With a depositional history spanning the early Aptian to early Albian (~19 mys), the Lower Cretaceous Xinminpu Group in Jiuquan, NW China provides detailed record of an inland ecosystem responding to global climatic and environmental changes. The Xinminpu Group exhibits the most typical elements of the Jehol Biota found outside NE China, a highly diverse avifauna and a mid-Cretaceous angiosperm flora. The absence of a comprehensive stratigraphical framework for this area however limits the degree to which the unit can be interpreted relative to coeval sections and the geological records in genera. With a depositional history spanning the early Aptian to early Albian (~19 mys), the Lower Cretaceous Xinminpu Group in Jiuquan, NW China provides detailed record of an inland ecosystem responding to global climatic and environmental changes. The Xinminpu Group exhibits the most typical elements of the Jehol Biota found outside NE China, a highly diverse avifauna and a mid-Cretaceous angiosperm flora. The absence of a comprehensive stratigraphical framework for this area however limits the degree to which the unit can be interpreted relative to coeval sections and the geological records in genera. In the recent years, Dr. ZHENG Daran, Dr. LI Sha and Prof. ZHANG Haichun, from the research team of ‘Modern terrestrial ecosystem origin and early evolution’ of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), have carried out detailed geological investigations for the Lower Cretaceous in Jiuquan, NW China. About ten thousand fossils and rock samples were collected and analyzed for biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy and geochemistry. A new comprehensive stratigraphical frame was provided for further discussing the inland biota evolution and environmental events. This research was recently published online in Earth-Science Reviews, and the main results of this research include: First, this framework suggests that the Chijinpu Formation correlates with the middle-upper Yixian and lower Jiufotang formations in western Liaoning, NE China and formed during the early Aptian (~124-120 Ma). The Xiagou Formation correlates with the upper Jiufotang and Shahai formations in western Liaoning and was deposited during the late early Aptian to earliest Albian (~120-112 Ma). The lowermost Zhonggou Formation was dated at 112.4 ± 0.3 Ma and thus may be contemporaneous with the Fuxin Formation in western Liaoning, which is of early-middle Albian age. Second, the typical Jehol Biota elements, namely the Eosestheria-Lycoptera-Ephemeropsis trisetalis assemblage, reached the Jiuquan area during the early Aptian and were preserved in the Chijinpu Formation. This early Aptian assemblage corresponds to the second and third evolutionary stages of the Jehol Biota. Third, a newly reported U-Pb age of 112.4 ± 0.3 Ma combined with previous Early Cretaceous volcanic ages for Jiuquan units demonstrate several periods of volcanic activity during OAE1a and OAE1b. The Hongliuxia craters were probably the eruption center for basalts emplaced around the Jiuquan and Changma basins. This more detailed chronostratigraphical framework will help strengthen correlations between inland and marine environments as recorded in sediments from this critical period of Earth history. Forth, the Ornithuromorpha-dominated avifauna from the Xiagou Formation of the Changma outcrop is similar to but more derived than the avifauna found in the Yixian and Jiufotang formations. The Changma avifauna appears just above OAE1a indicating that the early Aptian global climate change probably enhanced the evolution and diversification of early birds in this area. This study reviewed previous geological information in Jiuquan and combined it with new systematic palaeontological and isotopic data to provide a consistent biostratigraphical and chronostratigraphical interpretation. It laid foundation for the systematic study of the well-preserved Early Cretaceous ecosystem in Jiuquan, allowing us to understand correlations between inland and marine environments as recorded in sediments from this critical period. The research was supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research, the General Research Fund of Hong Kong Research Grants Council, HKU Seed Fund for Basic Research, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS). Reference: Zheng Daran*, Wang He, Li Sha*, Wang Bo, Jarzembowski E.A., Dong Chong, Fang Yanan, Teng Xiao, Yu Tingting, Yang Lichao, Li Yuling, Zhao Xiangdong, Xue Naihua, Chang Su-Chin*, Zhang Haichun * (2021). Synthesis of a chrono- and biostratigraphical framework for the Lower Cretaceous of Jiuquan, NW China: implications for major evolutionary events. Earth-Science Reviews, 213, 103474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103474. Figre1. Distribution and expansion of the Jehol Biota (map revised after Chen, 1999) Figure2. Biostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Xinminpu Group of the Jiuquan Figure3. Early Cretaceous evolutionary and environmental events in Jiuquan
From their peculiarly flattened bodies to their odd siphonate mouthparts, fleas are some of the most bizarre insects alive. Yet the unusual anatomy that made the group successful parasites of birds and mammals has also puzzled generations of zoologists. Even despite sequencing the first flea genomes in the last decade, their early evolution and position on the insect tree of life has remained a mystery. Now, a new study by researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) in China and the University of Bristol in the UK promises to resolve this long-standing evolutionary riddle. With almost every aspect of their biology and anatomy adapted to their specialised parasitic lifestyle, the fleas have long troubled evolutionary biologists. From their peculiarly flattened bodies to their odd siphonate mouthparts, fleas are some of the most bizarre insects alive. Yet the unusual anatomy that made the group successful parasites of birds and mammals has also puzzled generations of zoologists. Even despite sequencing