An unusual dicynodont specimen from the historical collection of von Huene and Stahlecker (1928/1929) is described from the Middle Triassic Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Formation of Chiniquá, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Hitherto only two dicynodont species, the stahleckeriid Stahleckeria potens and the more basal kannemeyeriiform Dinodontosaurus turpior, were recorded from this

We present a list of Ostracoda (Crustacea) from stratigraphic sections of Mio–Pleistocene lacustrine deposits from Zhada Basin, western Tibetan Plateau. In this area, almost no taxonomical studies were carried out so far, and, aiming to a future use of ostracods as palaeoenvironmental proxy for this sector of the Tibetan Plateau, a documentation of several species was performed. The taxa Leucocytherella

A new eurypterid specimen from the Early Devonian of Willwerath is described. The character combination seen in this fossil suggests that it is probably an adelophthalmoid eurypterid morphologically not unlike the co-occurring Parahughmilleria. However, it differs in many respects and a new genus and species, Pruemopterus salgadoi gen. et sp. nov., is proposed to accommodate this fossil. This finding

A large new edrioasteroid genus from the Seifen Formation (Lower Devonian, Germany), Seifenia gen. nov., is introduced. The type species, S. ostara sp. nov., is described and figured, and its systematic position is discussed. Seifenia shows a highly derived evolutionary position in comparison with other Lower Devonian genera. With a diameter up to 57 mm, it is the largest known domal genus of the Agelacrinitidae

The remarkable holometabolan larva, Trialarva coburgensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Upper Triassic Hassberge Formation in Lower Franconia, southern Germany. It is the second described fossil larva of so-called “Sialidae-type” after the Middle Permian Kargalarva permosialis Prokin et al., to which it is morphologically close. The overall morphology of the new larva is best compatible with

Thalassinoides paradoxicus (Woodward, 1830) is a prevalent and frequently reported ichnotaxon, but given its early erection and subsequent revisions, it now is poorly understood and lumps together three different kinds of trace fossils having distinct characteristics. A clear definition (i.e., diagnosis) of each individual component is crucial for ichnotaxonomic stability and the application of these

Elasmobranch remains are quite common in Miocene deposits and were the subject of numerous studies since the middle of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the taxonomic diversity of the Marine Molasse sharks, rays and skates is still largely unknown. Here, we describe 37 taxa from the lower Miocene of the Molasse Basin: 21 taxa could be identified at species level, whereas 15 taxa could only be assigned

Many aspects of the paleobiology and biomineralization of belemnites, the most common fossil coleoid cephalopods of the Mesozoic, are still unclear. Here, we describe a pearl from an Early Cretaceous belemnite rostrum (Duvalia emerici) using high-resolution micro-CT imaging. After initial formation of a free pearl within the soft tissue, the pearl was fused to the rostrum and later overgrown by rostrum

This paper deals with new finds from the Upper Paleozoic Santa Elena Formation that crops out to the east of Uspallata, western Argentina. Current studies reveal the existence in these rocks of a faunal assemblage characterized by the bivalve Myonia aparicioi sp. nov, fossil guide of a new biozone. This fauna is regarded as the youngest of the Pennsylvanian, age confirmed by its relationships with

The middle Cambrian (Miaolingian Series; Wuliuan Stage) Spence Shale of Utah and Idaho preserves a diverse assemblage of biomineralized and soft-bodied taxa. Among the rarest specimens of this fauna are palaeoscolecid worms. Until recently, only one specimen was known from the Spence Shale, the holotype specimen of Palaeoscolex ratcliffei Robison, 1969, later included in the genus Wronascolex. This

The new ellipsocephaloid trilobite species Kingaspidoides spinirecurvatus has a spectacular morphology because of a unique set of two long and anteriorly recurved spines on the occipital ring and the axial ring of thoracic segment 8. Together with the long genal spines this whimsical dorsally directed spine arrangement is thought to act as a non-standard protective device against predators. This is

The information of diet, habitat and geographic location of animals obtained from fossil deposits is important to understand the environmental changes of a place that occurred through time. Most of the paleoecological research in Mexico is centered on large mammal taxa. A minimal research effort is allocated to small vertebrates which due to their relative brief longevity and small territories, provide

A few lower cheek teeth of rhinocerotid, probably belonging to the same individual, from the upper Pliocene Tsubusagawa Formation in Ajimu, Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, are described. Morphologically, the Ajimu specimen is obviously distinguished from the subtribe Teleoceratina (Brachypotherium), Elasmotheriina (Elasmotherium) and a species of subtribe Rhinocerotina, Coelodonta, but it is similar

