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Katbergia gen. nov., a new trace fossil from Upper Permian and Lower Triassic rocks of the Karoo Basin: implications for palaeoenvironmental conditions at the P/Tr extinction event

A new ichnogenus and ichnospecies of burrow, Katbergia carltonichnus, are described from Upper Permian and Lower Triassic rocks of the Karoo Basin, South Africa, where they are preserved in pedogenically modified overbank deposits that are interpreted as inceptisols subsequently gleysol overprinted. Sigmoidal burrows consist of a long (>= 0.5 m) cylindrical tube, ranging from 1–2 cm in diameter, terminating in a slightly larger living chamber. The burrows are unlined and passively filled, preserving a hierarchy of scratch patterns on the burrow walls.

Tracing back the origin of the Indo-Pacific mollusc fauna: basal Tridacninae from the Oligocene and Miocene of the Sultanate of Oman

Two new tridacnine species are described from the Chattian and Aquitanian of the Arabian Peninsula. For these, the new names Omanidacna eos gen. et sp. nov. and Tridacna evae sp. nov. are erected. Omanidacna is interpreted as an Oligocene ancestor of Hippopus, being the oldest record of this tridacnine lineage. The Aquitanian Tridacna evae is the first occurrence of the genus Tridacna.

Spicules in Silurian tabulate corals from Canada, and implications for their affinities

Specimens of Favosites from upper Llandovery strata of Anticosti Island show three types of calcite structures, herein interpreted as spicules, preserved within their calices and on top of the last tabula. This is stratigraphically younger material, some 50 m higher than fossils described two decades earlier, in which calcified polyps, each with 12 retracted tentacles, were noted. These more recently found structures show striking similarities in form and position to point, collaret and capstan spicules found in the soft tissues of modern pipe corals, i.e. the Octocorallia (Alcyonacea).

Fossil woods in interglacial sediments from the Carboniferous Hoyada Verde Formation, San Juan Province, Argentina

Fossil woods are described and assigned to Cuyoxylon multipunctatus gen. et sp. nov. The woods were deposited in shales from an interglacial period, and are the first to be described in detail from the Carboniferous glaciation of western Gondwana. They have the primitive characters of Early Carboniferous woods, such as mesarch protoxylem and numerous contiguous pits in an alternate arrangement. They are the oldest fossil woods to have been described from South America. The growth ring characteristics are consistent with a seasonal cool climate.

New fossil lacewings and antlions (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil

Remarkable new fossil taxa of Neuroptera from the laminated limestone of the Crato Formation, north-east Brazil, are described: Nuddsia longiantennata gen. et sp. nov. (Osmylidae, Gumillinae), the first fossil record of this family from South America, Parapalaeoleon magnus gen. et sp. nov. (Palaeoleontidae), and Triangulochrysopa formosa sp. nov. (Mesochrysopidae). A diagnosis of Gumillinae is provided; Epiosmylidae is considered to be a synonym of this subfamily.

Hybodont sharks of the English Bathonian and Callovian (Middle Jurassic)

Recent bulk sampling and study of museum collections has revealed a high diversity of hybodont sharks from the English Bathonian, with 15 species being recognised. In addition, study of dental and skeletal material from the English Callovian has allowed the diagnosis of a new genus and species, Planohybodus peterboroughensis gen. et sp. nov., allowing the Bathonian species Hybodus grossiconus Agassiz to be referred to Planohybodus. Two additional new genera, Secarodus and Frangerodus, are erected for the Bathonian taxa Hybodus polyprion Agassiz and Strophodus lingualis Woodward, respectively.

A new genus of rhynchosaur from the Middle Triassic of south-west England

We present a description of new cranial and postcranial material representing a new genus of rhynchosaur (Diapsida, Archosauromorpha) from the Otter Sandstone Formation (Mid Triassic) of Devon, south-west England. The taxon had been named Rhynchosaurus spenceri Benton, 1990, but cladistic analysis of the clade, and one autapomorphy, show that it does not belong to Rhynchosaurus, and a new generic name is required. We propose the name Fodonyx for this genus.

Internal architecture of Miocene Pseudotaberina and its relation to Caribbean archaiasins

Well-preserved, isolated specimens of Pseudotaberina were found at three localities in Indonesia, thus enabling the study of the relationships between this genus and Caribbean Archaiasinae. The internal architecture of the chambers of Pseudotaberina consists of four layers of stolon planes, each of which is divided by superposed septula into chamberlets. The chamberlets are connected to the next chambers by foramina opposing the septula. The stolons are Y-shaped.

Durophagous predation on Middle Jurassic molluscs, as evidenced from shell fragmentation

Durophagous (shell-crushing) predation is known from the beginning of the Phanerozoic, but it has been suggested that modern intensity was not reached until the Late Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic, when specialized marine durophagous taxa increased in diversity. In this paper, evidence of durophagous predation on Middle Jurassic communities of molluscan prey is presented on the basis of distinct accumulations of fossil remains in the Polish Jura (south-central Poland) that contain characteristic, angular shell fragments with sharp, non-abraded margins.
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