the first flea genomes in the last decade, their early evolution and position on the insect tree of life has remained a mystery. Now, a new study by researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) in China and the University of Bristol in the UK promises to resolve this long-standing evolutionary riddle. "Of all the parasites in the animal kingdom, fleas hold a pre-eminent position. After all, the Black Death, caused by a flea-transmitted bacterium, was the deadliest pandemic in the recorded history of mankind; it claimed the lives of possibly up to 200 million people in the 14th century. Yet despite their medical significance, the placement of fleas on the tree of life represents one of the most persistent enigmas in the evolution of insects," says Erik Tihelka, undergraduate at the University of Bristol who led the new study published in Palaeoentomology. Over the course of the years, researchers have proposed many hypotheses regarding the origin of fleas, most arguing that their closest relatives lie among the flies or scorpionflies, or both. Now, scientists used genome-scale sequences of fleas and all their possible close relatives, and analysed them using new statistical methods. By using more sophisticated algorithms to test all historically proposed hypotheses and search for new potential relationships, the team has come to an unexpected conclusion – fleas are a group of highly modified, parasitic scorpionflies. Scorpionflies are a group of small- to medium-sized flying insects distributed worldwide. About 600 species are currently known. The new study suggests that the small scorpionfly family Nannochoristidae endemic to the southern hemisphere whose adults probably feed on nectar is the closest relative of all living fleas. Despite looking very unlike the flea we know today, the Nannochoristidae in fact share surprising anatomical similarities with fleas such as characters of the head and the sperm pump. Why did the "flea mystery" remain so hard to resolve for so long? "A close relationship between Nannochoristidae and the fleas has been proposed in several past molecular analyses but was treated as likely an error. Ancient evolutionary radiations leave behind subtle clues in organisms’ genomes that can only be recovered with sophisticated models of molecular evolution. Moreover, the nannochoristids are a quite rare and little-studied group that only occurs in New Zealand, southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and Chile, so they are easy to overlook." explains Tihelka. "The new results suggest that we may need to revise our entomology textbooks. Fleas no longer deserve the status of a separate insect order, but should actually be classified within the scorpionflies," says Prof. CAI Chenyang, a professor from NIGPAS and expert on Mesozoic insects. The new findings agree with fossil evidence. "We have exceptionally preserved fossil fleas from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. In particular, some Jurassic fleas from China, about 165 million years old, are truly giant and measure up to two centimetres. They may have fed on dinosaurs, but that is exceedingly difficult to tell. What is more interesting is that these ancient fleas share important characters with modern scorpionflies," says CAI. "Sometime between the Permian and Jurassic, a group of scorpionflies started feeding on the blood of vertebrates. This group gave rise to the fleas as we know them today," adds Diying Huang, professor of invertebrate palaeontology at NIGPAS. "It is interesting.", comments Mattia Giacomelli, a PhD student at the University of Bristol who participated in the study. "We used to think that all blood-feeding parasitic insects basically started off by either being predators or living in close association with their vertebrate hosts, like in their nests. The case of fleas shows that blood feeding can evolve in groups that originally fed on nectar and other plant secretions. It seems that the elongate mouthparts that are specialized for nectar feeding from flowers can become co-opted during the course evolution to enable sucking blood." Reference: Erik Tihelka, Mattia Giacomelli, Diying Huang, Davide Pisani, Philip C. J. Donoghue, Chenyang Cai* (2020) Fleas are parasitic scorpionflies. Palaeoentomology 3(6): 641–653. Contact: LIU Yun, Propagandist Email: yunliu@nigpas.ac.cn Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
Marine red beds (MRBs) are considered as time-specific facies and have indicative significances in revealing the evolution of marine paleo-environments. In contrast to shallow-water and oceanic MRBs, deeper-water MRBs around deep subtidal zone received less attention. During the Floian to Darriwilian, a set of reddish limestones deposited along the marginal Yangtze Platform, South China, including the Zitai Formation as well as the middle parts of the Dawan and Meitan formations. Interestingly, the Early–Middle Ordovician is also the critical interval of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) in South China. Marine red beds (MRBs) are considered as time-specific facies and have indicative significances in revealing the evolution of marine paleo-environments. In contrast to shallow-water and oceanic MRBs, deeper-water MRBs around deep subtidal zone received less attention. During the Floian to Darriwilian, a set of reddish limestones deposited along the marginal Yangtze Platform, South China, including the Zitai Formation as well as the middle parts of the Dawan and Meitan formations. Interestingly, the Early–Middle Ordovician is also the critical interval of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) in South China. The Early-Paleozoic research team from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with specialists from Peking University and University of Science and Technology of China, has been carrying out the petrological, mineralogical and geochemical study on these MRBs, as exemplified by the Zitai Formation from Xiangshuidong section, Songzi County, Hubei Province and Daling section, Shitai County, Anhui