New and overlooked occurrences of the rarely reported protochelonibiine “turtle” barnacles from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe - Alberto Collareta; Mathias Harzhauser; Michael W. Rasser (PalZ, 2022)

Two passeriform birds (Aves: Passeriformes) from the Middle Miocene of Austria - Johannes Happ; Armin Elsler; Jürgen Kriwet; Cathrin Pfaff; Zbigniew M. Bochenski (PalZ, 2022)
Two newly discovered specimens of passerine birds—an isolated sternum and an associated skeleton—from the upper Middle Miocene (ca. 12 Ma) are the oldest representatives of Passeriformes from Austria. Although the condition of the specimens prevents their accurate identification, they provide further clues on the morphological diversity of the avifauna during this period and fill gaps in the paleobiogeography of Miocene passerines. The associated skeleton represents a bird similar in size to the extant Sylvia atricapilla or Erithacus rubecula , and the delicate beak indicates that the bird fed mainly on small invertebrates and possibly also soft fruit. The isolated sternum belonged to a small thrush-sized bird and, considering the fragility of this skeletal element, is one of the best-preserved Miocene passerine sterna in the world.

Debris-carrying behaviour of bark lice immatures preserved in 100 million years old amber - Christine Kiesmüller; Joachim T. Haug; Patrick Müller; Marie K. Hörnig (PalZ, 2022)
Camouflage strategies, including several types of concealments, are known for several insect groups today, such as immatures of some species within reduviid bugs (Hemiptera), lace wings (Neuroptera), caddisflies (Trichoptera) and bark lice (Psocodea). However, camouflage has only rarely been reported in the fossil record. Here we report findings of four bark lice preserved in 100 Million year old amber from Myanmar, which represent the first fossil evidence for masking behaviour in Cretaceous representatives of Psocodea. All four of these, probably not conspecific, and immature bark lice carry sand granules and organic material atop their back, which probably resulted in camouflaging them against the background (e.g. bark) to avoid detection by predators. We briefly summarise concepts of camouflage and examples of decoration behaviour within insects, as well as possible “receiver” (i.e. predators) of the camouflage of the herein described bark lice. The exact phylogenetic position of the specimens remains unclear, due to the scarce fossil record of Cretaceous immatures of Psocodea, as well as extant immatures. This demonstrates the importance of findings as reported here, as a wide knowledge of morphology and development of a certain group is crucial to get an insight into their evolution and reconstructing environments in deep time.

Middle Triassic bivalve traces from central Europe (Muschelkalk, Anisian): overlooked burrows of a common ichnofabric - Michał Stachacz; Dirk Knaust; Michał Matysik (PalZ, 2022)
The ichnotaxonomy, producers and ethology of the bivalve trace fossil Oravaichnium Plička and Uhrová, 1990 are revised, and the mode of formation is discussed. The ichnogenus is compared with other mollusc trace fossils such as Protovirgularia , Lockeia and Ptychoplasma , as well as the common, cosmopolitan trace fossils Planolites and Palaeophycus , which are morphologically similar to Oravaichnium . A lectotype of Oravaichnium hrabei Plička and Uhrová, 1990 is defined and illustrated. Oravaichnium carinatum isp. nov. from the Middle Triassic of Poland and Germany is described and interpreted as a bivalve burrow. It differs from the relatively rare O. hrabei by a carinate rather than subquadrate cross section. However, O. carinatum isp. nov. shows a great variation of morphology and transitional forms with O. hrabei are common. Similarly, transitional forms of Oravaichnium with other bivalve ichnogenera, especially Protovirgularia , also occur. The studied Triassic ichnoassemblage clearly indicates that bivalve burrows are much more common than previously believed and are represented by repichnia, fodinichnia and cubichnia. The occurrence of similar ichnofabrics containing Oravaichnium in other Triassic succession of the Germanic and Tethys basins and elsewhere suggests a much wider distribution than hitherto known. It is evident that bivalves, most likely nuculids, participated greatly in bioturbation, and the Middle Triassic infaunalisation is one of the most important steps in Phanerozoic evolution of ichnocoenoses.

Diversity of gobioid fishes in the late middle Miocene of northern Moldova, Eastern Paratethys – part I: an extinct clade of Lesueurigobius look-alikes - Bettina Reichenbacher; Alexander F. Bannikov (PalZ, 2022)
Studies of otoliths suggest that Gobioidei, which are among the most species-rich groups of modern-day vertebrates, were prominent elements of late middle Miocene (early Sarmatian sensu lato) fish faunas in Europe and Western Asia. However, few complete skeletons have come to light. Here, we report an assemblage of six marine gobiid species, based on skeletons preserved with otoliths in situ, from the lower Volhynian (lower Sarmatian s.l.) of Karpov Yar, Naslavcea, northern Moldova (Eastern Paratethys). Previously only one of these species had been reported from the Central Paratethys, based on its otoliths alone. Five new species representing four new genera are described: † Katyagobius prikryli gen. et sp. nov., Pseudolesueurigobius manfredi gen. et sp. nov., † Sarmatigobius compactus gen. et sp. nov., † Yarigobius decoratus gen. et sp. nov., and † Y. naslavcensis gen. et sp. nov. All six species share the following set of characters, suggesting that they represent a monophyletic clade: 27–29 vertebrae (of which 10 are abdominal); spines of first dorsal fin distally filamentous; second dorsal fin with spine and 14–16 soft rays; anal fin with spine and 13–15 soft rays; caudal fin longish-to-lanceolate; otoliths (sagittae) with rounded, trapezoid-to-squarish shape. Their skeletal features suggest that they are closely related to Lesueurigobius Whitley, 1950, but the otoliths preserved in situ do not support such a classification. The new fossils most likely represent a stem lineage of the European Aphia lineage, and indicate that the diversity of gobiid lineages 12 million years ago differed clearly from that observed today.

