Fossil Podozamites leaf An international team leading by Prof. WANG Yongdong from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) has conducted positive research progresses on biodiversity origin and radiation evolution of an extinct conifer plant (Podozamites) of the Mesozoic. Dr. Mike Pole, visiting professorship research fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from New Zealand, collaborated with WANG Yongdong, as well as other Russian and Chinese researchers, have investigated on the rise and demise process of this plant group known more than 17 years ago in East Asia. This result was recently published online on the international geoscience journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. The distribution pattern of Podozamites during the Jurassic period in East Asia Podozamites is a common morpho-genus established by Braun in 1843, which is used describing deciduous, shoot-dropping conifer with broad, multi-veined leaves. Morphologically, Podozamites is represented today by Agathis (Araucariacae) and Nageia (Podocarpaceae). It is indicated that during the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic, forests dominated by Podozamites were extensive in the mid-latitudes of eastern Asia. They appear to have been little-effected through the Triassic-Jurassic transition, but responded to climate changes later in the Jurassic. Progressively dried through the Middle Jurassic and aridity had developed in some areas in China by the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, and the distribution center of Podozamites shifted north, to the Siberian region. By the late Albian, angiosperms had arrived in the Siberian area and risen to dominance. After this event, Podozamites became extinct. It is unexpected that as broad-leaved angiosperms took over, amongst the conifers it was the broad leaved, multi-veined Podozamites became extinct. This is the morphology that might have been expected to compete with the apparently more shade-forming angiosperms. This new results provide significant fossil evidence for exploring the co-evolution and radiation relationships for Mesozoic conifers and early angiosperms. This study was funded by the State Key Project of Ministry of Science and Technology, the international visiting professorship and National Natural Science Foundation of China. Article information: Pole, M., Wang Y.D.*, Bugdaeva, E., Dong C., Tian N., Li L.Q., Zhou N., 2016. The rise and demise of Podozamites in east Asia—An extinct conifer life style. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology A schematic interpretation of Podozamites and angiosperm distribution in Siberia around the mid-Cretaceous transition to an angiosperm-dominated flora
The superorder Odonatoptera consists of the extinct orders Geroptera and Protodonata, and the recent order Odonata. Odonatoptera belongs to medium-large insect, is the pioneer conquering the sky, and has been the giant insect with the wing spans over half meter. The dragonfly has strong fly ability, fast migration, wide distribution, which can help us correlate the strata and evaluate the influence of the vital geological and ecological events on insect evolution. Due to the large size and few number, rare dragonflies can be preserved as the fossil records. Recently, the Mesozoic research group of our institute cooperates with The University of Hong Kong, and mades a detailed study on the Mesozoic Odonatoptera. The specimens were from the Triassic of Shaanxi, the Jurassic of Xinjiang, the Lower Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, western Liaoning, and Cretaceous Burmese amber. 11 new species, 6 new genera and 1 new subfamily were established relating to 11 families. This research can contribute to the correlation of Chinese non-marine strata, and providing new evidence for the origination, evolution and radiation of dragonflies. Represented findings are as follows: 1. The first Triassic Protodonata from China. Although abundant dragonfly fossils have been reported from the Middle Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous, no Triassic dragonflies have been recorded. In the past years, we unearthed one protodonatan dragonfly, representing the first discovery. The fossil genera has been previously recorded in the Madygen Formation of Kyrgyzstan. Combined with the palaeontological and geochronological evidence, the age of the Tongchuan Formation is considered to be Anisian–Early Carnian, and the insect-bearing layers are considered to be Ladinian. 