Province. This progress has been accepted in the special issue VSI28 "Marine oxygenation, deoxygenation and life during the early Paleozoic" of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Accordingly, significant increases were observed in the terrestrial elements (e.g., aluminum, iron) during the deposition of the MRBs instead of redox fluctuations, when the sedimentation rate has also increased. It suggests iron material of terrestrial origin rather than seawater oxygen level could be the most important factor for the MRBs. By providing nutrients into marine environment, increased terrigenous materials might facilitate the radiation of the planktonic acritarchs, chitinozoans and graptolites and benthic brachiopods during the Early-Middle Ordovician in South China, which means regionally environmental factors might be critical for biological radiations at the early stage of the GOBE. Reference: Luan, X.C., Zhang, X.L., Wu, R.C., Zhan, R.B., Liu, J.B., Wang, G.X., Zhang, Y.C., 2020. Environmental changes revealed by Lower–Middle Ordovician deeper-water marine red beds from the marginal Yangtze Platform, South China: Links to biodiversification. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110116 (In press) Polished slabs of the Zitai MRBs Concentrations and influxes of aluminum and iron at the Xiangshuidong section Biodiversity curve, paleo-environmental conditions and distribution of marine red beds in South China during Ordovician
Fossils of about 15,000 bryozoan species have been found. Bryozoans are among the three dominant groups of Paleozoic fossils. The oldest species with a mineralized skeleton occurs in the Lower Ordovician. The Early Ordovician fossils may also represent forms that had already become significantly different from the original members of the phylum. In Silurian, bryozoans notably declined and were dominated by trepostome bryozoans. Bifoliate cryptostomes were also abundant and diverse in Silurian communities. Fossils of about 15,000 bryozoan species have been found. Bryozoans are among the three dominant groups of Paleozoic fossils. The oldest species with a mineralized skeleton occurs in the Lower Ordovician. The Early Ordovician fossils may also represent forms that had already become significantly different from the original members of the phylum. In Silurian, bryozoans notably declined and were dominated by trepostome bryozoans. Bifoliate cryptostomes were also abundant and diverse in Silurian communities. Cooperated with Dr. Andrej Ernst of the Hamburg University and Prof. Axel Munneck of the Erlangen University, Dr. LI Qijian from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) leaded and conducted a study on Bryozoans from the lower Silurian (Telychian) Hanchiatien Formation from southern Chongqing. Related results have been recently published online in the International Journal Journal of Paleontology. There are eight bryozoan species in those small reefs. Four species are new: the trepostomes Asperopora sinensis n. sp., Trematopora jiebeiensis n. sp., and Trematopora tenuis n. sp., and the fenestrate Moorephylloporina parvula n. sp. One species, the cystoporate Hennigopora sp. indet., is described in open nomenclature. The fenestrate bryozoans are eurytopic, occurring in all types of facies within the bioherms. Erect bryozoans formed pioneering communities on weakly cemented substrata, whereas encrusting fauna occurred on hardgrounds and formed densely compact framestones. Robust branched bryozoans tend to occur out of the reef core (Fig. 1) where they could have formed reef-flank thickets in more agitated conditions. The generic composition of the studied fauna correlates with other localities in South China, and they show general paleobiogeographic relations to Siberia and Indiana, USA (Fig. 2). This study was financially supported by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Science. This study is a contribution to the IGCP-653 ‘The onset of the Great Ordovician Biodiversity Event’ and the IGCP Project 668 ‘The stratigraphic and magmatic history of Early Palaeozoic equatorial Gondwana and its associated evolutionary Dynamics’. Reference: Ernst, A., Li, Q.J., Zhang, M., & Munnecke, A. (2020). Bryozoans from the lower Silurian (Telychian) Hanchiatien Formation from southern Chongqing, South China. Journal of Paleontology, 1-16. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2020.86). Fig 1．Field aspects of the studied section: (1) the flank facies of the second reef horizon, showing the branched bryozoan Trematopora; (2) the core facies of the second reef horizon; (3) plan view of the framestone, showing bulbous and knobby colonies of the first reef horizon; (4) the flank facies of the first reef horizon. Scale bars = 2 m (2); 8 cm (4); 2 cm (3); 1 cm (1).
Fig 2．Paleobiogeographical affinities of the studied bryozoan association and selected Telychian bryozoan faunas.
During the Middle-Late Devonian, the largest area of metazoan (stromatoporoid-coral) reefs of the Phanerozoic occurred, which covered about five million square kilometres (10 times the surface area of modern reef ecosystems). The Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) Kellwasser and the end-Devonian Hangenberg extinctions caused the collapse and disappearance of stromatoporoid-coral ecosystems, respectively. The succeeding Mississippian has long been assumed to be an interval dominated by microbial reefs, and was lack of metazoan reefs. To date, it is still unclear about the Mississippian reef evolutionary pattern and its comparison between different palaeocontinents. During the Middle-Late Devonian, the largest area of metazoan (stromatoporoid-coral) reefs of the Phanerozoic occurred, which covered about five million square kilometres (10 times the surface area of modern reef ecosystems). The Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) Kellwasser and the end-Devonian Hangenberg extinctions caused the collapse and disappearance of stromatoporoid-coral ecosystems, respectively. The succeeding Mississippian has long been assumed to be an interval