Additions to the early Miocene herpetofauna of Weisenau (Germany): urodeles and squamates from a rediscovered historical collection in Italy - Andrea Villa; Simone Gobbi; Massimo Delfino (PalZ, 2022)

Malformed trilobites from the Ordovician and Devonian - Russell D. C. Bicknell; Patrick M. Smith; Jana Bruthansová; Brayden Holland (PalZ, 2022)

Oxfordian brachiopods from the ammonitico rosso-type Fonyászó Limestone formation at Zengővárkony, Mecsek Mountains, Hungary and their palaeoecological, palaeobiogeographical and palaeopathological significance - László Bujtor; Richárd Albrecht (PalZ, 2022)
Recent discovery of a previously unknown outcrop in the vicinity of the Zengővárkony lime-kilns (Mecsek Mountains, Hungary) provided a few identifiable upper Oxfordian brachiopods that exhibit a truly Mediterranean (Tethyan) character. Dating of the outcrop is based on a rich ammonite fauna: Benetticeras benettii; Trimarginites ex gr. trimarginatus; Orthosphinctes (Orthosphinctes) ex gr. tiziani clearly indicate the Late Oxfordian. The brachiopod fauna indicates a deep-water marine environment and well-oxygenated sea floor. Nucleata bouei and Pygope catulloi are recorded for the first time from the Mecsek Mountains. A pathologic specimen of Pygope catulloi is also recognized. Its ventral valve was injured in an early developmental stage that caused deformation of the left side, which was overgrown by the healthy right side and created an asymmetric adult shell shape. Cause of the injury is unclear but it provides further evidence for subsequent healing of brachiopods after being injured. This is the first description and illustration of Oxfordian brachiopods from the Mecsek Mountains, Hungary. The occurrence of Tethyan originating pygopid brachiopods in the Oxfordian strengthens earlier observations that from the Bathonian/Callovian Tethyan influence became overwhelming in the Mecsek Mountains fauna. Pygope catulloi strengthens records from Algeria that pygopid brachiopods may have occurred very early on the periphery of the Western Tethys.

The first fossils of the most basal pseudoscorpion family (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae): evidence for major biogeographical shifts in the European paleofauna - Daniel Schwarze; Danilo Harms; Jörg U. Hammel; Ulrich Kotthoff (PalZ, 2022)
Pseudoscorpions belong to the oldest terrestrial lineages with origins in the Devonian (ca. 385 Ma) but their fossil record is extremely sparse and little is known about their diversification over time. Here, we describe the first fossil species of the pseudoscorpion family Pseudotyrannochthoniidae that resemble the Devonian fossils in major details, such as the chaetotaxy of the pedipalps. We describe two new species, Allochthonius balticus sp. nov. from Baltic amber and Centrochthonius bitterfeldicus sp. nov. from Bitterfeld amber in northern Europe. Both species can unequivocally be assigned to extant genera and provide further evidence for dramatic range shifts in European invertebrate biota since the Paleogene. Allochthonius Chamberlin, 1929 is a diverse genus in eastern Asia (China, Korea, and Japan) today but does not occur anywhere in central Asia, Europe or North America. Centrochthonius Beier, 1931 is a poorly known genus but seems to be restricted to high altitude habitats in central Asia (China, Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal). With range retractions to regions more than 4600 km away from the European amber deposits, the fossils highlight total lineage extinction in Europe and survival in refugia that are climatically and botanically most similar to the Baltic amber forest of the Eocene. Overall, our results support the concept of morphological but potentially also ecological stasis in major pseudoscorpion lineages over long periods of time and agree with previous studies that suggested a warm temperate rather than subtropical or tropical climate for the time of amber deposition.

Reinterpretation of girdled lizard remains from Switzerland documents the first occurrence of the lacertid Janosikia outside of Germany - Andrea Villa; Bettina Reichenbacher (PalZ, 2022)

Split-footed lacewings declined over time: indications from the morphological diversity of their antlion-like larvae - Gideon T. Haug; Carolin Haug; Serita van der Wal; Patrick Müller; Joachim T. Haug (PalZ, 2022)
Nymphidae, the group of split-footed lacewings, is a rather species-poor group. Split-footed lacewings nowadays are restricted to Australasia, while fossil forms are also known from other areas of the world, indicating that the group was more species-rich and therefore likely diverse in the past. Split-footed lacewings have rather distinct larvae, roughly resembling antlion larvae, but differing from the latter especially with regard to the mandibles. Antlion larvae usually have three prominent teeth on each mandible, while at least extant larvae of split-footed lacewings only have a single prominent tooth per mandible. Fossils interpreted as larvae of split-footed lacewings are well known from amber from Myanmar (ca. 100 myr; Burmese amber) and by a single specimen from Baltic amber (about 40 myr). We here report additional fossil specimens from Myanmar amber, expanding the known record of fossil forms from six depicted specimens to 15. For the extant fauna, we could compile 25 larvae. We compare the diversity of shape of extant and fossil larvae through time using an outline analysis (based on elliptic Fourier transformation) of the head. The results of this analysis indicate that the morphological diversity, or disparity, of split-footed lacewing larvae was higher in the past than it is today. With this type of analysis, we can show a loss of diversity over time, without the necessity to identify the fossil larvae down to a narrow taxonomical range. A similar pattern has already been recognised in silky lacewings, Psychopsidae. This might indicate a general loss of diversity of lacewing larvae.

Eocene caviomorph rodents from Balsayacu (Peruvian Amazonia) - Myriam Boivin; Laurent Marivaux; Walter Aguirre-Diaz; Michele Andriolli Custódio; Aldo Benites-Palomino; François Pujos; Martin Roddaz; Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi; Narla Stutz; Julia V. Tejada-Lara; Johan Yans; Pierre-Olivier Antoine (PalZ, 2022)

Rediscovering Lutra lutra from Grotta Romanelli (southern Italy) in the framework of the puzzling evolutionary history of Eurasian otter - Beniamino Mecozzi; Alessio Iannucci; Fabio Bona; Ilaria Mazzini; Pierluigi Pieruccini; Raffaele Sardella (PalZ, 2022)
A river otter hemimandible has been rediscovered during the revision of the historical collections of G.A. Blanc from Grotta Romanelli, complementing the ongoing multidisciplinary research fieldwork on the site. The specimen, recovered from the level G (“terre rosse”; early Late Pleistocene or late Middle Pleistocene), is here assigned to Lutra lutra . Indeed, morphological and morphometric comparisons with other Quaternary Lutrinae fossils from Europe allow to exclude an attribution to the relatively widespread and older Lutra simplicidens , characterized by distinctive carnassial proportions. Differences with Cyrnaonyx antiqua , which possessed a more robust, shellfish-feeding dentition, support the view of a successful niche repartition between the two species during the late Middle to Late Pleistocene of Europe. The occurrence of Lutra lutra from the “terre rosse” of Grotta Romanelli suggests deep modifications of the landscapes due to the ecological adaptation of the taxon, and indicates that the Eurasian otter spread into Europe at the Middle–Late Pleistocene transition.

