Triassic Scleractinian Corals in China：A Review of Present Knowledge

Scleractinian corals appeared during the Anisian period of the Triassic after the end-Permian mass extinction, which in Triassic were distinct from the Jurassic-Cretaceous scleractinian corals. The study on Triassic scleractinian coral fauna as a separate field is significant for exploring the development and evolution of modern corals and investigating environmental changes since the Mesozoic. The first Triassic coral in China was reported in 1925, and since then, nearly 25 articles dealing with taxonomy and 17 papers about fossil reports on Triassic scleractinian corals in China have been published, which refer to 60 genera and 312 species, 49 localities and 25 strata. In this paper, the history, taxonomy, localities, stratigraphic distribution, current research, and existing knowledge gaps of the Triassic scleractinian corals in China are reviewed. More specifically, the research findings of the Triassic scleractinain coral in China since 1925 are discussed; the species of the Triassic scleractian coral fossil reported in China, has been examined and its synonyms have been sorted out; the geographical distributions of the Middle and Late Triassic scleractinian corals in China are systematically treated; the Triassic coral biostratigraphy in China has been improved; and the stratigraphic ranges of existing genera and species are provided. The above conclusions are presented in the form of complete figures. At the same time, we analyzed shortcomings in current research and identified productive future research directions of the Triassic scleractinian corals in China.

Paleoecological associations of middle Llandovery (Silurian) corals from Huaying Mountain, eastern Sichuan Province

Corals are comparatively abundant in the upper member of the Baiyun'an Formation (upper Aeronian to lowerest Telychian, Llandovery, Silurian) of Huaying, eastern Sichuan Province, Southwest China. Three coral associations have been recognized, i.e., in ascending order, the Mesofavosites Association, the Dentilasma Association, and the Paraceriaster Association. The Mesofavosites Association occurs at horizons indicating a shallow and high-energy environment. It is dominated by large favositids accompanied by a few broken pieces of halysitids and small solitary rugose corals. The Dentilasma Association has a pretty high coral diversity, dominated by the solitary rugose coral Dentilasma meitanense, together with some subordinative heliolitids and favositids. The sedimentary evidence shows that this association might live in a quiet and nutritive shallow water environment. The Paraceriaster Association yields in the grayish green calcareous mudstone indicating a comparatively deep water environment. Systematically it contains abundant fasciculate Paraceriaster micropora and a few favositids. The distinction among these three coral associations shows that corals could adopt different adaptive strategies under different environments, which provide some new data for the investigation on the ecology of Silurian corals and further study on the "Lower Red Beds".