dominated by microbial reefs, and was lack of metazoan reefs. To date, it is still unclear about the Mississippian reef evolutionary pattern and its comparison between different palaeocontinents. Associated Prof. YAO Le from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), cooperated with Associated Prof. Markus Aretz from the University of Toulouse 3 for a long period. They have conducted detail studies on the reef ecosystem evolutions across the Late Devonian mass extinction transition, and achieved a series of findings. Relevant findings were published in international journals of Earth-Science Reviews, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, and Geological Journal. Based on the systematic evaluation and study on the Late Devonian to Mississippian reefs, three sub-intervals of the Mississippian metazoan reef recovery were distinguished, which are, first metazoan “reef gap” phase (MRG) without metazoan reefs during the Tournaisian; second metazoan reef re-establishment phase (MRR) containing a few metazoan reefs from early Visean to early part of the late Visean; and third metazoan reef proliferation phase (MRP) with global coral reef flourishment during the middle part of the late Visean (late Asbian to early Brigantian substages) (Yao et al., 2020a). In order to uncover whether the Mississippian reef evolutionary pattern of China is consistent with that of globe, associated Prof. YAO Le and his collaborators have studied the stromatolites from the Qianheishan Formation in the Dashuigou section in Pingchuan County, Gansu Province, and the metazoan-microbial reefs from the Du’an Formation in the Dashuigou section in Tianlin County, Guangxi Province. The Dashuigou stromatolites are exposed of about 22.5 m in thickness, which can be traced laterally more than 200 m. Based on the ammonoid, ostracod and palynological fossils, the stromatolites age is constrained to the earliest Carboniferous (conodont zone of Lower Siphonodella sulcate). Three stromatolite morphology types could be distinguished in field, which are laminar, wavy-laminar and domal forms. They consist mainly of micrite, peloids, oncoids, silt-sized quartz grains and sparry calcite with rare fine to coarse quartz grains and bioclasts. Three types of stromatolite laminae were distinguished, including micritic laminae, grain-dominated mixed laminae and micrite-dominated mixed laminae. These laminae are separated by thin micritic crusts and form two lamination styles of repetitive lamination and alternating lamination. The development of grain-rich and micrite-rich laminae in the stromatolites implies that they were formed by the combination of microbial baffling, binding, and calcification. Facies analysis suggests that the stromatolites developed during a gradually relative sea-level rise, and demise was triggered by dramatic relative sea-level fall with enhanced siliciclastic inputs (Yao et al., 2020b). The Gandongzi metazoan-microbial reefs range in size from several metres to tens of metres, which contain positive reliefs. Foraminiferal fossils constrain the reef age belonging to the late Visean (Mississippian foraminiferal zone (MFZ) 14 to MFZ 15). According to field observation and quantitative studies of biotic composition in thin sections, four different reef types were identified which are coral reef, coral-microbial-microproblematica-bryozoan reef, coral-microbial-bryozoan reef, and microbial-bryozoan-coral reef. These reefs are constructed primarily of different proportion of colonial rugose corals (Diphyphyllum and Siphonodendron), tabulate corals (Multithecopora and Syringopora), cystoporate bryozoans (Fistulipora), and calcimicrobes (e.g., Garwoodia and Renalcis). Facies analysis reveals a variable composition, including framestone and bindstone in reef facies, and rudstone, grainstone, packstone, dolomitic crinoidal packstone and dolostone in the strata intercalated with reefs. Relative sea-level changes controlled the growth and demise of the Gandongzi reefs. They commonly grew during relative sea-level rise and died during relative sea-level fall, as evident from increasing and decreasing abundance of micrite, and decreasing and increasing abundance of cortoids, green algae and sparry calcite in reefs and their overlying strata, respectively. The Gandongzi reefs resemble coeval similar reef types on other palaeocontinents, in terms of reef-builder composition and internal structures, especially for the extensive development of coral framework building (Yao and Aretz, 2020). The occurrences of the early Tournaisian stromatolites and late Visean coral reefs in China, correspond to the MRG and MRP intervals respectively, which suggest that the Mississippian reef evolutionary pattern in China is consistent with that of globe after the Late Devonian mass extinctions. Profs. CHEN Jitao and QI Yuping from NIGPAS, Prof. Paul, B. Wignall from the University of Leeds, Prof. Daniel Vachard from France, and Profs. WANG Xiangdong and SHEN Shuzhong from the Nanjing University, also participated in above research works. These researches were financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province and the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy of NIGPAS. Article information： Yao, L.*, Aretz, M., 2020. Upper Visean (Mississippian) metazoan-microbial reefs from Guangxi, South China: Insights regarding into the recovered metazoan reefs reef recovery after the end-Devonian extinction. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 560, 109994. Yao, L.*, Aretz, M., Wignall, P.B., Chen, J.T., Vachard, D., Qi, Y.P., Shen S.Z., Wang, X.D., 2020a. The longest delay: Re-emergence of coral reef ecosystems after the Late Devonian extinctions. Earth-Science Reviews, 203: 103060. Yao, L.*, Aretz, M., Chen, J.T., Qi, Y.P., 2020b. Earliest Carboniferous stromatolites from the Qianheishan Formation, Dashuigou section, northwestern China: Implications for microbial proliferation after the end‐Devonian mass extinction. Geological Journal, 55: 3361–3376. Reef composition and evolutionary pattern from the Late Devonian to Mississippian, with the Chinese reef cases Field photos of the early Tournaisian stromatolites in the Dashuigou section in Pingchuan County, Gansu Province Thin-section photos of laminae types and lamination styles of the early Tournaisian stromatolites in the Dashuigou section in Pingchuan County, Gansu Province Field photos of the late Visean coral reefs in the Gandongzi section in Tianlin County, Guangxi Province Quantitative studies of biotic and sedimentary composition of the late Visean metazoan-microbial reefs in the Gandongzi section in Tianlin County, Guangxi Province Contact: LIU Yun, Propagandist Email: yunliu@nigpas.ac.cn Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