A new collection provided some brachiopods assigned to Lacunosella hoheneggeri, Pygope diphya and P. janitor from the lower Tithonian (Micracanthoceras ponti Zone) and lower Berriasian (Calpionella Zone), and from the limestone succession at Zengővárkony, Mecsek Mountains, Hungary. This is the first taxonomic description and photographic documentation of these fossils. We provide reliable documentation

This paper critically reviews the Lopingian (Late Permian) to Early Triassic palaeofloral successions on both the South and North China blocks. From the Late Cisuralian (Early Permian) to the middle of the Lopingian, North and South China, both located in the equatorial domain, sheltered a homogeneous ‘Cathaysian Palaeoflora’ resulting from a Cisuralian southern extension and diversification from the

Eight species in six genera of cheilostome bryozoans are described from an early Maastrichtian outcrop located in the Saratov Region, middle Volga River region, southern Russia. The studied bryozoan assemblage includes a new species, Cheethamia volgaensis sp. nov., as well as Dionella sp., Cheethamia aktolagayensis Koromyslova et al., Rhagasostoma cf. saltans (Brydone), and Luganella goldfussi (von

A fossil specimen of the jumping plant-louse genus Cacopsylla (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea) is described from lacustrine sediments of the middle Pleistocene Miyajima Formation of the Shiobara Group in Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan. It is the first report of a psylloid fossil from Japan. The specimen is a compression fossil of almost whole insect body, and the superb preservation of forewings

Four bryozoan species are described from the Siliciclastic Imagh Formation of the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) succession at the Imagh section, Posht-e-Badam Block, Kalmard area in central Iran. Three species are new: two trepostomes Dyscritella multiporata sp. nov., Dyscritella kalmardensis sp. nov., and a rhabdomesine cryptostome Rhombopora aryani sp. nov. The species Nikiforovella ambigua Xia and

Lingulids and siphonotretids (Lingulata) are described from the Ordovician (Floian–Dapingian) Suri Formation of the Famatina Basin in western Argentina. This is the first record of lingulate brachiopods from the arc-related volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Famatina Range. The fauna includes the new obolids Famatinobolus cancellatum gen. et sp. nov. and Lithobolus limbatum sp. nov., and the new siphonotretid

Sauropterygian vertebrate remains from the Ladinian (Middle Triassic) of the proximity of Calasparra (Murcia, Spain) are described here. They represent the first documented Triassic vertebrate remains found in the Province of Murcia, and the first in the Subbetic domain of the Betic Cordillera (Southeastern Spain). These new remains consist of incomplete vertebrae, some fragmented neural spine apophyses

Disarticulated stem remains of the crinoid genera Holocrinus, Tollmannicrinus, and Eckicrinus of the order Holocrinida from Anisian (early Middle Triassic) strata of the eastern and north-eastern outskirts of Qingyan, Guizhou Province, south-western China, are described. Holocrinus qingyanensis sp. nov. (family Holocrinidae) occurs in early early to middle middle Anisian deposits. Tollmannicrinus leidapoensis

The Late Devonian ammonoid species Acrimeroceras falcisulcatum and A. stella have similar-shaped discoidal adult conchs. Their conch morphology and its ontogenetic development are described and analysed. Despite great similarities in their adult conch morphology, they can be clearly distinguished by differences in the shape of their juvenile whorl profile and by the growth trajectories of their cardinal

The paper deals with the description of a new species Soligorskopterus shpinevi, which was found in Upper Devonian deposits cropped out in the Mikhailovsky quarry (the City of Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia). The new species is based on the single although practically complete specimen visible from its abdominal side. The new species is characterized by following features: (1) widest part of the

The Late Miocene fossil locality Pécs-Danitzpuszta (Mecsek Mts., Hungary) has yielded cranial and postcranial bones of giant salamanders. Based on taxonomical studies, these relatively well-preserved, isolated bones belong to the cryptobranchid species Andrias scheuchzeri. Whereas the species is well documented from Neogene of Central Europe, this is the first record of the genus Andrias from Hungary

New collection work in Mount Flora, Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, has confirmed the presence of bivalve moulds in the Jurassic Mount Flora Formation. In contrast to a twenty-first century article claiming to report the first discovery of fossil freshwater molluscs in Antarctica, evidence of these molluscs was first reported for Antarctica more than 110 years ago by J. Gunnar Andersson. The bivalve

