Conodonts,as a biotic group,next to ammonoids,pollen and spores,crustaceans and vertebrates,provide proxy clues for environment and age assessments of the rocks in which they occur.Conodonts are widely used for Triass...Conodonts,as a biotic group,next to ammonoids,pollen and spores,crustaceans and vertebrates,provide proxy clues for environment and age assessments of the rocks in which they occur.Conodonts are widely used for Triassic marine biostratigraphy.However,there are various discussions about their multielement taxonomy and evolutionary lineages(e.g.,generation,speciation).Although first studies reported that most Triassic conodont species were unimembrate,studies carried out in the following years maintained that all Triassic conodonts were multimembrate.Although statistical reconstructions of a number of Triassic apparatuses were attempted,the discovery of fused clusters and natural assemblages has subsequently demonstrated that Triassic conodonts are indeed multimembrate,and all of the elements exist together in the same apparatus.The present paper aims to clarify the evolutionary relationship and array of some Lower Triassic conodonts.Columbitella dagisi n.sp.is described.展开更多
Based on the systematic study of two fossil skeleton specimens collected from the top of the third member of the marine Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation of Yuanan, Hubei Province, South China, a new Early Triassi...Based on the systematic study of two fossil skeleton specimens collected from the top of the third member of the marine Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation of Yuanan, Hubei Province, South China, a new Early Triassic primitive ichthyosaur Chaohusaurus zhang]iawanensis sp. nov. is reported and described. The beds yielding the type material are correlated with the Neospathodus homeri-N, triangularis Conodont zone. The new taxon is most similar to Chaohusaurus geishanensis Young and Dong, 1972 in the shape and configuration of the scapula, forefin, pelvic girdle and hindfin, presacral vertebral count and well-developed caudal peak, but distinguished from the latter by its larger size, the position of the pineal foramen in the centre of the parietal, the occurrence of a larger calcaneum in hindfin and the first sacral rib with distal expansion. The new species exhibits common features of primitive ichthyosaurs such as： （1） the prefrontal has an antero-dorsal shelf projecting towards the orbit; （2） the upper temporal fenestra is small; （3） the postorbital and the squamosal meet laterally to the upper temporal fenestra; and （4） cylindrical centra. However, more derived ichthyosaur characters are seen with the frontal separated from the orbital dorsal margin by the contact of the prefrontal and postfrontal, which offer new clues to the early radiation of ichthyosaurs.展开更多
Since the West Pingdingshan Section in Chaohu was proposed as the candidate of the Global Stratotype Section and Point of the Induan-Olenekian boundary in 2003, the Lower Triassic of Chaohu has been extensively studie...Since the West Pingdingshan Section in Chaohu was proposed as the candidate of the Global Stratotype Section and Point of the Induan-Olenekian boundary in 2003, the Lower Triassic of Chaohu has been extensively studied. Based on the studies on the Lower Triassic of Chaohu, （1） a continuous conodont zonation is established, which has become an important reference for Lower Triassic stratigraphic correlation over the world; （2） the First Appearance Datum of conodont Neospathodus waageni was suggested and has been basically accepted as the primary marker to define the InduanOienekian boundary; （3） a characteristic Lower Triassic excursion of carbon isotopes was brought to light and has been proven to be not only an excellent index for the stratigraphic correlation but also a unique indication for the perturbation of ecological environments in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction; （4） a magnetostratigraphic sequence is constituted with a certain biostratigraphic control in the low-latitude region and it presents an important correlation to the Boreal sequence; （5） a cyclostratigraphic study provides an alternative method to constrain the age of the chronostratigraphic units; and （6） a scheme of the Olenekian subdivision is recently suggested to define the boundary between the Smithian and Spathian Substages. In addition, Chaohu is also the type locality of the Chaohuan Stage, the upper stage of the Lower Triassic in the China Chronostratigraphic System.Thus, the Lower Triassic of Chaohu is not only a classic sequence in South China, but also a key reference sequence to the investigation of the corresponding stratigraphy and geological events over the world. The recent achievements are viewed here for an overall understanding of the sequence. Then the current situation of the Induan-Olenekian and Smithian-Spathian boundaries is discussed to provide a reference for later works.展开更多
文摘Conodonts,as a biotic group,next to ammonoids,pollen and spores,crustaceans and vertebrates,provide proxy clues for environment and age assessments of the rocks in which they occur.Conodonts are widely used for Triassic marine biostratigraphy.However,there are various discussions about their multielement taxonomy and evolutionary lineages(e.g.,generation,speciation).Although first studies reported that most Triassic conodont species were unimembrate,studies carried out in the following years maintained that all Triassic conodonts were multimembrate.Although statistical reconstructions of a number of Triassic apparatuses were attempted,the discovery of fused clusters and natural assemblages has subsequently demonstrated that Triassic conodonts are indeed multimembrate,and all of the elements exist together in the same apparatus.The present paper aims to clarify the evolutionary relationship and array of some Lower Triassic conodonts.Columbitella dagisi n.sp.is described.
