Gondwanan Continents Research Articles

A new superfamily of freshwater mussels Deccanoidea nov. (Mollusca: Unionida) from an intertrappean deposit of Saurashtra province (Gujarat state, western India): An example of disjunct distribution

The Cretaceous-Palaeogene intertrappean deposits of the Deccan Volcanic Province of India comprise vertebrate, invertebrate and plant fossils of the dominantly continental realm. A 3–4 m thick shaly-sandstone lacustrine intertrappean sequence of Early Palaeogene (Palaeocene-Early Eocene) Bamanbor Formation, Chotila Basin (Saurashtra province, Gujarat State, western India) has yielded a collection of molluscans (bivalve and few gastropods) fauna. High-resolution digital photography and radiography of the recovered bivalves allowed us to gain detailed inferences on shell morphology. In a taxonomical context, we herein propose a new unionid molluscan superfamily Deccanoidea nov. represented by a single new family Deccanoidae nov. that includes two new subfamilies, that is, Deccanoinae nov. (represented by two new genera Deccanoida gen. nov. [including four new species: D. conrugis sp. nov., D. aleta sp. nov., and D. costaria sp. nov.] and Bamanboria gen. nov. [including one new species Bamanboria oblongis gen. et sp. nov.] and Chotiloinae nov. [represented by one new genus Chotilia gen. nov. and three new species: Chotilia trappeansis sp. nov., C. tuberculata sp. nov. and C. deccanensis sp. nov.]). Inorganic geochemistry of host (unionid-yielding) lithologies reveals oxic-freshwater conditions, humid-climate and moderate rainfall. The data on historical biogeography reveals that the Indian subcontinent hosted unionids during the late Cretaceous; however, the presence of new (at family/generic level) unionid fauna during the Early Palaeogene (Palaeocene-Early Eocene) in India indicates changes in the geographic position and ecologic condition linked to northward drift and lava outpouring, respectively. A disjunct distribution of unionid fauna in the erstwhile Gondwanan continents and insular India during the Cretaceous-Palaeogene interval can be explained in terms of both vicariance and dispersal.

Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leafhopper subfamily Coelidiinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) based on morphological and molecular data

AbstractThe phylogenetic relationships among major lineages of the globally distributed leafhopper subfamily Coelidiinae were reconstructed by analysis of 2903 nucleotide positions from two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S), four nuclear genes (28S, H3, H2A and Wingless) and 102 discrete morphological characters, compiled for 86 species representing 52 genera within 9 coelidiine tribes broadly representative of the world fauna in addition to 12 outgroup taxa. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses yielded well‐resolved phylogenetic estimates that were highly congruent with most branches receiving strong support. The results indicate Coelidiinae sensu stricto (=Coelidiinae sensu lato without Equeefini and Macroceratogoniini), Thagriini, Tharrini, Tinobregmini and Equeefini are monophyletic. However, the two largest tribes, Coelidiini and Teruliini, are paraphyletic, as well as Youngolidiini and most genera of Oriental Coelidiini. Fossil‐calibrated molecular divergence time analysis indicates that the Coelidiinae sensu stricto originated ca. 149 Ma, prior to the complete separation of the Gondwanan continents, and the tribe‐level lineages diverged between the Lower and Upper Cretaceous (92.77–138.03 Ma). The major lineages of Coelidiinae arose in the Oriental and Neotropical regions, and Oriental Coelidiini arose as a result of dispersal and colonisation from the Afrotropical region.

A new small duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from Morocco and dinosaur diversity in the late Maastrichtian of North Africa

In the Late Cretaceous, northern and southern hemispheres evolved distinct dinosaurian faunas. Titanosaurians and abelisaurids dominated the Gondwanan continents; hadrosaurids, ceratopsians and tyrannosaurs dominated North America and Asia. Recently, a lambeosaurine hadrosaurid, Ajnabia odysseus, was reported from the late Maastrichtian phosphates of the Oulad Abdoun Basin Morocco, suggesting dispersal between Laurasia and Gondwana. Here we report new fossils from the phosphates of Morocco showing lambeosaurines achieved high diversity in the late Maastrichtian of North Africa. A skull represents a new dwarf lambeosaurine, Minqaria bata. Minqaria resembles Ajnabia odysseus in size, but differs in the ventrally positioned jugal facet and sinusoidal toothrow. The animal is small, ~ 3.5 m long, but the fused braincase shows it was mature. A humerus and a femur belong to larger hadrosaurids, ~ 6 m long, implying at least three species coexisted. The diversity of hadrosaurids in Europe and Africa suggests a dispersal-driven radiation, with lambeosaurines diversifying to take advantage of low ornithischian diversity. African lambeosaurines are small compared to North American and Asia hadrosaurids however, perhaps due to competition with titanosaurians. Hadrosaurids are unknown from eastern Africa, suggesting Moroccan hadrosaurids may be part of a distinct insular fauna, and represent an island radiation.

