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The dorsal anatomy of Carboniferous ' scorpions' has long been known to resemble closely that of Recent scorpions, but ventral organs, especially those of respiration, and details of the appendages have rarely been seen. A new technique for separating the chitinous skin from the ironstone in which the fossils commonly occur, has allowed various parts of the exoskeleton to be completely isolated from the matrix, including some of great value in appraising the mode of life of the animals, and some that are used in the systematic classification of Recent scorpions.

• Read more about The external anatomy of some Carboniferous 'scorpions', Part 1

Trilobites from the lowermost beds of the Carboniferous, from the south-west Province and from Belgium are described. The species are assigned to Moschoglossis gen. nov., Cummingella?, Piltonia, and Brachymetopus. The trilobite fauna is regarded as a limestone facies fauna of the Gattendorfia Stage.

• Read more about Lower Tournaisian trilobites in the Carboniferous limestone facies of the south-west Province of Great Britain and of Belgium

Selaginellites canonbiensis sp. nov., a small lycopod cone compression from the Upper Carboniferous of Scotland, is described and figured. Its megaspores agree with the spore species Setosisporites hirsutus, and its microspores are of the Densosporites type. Populations of spores of these two types associated in the Shafton Coal, Yorkshire, compare closely with those from the cone. This correlation suggests that Selaginellites may have been the dominant component of the vegetation which gave rise to Densosporites-rich coals of the durain type.

• Read more about A Carboniferous Selaginellites with Densosporites microspores

The genus Archaias Montfort 1808 was emended by Henson 1950. It includes those species of the Family Peneroplidae which have chambers that contain interseptal pillars but no subepidermal partitions. All species are reviewed and described as far as possible. Additional illustrations are given for Middle East species. The stratigraphical occurrences are also considered. The genera Helenis Montfort 1808, Ilotes Montfort 1808, Orbiculina Lamarck 1816 (as by previous authors), and Puteolina Hofker 1952a (min.pars) are placed in the synonymy of Archaias.

• Read more about The genus Archaias (Foraminifera) and its stratigraphical distribution

A new Upper Eocene pennatulid from the Burnside Mudstone, Dunedin, New Zealand, is described and named Bensonularia spatulata. It is assigned to the Family Veretillidae.

• Read more about An Eocene sea-pen from Dunedin, New Zealand

The scapula of Pliosaurus macromerus from the Kimeridge Clay (Jurassic) is described for the first time. It differs in shape from the scapulae of all other Plesiosaurians by the anterior production of its dorsal process. This change in shape and the consequent increase in the pre-glenoid length of the pectoral girdle confers important functional advantages which are outlined. The locomotion of Pliosaurs is briefly considered, and it is suggested that the main propulsive force was from the hind limbs.

• Read more about The scapula of Pliosaurus macromerus Phillips

Poulsen's original material of the developmental stages of Peltura scarabaeoides is redescribed. It includes protaspides of length 0.4 mm. and cranidia or cephala up to a length of 1.6 mm. The protaspid glabella is elliptical in outline, widest at the mid-length, and divided into five rings. In meraspid cephala of length greater than 1 mm. the glabella is widest across the occipital ring and glabellar furrows are lateral. The outline of the anterior cephalic margin changes from forwardly concave to forwardly convex. In a cephalon of length 1 mm.

• Read more about Ontogeny of the trilobite Peltura scarabaeoides from Upper Cambrian, Denmark

Rugose corals from the Zinnar Limestone Formation (Artinskian) of northern Iraq are allocated to the Waagenophyllidae fam. nov. and grouped as Waagenophyllinae Wang 1950 (redefined) or Wentzelellinae subfam. nov. The lower part of the formation, with abundant Polydiexodina, is of Parafusulina age and the upper of possible Neoschwagerina age. New morphological terms for the rugose corais are explained and Ipciphyllum ipci gen et sp. nov. and Wentzellophyllum gen. nov. are described. Michelinia favositoides Girty is re-established as a valid species.

• Read more about Permian corals from northern Iraq

• Read more about Entogonites cf. borealis, an Alaskan goniatite from Ireland

• Read more about The sequence of graptolite faunas