Special issue: Going Deep—Tracking life processes through time and space - Joachim Reitner; Jan-Peter Duda; Mark van Zuilen; Xingliang Zhang; Jörn Peckmann; Michael Hoppert (PalZ, 2021)

A relict oasis of living deep-sea mussels Bathymodiolus and microbial-mediated seep carbonates at newly-discovered active cold seeps in the Gulf of Cádiz, NE Atlantic Ocean - Luis Somoza; José Luis Rueda; Francisco J. González; Blanca Rincón-Tomás; Teresa Medialdea; Olga Sánchez-Guillamón; Michael Hoppert; Juan T. Vázquez; Pedro Madureira; Esther Santofimia; Enrique López-Pamo; Desirée Palomino; et al. (PalZ, 2021)
Extensive beds of the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus mauritanicus (currently also known as Gigantidas mauritanicus ) linked to active cold seeps related to fissure-like activity on Al Gacel mud volcano, Gulf of Cádiz, were filmed and sampled for the first time during the oceanographic expedition SUBVENT-2 aboard R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa. Al Gacel mud volcano is one of up to 80 fluid venting submarine structures (mud volcanoes and mud volcano/diapir complexes) identified in the Gulf of Cádiz as result of explosive venting of hydrocarbon-enriched fluids sourced from deep seated reservoirs. This mud volcano is a cone-shaped edifice, 107 m high, 944 m in diameter constituted by mud breccias and, partially covered by pavements of seep carbonates. Extensive beds of this deep-sea mussel were detected at the northern flank at 810–815 m water depth associated with bacterial mats around intermittent buoyant vertical bubble methane plumes. High methane concentrations were measured in the water column above living mussel beds. Other chemosymbiotic species ( Siboglinum sp., Solemya elarraichensis , Isorropodon sp., Thyasira vulcolutre and Lucinoma asapheus ) were also found in different parts of Al Gacel mud volcano. Al Gacel mud volcano may currently represent one of the most active mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cádiz, delivering significant amounts of thermogenic hydrocarbon fluids which contribute to foster the extensive chemosynthesis-based communities detected. This finding is of paramount importance for linking extremophile bivalve populations along the North Atlantic, including cold seeps of the Gulf of México, hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and now, detailed documented at the Gulf of Cádiz.

Molecular fossils within bitumens and kerogens from the ~ 1 Ga Lakhanda Lagerstätte (Siberia, Russia) and their significance for understanding early eukaryote evolution - Jan-Peter Duda; Hannah König; Manuel Reinhardt; Julia Shuvalova; Pavel Parkhaev (PalZ, 2021)
The emergence and diversification of eukaryotes during the Proterozoic is one of the most fundamental evolutionary developments in Earth’s history. The ca. 1-billion-year-old Lakhanda Lagerstätte (Siberia, Russia) contains a wealth of eukaryotic body fossils and offers an important glimpse into their ecosystem. Seeking to complement the paleontological record of this remarkable lagerstätte, we here explored information encoded within sedimentary organic matter (total organic carbon = 0.01–1.27 wt.%). Major emphasis was placed on sedimentary hydrocarbons preserved within bitumens and kerogens, including molecular fossils (or organic biomarkers) that are specific to bacteria and eukaryotes (i.e. hopanes and regular steranes, respectively). Programmed pyrolysis and molecular organic geochemistry suggest that the organic matter in the analyzed samples is about peak oil window maturity and thus sufficiently well preserved for detailed molecular fossil studies that include hopanes and steranes. Together with petrographic evidence as well as compositional similarities of the bitumens and corresponding kerogens, the consistency of different independent maturity parameters establishes that sedimentary hydrocarbons are indigenous and syngenetic to the host rock. The possible presence of trace amounts of hopanes and absence of steranes in samples that are sufficiently well preserved to retain both types of compounds evidences an environment dominated by anaerobic bacteria with no or very little inputs by eukaryotes. In concert with the paleontological record of the Lakhanda Lagerstätte, our study adds to the view that eukaryotes were present but not significant in Mesoproterozoic ecosystems.

New Ediacaran fossils from the Ukraine, some with a putative tunicate relationship - Andrej Martyshyn; Alfred Uchman (PalZ, 2021)
Sack-like body fossils Finkoella ukrainica gen. et sp. nov. and F. oblonga sp. nov., and reticulate fossil Pharyngomorpha reticulata gen. et sp. nov. are described from the upper Ediacaran shallow-marine deposits of Ukraine, which are no younger than 557 Ma. The first two resemble the flattened bodies of tunicates showing mainly the outline of tunica, while the third is considered as a fragment of the pharyngeal basket of a tunicate. F. ukrainica is represented by smaller individuals interpreted as juveniles, which may occur in clusters together with less numerous larger individuals. The larger forms are interpreted as adults, some of which show the preserved oral/atrial syphons and possible traces of internal organs bulging through the tunica. Moreover, Burykhia sp. from the uppermost Ediacaran of the same region is presented. This is the second and younger occurrence of the genus Burykhia , which is preserved as a possible fragment of the pharyngeal basket. All the fossils are preserved as the “death masks” between microbial mats, and their appearance depends partly on the relation to the parting surface on which they are observed. The presented new taxa along with the literature data reinforce the possibility that tunicates originated already in late Ediacaran.