基金supported by the China Geological Survey (Grant No. 1212010611603 and 1212011120148)
文摘Based on the systematic study of two fossil skeleton specimens collected from the top of the third member of the marine Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation of Yuanan, Hubei Province, South China, a new Early Triassic primitive ichthyosaur Chaohusaurus zhang]iawanensis sp. nov. is reported and described. The beds yielding the type material are correlated with the Neospathodus homeri-N, triangularis Conodont zone. The new taxon is most similar to Chaohusaurus geishanensis Young and Dong, 1972 in the shape and configuration of the scapula, forefin, pelvic girdle and hindfin, presacral vertebral count and well-developed caudal peak, but distinguished from the latter by its larger size, the position of the pineal foramen in the centre of the parietal, the occurrence of a larger calcaneum in hindfin and the first sacral rib with distal expansion. The new species exhibits common features of primitive ichthyosaurs such as： （1） the prefrontal has an antero-dorsal shelf projecting towards the orbit; （2） the upper temporal fenestra is small; （3） the postorbital and the squamosal meet laterally to the upper temporal fenestra; and （4） cylindrical centra. However, more derived ichthyosaur characters are seen with the frontal separated from the orbital dorsal margin by the contact of the prefrontal and postfrontal, which offer new clues to the early radiation of ichthyosaurs.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology project (no. 2006FY120300-11)Ministry of Education project (no. 200804910503)National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 40830212, 40921062, 40972003)
文摘Since the West Pingdingshan Section in Chaohu was proposed as the candidate of the Global Stratotype Section and Point of the Induan-Olenekian boundary in 2003, the Lower Triassic of Chaohu has been extensively studied. Based on the studies on the Lower Triassic of Chaohu, （1） a continuous conodont zonation is established, which has become an important reference for Lower Triassic stratigraphic correlation over the world; （2） the First Appearance Datum of conodont Neospathodus waageni was suggested and has been basically accepted as the primary marker to define the InduanOienekian boundary; （3） a characteristic Lower Triassic excursion of carbon isotopes was brought to light and has been proven to be not only an excellent index for the stratigraphic correlation but also a unique indication for the perturbation of ecological environments in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction; （4） a magnetostratigraphic sequence is constituted with a certain biostratigraphic control in the low-latitude region and it presents an important correlation to the Boreal sequence; （5） a cyclostratigraphic study provides an alternative method to constrain the age of the chronostratigraphic units; and （6） a scheme of the Olenekian subdivision is recently suggested to define the boundary between the Smithian and Spathian Substages. In addition, Chaohu is also the type locality of the Chaohuan Stage, the upper stage of the Lower Triassic in the China Chronostratigraphic System.Thus, the Lower Triassic of Chaohu is not only a classic sequence in South China, but also a key reference sequence to the investigation of the corresponding stratigraphy and geological events over the world. The recent achievements are viewed here for an overall understanding of the sequence. Then the current situation of the Induan-Olenekian and Smithian-Spathian boundaries is discussed to provide a reference for later works.