2. The first earliest Jurassic Odonata. The fossil was collected from the middle part of the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation. The similar damsel-dragonfly was initially described from the Lower Jurassic (Lower Lias, lowermost Sinemurian) of Dorset, England, reflecting the close relationship between these two insect assemblages. The latitude of the Junggar Basin during the T-J interval was considered to be around 60° N, while England was located at 30–40° N, suggesting a long distance between the two areas. The appearance of the damsel-dragonfly in two localities probably reflect a weak influence of the end-Triassic extinction on damsel-dragonflies or a quick dispersal of damsel-dragonflies during the earliest Jurassic. 3. Diversity of extinct family Stenophlebiidae. Stenophlebiidae has been found widely distributed in the Jurassic-Cretaceous strata of Germany, Spain, England, France, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Until now, only one unquestioned stenophlebiid damsel-dragonfly has been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of the Liutiaogou outcrop in Inner Mongolia. Liaostenophlebia yixianensis Zheng et al., 2016 is a new genus of this family. Except S. karatavica from the Jurassic of Kazakhstan, Stenophlebia is known by several species from the Upper Jurassic of Europe. The new species S. liaoxiensis Zheng et al., 2016, from the Lower Cretaceous of Liaoning, extends the range both stratigraphically and geographically of this extinct dragonflies. 4、New dragonfly and damselfly from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The study of the insect inclusions in Burmese amber is about a century old, but the odonatans were just from 2010. In the recent years, as more insect inclusions discovered from Burmese amber, three suborders of the recent Odonata were reported represented by Zygoptera (damselfly). The main findings include: the second true dragonfly from Cretaceous amber; the first Hemiphlebiidae may be the most common damselfly in Burmese amber with over 50 specimens having been observed; the earliest fossil platystictid damselfly puts the origin of Platystictidae to at least mid-Cretaceous in tropical forest; the first fossil Perilestidae; a new species of Platycnemididae; a new subfamily and two new genera of the extinct family Dysagrionidae with unique discoidal cell contributing to the evolution of damselfly wings. The study were published (including accepted) in the following geological journals: Geological Magazine, Journal of Paleontology, Cretaceous Research, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, Comptes Rendus Palevol and Alcheringa. Related information of these research: Zheng, D.R., Nel, A., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H.C. (in press). The first Triassic “Protodonatan” (Zygophlebiidae) from China: stratigraphical implications. Geological Magazine, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0016756816000625. Zheng, D.R., Zhang, Q.Q., Jarzembowski, E.A, Zhou, Z.C., Chang, S.-C., Wang, B., Nel, A. (in press). New damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera: Hemiphlebiidae, Dysagrionidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2016.1164402. Zheng, D.R., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S-C., Wang, B. (in press). A new true dragonfly (Odonata, Anisoptera, Gomphaeschnaoidini) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2016.07.006. Zheng, D.R., Wang, B., Chang, S-C. (in press). Palaeodisparoneura cretacica sp. nov., a new damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Comptes Rendus Palevol, doi: 10.1016/j.crpv.2016.08.005. Zheng, D.R., Nel, A., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H.C., 2016. A new damsel-dragonfly from the Lower Jurassic of northwestern China and its palaeobiogeographic significance. Journal of Paleontology, 90 (3): 485–490. Zheng, D.R., Wang, H., Jarzembowski, E.A., Wang, B., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H.C., 2016. New data on Early Cretaceous odonatans (Stenophlebiidae, Aeschnidiidae) from northern China. Cretaceous Research, 67: 59–65. Zheng, D.R., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Nel, A., 2016. Burmadysagrioninae, a new subfamily (Odonata: Zygoptera: Dysagrionidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research, 67: 126–132. Zheng, D.R., Zhang, Q.Q., Chang, S.-C., Wang, B., 2016. A new damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research, 63: 142–147. Zheng, D.R., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Nel, A., 2016. The first fossil Perilestidae (Odonata: Zygoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research, 65: 199–205. Zheng, D.R., Nel, A., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H.C., 2016. The first Early Cretaceous damsel-dragonfly (Stenophlebiidae: Stenophlebia) from western Liaoning, China. Cretaceous Research, 61: 124–128. Zheng, D.R., Nel, A., Wang, B., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H.C., 2016. The discovery of the hindwing of the Early Cretaceous dragonfly Sinaktassia tangi Lin, Nel & Huang, 2010 (Odonata, Aktassiidae) in northeastern China. Cretaceous Research, 61: 86–90.