In the past several decades, diverse skeletal fossils had been investigated from the Xinji and Houjiashan formations (Cambrian Series 2), along the western and southern margin of North China Plate (NPC). But brachiopods have been scarcely studied from these rocks, and only one brachiopod, Kutorgina sinensis Rong in Lu 1979, was illustrated to date in one Chinese publication. In the past several decades, diverse skeletal fossils had been investigated from the Xinji and Houjiashan formations (Cambrian Series 2), along the western and southern margin of North China Plate (NPC). But brachiopods have been scarcely studied from these rocks, and only one brachiopod, Kutorgina sinensis Rong in Lu 1979, was illustrated to date in one Chinese publication. All other taxa have just been briefly mentioned in stratigraphic descriptions without detailed taxonomic approach. Hitherto, diverse coeval Cambrian organophosphatic brachiopods have been recovered and studied from many other areas, including Australia, Antarctica, South China, Siberia, Greenland, Canada and the United States etc. Thus, systematic research on the organophosphatic brachiopods from North China will be helpful to understand the global distribution and evolution of brachiopods as well as their stratigraphic correlation significance in Cambrian Epoch 2. Recently, Dr. PAN Bing from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) and his international colleagues from Sweden and Australia reported an abundant brachiopod fauna from the Xinji Formation at Shuiyu section, Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province. Related research results have been published in the international journal Palaeoworld. The brachiopods include one mickwitziid (stem group brachiopoda), Paramickwitzia boreussinaensis n. gen. n. sp., a paterinide, Askepasma toddense Laurie, 1986, an acrotretoid, Eohadrotreta cf. zhenbaensis Li and Holmer, 2004, a botsfordiid, Schizopholis yorkensis (Holmer and Ushatinskaya in Gravestock et al., 2001) and three linguloids, Spinobolus sp., Eodicellomus cf. elkaniiformis Holmer and Ushatinskaya in Gravestock et al., 2001 (recently revised as Plicarmus wildi Claybourn et al., 2020 basing on specimens from Antarctica) and Eoobolus sp.. Paramickwitzia boreussinaensis combines the distinctive characters of Setatella, known from Cambrian Stage 4 in North-East Greenland (pseudointerarea in both valves and the shell penetrating setae on the pseudointerarea) and Mickwitzia (internal cone-shaped projections around the shell perforations). This combination of characters suggests that Paramickwitzia may occupy an intermediate position between Setatella and Mickwitzia in the brachiopod stem group. This brachiopod assemblage suggests a late Age 3 to early Age 4 for the Xinji Formation and reveals a remarkably strong connection with coeval faunas from East Gondwana, particularly the Hawker Group in South Australia. The fauna shows strong similarities to the coeval (Cambrian Epoch 2) brachiopod faunas of east Gondwana (South Australia and Antarctica, with 4 genera and 4 species in common), South China (2 genera and 1 species in common) and India Himalaya (2 genera in common). This high degree of similarity between the brachiopod faunas from the south margin of North China and east margin East Gondwana (even at species level) further supports a close palaeogeographic position between those two areas during the early Cambrian as indicated by other small shelly fossils data. This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Swedish Research Council. Reference: Pan, B., Skovsted, C.B., Brock, G.A., Topper, T.P., Holmer L.E., Li, L.Y., & Li, G.X.*, 2020. Early Cambrian organophosphatic brachiopods from the Xinji Formation, at Shuiyu section, Shanxi Province, North China. Palaeoworld, 29, 512–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2019.07.001. Geological background map and lithostratigraphic column The organophosphatic brachiopod assemblage from Cambrian Series 2 Xinji Formation Contact: LIU Yun, Propagandist Email: yunliu@nigpas.ac.cn Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
Recently, the well-known international geological journal Journal of Asian Earth Sciences published a new special issue titled ‘Evolution of the Tibetan Neo-Tethys: Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography’. Co-edited by Prof. LIJianguo, Prof.SHAJingeng, and Prof. LUOHui from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), the SI incorporates a total of 12 research papers and a preface review paper from multiple disciplines including palaeontology, volcanic lithology, and geochemistry. A wide range of scientific topics related to the evolution of Neo-Tethys have been accommodatedby the researchers, such as the opening and forming of Neo-Tethys, the drifting history of the India Plate, palaeoclimate, palaeoelevation and the impact of the rising plateau on biotas, and biochronostratigraphy for the reconstruction of Neo-Tethys.The SI also puts emphasis on stratigraphy which is fundamental forinvestigating and reconstructing this geological process. These results will undoubtedly provide important references for future study of the evolution of Tethys. The Qinghai-Xizang plateau is ideal for investigating the interaction of lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere in the deep past. It has received