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The Cretaceous dinosaur fauna of Indo-Pakistan has remained poorly understood because of a lack of associated and articulated remains, proliferation of named species, and an incomplete understanding of the dinosaur clades present (e.g. abelisaurid theropods; titanosaur sauropods). Continued work on existing collections, and new discoveries of dinosaur material from India, Pakistan and elsewhere in Gondwana, has begun to resolve the composition and affinities of Indo-Pakistani dinosaurs.

• Read more about An associated partial skeleton of Jainosaurus cf. septentrionalis (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Chhota Simla, Central India

A species of water-penny beetles is recorded from larval instars from the Middle Eocene Messel pit fossil site in Germany. This species clearly belongs to the psephenid subfamily Eubrianacinae, but its precise systematic affinities remain unclear. It is the second fossil species of this taxon recorded from Europe. The holotype of the first fossil species, Eubrianax vandeli Bertrand and Laurentiaux, 1963, is lost.

• Read more about Fossil water-penny beetles (Coleoptera: Psephenidae: Eubrianacinae) from the Eocene of Europe, with remarks on their phylogenetic position and biogeography

A series of experiments was conducted to determine the capacity of an archaeal strain, Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, to bind metals and to study the effects of metal binding on the subsequent silicification of the microorganisms. The results showed that M. jannaschii can rapidly bind several metal cations (Fe3+, Ca2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+).

• Read more about Metal cation binding by the hyperthermophilic microorganism, Archaea Methanocaldococcus Jannaschii, and its effects on silicification

Limopsis is one of the most speciose and widespread bivalve genera in the Southern Ocean at the present day. However, the fossil record of the genus is poorly known from the southern high latitudes. Here, we review the fossil record in this region to help understand the evolutionary origins of the genus. Limopsis infericola sp. nov. and additional specimens of a previously described species are added to the fossil record of Antarctica.

• Read more about The fossil record of Limopsis (Bivalvia: Limopsidae) in Antarctica and the southern high latitudes

A new family, Pronemouridae fam. nov., with a new genus, Pronemoura gen. nov., and five new species of fossil stoneflies are described from Daohugou village (Middle Jurassic), Inner Mongolia, China: P. shii sp. nov., P. angustithorax sp. nov., P. longialata sp. nov., P. minuta sp. nov. and P. peculiaris sp. nov. Wing venation of pronemourinids presents some or considerable variety in the fore and hind wings of the same or different individuals.

• Read more about Pronemouridae fam. nov. (Insecta: Plecoptera), the stem group of nemouridae and notonemouridae, from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China

A diverse brachiopod fauna from a relatively deep water carbonate facies of the Upper Ordovician Beiguoshan Formation (uppermost Caradoc – lower Ashgill, middle Katian) is characterized by small shells and contains the oldest known Dicoelosia and Epitomyonia, two diagnostic taxa of deep water brachiopod palaeocommunities during the Late Ordovician and Silurian. Three new species are recognized: Dicoelosia cordiformis sp. nov., Dicoelosia perbrevis sp. nov. and Epitomyonia fui sp. nov. These pioneer forms of the family Dicoelosiidae show a relatively high degree of morphological plasticity.

• Read more about Oldest known Dicoelosia and Epitomyonia, deep water brachiopods from the Beiguoshan Formation (Middle Katian, Upper Ordovician), Shaanxi, north China

Stromatoporoid faunas in the Frasnian of southern Belgium are abundant in the carbonate platform environments present in this area. Stromatoporoids dominate the large skeletal organisms and occur principally in biostromes. The stromatoporoid assemblage is represented by a small number of taxa. Stromatoporoid genera include Actinostroma, Amphipora, Atelodictyon, Clathrocoilona, Salairella, Stachyodes, Stictostroma, Stromatopora and Trupetostroma which are present in environments ranging from the outer, outer intermediate, inner intermediate and inner zones and associated biostromes.

• Read more about Stromatoporoid palaeoecology in the Frasnian (Upper Devonian) Belgian platform, and its applications in interpretation of carbonate platform environments

Bennettites are an abundant and frequently well-preserved component of many Mesozoic fossil floras, often playing an important ecological role in flood plain vegetation communities. During a recent study focusing on stomatal indices of Triassic–Jurassic fossil plants, it became evident that the leaf fragments of two bennettite genera Anomozamites Schimper (1870) emend. Harris (1969) and Pterophyllum Brongniart (1825) display a significant overlap of leaf shape as well as cuticular characters.

• Read more about Bennettitalean leaf cuticle fragments (here Anomozamites and Pterophyllum) can be used interchangeably in stomatal frequency-based palaeo-CO2

The biostratigraphically important Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) biserial graptolite Fucoides dentatus Brongniart, 1828 is redescribed and illustrated from its type material and from additional specimens collected at the type locality – Lévis, Quebec, Canada. It is referred to Levisograptus gen. nov., which includes also the austrodentatus group of early axonophoran graptolites. The species has previously been confused with a younger, mid-Darriwilian species, now referred to as Eoglyptograptus gerhardi sp. nov., and recognized as the type species of the genus Eoglyptograptus Mitchell.

• Read more about The identity of the Ordovician (Darriwilian) graptolite Fucoides dentatus Brongniart, 1828

Pojetaia and Fordilla are the oldest bivalve molluscs, occurring in roughly co-eval rocks from the Tommotian, and are the only undisputed, well-known bivalves from the Cambrian. New specimens reveal that Pojetaia had a laminar inner shell microstructure reminiscent of the foliated aragonite of modern monoplacophorans, and the same is true for Fordilla. A similar shell microstructure is seen in Anabarella and Watsonella, providing support for the hypothesis that they are the ancestors of bivalves.

• Read more about Shell microstructure of the early bivalve Pojetaia and the independent origin of nacre within the mollusca