Figure 1. Mesozoic Odonatoptera from north China, scale bars = 10 mm. A, Sinaktassia tangi Lin, Nel & Huang, 2010; B, Stenophlebia liaoningensis Zheng et al., 2016; C, Dorsettia sinica Zheng et al., 2016; D, Zygophlebia tongchuanensis Zheng et al., 2016; E, Liaostenophlebia yixianensis Zheng et al., 2016; F, Sinostenophlebia zhanjiakouensis Hong, 1984.
Figure 2. Odonata from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, scale bars = 2 mm. A–B, Burmahemiphlebia zhangi Zheng et al., 2016; C, Palaeodysagrion cretacicus Zheng et al., 2016; D, Palaeodisparoneura cretacica Zheng et al., 2016; E, Burmadysagrion zhangi Zheng, Wang and Nel, 2016; F, Mesosticta electronica Zheng et al., 2016; G, Cretagomphaeschnaoides jarzembowskae Zheng et al., 2016; H, Palaeoperilestes electronicus Zheng et al., 2016.
Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) elementalmapping for a globose Chuaria (A)–(D), and a subglobose Chuaria (E)–(H); linear elementalmapping for a globose Chuaria (I) and a subglobose Chuaria (J) Pyritization represents a major taphonomic pathway for exceptional preservation of soft tissues. Although various Ediacaran Lagerst？tten contain pyritized fossils, the controls on this taphonomic pathway prior to the Precambrian-Phanerozoic transition have only recently received significant attention, and no studies have yet thoroughly investigated environmental conditions facilitating exceptional preservation via pyritization in the early Ediacaran. Here, to address this deficiency, Dr. GUAN Chengguo from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues investigated the preservational environments of macroscopic fossil Chuaria in the early Ediacaran Lantian Formation of South China using petrographic, electron microscopic, and geochemical data. Chuaria occur as pervasively pyritized (spheroid-shaped) globose and non-pervasively pyritized (disk-shaped) subglobose fossils in different stratigraphic intervals. Although these different stratigraphic intervals are similar in terms of total sulfur (TS, ~5%), subglobose Chuaria shales have greater total organic carbon (TOC, ~7.9%) contents than globose Chuaria shales (~3.6%). Additionally, petrographic observations and TOC-TS cross-plots suggest that, whereas globose fossils were preserved under suboxic bottom waters, the subglobose fossils were preserved in euxinic bottom waters. Stratigraphy, TOC, TS and δ34Spy values, and their relationship with the preservation types of Chuaria fossils in the Lantian Formation. Overall, these results affirm that pyritization in the Precambrian was generally favored in organic-poor, reactive iron-rich, sulfate-rich environments probably with slow sedimentation rates. When organics were scarce and reactive iron was abundant, bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) created hydrogen sulfide and reactive iron concentration gradients around fossils, which kinetically and thermo-dynamically favored rapid and pervasive pyritization, as observed in globose Chuaria. Conversely, when organics were abundant and reactive iron/sulfate availabilities were limited by widespread BSR, fossils were relatively rapidly buried beneath the BSR metabolic zone of sediment, where they were principally preserved as aluminosilicified carbonaceous fossils that were compacted into subglobose forms. Thus, preservational variations among pyritized fossils in the Ediacaran may reflect differences in sedimentary organic matter content and/or bottom water redox chemistry. This research was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (LPS) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China. Related information of this paper: Guan, C., Wang, W., Zhou, C., Muscente, A.D., Wan, B., Chen, X., Yuan, X., Chen, Z. and Ouyang, Q. Controls on fossil pyritization: Redox conditions, sedimentary organic matter content, and Chuaria preservation in the Ediacaran Lantian Biota. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Surface renderings and digital sections of three embryo-like fossils (Doushantuo Formation, South China) The origin and early evolution of animals have been a fascinating issue since Charles Darwin. Calculating molecular divergences and decoding fossil records are two significant approaches to address this mystery issue. Current data from the two approaches, however, have resulted in different perspectives on this issue. The molecular clocks estimated that animals may have arisen 750 million years ago (Ma), yet the first definite animal fossils occurred during very late Ediacaran, probably no more than 555 Ma. Under this background, the ca. 600 million-year-old Ediacaran embryo-like fossils from South China provide a compelling case to reconcile the inconsistency of the two approaches because they were ever taken as early animal remains. However, their affinities are still in debate. Recently, Dr. YIN Zongjun from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues reported new fossil forms from the Ediacaran Doushantuo phosphorite from South China. They used high-resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography to reconstruct three-dimensional structures of the fossils, and the results demonstrate that these fossils preserve features directly comparable to living animal embryos that utilize discoidal-type incomplete cell division. This find suggests that some Ediacaran embryo-like fossils are likely embryos of animals. Animals probably have arisen on the planet as early as ca. 600 million years ago. The study has been published on Geology. Reference: Zongjun Yin*, Maoyan Zhu, David J. Bottjer, Fangchen Zhao, Paul Tafforeau. Meroblastic cleavage identifies some Ediacaran Doushantuo (China) embryo-like fossils as metazoans. Geology. DOI: 10.1130/G38262.1
Coral faunal turnover across the Ordovician–Silurian transition in South China The end-Ordovician glaciation has widely been regarded as having profound influence on the biogeographic distribution of shelly fauna, as shown by time equivalence of brachiopods of the tropical Edgewood province with those of the higher-latitude Kosov and Bani provinces. Recent investigation conducted by Dr. WANG Guangxu fromNanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues reveals an adaptive phase during the Hirnantian glaciation, followed by an early survival phase and finally a late survival phase that persisted into the early Silurian. They demonstrate that a coral assemblage of latest Hirnantian to earliest Silurian age, remarkably similar to those from the Edgewood fauna known from Laurentia, occurs stratigraphically above the typical Hirnantian fauna. This, in combination with other evidence (e.g. brachiopods, lithology and chemostratigraphy), suggests the Edgewood fauna probably post-dated the early–middle Hirnantian glaciation, rather than being coeval with the older glacial-related Hirnantia fauna. Evidence from South China shows that the Edgewood fauna appeared in the very latest Hirnantian and extended into the middle Rhuddanian, considerably younger than previously believed. Such a new correlation necessitates a reassessment of the influence of the end-Ordovician glaciation on biotas. They argue that this major glaciation probably would have substantially affected the ecosystem even in tropical regions, as shown by the development there of the Hirnantia fauna or, alternatively, the presence of a conspicuous stratigraphic hiatus. This suggests a surprisingly rapid biotic recovery during the subsequent postglacial transgression, represented by the flourishing of comparatively diverse shelly faunas (e.g. the Edgewood fauna and the Cathaysiorthis brachiopod fauna) in nearshore shallow water environments from Laurentia to eastern peri-Gondwana terranes or blocks (e.g. South China).