The Lower Clayton Limestone Unit (LCLU) of the Midway Group (Paleocene) near Malvern, Arkansas, USA contains an assemblage of chondrichthyans recently exposed by excavation for highway stabilization. Chondrichthyan teeth in this assemblage belong to at least 12 taxa including: Ginglymostoma subafricanum, Carcharias cf. whitei, Carcharias sp., Odontaspis winkleri, Palaeohypotodus rutori, Palaeogaleus

The recognition of taphonomic alterations is an important step previously to any paleopathological analysis, as some taphonomic features can simulate pathological change on bones. This is a difficult task, but there are some diagnostic criteria that can be used to differentiate them. Here we demonstrate how these features can be macroscopically distinguished using skeletal remains of Quaternary mammals

The putative xiphosuran Kiaeria Størmer, 1934, from the Late Silurian (Ludlow) of Ringerike, Norway, is redescribed from the holotype and only known specimen as a chasmataspidid chelicerate arthropod. Morphological features such as the presence of a fused buckler of three opisthosomal segments clearly indicate a chasmataspidid affinity, while the size of Kiaeria, along with the occurrence of a raised

The majority of cornuproetine taxa known from articulated specimens have ten thoracic segments. Here we record rare, well-preserved specimens with nine segments in the Early and Middle Devonian of Morocco, Germany and the Czech Republic. These encompass the genera Lepidoproetus Erben, Sculptoproetus Erben, Macroblepharum Alberti, Koneprusites Přibyl, Paralepidoproetus Alberti, Timsaloproetus Gibb and

Fossil floras have been recovered from a unique deposit of early Permian age in North-Central Texas. The site, Kola Switch, preserves three distinct floras in different lithofacies, in a succession from a single outcrop. The sedimentary environment appears to be a floodplain channel fill of primarily siltstones and claystones. The lowermost flora, preserved in a kaolinitic siltstone, indicates active

The first fossil leaf-mimicking katydids from the eastern Palaearctic are described and attributed to the genus Archepseudophylla under the names Archepseudophylla nanzhaoica sp. nov. and Archepseudophylla wenshanensis sp. nov., both from the Early to Middle Miocene strata in Wenshan, Yunnan, southwestern China, which is the core of the southwestern China karst region. This pseudophylline genus was

A new species of early actinopterygians, Burguklia minichorum sp. nov., is described based on the occurrence of numerous isolated scales from freshwater deposits of the Urzhumian and Severodvinian regional stages (Wordian–Capitanian) of the East European Platform. The type and only hitherto known species of the genus, Burguklia gdali Kazantseva-Selezneva, 1980, comes from the Early Permian of Siberia

The morphology and anatomy of a new zygopterid fern are described from the Middle Pennsylvanian (Bolsovian) of Flöha, SE Germany. The fossils occur as allochthonous remains within the basal Schweddey Ignimbrite, which preserves a diverse wetland plant community of cordaitaleans, ferns, pteridosperms, calamitaleans, and lycophytes. Pinnae of Alloiopteris loecsei sp. nov. exhibit a combined carbonized

Cyclocystoids are a poorly known, rare, extinct class of bi-facially flattened, disc shaped echinoderms, ranging from the Middle Ordovician to the Early Carboniferous. Articulated cyclocystoids are relatively common in the Ordovician but are rarer in younger strata. Here we describe Perforocycloides nathaliae new genus and species, from the early Silurian of Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada, the first

The fossil liverwort Naiadita lanceolata is described here from lacustrine deposits occurring intercalated in the Albertibank complex of the Lower Keuper, Erfurt Formation (Ladinian, Middle Triassic) of Schleerieth, northern Bavaria, Germany. The specimens represent the stratigraphically oldest records of this taxon so far. Leafy gametophytic plants are preserved as impression-compression fossils and

Cuticles have been a key part of palaeobotanical research since the mid-19th Century. Recently, cuticular research has moved beyond morphological traits to incorporate the chemical signature of modern and fossil cuticles, with the aim of using this as a taxonomic and classification tool. For this approach to work, cuticle chemistry would have to maintain a strong taxonomic signal, with a limited input