Microbial processes during deposition and diagenesis of Banded Iron Formations - Carolin L. Dreher; Manuel Schad; Leslie J. Robbins; Kurt O. Konhauser; Andreas Kappler; Prachi Joshi (PalZ, 2021)
Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) are marine chemical sediments consisting of alternating iron (Fe) - rich and silica (Si)-rich bands which were deposited throughout much of the Precambrian era. BIFs represent important proxies for the geochemical composition of Precambrian seawater and provide evidence for early microbial life. Iron present in BIFs was likely precipitated in the form of Fe 3+ (Fe(III)) minerals, such as ferrihydrite (Fe(OH) 3 ), either through the metabolic activity of anoxygenic photoautotrophic Fe 2+ (Fe(II))-oxidizing bacteria (photoferrotrophs), by microaerophilic bacteria, or by the oxidation of dissolved Fe(II) by O 2 produced by early cyanobacteria. However, in addition to oxidized Fe-bearing minerals such as hematite (Fe III 2 O 3 ), (partially) reduced minerals such as magnetite (Fe II Fe III 2 O 4 ) and siderite (Fe II CO 3 ) are found in BIFs as well. The presence of reduced Fe in BIFs has been suggested to reflect the reduction of primary Fe(III) minerals by dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, or by metamorphic (high pressure and temperature) reactions occurring in presence of buried organic matter. Here, we present the current understanding of the role of Fe-metabolizing bacteria in the deposition of BIFs, as well as competing hypotheses that favor an abiotic model for BIF deposition. We also discuss the potential abiotic and microbial reduction of Fe(III) in BIFs after deposition. Further, we review the availability of essential nutrients (e.g. P and Ni) and their implications on early Earth biogeochemistry. Overall, the combined results of various ancient seawater analogue experiments aimed at assessing microbial iron cycling pathways, coupled with the analysis of the BIF rock record, point towards a strong biotic influence during BIF genesis.

Ultrastructure and in-situ chemical characterization of intracellular granules of embryo-like fossils from the early Ediacaran Weng’an biota - Weichen Sun; Zongjun Yin; Pengju Liu; Philip C. J. Donoghue; Jinhua Li; Maoyan Zhu (PalZ, 2021)

The discovery of widespread agrichnia traces in Devonian black shales of North America: another chapter in the evolving understanding of a “not so anoxic” ancient sea - Ryan D. Wilson; Juergen Schieber; Cameron J. Stewart (PalZ, 2021)

Ooids forming in situ within microbial mats (Kiritimati atoll, central Pacific) - Pablo Suarez-Gonzalez; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2021)
Ooids (subspherical particles with a laminated cortex growing around a nucleus) are ubiquitous in the geological record since the Archean and have been widely studied for more than two centuries. However, various questions about them remain open, particularly about the role of microbial communities and organic matter in their formation and development. Although ooids typically occur rolling around in agitated waters, here, we describe for the first time aragonite ooids forming statically within microbial mats from hypersaline ponds of Kiritimati (Kiribati, central Pacific). Subspherical particles had been previously observed in these mats and classified as spherulites, but these particles grow around autochthonous micritic nuclei, and many of them have laminated cortices, with alternating radial fibrous laminae and micritic laminae. Thus, they are compatible with the definition of the term ‘ooid’ and are in fact very similar to many modern and fossil examples. Kiritimati ooids are more abundant and developed in some ponds and in some particular layers of the microbial mats, which leads to the discussion and interpretation of their formation processes as product of mat evolution, through a combination of organic and environmental factors. Radial fibrous laminae are formed during periods of increased supersaturation, either by metabolic or environmental processes. Micritic laminae are formed in closer association with the mat exopolymer (EPS) matrix, probably during periods of lower supersaturation and/or stronger EPS degradation. Therefore, this study represents a step forward in the understanding of ooid development as influenced by microbial communities, providing a useful analogue for explaining similar fossil ooids.

Habitability of the early Earth: liquid water under a faint young Sun facilitated by strong tidal heating due to a closer Moon - René Heller; Jan-Peter Duda; Max Winkler; Joachim Reitner; Laurent Gizon (PalZ, 2021)
Geological evidence suggests liquid water near the Earth’s surface as early as 4.4 gigayears ago when the faint young Sun only radiated about 70% of its modern power output. At this point, the Earth should have been a global snowball if it possessed atmospheric properties similar to those of the modern Earth. An extreme atmospheric greenhouse effect, an initially more massive Sun, release of heat acquired during the accretion process of protoplanetary material, and radioactivity of the early Earth material have been proposed as reservoirs or traps for heat. For now, the faint-young-Sun paradox persists as an important problem in our understanding of the origin of life on Earth. Here, we use the constant-phase-lag tidal theory to explore the possibility that the new-born Moon, which formed about 69 million years (Myr) after the ignition of the Sun, generated extreme tidal friction—and therefore, heat—in the Hadean and possibly the Archean Earth. We show that the Earth–Moon system has lost $${\sim }3~{× }~10^{31}$$ ∼ 3 × 10 31 J (99% of its initial mechanical energy budget) as tidal heat. Tidal heating of $${\sim }10\,\mathrm{W\,m}^{-2}$$ ∼ 10 W m - 2 through the surface on a time scale of 100 Myr could have accounted for a temperature increase of up to $$5\,^° $$ 5 ∘ C on the early Earth. This heating effect alone does not solve the faint-young-Sun paradox but it could have played a key role in combination with other effects. Future studies of the interplay of tidal heating, the evolution of the solar power output, and the atmospheric (greenhouse) effects on the early Earth could help in solving the faint-young-Sun paradox.

Burrows without a trace—How meioturbation affects rock fabrics and leaves a record of meiobenthos activity in shales and mudstones - Juergen Schieber; Ryan D. Wilson (PalZ, 2021)

Massive cryptic microbe-sponge deposits in a Devonian fore-reef slope (Elbingerode Reef Complex, Harz Mts., Germany) - Eberhard Gischler; Arnold Fuchs; Wolfgang Bach; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2021)
A massive occurrence of microbial carbonates, including abundant sponge remains, within the Devonian Elbingerode Reef Complex was likely deposited in a former cavity of the fore-reef slope during the early Frasnian. It is suggested that the formation of microbial carbonate was to a large part favored by the activity of heterotrophic, i.e., sulfate-reducing bacteria, in analogy to Quaternary coral reef microbialites. The Elbingerode Reef Complex is an example of an oceanic or Darwinian barrier reef system. In modern barrier reef settings, microbialite formation is commonly further facilitated by weathering products from the central volcanic islands. The Devonian microbialites of the Elbingerode Reef Complex occur in the form of reticulate and laminated frameworks. Reticulate framework is rich in hexactinellid glass sponges, the tissue decay of which led to the formation of abundant micrite as well as peloidal and stromatactis textures. Supposed calcimicrobes such as Angusticellularia (formerly Angulocellularia ) and Frutexites , also known from cryptic habitats, were part of the microbial association. The microbial degradation of sponge tissue likely also contributed to the laminated framework accretion as evidenced by the occurrence of remains of so-called “keratose” demosponges. Further typical textures in the microbialite of the Elbingerode Reef Complex include zebra limestone, i.e., the more or less regular intercalation of microbial carbonate and cement. Elevated concentrations of magnesium in the microbialite as compared to the surrounding metazoan (stromatoporoid-coral) reef limestone suggests that the microbialite of the Elbingerode Reef Complex was initially rich in high-magnesium calcite, which would be yet another parallel to modern, cryptic coral reef microbial carbonates. Deposition and accretion of the microbialite largely occurred in oxygenated seawater with suboxic episodes as indicated by the trace element (REE + Y) data.