Possible relationships between the bio-events and glaciation through the Ordovician–Silurian transition Related information of this paper: Wang G. X, Zhan R. B., Huang B., Percival I. G. 2016 (published online). Coral faunal turnover through the Ordovician-Silurian transition in South China and its global implications for carbonate stratigraphy and macroevolution. Geological Magazine (doi:10.1017/S0016756816000406)
Lantianella laevis The Ediacaran Period represents a critical transition in Earth system history and animal evolution. To analyse how animal life may have transformatively shaped the evolutionary trajectory of the Ediacaran Earth requires a thorough understanding of the Ediacaran fossil record. However, because virtually all Ediacaran candidate animals were soft-bodied, their palaeontological record is strongly contingent upon the interactions between a Goldilocks combination of taphonomic processes and degradation processes. Further, Ediacaran candidate animals were probably dominated by deep stem-group representatives of various modern clades. Thus, the phylogenetic interpretation of putative Ediacaran animal fossils is not straightforward; many of them have suggestive but not definitive characters for phylogenetic placement, presenting tantalizing but frustrating cases for animal affinities. The currently available palaeontological data suggest that unambiguous Precambrian animals with macroscopic size occur only in the late Ediacaran Period. One potential exception is the Lantian biota, which occurs in the early Ediacaran Lantian Formation in South China and contains macroscopic (centimetre-sized) fossils of putative animal affinity. The macroalgal fossils have been described previously in several publications, but no taxonomic treatment has been published for the putative animal fossils. This hampers our ability to fully evaluate and communicate the significance of these potentially important Ediacaran macrofossils. Recently, to address this deficiency, Dr. WAN Bin from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues carried out a comprehensive research and provided a systematic description of these putative animal fossils based on the base of previously accumulated fossils and newly field collection from the Lantian Formation. According to the morphological features of these putative animal fossils, four new genera and five new species were erected: Lantianella laevis gen. et sp. nov., L. annularis gen. et sp. nov., Piyuania cyathiformis gen. et sp. nov., Qianchuania fusiformis gen. et sp. nov. and Xiuningella rara gen. et sp. nov. These putative animal fossils are preserved as carbonaceous compression, with a complex morphological differentiations and inferred anatomical structures. Morphological and structural comparisons of these fossils and potential modern analogues indicate that they are different from microscopic algae and fungi, but intriguingly suggestive of an animal affinity. These animal interpretations are intriguing possibilities, but definitive evidence for an animal affinity is lacking. Regardless, the morphological complexity of these fossils offers important insights into the evolution of macroscopic and morphologically differentiated multicellular eukaryotes shortly after a global glaciation in the terminal Cryogenian Period and during a transition toward subtly more oxygenated oceans in the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (LPS). The article was published and cited in: Bin Wan, Xunlai Yuan, Zhe Chen, Chengguo Guan, Ke Pang, Qing Tang and Xiao Shuhai. 2016. Systematic description of putative animal fossils from the early Ediacaran Lantian Formation of South China. Palaeontology, DOI: 10.1111/pala.12242
The insect assemblage of exceptionally preserved debris carriers from Cretaceous ambers are the oldest direct evidence of camouflage behaviour utilizing trash in the fossil record and show unequivocal evidence of camouflage in immature lacewings and reduviids dating back more than 100 million years. They demonstrate that the behavioural repertoire, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, was already widespread among insects by at least the Mid-Cretaceous. These findings provide a novel insight into early evolution of camouflage in insects and ancient ecological associations among plants and insects.
Chrysopoid larvae from Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Image by WANG bo) and the reconstruction of naked chrysopoid larva (Image by YANG Dinghua) Insects have evolved diverse types of camouflage that have played an important role in their evolutionary success. Debris-carrying, a behaviour of actively harvesting and carrying exogenous materials, is among the most fascinating and complex behaviours because it requires not only an ability to recognize, collect, and carry materials, but also evolutionary adaptations in related morphological characteristics. The fossil record, however, of such behavior is extremely scarce, and only a single Mesozoic example from Spanish amber has been recorded previously; therefore, little is known about the early evolution of this complicated behaviour and its underlying anatomy. Dr. WANG Bo from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues have now reported a diverse insect assemblage of exceptionally preserved debris carriers from Cretaceous Burmese, French, and Lebanese ambers, including the earliest known chrysopoid larvae (green lacewings), myrmeleontoid larvae (split-footed lacewings and owlflies), and reduviids (assassin bugs). The study has been published on Science Advances, on this Friday, 24 June 2016. These ancient insects used a variety of debris material, including insect exoskeletons, sand grains, soil dust, leaf trichomes of gleicheniacean ferns, wood fibres, and other vegetal debris. They convergently evolved their debris-carrying behaviour through multiple pathways, which expressed a high degree of evolutionary plasticity. Myrmeleontoid larvae from Mid-Cretaceous Burmese and French ambers These fossils are the oldest direct evidence of camouflage behaviour utilizing trash in the fossil record and show unequivocal evidence of camouflage in immature lacewings and reduviids dating back more than 100 million years. They demonstrate that the behavioural repertoire, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, was already widespread among insects by at least the Mid-Cretaceous. These findings provide a novel insight into early evolution of camouflage in insects and ancient ecological associations among plants and insects. Most Burmese amber lacewing larvae are preserved with dendritic trichomes produced by gleicheniacean ferns, and two chrysopoid larvae are carrying these trichomes, suggesting that these fossil lacewing larvae are closely associated with the habitats of gleicheniacean ferns.