much attention for its role in the study of geodynamics, plate tectonics, palaeogeography, palaeoclimate, biotic evolution, and source effects. However, due to the extremely harsh natural conditions, strong tectonic and metamorphic activities, the preservation and collection of fossils on the plateau are difficult, which hampers the development of stratigraphy and palaeontology in the realm. The current research on the history and evolutionary mechanism of biodiversity during the evolution of Neo-Tethys is not satisfying, and even records are often incomplete or insufficient. For decades, researchers from the NIGPAS have been working unremittingly on the stratigraphy and paleontology on the Qinghai-Xizang plateau under the support of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other national projects. Particularly,under the support of the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Second Expedition to Qinghai-Xizang plateau and Research Project in recent years, much progress on fossil collecting and research has been made as is represented in this SI.It includes: first,new findings of fossils that were previously not or poorly discovered and studied, such as insects (Cai et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019); Second, foundation or improvement of some microfossil sequences that are particularly important and useful for the Mesozoic stratigraphic division and correlation, such as radiolarians and sporopollen (Li et al., 2019; Peng et al., 2019; Xu et al., 2019); third,more supplement of new material to fossil groups that have been relatively well studied or documented, ammonites, bivalves and large foraminifera (Jiang et al., 2019; Rao et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2019; Li et al., 2020); forththe revealing and understanding of terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems (Li et al., 2019; Peng et al., 2019;Jiang et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2019).The SI also establishes a new integrated multiple biostratigraphic framework for the Triassic–Paleogene strata in the Neo-Tethyan realm in southern Xizang (Li et al., 2020). The SIis a comprehensive summary of the new advance of biodiversity and ecosystem in the Neo-Tethyan region of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. This digital SI is a joint product of years of collaboration and efforts by scientists from different research fields. Related research was supported by the Second Expedition to Qinghai-Xizang plateau and Research Project, the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Reference: Li, Jianguo, Luo, Hui, Sha, Jingeng, eds., 2020. Evolution of the Tibetan Neo-Tethys: stratigraphy and palaeogeography. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-asian-earth-sciences/special-issue/10LTVBSWR6X) List of contributions: Cai, C., Huang, D., Wu, F., Zhao, M., Wang, N., 2019. Tertiary water striders (Hemiptera, Gerromorpha, Gerridae) from the central Tibetan Plateau and their palaeobiogeographic implications. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 121–127. Jiang, H., Su, T., Wong, W. O., Wu, F., Huang, J., Shi, G., 2019. Oligocene Koelreuteria (Sapindaceae) from the Lunpola Basin in central Tibet and its implication for early diversification of the genus. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 99–108. Li, J., Wu, Y., Batten, D. J., Lin, M., 2019. Vegetation and climate of the central and northern Qinghai–Xizang plateau from the Middle Jurassic to the end of the Paleogene inferred from palynology. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 35–48. Li, J., Lin, M., Wu, Y., Luo, H., Peng, J., Mu, L., Xu, B., Zhang, C., 2020. New biostratigraphic framework for the Triassic-Paleogene in the Neo-Tethys realm of southern Xizang (Tibet), China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2020.104369. Li, J., Sha, J., Luo, H., 2020. Preface: New advances in palaeontology, stratigraphy and palaeogeography of the Neo-Tethyan region, Qinghai-Xizang plateau, China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2020.104369. Peng, J., Li, J., Slater, S. M., Zhang, Q., Zhu, H., Vajda, V., 2019. Triassic vegetation and climate evolution on the northern margin of Gondwana: a palynological study from Tulong, southern Xizang (Tibet), China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 74–82. Qi, X., Wei, C., Zhang, C., Zhang, S., Hu, Z., Ji, F., 2019. Southward extension of the Bangonghu–Nujiang Suture: Evidence from Early Cretaceous intermediate and felsic magmatism in the Gaoligong Orogen, China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 1–25 Rao, X., Sha, J., Peng, B., Zhang, X., Cai, H., 2019. Constraints of bipolar and tropical bivalves on the northward drifting of the Indian Plate. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 68–73. Wang, H., Fang, Y., Li, S., Hou, X., Wang, B., Zhang, H., 2019. Revisiting of the Paleocene orthopteran insect Hylophalangopsis chinensis Lin and Huang, 2006 in northern Tibet. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 93–98. Wang, M., Peng, S., Li, C., Zhang, T., 2019b. Palaeontology and U–Pb detrital zircon geochronology of Upper Triassic strata on the northern margin of the Bangong Co–Nujiang suture zone, Tibet: Constraints on the age of opening of the Meso-Tethys. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 26–34. Xu, B., Luo, H., Wang, X., 2019. New discovery of Early Jurassic radiolarians from Luoqu, Xigaze, southern Tibet and its geological significance. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 49–67. Yang, X., Xu, Q., Lin, M., Li, J., 2019. Plant remains from the Early Cretaceous deposits of Qubsang, Doilungdeqen, northwestern Lhasa of Tibet, China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 83–92. Zhang, Y., Shen, S., Zhang, Y.,Zhu, T., An, X., Huang, B., Ye, C., Qiao, F., Xu, H., 2019. Middle Permian foraminifers from the Zhabuye and Xiadong areas in the central Lhasa Block and their paleobiogeographic implications. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 175, 109–120.
