Parafurnishius, an Induan (Lower Triassic) conodont new genus from northeastern Sichuan Province, southwest China and its evolutionary implications

Abstract

A fundamental aspect of taxonomy at the generic level, critical to understand Early Triassic conodont evolution, is the composition of the multielement apparatus. In this paper, we document a platform-bearing new conodont genus, Parafurnishius n. gen., as well as its multielement apparatus from the Griesbachian Feixianguan Formation (Lower Triassic) in Xuanhan County, northeastern Sichuan Province, southwest China. The new conodont genus is characterized by numerous robust and irregularly distributed conical denticles with variable platform morphology that has a possible affinity with the P1 elements of Furnishius. These genera have apparatuses similar to those of Ellisonia and are classified with the family Ellisoniidae. The strong intraspecific variation of P1 elements and the growth series within the entire sample population suggest that Parafurnishius may have evolved from the Griesbachian Isarcicella by developing random denticle positioning away from the platform centre, and then possibly evolved into younger Triassic Furnishius by developing a stable blade configuration. This preferred interpretation implies an ellisonid apparatus for Isarcicella. Alternatively, Parafurnishius may have evolved from Ellisonia and developed a homeomorphic P1 element with Isarcicella. This new taxon has strong intraspecific variation of denticle growth orientation during the Early Triassic.