Speculations on the Paleozoic legacy of Gondwana amalgamation

Using Gondwana as an example, we show how the geological record can be interrogated to detect significant changes in mantle convection patterns at critical junctures in Earth’s evolution. Evidence of major changes in mantle circulation in the aftermath of late Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic Gondwana assembly is provided by widespread (i) plume-related magmatism around Gondwana’s periphery, (ii) ironstone deposits related to mantle plume-ocean ridge interaction and enhanced hydrothermal activity, and (iii) super-mature clastic deposits that reflect epeirogenic uplift triggered by mantle upwelling beneath Gondwana combined with deep tropical weathering.In our model, Gondwana assembled above a region of mantle downwelling in which subducted slabs between the converging Gondwanan continents descended to the core-mantle boundary. Renewed subduction along Gondwana’s periphery yielded early arc magmas. But as downwelling beneath Gondwana evolved into upwelling as a result of the ponding of subducted slabs at the base of the mantle, mantle plumes rose from the margins of the nascent upwelling to interact with the edges of Gondwana, where they penetrated the peripheral subduction zones via slab windows, tears and transform faults to generate voluminous calc-alkalic crustal melts in hydrated arc regions and A-type magmas in dry back-arc regions. The plumes also underplated oceanic lithosphere and interacted with adjacent ocean ridges, thereby enhancing hydrothermal activity and the flux of bioessential nutrients, leading to the recurrence of marine iron-rich sedimentary rocks in the geological record. At the same time, upwelling beneath a tropical to equatorial Gondwana led to epeirogenic uplift, deep weathering and erosion, resulting in the production of widespread super-mature clastic deposits. We contend that major changes in mantle convection patterns were encoded into the geological record of Gondwana assembly, influenced global-scale mantle convection patterns, and should be incorporated into geodynamic models for the assembly of Pangea.

Lower Permian Gondwana sequence of Rajhara (Daltonganj Coalfield), Damodar Basin, India: floristic and geochemical records and their implications on marine ingressions and depositional environment.

Early Permian floral diversity and palaeodepositional environment of the Lower Permian Rajhara sequence of Damodar Basin have been studied based on mega-, microfossil and geochemical proxies. Even though Gondwana sediments are generally considered as fluvio-lacustrine deposits, recent studies indicate marine inundations with patchy records. Here in the present study, an attempt has been made to address the changeover from fluviatile to shallow marine conditions and also to address the palaeodepositional aspects. Luxuriant vegetation during deposition of the Lower Barakar Formation generated thick coal seams. The macroplant fossil assemblage shows Glossopteridales, Cordaitales and Equisetales comprising one palynoassemblage with the dominance of bisaccate pollen grains having glossopterid affinities. However, Lycopsids are absent in the megafloral record and are represented in megaspore assemblage. The present floral assemblage led to envisage the presence of dense forest with swampy conditions and prevalence of warm and humid climate during the deposition of Barakar sediments. Correlation with the coeval Indian assemblages and those from other Gondwanan continents also supports an Artinskian age and reveals a stronger affinity with flora of Africa than that of South America. Biomarker analysis reveals low pristane/phytane values (0.30-0.84), noticeable absence of hopanoid triterpenoids and long-chain n-alkanes that is attributed to the obliteration of organic compounds and subsequent alteration of composition due to thermal effect. The high chemical index of alteration, A-CN-K plot and PIA also suggest severe denudation under a warm/humid climate. The V/Al2O3 and P2O5/Al2O3 indicated freshwater-near-shore conditions. However, signature of possible marine influence is identified from Th/U and Sr/Ba ratios resulted from the eustatic fluctuations during Permian.