Trilobites achieved their maximum generic diversity in the Cambrian. However, unlike this diversity measure, the morphological disparity of trilobites based on cranidial outline reached the peak in the Middle to Late Ordovician. Early to middle Cambrian trilobites with a specialized cephalon are rare, especially among the ptychoparioids, a group of libristomates featuring the so-called "generalized" bauplan. Even with a few exceptions, ptychoparioids exhibit a monotonous pattern of head specialization, characterized by additionalcephalic border spines. Trilobites achieved their maximum generic diversity in the Cambrian. However, unlike this diversity measure, the morphological disparity of trilobites based on cranidial outline reached the peak in the Middle to Late Ordovician. Early to middle Cambrian trilobites with a specialized cephalon are rare, especially among the ptychoparioids, a group of libristomates featuring the so-called "generalized" bauplan. Even with a few exceptions, ptychoparioids exhibit a monotonous pattern of head specialization, characterized by additional cephalic border spines. Recently, leading by Prof. ZHAO Fangchen, postgraduate SUN Zhixin and Dr. ZENG Han from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) described a ptychopariid trilobite with an unusual cephalic morphology, Phantaspis auritus gen. et sp. nov. from the middle Cambrian (Miaolingian, Wuliuan) Mantou Formation in Shandong Province, North China. This unique trilobite provides new insights into the morphological range and structural foundation of the cephalic specialization in Cambrian trilobites. This work has been published as "Editors' Choice" in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. Phantaspis is characterized by a cephalon with an extended anterior area of double-lobate shape resembling a pair of rabbit ears in later ontogenetic stages, which represents a form of specialization in a Cambrian trilobite that was not repeated in any younger trilobites. This illustrates the diversity of Cambrian trilobites in morphotypes and provides an example of ptychoparioid cranidial outline variation during the middle Cambrian caused by specialisation. The extended cephalon of Phantaspis is reminiscent of certain sediment feeders with a specialized cephalon, for example species of Harpina and Trinucleidae. However, in Phantaspis the anterior border was not thickened as those of the above groups. Other than adaptation to a particular life habit, further possibilities should be considered. The cephalicshape seen in Phantaspis may have reduced the risk of predation by increasing the effective size of Phantaspis, thus making it harder to be eaten by predators, such as other trilobites. In addition, the development and stabilization of cranidial morphology associated with sexual maturity suggests a possibility of sexual selection, similar to ‘beetle’-like horns known from other trilobites, which are assumed to reflect this type of selective strategy. This research was supported by grants from the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy. Reference: Sun, Z.X., Zeng, H., Zhao, F.C.*, 2020. A new middle Cambrian trilobite with a specialized cephalon from Shandong Province, North China. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 65. doi:https://doi.org/10.4202/app.00753.2020. Artistic reconstruction of Phantaspisauritus, by HUO Xiuquan Nearly complete exoskeleton (left) and cranidium (right) of Phantaspisauritus gen. et sp. nov. Reconstructions of the dorsal exoskeleton and life cycle of Phantaspisauritus gen. et sp. nov. Contact: LIU Yun, Propagandist Email: yunliu@nigpas.ac.cn Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China
Choerospondias axillaris, commonly known as the Nepali hog plum, belongs to the Asian endemic genus Choerospondias of the Anacardiaceae. The fruit of Choerospondias is formed by a thin epicarp, a fleshy, sweet edible mesocarp, and a woody endocarp. It is a common fruit for a variety of animals such as deer and hornbill in the rainforest. In South China, Choerospondias pulp is often made into soft candy, which is a popular local snack. Choerospondias axillaris, commonly known as the Nepali hog plum, belongs to the Asian endemic genus Choerospondias of the Anacardiaceae. The fruit of Choerospondias is formed by a thin epicarp, a fleshy, sweet edible mesocarp, and a woody endocarp. It is a common fruit for a variety of animals such as deer and hornbill in the rainforest. In South China, Choerospondias pulp is often made into soft candy, which is a popular local snack. Commonly only the woody endocarps are preserved as fossils. Choerospondias fossil endocarps have been reported from a number of localities in Europe and Asia, ranging from the Eocene to the Holocene. Masses of Choerospondias endocarps have also been found in several archeological sites as early as ~ 8000 yr B.P. in southwestern and southeastern China, suggesting that Choerospondias was an important food plant for early humans in the region. Recently, Drs. WANG Zixi, SHI Gongle, SHU Junwu, and YIN Suxin from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Science (NIGPAS), and other members from the Chicago Botanic Garden, USA, collaborated with a research focusing on numerous new materials of Choerospondias preserved as mummified fruit fossils from the Middle Miocene Fotan flora in Zhangpu, Fujian province, southeast China. The research results have been published in the Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. In this paper, a new species Choerospondias fujianensis sp. nov is described, which is characterized by having five or seven radially arranged germination pores at the subapical region of endocarp. Fossils indicate that Choerospondias was more diverse in the Miocene than today. According to the palaeogeographical history of Choerospondias, the genus was widely distributed in Eurasia during the Oligocene but disappeared in Europe after the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), but there is only one species of Choerospondias in East Asia today. The genus has a nearly continuous fossil record in East Asia since the Oligocene. Palaeoecologic analysis indicates that the relatively wide range of adaption of Choerospondias may play an essential role in its current survival in East Asia. This research was jointly supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS. Reference: Zixi Wang, Fabiany Herrera, Junwu Shu, Suxin Yin, Gongle Shi*, 2020. A new Choerospondias (Anacardiaceae) endocarp from the middle Miocene of Southeast China and its paleoecological implications. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 283: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2020.104312. The morphological structures (1-3) and anatomical details (4-6) of Choerospondias fujianensis sp. nov. endocarp from the middle Miocene of Fujian, Southeast China The morphological structures (1-3) and internal structures (4-9) of Choerospondias fujianensis sp. nov. endocarp from the middle Miocene of Fujian, Southeast China