Current understanding on the Cambrian Explosion: questions and answers - Xingliang Zhang; Degan Shu (PalZ, 2021)
The Cambrian Explosion by nature is a three-phased explosion of animal body plans alongside episodic biomineralization, pulsed change of generic diversity, body size variation, and progressive increase of ecosystem complexity. The Cambrian was a time of crown groups nested by numbers of stem groups with a high-rank taxonomy of Linnaean system (classes and above). Some stem groups temporarily succeeded while others were ephemeral and underrepresented by few taxa. The high number of stem groups in the early history of animals is a major reason for morphological gaps across phyla that we see today. Most phylum-level clades achieved their maximal disparity (or morphological breadth) during the time interval close to their first appearance in the fossil record during the early Cambrian, whereas others, principally arthropods and chordates, exhibit a progressive exploration of morphospace in subsequent Phanerozoic. The overall envelope of metazoan morphospace occupation was already broad in the early Cambrian though it did not reach maximal disparity nor has diminished significantly as a consequence of extinction since the Cambrian. Intrinsic and extrinsic causes were extensively discussed but they are merely prerequisites for the Cambrian Explosion. Without the molecular evolution, there could be no Cambrian Explosion. However, the developmental system is alone insufficient to explain Cambrian Explosion. Time-equivalent environmental changes were often considered as extrinsic causes, but the time coincidence is also insufficient to establish causality. Like any other evolutionary event, it is the ecology that make the Cambrian Explosion possible though ecological processes failed to cause a burst of new body plans in the subsequent evolutionary radiations. The Cambrian Explosion is a polythetic event in natural history and manifested in many aspects. No simple, single cause can explain the entire phenomenon.

Eckicrinidae: a new lineage of Triassic crinoids and the diversification of attachment strategies in the Early and Middle Triassic - Hans Hagdorn (PalZ, 2021)

Exceptionally preserved extracellular bone matrix proteins from the late Neogene proboscidean Anancus (Mammalia: Proboscidea) - Tyede H. Schmidt-Schultz; Mike Reich; Michael Schultz (PalZ, 2021)
In an exceptional preservation state, bones conserve the entire pattern of extracellular bone matrix proteins over thousands or sometimes even millions of years. Here we present typical extracellular bone matrix proteins, which were extracted from a 3.0-million-year-old gomphothere proboscidean, and identified with special antibodies. For the first time, osteonectin, osteopontin and BMP-2 were confidently identified from the extinct Anancus arvernensis , based on late Pliocene material from Willershausen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Our study has value in demonstrating that the longevity of original extracellular bone matrix proteins is much greater than formerly expected, and that such materials may be stabilised for distinct geological periods of time, especially in Fossil Lagerstätten.

Taxon- and senescence-specific fluorescence of colored leaves from the Pliocene Willershausen Lagerstätte, Germany - Klaus Wolkenstein; Gernot Arp (PalZ, 2021)
UV-light-induced fluorescence is widely used in the study of coal macerals and palynological samples, but to date has not been described in great detail for plant macrofossils. Here, we report the characteristics of bright UV-light-induced fluorescence of various fossil angiosperm leaf taxa from the Upper Pliocene of Willershausen, Lower Saxony, Germany. The fluorescence is exceptional, since different fluorescence colors ranging from green to yellow to red can be observed and fluorescence properties are found to be related to genera. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, fluorescence was studied in detail and emission spectra were obtained that allowed to differentiate broad groups of fluorophores. Fluorescence emissions attributed to chlorophyll degradation products demonstrate that fluorescence can be used as an indicator for exceptional chemical preservation of leaf fossils. Comparison with present-day senescing plants suggests that the fluorescence differences in the fossil leaves are mainly caused by taxon-specific degeneration of organic compounds during senescence. The occurrence of various leaf taxa with different fluorescence properties, preserved under identical conditions of fossilization, indicate that diagenesis was not crucial for the differences in leaf fluorescence.

Sedimentary factories and ecosystem change across the Permian–Triassic Critical Interval (P–TrCI): insights from the Xiakou area (South China) - Yu Pei; Jan-Peter Duda; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2021)
The Permian–Triassic mass extinction included a potentially catastrophic decline of biodiversity, but ecosystem change across this event remains poorly characterized. Here we reconstruct sedimentary factories and ecosystem change across the Permian–Triassic Critical Interval (P–TrCI) in the Xiakou area (South China). Six microfacies (MF) were classified. The succession begins with a eukaryote-controlled carbonate factory (MF-1) that passes upward into an organomineralization-dominated carbonate factory (MF-2–3). Organic-rich marls atop these units reflect carbonate factory collapse (MF-4). Organomineralization-driven carbonate formation restarts prior to the Permian–Triassic boundary (MF-5) and subsequently develops into a mixed carbonate factory where organomineralization and biomineralization are almost equally important (MF-6). MF-1 reflects oxygenated shallow water environments. In contrast, MF-2–6 were all deposited in somewhat deeper environments, some of which episodically exhibited elevated salinities, oxygen depletion, and, possibly, euxinic conditions. Our results demonstrate that distinct changes in carbonate production styles, biodiversity, and environmental conditions are not synchronous at Xiakou. Furthermore, the Xiakou record is strikingly different to that of other localities, even from the same area (e.g., the Global Stratotype Section and Point section at Meishan). Together, these findings highlight the enormous complexity of the P–TrCI and calls simplified views of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction into question.