An efficient method for estimating vein density of Glossopteris and its application

AbstractGlossopteris‐type leaves are the most abundant floristic element from the Gondwanan continent and are recorded throughout the Permian, which was a period of extreme icehouse‐to‐hothouse climatic global change. Fossil leaf traits can be useful for the reconstruction of palaeoenvironments and identification of climatic changes throughout geological time, but the conservative morphology of Glossopteris leaves has thus far made them difficult to use for this purpose. If the characters of Glossopteris can be better quantified then it should make them useful for tracking environmental changes over a wide geographical area and over a long time interval. Venation density is a highly variable leaf trait that might be useful for this purpose. This trait can be calculated, usually as vein length per centimetre squared, but this can be a time‐consuming procedure. In this paper we propose a new rapid method to estimate venation density in a conical sector of Glossopteris leaf lamina using an accurate linear model whose predictors are three linear venation densities, measured as veins per centimetre. In addition to substantially reducing the data collection time, it is less biased and more reproducible than methods applied previously with this leaf type. Using this more robust method, preliminary results significantly distinguish the venation densities of leaves produced in wet and drier ecosystems, matching a pattern similar to modern plants. This is the first survey using a large sample size to reveal that environmental stress controlled the vein architecture of Palaeozoic plants, in a manner similar to plants in modern ecosystems.

First record of shark microremains from the Lower Khartam Member, Khuff Formation: an Upper Permian origin of the genus Lissodus, or a new placement of the Permo/Triassic boundary in Saudi Arabia?

Shark fossil microremains belonging to the genus Lissodus are recovered for the first time from the Lower Khartam Member of the Khuff Formation in central Saudi Arabia. Previously published research assigned the Lower Khartam Member to the Upper Permian, implying that this is the oldest known record of the genus Lissodus. On the other hand, the stratigraphic occurrence of the recovered Lissodus lies slightly below the previously defined Permian/Triassic boundary in Saudi Arabia. Because Lissodus specimens are common from the Lower Triassic to the Upper Cretaceous, they may provide paleontological evidence for a revised placement of the Permian/Triassic boundary in Saudi Arabia. The Permian/Triassic boundary has been formerly placed at the contact between the Lower and Upper Khartam members of the Khuff Formation in central Saudi Arabia. Earlier studies relied on sequence stratigraphy and geochemistry as tools for identifying the Permian/Triassic boundary. This resulted in placing the boundary at different stratigraphic levels, reflecting the ongoing uncertainty about its actual position. In this study, two scenarios are discussed arguing either for a revised placement of the Permian/Triassic boundary, or a possible Late Permian origin for the genus Lissodus on the Gondwanan continent.

U–Pb age constraints on the Jurassic succession and paleoflora of Mount Flora, Antarctic Peninsula

The spectacular fossil plant assemblage preserved in the non-marine Mount Flora Formation of the northern Antarctic Peninsula represents the diverse Jurassic flora that once covered the Gondwanan continents at high paleolatitudes. The depositional facies of the formation plays a key role in the tectonic interpretations and basin evolution models that attempt to reconcile large igneous province magmatism, continental break up, and magmatic arc development throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Limited U–Pb in situ geochronology reported from the Mount Flora Formation and adjacent units lack the necessary resolution to overcome ambiguous correlations and biostratigraphic discrepancies. We present two high-precision U–Pb zircon ages (CA-ID-TIMS method) from a distinct tuffaceous interval of the Mount Flora Formation at Hope Bay, which document a terminal Middle Jurassic age (Callovian Stage) for the formation and its paleoflora. In excess of 1400 new collected fossil plant specimens exhibit a highly diverse Jurassic plant association that dominated the Antarctic Peninsula nearly 17 million years after its disappearance from northern Patagonia. This suggests similar paleoecological conditions were established diachronously throughout basins of southern Gondwana, possibly facilitating floral migrations in response to local climate change. The depositional facies of the Mount Flora Formation, its age proximity to the marine Nordenskjöld Formation in the Antarctic Larsen Basin and its coincidence with a regional unconformity in the northern Patagonia point out to a complex interplay among magmatic arc development, tectonic extension and continental break up that dominated the geologic and paleoenvironmental evolution of southern Gondwana near the end of the Middle Jurassic.

