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Cryptospore assemblages from the Ordovician/Silurian boundary in the Puna region, north-west Argentina

Palynomorph assemblages have been recovered from deposits believed to straddle the Ordovician/Silurian boundary, from the upper member of the Salar del Rincon Formation, in the Puna region of north-west Argentina. The palynomorph assemblages are dominated by terrestrial cryptospores, but also contain marine elements (acritarchs, prasinophycean algae and chitinozoans). The cryptospore assemblages are similar in composition to those described from coeval deposits worldwide, suggesting that the producers were cosmopolitan and tolerated a wide range of climatic conditions.

The trilobite subfamily Monorakinae (Pterygometopidae)

The Monorakinae is a subfamily of the Pterygometopidae characterised by the fusion of L2 and L3 in the glabella. The resulting bicomposite lobe is expanded backwards to reach the occipital furrow, displacing L1 from contact with the axial furrow and causing the realignment of S1 to a markedly oblique orientation. The bicomposite lobe is commonly bounded adaxially by a longitudinal furrow containing three pairs of apodemal pits.

A rich and highly endemic decapod crustacean fauna from the Middle Jurassic of north-east France

Decapod crustaceans are relatively widespread in Jurassic deposits of Europe and a small number have been collected from the north-east of France. A new fossil of a macrurous decapod assigned to Eryma burgundiaca sp. nov., an erymid lobster, is described from this area and comparisons are made with closely allied species from Europe. Probable pagurid anomurous decapods are represented by Orhomalus magnificus sp. nov., Palaeopagurus acutus sp. nov. and Palaeopagurus neraudeaui sp. nov. No brachyurous decapods are presently known from the fauna.

The Jurassic belemnite suborder Belemnotheutina

The Belemnotheutina is a monophyletic group of mostly late Jurassic belemnites that possess largely plesiomorphic characters of ten subequal arms with hooks, a simple, conical, rostrum, a narrow breviconic phragmocone and a spatulate pro-ostracum. Although some of the best-preserved belemnites with soft parts have been described from this group, until recently, its status has been in question.

Siluro-Devonian conodonts from the Camelford Limestone, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia

Conodont data have been utilized to identify the Silurian/Devonian boundary within the Camelford Limestone near Wellington, NSW. Conodont faunas are documented from the eosteinhornensis Zone to early delta Zone with one new species of Walliserodus (W. multistriatus) and two new species of Ozarkodina (O. brocki and O. camelfordensis) described. An apparatus reconstruction of Belodella anomalis is also presented.

A new genus of fossil sand crab (Anomura: Albuneidae) from the Oligocene of Italy

The recently described fossil albuneid Paralbunea galantensis De Angeli and Marangon differs from the type of the genus Paralbunea Serene and is herein made the type species of a new genus, Harryhausenia, which is closely related to Zygopa Serene and Umali. A discussion is given on the relationships between the new genus and Zygopa, as well as between Zygopa and other albuneid taxa.

The problematic Paralbunea Hu and Tao, 1996: homonymy, generic nom. nov., and correct taxonomic placement

The fossil genus Paralbunea Hu and Tao, described as an anomuran albuneid, is a junior homonym of Paralbunea Serene and a possible synonym of either the brachyuran raninid Ranilia H. Milne Edwards, 1837, or Cosmonotus Adams and White, 1848. The type series of P. taipeiensis Hu and Tao is composed of at least two species belonging to two raninid genera and appears (in part) assignable to the genus Ranilia and (in part) to Cosmonotus grayi Adams and White, 1848.

A new pterosaur from the Jurassic of Cuba

Cacibupteryx caribensis gen. et sp. nov. is a new pterosaur of the family Rhamphorhynchidae found in western Cuba, in rocks of the Jagua Formation (Middle-Upper Oxfordian). The holotype, a skull and part of the left wing, is one of the few Jurassic pterosaurs that is well preserved in three dimensions. The new taxon shares characters with early and late Jurassic pterosaurs, and is one of the few late Jurassic taxa from western Laurasia and Gondwana.

An unusually diverse Llandovery (Silurian) diplograptid fauna from the southern Urals of Russia and its evolutionary significance

This vesiculosus Biozone assemblage of chemically-isolated graptolites from the Orenburg District of Russia was obtained from limestones associated with pillow lavas of the Sakmara Formation of Silurian-Early Devonian age. It comprises 30 species, of which 24 are described. Nine are new, one is a new subspecies, and eight are left under open nomenclature.

Revision of the Athyrisininae, Siluro-Devonian brachiopods from China and Russia

Athyrisinine brachiopods from the Upper Silurian of Russia and the Lower-Middle Devonian of China and north Vietnam include over 70 species belonging to Athyrisina and Parathyrisina; generic and subfamilial diagnoses are emended. Five genera are considered synonyms of Athyrisina and three of Parathyrisina. A neotype is selected and illustrated for Athyrisina squamosa, the type species of Athyrisina. Four nomina nova, Athyrisinaxui, Parathyrisina wani, P. minima, and P. cheni, are suggested as new substitute names for Athyrisina tumida Wang, in Xu et al.
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