaspermaceae, a pteridosperm family of Permian and Triassic age

Part 2 is concerned with the anatomy of eight Orthostern 'scorpions', developed by the technique described in Part 1 (Palaeontology, 1, 261-82). Virtually complete skins of two are described. The first is a paratype of Buthiscorpius buthiformis (Pocock), the description of which is supplemented from a second, less complete, example. The second is Mazoniscorpio mazonensis gen. et sp. nov. Each of the remaining five is incomplete as only half-nodules were available. They comprise a new-species of Buthiscorpius—B.

• Read more about The external anatomy of some Carboniferous 'scorpions'. Part 2

Holaster cantianus sp. nov. is a large holasterid of Lower Cretaceous (Lower Albian) age and is found in the Lower Greensand (Folkestone Beds) of the Folkestone neighbourhood of Kent. It is designated type species of a new subgenus, Labrotaxis, to which is also referred the Upper Albian-Cenomanian Holaster latissimus J. L. R. Agassiz. The diagnostic feature of Labrotaxis is the primitive condition of the meridosternous plastron.

• Read more about A new echinoid from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) of Kent

A new cupule generically comparable to Calathospermum scoticum Walton is described containing ovules identical in form to the seeds known as Salpingostoma dasu Gordon. The specimens of this new species illustrate some interesting morphological features new to the genus. The cupule is believed to be equivalent to a large part of a frond and its branching may be interpreted as a pinnate system.

• Read more about Calathospermum fimbriatum sp. nov., a Lower Carboniferous pteridosperm cupule from Scotland

A silicified individual allows a more detailed description of the posterior portion of Dinobolus than was previously available. There is no trace of the existence of a pedicle and a functional pedicle may have been atrophied in the genus.

• Read more about A well-preserved Dinobolus from the Sandpile group (Middle Silurian) of northern British Columbia

The results of a study of a series of specimens exhibiting the median abdominal appendage of Slimonia acuminata (Salter) from the Upper Silurian of Logan Water, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, are given. The anatomy of the opercular appendage of both sexes is redescribed in the light of knowledge obtained from recent work on related structures in other eurypterids, and the segmented nature of the appendages demonstrated. Stages in the development of the appendage in both sexes in ontogeny are described for the first time.

• Read more about The median abdominal appendage of the Silurian eurypterid Slimonia acuminata (Salter)

A revised description of the Carboniferous trilobite Cordania gardneri Mitchell 1922 is given, based on some topotype material from Australia, and new material from Argentina. The species is assigned to a new genus Australosutura Campbell and Goldring 1960.

• Read more about Australosutura gen. nov. (Trilobita) from the Carboniferous of Australia and Argentina

A new species of clymeniid, Cymaclymenia borahensis, from the Wocklumeria zone of New South Wales, is described, and its stratigraphical significance discussed. This is the first ctymeniid described from Eastern Australia.

• Read more about A clymeniid from the Wocklumeria zone of New South Wales