Earliest Tuatara Relative (Lepidosauria: Sphenodontinae) from Southern Continents

The New Zealand tuatara (Sphenodon) is the sole surviving rhynchocephalian of a once thriving group across Pangea during early Mesozoic times. Outside New Zealand, close relatives of the tuatara (sphenodontines) are known from a few Jurassic records in North America and Europe and from end-Cretaceous incomplete remains in Patagonia. Still, the evolutionary relationships of most of them remain elusive. Here we describe a new sphenodontine, Tika giacchinoi gen. et sp. nov., based on well-preserved cranial and postcranial remains from upper levels of the Candeleros Formation (Cenomanian) at the Konservat-Lagerstätte of ‘La Buitrera Paleontological Area’ in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Our phylogenetic analysis recovered Tika as a close relative of the tuatara, together with Laurasian and Patagonian taxa. The new finding represents the oldest certain sphenodontine from the gondwanan continents and reinforces the hypothesis that particular terrestrial ectothermic tetrapods attained a circumantarctic Cretaceous-Tertiary distribution. Tika is inferred to have fed upon a variety of prey items including small vertebrates, similar to the extant tuatara, but ecologically different from the large herbivorous sphenodontians already known from La Buitrera. Therefore the new taxon expands the known diversity of sphenodontians during the Late Cretaceous in Patagonia and indicates that Rhynchocephalia, although declining or extinct in Laurasia, were still taxonomic and ecologically diverse in southwestern Gondwana.

Cretaceous mammals of India–Stratigraphic distribution, diversity and intercontinental affinities

Extensive research carried out on the Cretaceous deposits of Laurasia has revealed an overwhelming presence of eutherian, metatherian and multituberculate groups of mammals in the Cretaceous ecosystems of Northern Hemisphere continents. In contrast, the relatively poorly documented fossil record of Cretaceous mammals from Gondwanan continents is represented by gondwanatherians, dryolestoids, and a few multituberculates and haramiyidans. Until now, no undoubted eutherian mammals have been reported from the Cretaceous strata of the southern continents except for India. In this context, Indian Cretaceous mammals assume great significance for understanding the origin and evolution of these mammals in Gondwana. Currently, the Cretaceous mammals of India include three groups, viz., eutherians, gondwanatherians, and haramiyidans. These three mammalian groups were recovered primarily from the Upper Cretaceous Deccan infra–and inter–trappean beds of peninsular India exposed near Bacharam, Naskal and Rangapur (Telengana), Upparhatti (Karnataka) and Kisalpuri (Madhya Pradesh) villages. Eutheria is by far the most diverse clade comprising three named genera (Deccanolestes, Sahnitherium, Kharmerungulatum) and one unnamed taxon (Eutheria incertae sedis). The gondwanatherians are known by Bharattherium bonapartei and Sudamericidae gen. et sp. indet. The third mammalian group, a possible haramiyidan, is represented by a solitary species Avashishta bacharamensis. Overall, the Cretaceous mammal fauna of India presents a complex biogeographic history with eutherians of Laurasian affinity, pan–Gondwanan gondwanatherians and a possible late surviving haramiyidan. Numerically abundant and speciose Deccanolestes, identified as an adapisoriculid, has been interpreted to have had originated in northward drifting Indian Plate in the Late Cretaceous and dispersed out of India into Africa and Europe over island arc systems (Oman–Kohistan–Dras) and the Ladakh magmatic arc at or near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. A similar dispersal mode has also been visualized for Kharmerungulatum and Eutheria incertae sedis of Laurasian affinities. The close similarity of dental morphology between Madagascan and Indian gondwanatherians attests to the fact that these taxa derived from a common endemic Gondwanan stock had evolved in isolation following the separation of Indo–Madagascar from other Gondwanan continents. Avashishta represents a late Gondwana survivor of a group that had a Pangaean distribution until the Early Cretaceous.

Differential diversification through the K-Pg boundary, and post-crisis opportunism in longirostrine crocodyliforms

The evolution of the crocodyliforms through the K-Pg crisis has often been evaluated, but each time, the crocodyliforms were considered as forming a homogeneous group. I considered here, the evolution of two longirostrine taxa from the Campanian to the Thanetian: tethysuchians and gavialoids. The gavialoids are almost restricted to Laurasian continents, where tethysuchians form most of the Gondwanan crocodyliform fauna. This segregation can be compared with climatic distribution: tethysuchians are restricted to hot climatic areas, where gavialoids are restricted to a northern, warm temperate climatic belt from where tethysuchians were almost excluded. This suggests that gavialoids were more tolerant of cooler climates than tethysuchians. The tethysuchians could have been excluded from the European continent by the existence of a cool European oceanic current, whilst on the contrary, the presence of a proto-gulfstream along north-east American coast could have allowed the presence of some tethysuchians in marine realm in this area. Both gavialoids and tethysuchians strongly diversified after the K-Pg crisis, particularly on Gondwanan continents, and mostly with tethysuchian species. Most of these tethysuchians were non-marine during the Maastrichtian, and the number of marine species strongly increases after the K-Pg crisis, whilst the number of non-marine ones remains nearly constant. This rise of marine diversity compared to non-marine forms is congruent with previous hypotheses suggesting that the crocodyliforms did not suffer from the K-Pg crisis, but on the contrary, benefited from the extinction of large marine reptiles to diversify after the crisis mainly in this environment. So, if the history of the crocodyliforms on the whole is important, the evolution of each group should be considered separately, as their evolution could be influenced by regional environmental conditions and factors.