The last chapter of the evolutionary history of the Permian (Artinskian–Wuchiapingian) endemic bivalves of the Passa Dois Group, Brazil, is depicted. They evolved in a vast, isolated epeiric sea under progressive continentalization. Previously, bivalves that thrived during times of marked non-marine (limnic) conditions have been poorly investigated. Hence, a systematic survey of the bivalves between

The scleractinian coral genus Stephanocoenia was previously only known from the Western Atlantic with two Pliocene and two extant species, of which two are considered synonymous. Systematic sampling and examination of collection material revealed that the genus occurs from the Hauterivian to extant with gaps in the fossil record during the Campanian, Paleocene and Eocene. During this time the genus

A new silicified Middle Permian gastropod fauna is reported from Central Thailand. It is the first diverse Permian gastropod assemblage described from the Sibumasu terrane. The gastropod fauna comes from fore-reef shallow water carbonates of the Middle Permian (Wordian) limestones of the Ratburi Group exposed at Khao Phrik, Ratchaburi Province. Thirty-four gastropod species are reported, 17 nominate

The Osmundaceae family is the sister group to all other extant leptosporangiate ferns. Its rich fossil record has enabled detailed reconstructions of the evolutionary history of the group. Fossil evidence for today’s Southern Hemisphere subtribe Todeinae, however, has been difficult to accumulate, with only two unambiguous fossil occurrences of modern Todea. Here, we describe a silicified Todea stem

Characteristics of the postcranial skeleton of Arvernoceros ardei and Cervus perrieri from Perrier (France, late Pliocene, 2.78 ± 0.01 Ma BP, MNQ 16b) are described and distinguished. This was made possible by using the skeletal remains of A. ardei from Kaltensundheim (Germany, Thuringia, late Pliocene age) as identification keys. C. perrieri did not occur in Kaltensundheim. Twenty-five skeletal differences

The aim of our study was to describe the succession of malacological assemblages along the exposed loess profile located in Belgrade, along the banks of the Danube River (municipality of Zemun). Deposits that belong to the composite loess unit L1 were sampled. Loess unit L1 included two subunits: L1SS1 (a Middle Pleniglacial subunit with two weakly developed initial pedogenic horizons) and L1LL1 (a

Isolated capsule-like reproductive organs from the upper Permian of the Southern Alps, NE Italy, are described as Brinkia gen. nov. Two species have been distinguished, i.e. Brinkia kerpiana sp. nov. and B. cortianensis sp. nov. Brinkia capsules resemble in gross morphology single valves of the Leptostrobus-type, Mesozoic reproductive organs belonging to the Czekanowskiales. A czekanowskialean affinity

A new polypore fungus beetle species Allostrophus Hsiao, Ślipiński, Yu, Deng and Pang embedded in Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (Cenomanian, ca. 99 Ma) is described: A. yangi sp. nov.; this new species can be differentiated from its only congener based on its antennomere 11 and fusiform, elongate body. Morphological characters preserved in the inclusion compared to A. cretaceus Hsiao, Ślipiński, Yu

Preservation of a fragment of an arthropod from starved trough sediments of the Bøggild Fjord Formation (Ordovician, Floian) of Johannes V. Jensen Land in north Peary Land, North Greenland, recalls that of the lower Cambrian Sirius Passet Lagerstätte of extreme north-west Peary Land and may suggest a second locality for exceptional preservation in North Greenland. A prominent petaloid pattern on the

Wood boring represents a common feeding and survival strategy in several lineages of beetles. The larvae of wood-boring beetles hatch and excavate tunnels in wood during their development. The origin and evolutionary history of this life habit, however, remain poorly understood to date, as the fossil record is scarce. We present new silicified conifer wood specimens containing complex borings from

An exceptionally rich occurrence of pelmatozoan holdfasts from the Early Devonian Heckelmann Mill Lagerstätte in the Lahn Syncline is documented. Two distinct holdfast morphotypes are described, a larger one with clearly separated radicles and a smaller one showing interpenetration of radicles. Both types served to anchor the animals on soft substrates and are designated as terminal dendritic radice

Latonia seyfriedi, the type species of the genus Latonia, was described by von Meyer (1843) based on an articulated skeleton from the middle Miocene (Serravallian) of Öhningen, Germany. Besides the holotype, four additional articulated skeletons are known from the type locality; all display only the ventral aspect. A similar frog reported by Lartet (1851) from the middle Miocene of Sansan, France was