Stiffening in the carpus of Prosantorhinus germanicus (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) from Sandelzhausen (Germany) - Rico Schellhorn (PalZ, 2021)
Prosantorhinus germanicus is a small, short-legged, teleoceratine rhino from the Miocene of Sandelzhausen (Bavaria, Germany). P. germanicus shows a high variation in some of its carpal bones. A unique modification of the articulation of Intermedium and Carpale 4 is described here. Special emphasis is given to additional articulation facets at the palmar processes of both bones. These additional contacts, working as stop facets, are unique among rhinos and restrict the flexion of the mid-carpal joint. Some individuals show these additional facets which prohibit the flexion within the wrist and therefore stiffen the carpus. Carpale 4 specimens without the additional facets show knob-like structures instead. These knobs are most likely precursory structures of those facets and the facets are fully developed in heavier males. A skeletal sexual dimorphism is not visible in the sample as all bones are in the same size range. The wrist stiffening in the mid-carpal joint supports a greater bodyweight and therefore could coincide with P. germanicus as a proposed dwarfed rhinoceros species. The stiffening can also be interpreted in favor of a semiaquatic mode of life. The stiffened carpus is more resistant against injuries while walking on muddy grounds in a wet environment.

A reevaluation of the Late Jurassic dinosaur tracksite Barkhausen (Wiehengebirge, Northern Germany) - Christian A. Meyer; Matteo Belvedere; Benjamin Englich; Martin G. Lockley (PalZ, 2021)
A restudy of the Barkhausen dinosaur tracksite shows that the track-bearing surface reveals considerably more detail than previously indicated, and a new map is presented, showing the trackways of nine sauropods, traveling north, possibly as a group. These are among the smallest sauropod tracks recorded in Europe. There is also evidence of two large theropods crossing the area, one moving to the south and the other to the west. Evidence of at least three other sauropods is registered in the form of isolated manus traces that represent larger individuals. Previous interpretations inferred that sauropod trackways trended south, and therefore suggested a predator chasing its prey as in the purported but controversial attack scenario claimed for the famous Paluxy River site in Texas. Based on the present study, this scenario is no longer tenable for the Barkhausen tracksite. The description of Elephantopoides barkhausensis (Kaever and Lapparent, 1974) shows that it represents a moderately wide gauge, but small manus sauropod and can be assigned under the ichnofamily label Parabrontopodidae. E. barkhausensis as originally defined was a nomen dubium , but it has since been re-described semi-formally, without renaming, we emend the description and assigned them to the ichnotaxon Parabrontopodus barkhausensis comb. nov. These tracks could have been produced by the small sauropod dinosaur taxon Europasaurus . The problematic ichnotaxon Megalosauropus teutonicus (Kaever and Lapparent, 1974), which represents a large three-toed theropod, is assigned to the recently described ichnogenus Jurabrontes from the Late Kimmeridgian of the Swiss Jura mountains as Jurabrontes teutonicus comb. nov. Furthermore, we attribute the theropod tracks from the time equivalent Langenberg quarry to the same ichnotaxon.

Morphology and ecology of the bradoriid arthropods Spinospitella and Nikolarites from the Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) of North Greenland (Laurentia) - John S. Peel; Christian B. Skovsted; Elise Wallet (PalZ, 2021)
Tuberculate fragments referred to Nikolarites spasskyi are compared with a complete carapace and other material of Spinospitella from Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4 in North Greenland. The descriptions expand earlier brief records from Laurentia of the two bradoriids, originally described from Siberia and Australia, respectively. The mutually exclusive occurrences of the two taxa indicate ecological control of their distribution in North Greenland. Robust fragments of Nikolarites spasskyi occur in reworked higher energy deposits of the Aftenstjernesø Formation, while thin-walled carapaces of Spinospitella characterise deeper water mudstones within the Buen and Aftenstjernesø formations.

Trunk regionalization and functional morphology of the globally distributed trilobite Bathynotus from Cambrian Series 2 of China - Kaiyu Yang; Tao Dai; Xingliang Zhang; Shanchi Peng (PalZ, 2021)

First record of late Valanginian ammonites from the Mecsek Mountains (Hungary), and their importance for regional stratigraphy - László Bujtor; Gergő Gőgös (PalZ, 2021)
A fairly preserved ammonite of Early Cretaceous age from the Mecsek Mountains, southern Hungary is described. Tescheniceras subpachydicranum is the first record of late Valanginian ammonites from the Mecsek tectonic zone from a previously unknown locality indicating the uppermost Valanginian Criosarasinella furcillata Zone. This is the first ammonite-supported evidence for the presence of upper Valanginian strata in the Mecsek Mountains that stretches the time-span of the continuous basinal sedimentation from the beginning of the Berriasian till the Valanginian. The new finding raises the possibility for the presence of the Hauterivian strata too, which was never recognised by ammonites.

Mass occurrence of small isopodan crustaceans in 100-million-year-old amber: an extraordinary view on behaviour of extinct organisms - Mario Schädel; Marie K. Hörnig; Matúš Hyžný; Joachim T. Haug (PalZ, 2021)
Within Isopoda (woodlice and relatives), there are lineages characterised by a parasitic lifestyle that all belong to Cymothoida and likely form a monophyletic group. Representatives of Epicaridea (ingroup of Cymothoida) are parasitic on crustaceans and usually go through three distinct larval stages. The fossil record of Epicaridea is sparse and thus little is known about the palaeoecology and the origin of the complex life cycle of modern epicarideans. We present an assemblage of over 100 epicarideans preserved in a single piece of Late Cretaceous Myanmar amber. All individuals are morphologically similar to cryptoniscium stage larvae. The cryptoniscium stage usually constitutes the third and last larval stage. In modern representatives of Epicaridea, the cryptoniscium larvae are planktic and search for suitable host animals or adult females. These fossil specimens, though similar to some extant species, differ from other fossil epicaridean larvae in many aspects. Thus, a new species (and a new genus), Cryptolacruma nidis , is erected. Several factors can favour the preservation of multiple conspecific animals in a single piece of amber. However, the enormous density of epicarideans in the herein presented amber piece can only be explained by circumstances that result in high local densities of individuals, close to the resin-producing tree.