Paleogeographic evolution of the southern Paraná Basin during the Late Permian and its relation to the Gondwanides

The end of the Permian marks an important change in the depositional context of the southwestern Gondwanan continent. These changes are related to the last invasion of the Panthalassa Ocean, and the posterior oceanic retreat and emplacement of desertic conditions. This paper provides a detailed paleogeographic evolution of the southern portion of the Paraná Basin, supported by facies descriptions, stratigraphic analysis, and U-Pb-Hf detrital zircon analysis (LA-ICP-MS). The studied interval records a large regression that was composed of three forced-regression pulses related to important facies shifts ascribed to the outer ramp, inner ramp, and arid continental systems. Provenance zircon UPb analysis in the inner ramp and continental arid climate deposits indicates that the main sediment source was the Brasiliano basement and the Gondwanides mountain ridge, situated to the west and south. The abrupt paleogeographic change related to the evolution of a system dominated by inner ramp to arid continental facies is compatible with the tectonic reorganization of the Paraná Basin close to the Permo-Triassic limit. Here we present a paleogeographic evolution model which adds new elements to better understand the great transgressive-regressive event that occurred in southwestern Gondwana during the late Permian.

Biogeographical network analysis of Cretaceous Australian dinosaurs

The biogeography of Cretaceous Australian dinosaur fauna has been characterized variously as endemic, cosmopolitan or closely related to other Gondwanan faunas. Over the past decade, a large number of new Australian dinosaur taxa have been described and included in phylogenetic analyses, allowing for new insights into their biogeographical affinities to be obtained. Here, I combine the latest phylogenies of Australian dinosaurs into a supertree that includes as many Australian taxa as possible and apply it to the construction of biogeographical networks of Cretaceous dinosaurs. The results show that the Cretaceous dinosaurs of Australia have a strong connection with South American dinosaurs and to those of other Gondwanan continents via South America. Community detection algorithms indicate that the Gondwanan continents form a community within Cretaceous dinosaur biogeographical networks. The biogeographical affinities between Australia and Laurasia detected in previous studies were largely due to the scarce dinosaur fossil record of Gondwana at that time and to the unstable phylogenetic position of Australian dinosaurs because of the fragmentary nature of their fossils. Continuing discoveries of new Australian taxa and refinement of resulting phylogenetic analyses can further deepen our understanding of the biogeographical history of Australia.

Environmental conditions of deposition of the Lower Cretaceous lacustrine carbonates of the Barra Velha Formation, Santos Basin (Brazil), based on stable carbon and oxygen isotopes: A continental record of pCO2 during the onset of the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE 1a) interval?

This study presents new stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from Lower Cretaceous lacustrine carbonate rock samples recovered from a well drilled in the Santos Basin, offshore southeast Brazil. These samples represent a record of a continental environment just prior to the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean and the ultimate break-up of Gondwanaland. The geochemical data, along with carbonate mineralogy, indicate repeated cycles of lake level variation that could be attributed to climatic oscillations. Despite the absence of correlations between δ13C and δ18O values, facies analysis and the isotopic and mineralogical data suggest that lake hydrology was essentially closed for most of the depositional interval studied here. The existence of persisting trends of nearly constant δ13C values with a spread in δ18O values though, suggests long water residence times in the palaeolake, equilibrium between atmosphere and lake water CO2, as well as significant evaporation of water. The overall geological model that emerges unveils a more comprehensive picture of the depositional conditions that favoured the continuity of a significant carbonate factory in the middle of the Gondwanan continent, corroborating previous studies that suggested the lasting existence of a large and somewhat shallow endorheic lake in the area during the Early Cretaceous. As a result of this recorded trend strongly suggesting equilibrium between lake waters DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) reservoir and atmospheric CO2, the data are most consistent with lacustrine deposition rather than precipitation of travertine, contrasting with some suggestions for the genesis of the carbonates of the Barra Velha Formation. Finally, this apparent equilibrium with the atmosphere likely left a preserved record in the continental carbonates of the final stages that preceded a major global environmental disturbance associated with an increase in atmospheric CO2, known for this time as the Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a. If this is correct, it also helps to put further time constraints on this studied interval, which should not be younger than Barremian age, and to provide a regional continental perspective on a global event.