Miaolingian rocks of the Delitzsch–Torgau–Doberlug Syncline yield Helcionelloida and Hyolitha that are otherwise poorly known from this stratigraphical interval in Central Europe. The two faunal intervals from the lower part of the Wuliuan and the lower part of the Drumian Stage include the helcionelloid genera Helcionella, Marocella and Leptostega, and at least nine different species of hyoliths,

Compsopteris wongii (T. Halle) Zalessky is an enigmatic foliage type with unknown systematic affinities endemic to the Permian Cathaysia flora. Here we describe the frond morphology and epidermal anatomy of C. wongii based on material from the Palougou Section in Shanxi Province, China. Fronds are petiolate (i.e., possess a naked stipe), are once pinnate, and have alethopteroid, linear-oblong pinnules

A new conodont species Tortodus dodoensis sp. nov. from the lower part of the Givetian (Middle Devonian) of the Mackenzie Mountains (NW Canada) is described. This paper also reports the lowest stratigraphic occurrence of a Givetian fauna containing a.o. Polygnathus amphora, P. denisbriceae, P. xylus ensensis, P. pseudoeiflius, P. linguiformis klapperi s.l., P. l. weddigei, P. parawebbi and P. pseudofoliatus

A recent discovery from the Carboniferous–Permian transition of the southwest German Saar–Nahe Basin has revealed a medium-sized edaphosaurid skeleton. It is described as Remigiomontanus robustus gen. et sp. nov. Apart from a largely complete dorsal column, showing the typical hyper-elongated spines with lateral tuberculation, few other elements are preserved. Although lacking certain autapomorphies

A new fossil meso-flora consisting of dispersed cuticles has been discovered within the Upper Member of the Middle Triassic (late Anisian) Mukheiris Formation at the eastern rim of the Dead Sea in Jordan. The assemblage consists of a number of different morpho-types of cuticles which can all be assigned to gymnosperms. Cuticles which can be identified as the corystospermalean taxon Dicroidium are fairly

Cryptokerpia sarlaccophora gen. et sp. nov., an enigmatic type of gymnosperm leaf, is described based on dispersed cuticles retrieved from bulk-macerated samples of the Umm Irna Formation (Upper Permian) of the Dead Sea Region, Jordan. The most prominent diagnostic feature of the new genus is that stomatal pores are sunken deep into the epidermis at the bottom of multi-cellular stomatal crypts that

The Lower Devonian Rhynie chert contains abundant fossil evidence of cyanobacteria. However, only a few of these fossils have been described. A newly discovered type of cyanobacterial filament is 22 to > 30 µm wide, and thus substantially larger than all filamentous cyanobacteria previously known from the Rhynie chert. Trichomes are uniseriate, composed of short, discoid cells not constricted at the

Twenty-seven specimens from the Carnian flora of Lunz am See, Austria, belonging to Dioonitocarpidium, a genus to accommodate cycadalean megasporophylls, have been examined. In agreement with older reports, two clearly separable species have been identified, viz. Dioonitocarpidium titzei (Krasser 1917) Pott, comb. nov., and Dioonitocarpidium liliensternii Kräusel 1953, emend. Pott. Both species required

A replacement name, Sogdianagonia nom. nov., is proposed for the megatrigoniid bivalve subgeneric name Turkestanella Tashiro, 1979, which is preoccupied by Turkestanella Klishevich, 1969, a genus name in Tentaculitida. In addition, Sogdianagonia nom. nov. is elevated from subgeneric to generic status.

Desmiophyllum harrisii was described from the Hettangian of Poland based on specimens yielding dispersed leaf fragments only, albeit with cuticle. Here, we record a shoot with attached leaves assignable to Desmiophyllum harrisii from the Rhaetian of Bavaria, besides a few specimens with dispersed leaf fragments. The leaves yielded also a thin and fragmentary cuticle with stomata arranged in characteristic

A relatively neglected element of the biota of the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert Lagerstätte are filamentous green algae exceptionally preserved by silicification. Palynological processing of sediments associated with the cherts has yielded palynomorphs that we also interpret as the remains of filamentous green algae and one such taxon is described herein. Cells occur individually, in masses or joined

The trace fossil Sulcolithos variabilis igen. et isp. nov. is described from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) Muschelkalk Group of Germany. The groove-like structures occur on the surface of limestone beds that provided firm to hard substrate to the burrowing and/or boring organisms. The grooves have an elongate, straight or curved course and can be compound with subsurface burrow systems of Balanoglossites