The locomotory apparatus and paraxial swimming in fossil and living marine reptiles: comparing Nothosauroidea, Plesiosauria, and Chelonioidea - Anna Krahl (PalZ, 2021)
The terrestrial origins of the diapsid Sauropterygia and Testudines are uncertain, with the latter being highly controversially discussed to this day. For only 15 Ma, Nothosauroidea lived in shallow-marine seas of the Triassic. Contrastingly, the pelagic Plesiosauria evolved in the Late Triassic, dispersed globally, and inhabited the oceans of the Jurassic and Cretaceous for approximately 135 Ma. Since the Cretaceous (~ 100 Ma), Chelonioidea, the modern sea turtles, have populated the oceans. All three groups evolved aquatic paraxial locomotion. Nothosaurs swam with their foreflippers, supported by the swimming tail. Plesiosaurs are the only tetrapods to have ever evolved four hydrofoil-like flippers. The plesiosaur flipper beat cycle has been debated for nearly two centuries. The different proposed locomotory styles (rowing, rowing-flight, underwater flight) are discussed in this review. A fourth gait that is employed by Carettochelys insculpta , which combines rowing and flying, is introduced. The osteology of the locomotory apparatus of nothosaurs and plesiosaurs is reviewed and compared to that of extant underwater-flying Chelonioidea. In conclusion, underwater flight remains the favoured locomotory style for plesiosaurs. Also, the review reveals that nothosaur locomotion has largely remained unstudied. Further, our understanding of joint morphologies and mobilities of the foreflipper in nothosaurs, plesiosaurs, and even recent sea turtles, and of the hindflipper in plesiosaurs, is very limited. It is crucial to the discussion of locomotion, to find out, if certain limb cycles were even possible, as evidence seems to point to the improbability of a rowing motion because of limited humerus and femur long axis rotation in plesiosaurs.

The fossil record of whip spiders: the past of Amblypygi - Carolin Haug; Joachim T. Haug (PalZ, 2021)
Whip spiders (Amblypygi), as their name suggests, resemble spiders (Araneae) in some aspects, but differ from them by their heart-shaped (prosomal) dorsal shield, their prominent grasping pedipalps, and their subsequent elongate pair of feeler appendages. The oldest possible occurrences of whip spiders, represented by cuticle fragments, date back to the Devonian (c. 385 mya), but (almost) complete fossils are known from the Carboniferous (c. 300 mya) onwards. The fossils include specimens preserved on slabs or in nodules (Carboniferous, Cretaceous) as well as specimens preserved in amber (Cretaceous, Eocene, Miocene). We review here all fossil whip spider specimens, figure most of them as interpretative drawings or with high-quality photographs including 3D imaging (stereo images) to make the three-dimensional relief of the specimens visible. Furthermore, we amend the list by two new specimens (resulting in 37 in total). The fossil specimens as well as modern whip spiders were measured to analyse possible changes in morphology over time. In general, the shield appears to have become relatively broader and the pedipalps and walking appendages have become more elongate over geological time. The morphological details are discussed in an evolutionary framework and in comparison with results from earlier studies.

First substantial evidence for Old World vultures (Aegypiinae, Accipitridae) from the early Palaeolithic and Iberomaurusian of Morocco - Albrecht Manegold; Rainer Hutterer (PalZ, 2021)
Remains of at least three species of large aegypiine vultures from early Palaeolithic and Iberomaurusian of Ifri n’Ammar, Morocco are the first substantial fossil record of these taxa in the Maghreb. They can be tentatively referred to the two extant species Aegypius monachus (Cinereous Vulture) and Gyps fulvus (Griffon Vulture), and to the extinct Gyps melitensis . Few fragments of remarkably large bones may belong to especially large specimens of A. monachus , but it cannot be ruled out that they are indeed remains of the so far only insufficiently known palaeospecies A. prepyrenaicus Hérnandez, 2001, originally described from the Upper Pleistocene of Spain. Two vulture species definitely occurred contemporarily; Gyps fulvus was found in the entire sequence, while A. monachus occurred only between 13,800 and 17,000 calBP. G. melitensis was found only once in an unknown stratigraphic context. All remains were found along with human artefacts in a cave deposit. Few bones show longitudinal scratches, which probably are cut marks, indicating that humans made use of the flesh, feathers and/or bones of these vultures. None of these species were previously recorded for the Upper Pleistocene of the Maghreb, and the fossil specimens provide important evidence for the former distribution of Old-World vultures in this area, which is insufficiently known and which changed dramatically during the twentieth century.

Upper Ordovician (Hirnantian) to Lower Silurian (Telychian, Llandovery) graptolite biostratigraphy of the Tielugou section, Shennongjia anticline, Hubei Province, China - Jörg Maletz; Chuanshang Wang; Wei Kai; Xiaofeng Wang (PalZ, 2021)
The Tielugou section, Shennongjia Anticline, Hubei Province (China) includes a relatively complete succession of Hirnantian (latest Ordovician) to basal Telychian (Llandovery, early Silurian) graptolite faunas. The section shows the first record of a fauna of the late Aeronian Stimulograptus halli Biozone from South China, even though the index species was not reported. The Stimulograptus sedgwickii Biozone may not be represented, indicating a possible gap at the base of the Stimulograptus halli Biozone. The interval yields a number of taxa that are elsewhere reported to originate only in the Stimulograptus halli Biozone. The youngest graptolitic levels are included in the Spirograptus guerichi Biozone based on specimens of Parapetalolithus dignus and Parapetalolithus palmeus not known from earlier intervals. Spirograptus guerichi is not represented in the section. The Tielugou section provides the first detailed information on the faunas and thickness of the encountered biostratigraphic units for the Shennongija region.

Wearing down the constraints of low magnification tooth microwear analysis: reproducibility and variability of results based on extant ungulates - Bence Szabó; Attila Virág (PalZ, 2021)
Low magnification dental microwear analysis is a widespread dietary proxy for palaeoenvironmental analyses. The limitations of the method, such as observer bias or variation of microwear scars between different tooth positions, are still not quite understood. This study aims to reveal that reproducibility and variability of low magnification dental microwear is better, than it was previously thought. The main focuses of this study were differences between results produced by independent observers, and individual variability of the wear features on different teeth of the same specimen. To approach these issues, the microwear of 1944 0.4 × 0.4 mm areas on every right molar and premolar (144 teeth of 12 extant ungulate specimens) was quantified. Reproducibility and interobserver error was tested by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficients for the scores produced by the observers. The microwear features of each tooth were characterized by the mean, median, standard deviation, range, skewness and kurtosis. These statistical parameters were than compared. To test whether observed differences between the microwear patterns of different tooth positions are significant, ANOVA and Dunnett’s post hoc tests were performed. To calculate the minimal number of sampling sites required for characterizing a tooth, a computer-assisted bootstrap method was applied. As a result, it can be suggested that the low magnification microwear method is quite robust, with low interobserver error. The variance of microwear scars seems uniform throughout the dentition of the examined specimens. Some differences can be noted between tooth positions, however, some limitations could be lifted, at least in the case of ungulates.