The Mencué Batholith: Permian episodic arc-related magmatism in the western North Patagonian Massif, Argentina

ABSTRACT The Mencué Batholith, western North Patagonian Massif, includes three major bodies. The Mencué Granodiorite, Cura Lauquén Granite and La Blancura Syenogranite. There are dikes of granitic and basaltic rocks cutting the above-cited rocks. The Mencué Batholith represents several episodes of magmatism, with ages varying between 294 and 239 Ma. The Mencué Granodiorite and the Cura Lauquén Granite are solid-state deformed and are S-type. They have high-K and normal calc-alkaline affinities. These rocks contain significant quantities of subduction-zone chemical components that decrease towards younger lithofacies. La Blancura Syenogranite lack subduction zone chemical components and represent A-type granite, typical of within-plate magmatism. The partial melting of metapelites could be the process of formation of these bodies. The older lithofacies of the Mencué Batholith, found westernmost, display a stronger deformation, but there is a progressive eastward change to younger and mildly deformed bodies and even non-deformed bodies. We conclude that the evolution of the Mencué Batholith start in the Sakmarian-Roadian (Early Permian) period. At this time, a subduction zone was active to the west and its thermal influence affected sedimentary or metamorphic rocks producing S-type granites During the Wordian and Capitanian, (Middle Permian) periods, the Mencué Batholith was mildly deformed, possibly in the process of the vanishing of the deformation and has a minor subduction chemical signature. Between the Wuchiapingian and Olenekia periods, the alkaline facies of the Mencué Batholith show an absence of deformation and the characteristics of within-plate magmatism. The Early Permian magmatic events in the western North Patagonian Massif are represented by the older bodies of the Mencué Batholith and were produced by subduction in the western margin of the Gondwanan continent. The Late Permian-Early Triassic magmatic events show a noticeable decreasing influence of subduction and an increasing influence of within-plate chemical components.

Mesozoic sooty mould beetles as living relicts in New Zealand.

New Zealand is an island continent that completed its split from the Gondwanan continent at 52 Ma, harbouring an iconic biota of tuatara, kiwi and weta. The sooty mould community is a distinctive trophic element of New Zealand forest ecosystems that is driven by plant-feeding sternorrhynchan Hemiptera. These produce honeydew, which supports fungal growth, which in turn supports numerous endemic invertebrates, including endemic New Zealand beetle families. Ancient New Zealand insect fossils are rare but a single fossil of a sooty mould cyclaxyrid was recently described from Cretaceous Burmese amber, a family that was previously known from two extant New Zealand species. Well-preserved fossils like this one are recasting Earth history, and, based on a wealth of additional specimens, we re-evaluate the taxonomy of Cretaceous cyclaxyrids and one Eocene species here transferred to Cyclaxyridae. Cyclaxyridae are highly tied to the sooty mould community and have now been discovered to occur in disparate biogeographic realms in deep time. Our discovery indicates that the family, and perhaps the sooty mould community in general, was widespread in Pangaea from at least the Cretaceous and survived as a relict in New Zealand. Persistence of a sooty mould ecosystem in New Zealand and fungal specialization may not necessarily be an evolutionary 'dead-end' for cyclaxyrids and other insects.

The Origin and Diversification of Plant Family Dipterocarpaceae

The Dipterocarpaceae plant family, that shows a disjunct distribution in Gondwanan continents and Southeast Asia, is a dominant constituent of the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia. The high species diversity of Dipterocarpaceae in SE Asian rain forests suggests its origin from SE Asia. However, its fossil history is much younger, from Oligocene, from the region. Based on the pollen fossil records from the late Cretaceous-early Paleogene sedimentary sequences of Indian subcontinent and the contemporaneous distribution of its extant taxa, evolutionary history of Dipterocarpaceae has been traced. The study suggests a West Gondwanan origin for this family. Present study also provides first evidence of Dipterocarpaceae genus Vateriopsis (endemic in Seychelles) type fossil pollen record from the late Cretaceous and early Palaeogene sedimentary sequences of western Indian margin.