Morphotype MII, dorsal aspect. Note that a spider is preying on the naked larva Gleicheniaceae are important components of many Mid-Cretaceous floras worldwide, and are thought to be among the earliest colonizers after fire events. Therefore, the frequent occurrence of gleicheniacean trichomes in the Burmese amber is indicative of fire events during the time when the amber was deposited. This supports a relationship between fire events and the high production of plant resins and also highlights the importance of wildfires in Mid-Cretaceous pre-angiospermous ecosystems. Reference: Wang Bo, Xia Fangyuan, Engel M.S., Perrichot V., Shi Gongle, Zhang Haichun, Chen Jun, Jarzembowski E.A., Wappler T., Rust J. (2016) Trash-carrying camouflage among diverse lineages of Cretaceous insects. Science Advances, 2: e1501918. WANG Bo Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology E-mail: bowang@nigpas.ac.cn
The new bizarre ant described from 99 million-year-old Burmese amber that displays a prominent cephalic horn and oversized, scythelike mandibles that extend high above the head, demonstrates that early following the advent of ant societies in the Early Cretaceous at least one lineage, the Haidomyrmecini, became adept at prey capture, independently arriving at morphological specializations that would be lost for millions of years after their disappearance near the close of the Mesozoic.
General dorsal view of holotype of new late Cretaceous worker ants Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri (Image by WANG bo) Ants comprise one lineage of the triumvirate of eusocial insects and experienced their early diversification within the Cretaceous. The success of ants is generally attributed to their remarkable social behavior. Recent studies suggest that the early branching lineages of extant ants formed small colonies of subterranean or epigeic, solitary specialist predators. The vast majority of Cretaceous ants belong to stem-group Formicidae and comprise workers and reproductives of largely generalized morphologies, and it is difficult to draw clear conclusions about their ecology, although recent discoveries from the Cretaceous suggest relatively advanced social levels. Remarkable exceptions to this pattern of generalized morphologies are ants with bizarre mouthparts in which both female castes have modified heads and bladelike mandibles that uniquely move in a horizontal rather than vertical plane. Haidomyrmecines have puzzled evolutionary biologists as to their specific ecology, the mandibles apparently acting as traps triggered by sensory hairs in a way distinct from that of modern trap-jaw ants.
Life-like reconstruction of Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri (Image by YANG Dinghua) Not all ants cooperate in social hunting, however, and some of the most effective predatory ants are solitary hunters with powerful trap jaws. Models of early ant evolution predict that the first ants were solitary specialist predators, but discoveries of Cretaceous fossils suggest group recruitment and socially advanced behavior among stem-group ants. Dr. WANG Bo from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues describe a new bizarre ant Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri from 99 million-year-old Burmese amber that displays a prominent cephalic horn and oversized, scythelike mandibles that extend high above the head. These structures presumably functioned as a highly-specialized trap for large-bodied prey. The horn results from an extreme modification of the clypeus hitherto unseen among living and extinct ants, which demonstrates the presence of an exaggerated trap-jaws morphogenesis early among stem-group ants. Together with other Cretaceous haidomyrmecine ants, the new fossil suggests that at least some of the earliest Formicidae were solitary specialist predators. In addition, it demonstrates that early following the advent of ant societies in the Early Cretaceous at least one lineage, the Haidomyrmecini, became adept at prey capture, independently arriving at morphological specializations that would be lost for millions of years after their disappearance near the close of the Mesozoic. The exaggerated condition in the new fossil reveals a proficiency for large-bodied carriage and to the exclusion of smaller, presumably easier-to-subdue prey, and highlights a more complex and diversified suite of ecological traits for the earliest ants. The study entitled “Extreme morphogenesis and ecological specialization among Cretaceous basal ants” has been published online in Current Biology, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.075. WANG BoNanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology E-mail: bowang@nigpas.ac.cn