Conodonts is one of the most important fossil groups of the Permian. At present, all the Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs) of the Permian are or will soon be defined by the first appearance datum of conodont species. Therefore, the study of conodonts is important for the Permian stratigraphic division and correlation. Conodonts is one of the most important fossil groups of the Permian. At present, all the Global Stratotype Sections and Points (GSSPs) of the Permian are or will soon be defined by the first appearance datum of conodont species. Therefore, the study of conodonts is important for the Permian stratigraphic division and correlation. Recently, Dr. YUAN Dongxun, Prof. ZHANG Yichun, Prof. ZHANG Hua, Prof. QI Yuping, Prof. WANG Yue and others from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and other colleagues from Nanjing University, University of Calgary, Canada, University of Texas at San Antonio, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, and Taunggyi University, Myanmar, have obtained a series of research data, which have been published in Earth-science Reviews, Newsletters on Stratigraphy, and Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, based on conodont materials from South China, West Texas and eastern Myanmar. Integrated timescale: South China and West Texas have the most complete middle Permian strata of the global. However, strong provincialism by Pangaea makes the correlations between the Tethyan region and the North American successions difficult by using traditional ammonoids and fusulines. Thus, the conodonts become one important marker for the global correlation of the middle Permian strata. Here, based on the high-resolution conodonts biostratigraphy between South China and West Texas, combined with the ammonoids, fusulines, U-Pb ages, cyclostratigraphy, carbon and strontium isotopes of rocks and oxygen isotopes of conodonts, an integrated stratigraphic correlation framework of two regions has been established, and the Guadalupian correlation and major events have been discussed in detailed. GSSP: The three GSSPs of Guadalupian were ratified in West Texas twenty years ago. However, a formal GSSP description has not been published on any official peer-reviewed journasl so far, and conodonts have not been figured from the GSSP section. Based on current documentation from the Wordian GSSP section, it provides limited data for its global correlation, although it has been utilized as a GSSP for two decades. In order to solve this problem, herein, we report our results from the GSSP section for the first time. We have found that the FOs of Morphotypes A and B of Jinogondolella aserrata occur lower in the section than the placement of the current GSSP and other fossil groups are absence except for the presence of sponge spicules. Conodonts from the Wordian GSSP level at the GSSP section are not present, despite the fact that large samples were processed in two labs of China and Canada. There is an inconsistency in the global correlation of the Wordian boundary in previous documents. Three ash beds have been collected, but no zircons were recovered. Data of carbon and strontium isotopes are affected by diagenesis, and cannot provide some significant markers for international correlation. The oxygen isotopes of conodont apatite are slightly higher than the data in this interval from South China. Overall, the current GSSP section has a number of major shortcomings to provide an integrated stratigraphic framework as the standard of the Wordian Stage. New sections, in combination with improved systematics, should be searched for a better GSSP definition in the near future. Paleobiogeography: Due to the lack of conodonts data, the Permian strata division and international correlation are unclear for a long time in the eastern Myanmar, and it makes difficult to establish a high-resolution stratigraphic framework here, which indirectly hampers the study on paleogeographic evolution of the block. In this study, we report a Permian conodont group of the eastern Myanmar for the first time. Firstly, it restricts the age of the study interval and establishes stratigraphic correlation of this region. Secondly, based on the special conodont genus (e.g., Vjalovognathus), it indicates that the terrane accommodating this fauna in the eastern Myanmar has a close paleobiogeographic link to the northwestern Australia and Lhasa Block, which may indicate these tectonic units were paleogeographically close to one another during the late Cisuralian. This work is supported by the Strategic Priority Research Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Natural National Science Foundation of China, and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research. Reference: Shen Shu-zhong*, Yuan Dong-xun*, Henderson C.M., Wu Qiong, Zhang Yi-chun, Zhang Hua, Mu Lin, Ramezani J., Wang Xiang-dong, Lambert L.L., Erwin D.H., Hearst J.M., Xiang Lei, Chen Bo, Fan Jun-xuan, Wang Yue, Wang Wen-qian, Qi Yu-ping, Chen Jun, Qie Wen-kun, Wang Tian-tian, 2020. Progresses, problems and prospects: An overview of the Guadalupian Series of South China and North America. Earth-Science Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103412. Yuan Dong-xun*, Shen Shu-zhong, Henderson C.M., Lambert L.L., Hearst J.M., Zhang Yi-chun, Chen Jun, Qie Wen-kun, Zhang Hua, Wang Xiang-dong, Qi Yu-ping, Wu Qiong, 2020. Reinvestigation of the Wordian-base GSSP section, West Texas, USA. Newsletters On Stratigraphy, DOI: 10.1127/nos/2020/0613. Yuan Dong-xun, Kyi Pyar Aung, Henderson C.M., Zhang Yi-chun, Than Zaw, Cai Fulong, Ding Lin, Shen Shu-zhong*, 2020. First records of Early Permian conodonts from eastern Myanmar and implications of paleobiogeographic links to the Lhasa Block and northwestern Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 549: 109363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109363. Guadalupian conodont, fusuline, ammonoid and radiolarian successions and their correlation between South China and West Texas A summary for the temporal correlation of geologic, paleoclimatic and biological events between South China and West Texas during Guadalupian The holotype and two morphotypes of Jinogondolella aserrata, their ranges and possible evolutionary lineage at the Wordian GSSP section Ranges and paleogeographic distribution of the Cisuralian conodonts in the eastern Myanmar