The Paleozoic formations of the Al Qassim Province in Saudi Arabia as potential sites for geotourism

The Paleozoic formations in the Middle East contain some of the world’s richest petroleum deposits, as they include excellent source and reservoir rocks. The Paleozoic rocks were deposited on the northern continental shelf of the Gondwanan continent at relatively high latitudes, and provide evidence of the Late Ordovician glacial event and associated sea-level changes. They also contain unique fossil remains. The Paleozoic formations exposed in the Al-Qassim province in Saudi Arabia are well-suited to become important sites for geotourism. Because the sedimentary formations are well-exposed and are easily accessible, they have strong capacity for development as tourist destinations. In this paper, we describe eight localities and their significance as potential educational sites for geology and palaeontology, as well as the archeological and economic significance of the Paleozoic formations of Saudi Arabia. The cultural and tourist infrastructure is summarised and a two-day field excursion is proposed.

A Cathaysian rugose coral fauna from the upper Carboniferous of central Iran

AbstractTwelve rugose coral species belonging to seven genera are described and discussed based on 70 thin sections of 32 specimens collected from the Anarak section, northeast of Nain, Esfahan Province, Yazd Block, central Iran. These species include two new colonial rugose coral species,Antheria fedorowskiiandAntheria robusta, and five previously named species of colonial rugose corals,Antheria lanceolataandStreptophyllidium scitulum, and solitary rugose corals,Arctophyllum jiangsiense,Caninophyllumcf.somtaiense, andPseudotimania delicata. Five species are left in open nomenclature:Antheriasp.,Arctophyllumsp.,Caninophyllumsp.,Nephelophyllumsp., andYakovleviellasp. These Iranian corals are associated with the fusulinidsRauserites(several species) andUltradaixina bosbytauensis, indicating a latest Carboniferous age (Gzhelian age). All the described genera and named species belong to the families Aulophyllidae, Bothrophyllidae, Cyathopsidae, and Kepingophyllidae, among which the family Kepingophyllidae has been previously documented only from China and Indochina. They are typical representatives of the Cathaysian rugose fauna, which was widely developed around the South China and Indochina blocks near the paleoequator and was absent from the Gondwanan and Cimmerian continents in high latitudes during the Late Pennsylvanian. Hence, the occurrence of the Cathaysian fauna from central Iran in the latest Carboniferous suggests that it may have had a close biogeographical connection with China and Indochina, which further implies its latitudinal position intermediate between the Gondwanan continent and South China and Indochina blocks during this time.UUID:http://zoobank.org/5257d2bb-1346-4dee-8f3e-f4b1b33ba5a9

Palynology and palaeoenvironment of Late Permian Sawang OCM, East Bokaro Coalfield, Damodar Basin, India

Palynodating of Sawang Open Cast Mine (OCM) section from East Bokaro Coalfield, Damodar Basin has been done. Recovered palynofossils are characterized by the dominance of Striatopodocarpites–Faunipollenites complex. The other stratigraphically significant taxa recorded from this section are Guttulapollenites hannonicus, Crescentipollenites fuscus, Rhizomaspora indica, R. triassica, Distriatites sp., Weylandites lucifer, Microfoveolatispora gondwanensis, Dictyotriletes invisus, Indotriradites spp., Arcuatipollenites pellucidus, Alisporites indicus and Klausipollenites schaubergeri. Other rare palynotaxa include Parasaccites, Corrisaccites, Dicapipollenites, Striomonosaccites, Barakarites, Plicatipollenites, Scheuringipollenites, Densipollenites, Callumispora, Tiwariasporis, Praecolpatites and Distriatites. On the basis of the total palynocomposition, the studied section has been dated as Late Permian age. This age correlation also gets support from comparative studies with similar palynoassemblages known from other coalfields of Indian Gondwana basins such as Damodar, Son–Mahanadi, Rajmahal, Wardha–Godavari and Satpura basins of India and from known Gondwanan continents. Palynofossil evidences indicate prevalence of warm and humid conditions. The dominance of conifers and subdominance of Glossopterids, cordaites and low percentage of triletes (filicopsids and lycopsids) suggests that the Inland Sawang OCM was deposited under freshwater environment.