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Late Devonian (Frasnian) harpetid trilobites have hitherto only been described from the western side of the Protethys Ocean, in what is now Europe and North Africa, as well as from Gondwana-derived northwestern Kazakhstan (Mugodjar). However, late Frasnian strata in the Canning Basin, Western Australia, that were deposited on the eastern side of this ocean, contain a rich harpetid fauna. Described herein are two new harpetids: Eskoharpes gen. nov. and Globoharpes gen. nov., within which are placed six species: E. palanasus sp. nov., E. wandjina sp. nov., E. boltoni sp. nov., E. guthae sp.

• Read more about Patterns of evolution and extinction in the last harpetid trilobites during the Late Devonian (Frasnian)

The apparatus of an Early Triassic conodont Neostrachanognathus tahoensisKoike, 1998 from Oritate, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, and a species of Neostrachanognathus from Oman were reconstructed. On the basis of five natural assemblages from the Oritate area, the three-dimensional apparatus model of N. tahoensis is interpreted as bilaterally symmetrical and composed of 14 elements consisting of pairs of P1, P2, P3, S1, S2, S3, and S4 elements. The P1 and P2 elements are coniform elements, the P3 elements are digyrate forms, and the S elements are bipennate ramiforms.

• Read more about Reconstruction of an apparatus of Neostrachanognathus tahoensis from Oritate, Japan and species of Neostrachanognathus from Oman

New material of the enigmatic brachiopod Salanygolina obliqua Ushatinskaya from the Early Cambrian of Mongolia shows that it has a colleplax– a triangular plate – in the umbonal perforation, which is enlarged by resorption. This structure is otherwise only known from the equally enigmatic Palaeozoic orders Chileida and Dictyonellida (Rhynchonelliformea, Chileata). The colleplax in Salanygolina is here considered to be homologous with that of the chileates. Salanygolina is also provided with a ridge-like pseudodeltidium, which is another chileate feature.

• Read more about The enigmatic Early Cambrian Salanygolina-A stem group of rhynchonelliform chileate brachiopods?

The Proventocitum procerulum radiolarian assemblage from the Valhallfonna Formation of Spitsbergen is described for the first time in some detail from material investigated in transmitted light. A number of species are recognized in the well-preserved material, showing unexpected diversity. The age of the fauna is restricted to the early Darriwilian (Da1-2), based on comparison with precisely dated radiolarian assemblages from the Cow Head and Table Head Groups of western Newfoundland.

• Read more about The Middle Ordovician Proventocitum procerulum radiolarian assemblage of Spitsbergen and its biostratigraphic correlation

Intensive sampling of the Luolou (northwestern Guangxi) and the Daye (southern Guizhou) Formations in South China leads to the recognition of a regional Griesbachian and Dienerian ammonoid succession for this key palaeobiogeographical area. The new biostratigraphical sequence comprises the upper Griesbachian 'Ophiceras beds' and the lower Dienerian 'Proptychites candidus beds', which are separated from the uppermost Dienerian 'Clypites beds' by an unfossiliferous interval. These faunas contain some taxa with wide geographic distribution (e.g.

• Read more about Griesbachian and Dienerian (Early Triassic) ammonoid faunas from northwestern Guangxi and southern Guizhou (South China)

Palaeozoic armoured agnathans (or ostracoderms) are characterised by having an external, bone shield enclosing the anterior part of their bodies, which demonstrate great diversity of both forms and sizes. The functional significance of these cephalic shields remains unclear (they may have been a functional analogue of the vertebral column, or merely afforded protection). Here we assess the importance of the cephalic shield in terms of locomotion.

• Read more about Flow pattern around the rigid cephalic shield of the Devonian agnathan Errivaspis waynensis (Pteraspidiformes: Heterostraci)

Palaeoctopus pelagicus sp. nov. is described from the early Turonian Vallecillo Limestone in north-eastern Mexico. The species represents the first record of a fossil octopod from the Americas and the second species of the genus Palaeoctopus. The holotype and only known specimen preserves one half of an originally bipartite gladius vestige. Soft parts are not preserved. The gladius vestige is distinguished from P. newboldi from the Santonian Limestone of Lebanon by the arrangement of fields, striation and reinforcements.

• Read more about A new Palaeoctopus (Cephalopoda: Coleoidea) from the Late Cretaceous of Vallecillo, north-eastern Mexico, and implications for the evolution of Octopoda

Two new bryozoan species are described from the Upper Ordovician Sassito Formation of the Argentinean Precordillera: Moyerella spinata sp. nov. and Phylloporina sassitoensis sp. nov. The bryozoans are found in cool-water carbonates. The Silurian genus Moyerella is reported the first time in the Ordovician, showing palaeobiogeographic connections with Estonia and Siberia. KEYWORDS Upper Ordovician • Bryozoa • systematics • Argentina • cool-water carbonates

• Read more about Cryptostomid bryozoans from the Sassito Formation, Upper Ordovician cool-water carbonates of the Argentinean Precordillera

The first substantial skull of a very large Paleogene bony-toothed bird (Pelagornithidae) is described from the Lower Eocene London Clay of the Isle of Sheppey in England. The specimen is assigned to Dasornis emuinus (Bowerbank), based on a taxonomic revision of the large London Clay Pelagornithidae. Very large bony-toothed birds from the London Clay were known previously from fragmentary remains of non-comparable skeletal elements only, and Dasornis londinensis Owen, Argillornis emuinus (Bowerbank), A.

• Read more about A skull of the giant bony-toothed bird Dasornis (Aves: Pelagornithidae) from the Lower Eocene of the Isle of Sheppey

The new species Acynodon adriaticus is described on the basis of remains from the Santonian–Campanian of Villaggio del Pescatore (Trieste, NE Italy). This species differs in several cranial features from Acynodon iberoccitanus, the only other Acynodon species whose cranial osteology is known in detail. The absence of maxillary and dentary caniniform teeth coupled with the presence of enlarged molariform teeth suggests that Acynodon probably fed on slowly moving hard-shelled prey.

• Read more about A new species of Acynodon (Crocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian) of Villaggio del Pescatore, Italy