Left: Type specimen of Yuhania daohugouensis. Right: Reconstructions of partial plant, aggregate fruit, and fruit/carpel of Yuhania daohugouensis. Despite increasing claims of pre-Cretaceous angiosperms, whether there really are angiosperms in the Jurassic is apparently still an open question for many people before further evidence is available. This question can only be answered by studying more Jurassic plant fossils. Recently Dr. WANG Xin from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a fossil angiosperm, Yuhania daohugouensis gen. et sp. nov, from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. The plant includes connected stem, leaves, flowers, aggregate fruits, fruitlets, and seeds within fruitlets. The leaves are helically arranged along the curving stem, linear in shape, with 5-6 parallel veins. The aggregate fruit is pedicellate, composed of over 20 carpels/fruitlets helically arranged. Each fruitlet encloses a seed. The reproductive organs in various stages are found in the same plant, allowing us to understand the development of Yuhania. The occurrence of Yuhania in the Middle Jurassic re-confirms the Jurassic history for angiosperms that has been suggested by other independent research and adds to the on-going study on the early evolution of angiosperms. Reference: Liu, Z.-J., Wang, X., in press. Yuhania: A unique angiosperm from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. Historical Biology.
Microfacies types of the coral biostrome. (a) Kueichouphyllum bafflestone. (b-d) Syringopora, Siphonodendron and Kueichouphyllum-Syringopora bafflestone and framestone. (e-h) Coral, bryozoan, calcareous algae and microbial floatstone. The Mississippian was an important interval for reef evolution when metazoan bioconstructions recovered after the collapse of coral-stromatoporoid reefal ecosystem during the Late Devonian mass extinction event. In the Tournaisian times, no metazoan bioconstructions have been reported, which did not appear until the early Viséan and then gradually flourished. The diversity and abundance of metazoan bioconstructions reached maximum value during the late Viséan. As a type of metazoan bioconstruction, coral biostromes also recovered and flourished during the Viséan. They occurred first in the middle Viséan and gradually increased to peak value during the late Viséan, which were widely distributed in Western Europe and North Africa (western Palaeotethys). To date, no Viséan coral biostromes have been reported in South China (eastern Palaeotethys). Their compositions and relationships to coeval coral biostromes in western Palaeotethys are not understood. To better understand the composition and evolution of the coral biostromes during this critical interval in South China, a middle Viséan (Mississippian) coral biostrome from the Shangsi Formation in Yashui area, central Guizhou Province, southwestern China was detailly reported for the first time by Dr. YAO Le from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The biostrome is about 500 m across and 2.5~3.9 m thick, with low taxonomic diversity comprising 5 coral species belonging to 5 genera. The main builders are Siphonodendron pentalaxoidea, Syringopora sp. and Kueichouphyllum sinense. Associated fossils include abundant brachiopods, crinoids and common foraminifers together with rare calcareous algae, bryozoans, gastropods and ostracods. The lithological and microfacies types of the biostrome are abundant, mainly containing coral bafflestone and framestone, and bioclastic wackestone. Three growth stages of the biostrome are distinguished, based on different compositions of coral taxa, which are K. sinense growth stage, K. sinense-Syringopora sp. growth stage and S. pentalaxoidea growth stage in ascending order. Relative sea-level changes are interpreted to have controlled growth and demise of the biostrome. This coral biostrome has similar biotic composition to middle to late Viséan coral biostromes in Europe and North Africa. The approximately coeval occurrence of coral biostromes in both eastern and western Palaeotethys suggests that a relatively global warm episode existed during the Viséan Stage. Model for sea-level changes controlling the growth and demise of the coral biostrome The paper was published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, and financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology Foundation Project. Reference: Yao, L., Wang, X.D., Lin, W., Li, Y., Kershaw, S., Qie, W.K., 2016. Middle Viséan (Mississippian) coral biostrome in central Guizhou, southwestern China and its palaeoclimatological implications. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 448: 179-194.