Upper Frasnian Tornoceratidae (Ammonoidea) from the Sand Formation (Bergisch Gladbach-Paffrath Syncline, Rhenish Massif) - Till Söte; Ralph Thomas Becker; Karl Josef Herd; Jürgen Bockwinkel (PalZ, 2021)
Excavations in the Sand district of Bergisch Gladbach (Rhenish Massif, Germany) yielded a rich ammonoid fauna of the upper Frasnian “ Archoceras ” varicosum Zone (Upper Devonian I-K, interval between the two Kellwasser levels). The previously unknown assemblages include six tornoceratid genera with 20 species, including seven new species ( Aulatornoceras steinhauseni sp. nov., Aul. frenklerae sp. nov., Aul. ventrosulcatum sp. nov., Crassotornoceras nudum sp. nov., Cr. hetzeneggeri sp. nov., Retrotornoceras juxi sp. nov., Tornoceras aequilobum sp. nov.) and taxa described in open nomenclature. There are five associated gephuroceratid genera with nine species. The unexpectedly high genus- and species-level diversity at Sand, supported by statistical indices, is unprecedented compared to other contemporaneous ammonoid faunas. It highlights the currently fragmentary knowledge of top-Frasnian ammonoid faunas on a global scale. Phoenixites frechi , the dominant tornoceratid of hypoxic and organic-rich Kellwasser facies of Europe and North Africa, is completely missing at Sand. The local assemblage structure is analyzed statistically and interpreted in terms of palaeoecology. The occurrence of a new type of “Housean Pits”, probably caused by parasitism, is found in nine species of five genera, mostly in tornoceratids. The Sand fauna indicates that the species origination rate in tornoceratids remained high after the Lower Kellwasser Event.

Houcaris gen. nov. from the early Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang Lagerstätte expanded the palaeogeographical distribution of tamisiocaridids (Panarthropoda: Radiodonta) - Yu Wu; Dongjing Fu; Jiaxin Ma; Weiliang Lin; Ao Sun; Xingliang Zhang (PalZ, 2021)

The oldest centrosaurine: a new ceratopsid dinosaur (Dinosauria: Ceratopsidae) from the Allison Member of the Menefee Formation (Upper Cretaceous, early Campanian), northwestern New Mexico, USA - Sebastian G. Dalman; Spencer G. Lucas; Steven E. Jasinski; Asher J. Lichtig; Peter Dodson (PalZ, 2021)

Symbiotic worms in the inner aragonitic layer of Leptodesma (Bivalvia) from the Přídolí (Upper Silurian) of Saaremaa Island, Estonia - Olev Vinn; Mark A. Wilson; Mare Isakar; Ursula Toom (PalZ, 2021)

A re-assessment of the taxonomy, palaeobiology and taphonomy of the rangeomorph organism Hapsidophyllas flexibilis from the Ediacaran of Newfoundland, Canada - Rod S. Taylor; Jack J. Matthews; Robert Nicholls; Duncan McIlroy (PalZ, 2021)

Timsaloproetus alissae sp. nov. (Trilobita: Proetidae) from the lower Devonian of southern Morocco - Allart van Viersen; Frederik Lerouge (PalZ, 2021)

Paleobiology of Hoplophorus euphractus Lund, 1839, a large cingulate from Brazil Intertropical Region - Yumi Asakura; Edison V. Oliveira (PalZ, 2021)

A partial skeleton of a new species of Tynskya Mayr, 2000 (Aves, Messelasturidae) from the London Clay highlights the osteological distinctness of a poorly known early Eocene “owl/parrot mosaic” - Gerald Mayr (PalZ, 2021)
Tynskya eocaena is an early Eocene bird with a raptor-like skull and semi-zygodactyl feet, whose description is based on a skeleton from the North American Green River Formation. In the present study, three-dimensionally preserved bones of a new species of Tynskya , T. waltonensis , are reported from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). The fossils belong to a single individual and provide new insights into the skeletal morphology of messelasturids. In particular, they reveal unusual vertebral specializations, with the cervical vertebrae having concave rather than saddle-shaped caudal articulation facets and the caudalmost thoracic vertebra being platycoelous (flat articular surfaces). The very deep mandible and a derived morphology of the ungual phalanges support a sister group relationship between Tynskya and the taxon Messelastur (Messelasturidae). Phylogenetic analyses of an emended data matrix did not conclusively resolve the higher-level affinities of messelasturids and the closely related halcyornithids, with both taxa sharing derived characters with only distantly related extant taxa (Accipitriformes, Strigiformes, Falconiformes, and Psittaciformes). An analysis that was constrained to a molecular scaffold, however, recovered messelasturids as the sister taxon of a clade including psittaciform and passeriform birds. The derived morphologies of the mandible and cervical vertebrae suggest specialized feeding adaptations of Tynskya , and messelasturids may have exploited a feeding niche, which is no longer available to extant birds.

Cambrian brachiopods from the area of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear-testing site, Chingiz Ranges, Kazakhstan - Leonid E. Popov; Olga I. Nikitina; Tatiana E. Pirogova; Gappar Kh. Ergaliev (PalZ, 2021)

Remarkable multicuspid teeth in a new elusive skate (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes) from the Mediterranean Pliocene - Alberto Collareta; Frederik H. Mollen; Marco Merella; Simone Casati; Andrea Di Cencio (PalZ, 2021)
Here we report on four highly peculiar skate teeth from Arcille and Certaldo, two Pliocene localities of Tuscany (central Italy). While being attributable to Rajiformes and somewhat reminiscent of Dipturus and Rostroraja , these specimens display an unusual multicuspid tooth design that does not match any extinct or extant skate taxon known to date. The studied teeth are thus referred to a new genus and species of Rajiformes, Nebriimimus wardi gen. et sp. nov., which is here tentatively assigned to the family Rajidae. Based on pronounced morphological similarities between the rather large-sized teeth of the latter and those of extant nurse sharks, we hypothesise that N. wardi might have been capable of actively foraging upon relatively large food items compared to other rays. This extinct skate species was likely not a common component of the Pliocene Tuscan marine vertebrate assemblages. The palaeoenvironmental scenarios that N. wardi inhabited were marginal-marine and open shelf settings characterised by tropical climate conditions. As N. wardi is currently known only from lower to mid-Pliocene deposits of the Mediterranean Basin, it is tempting to speculate that its speciation dates back to an earliest Pliocene phase of diversification that also contributed to the emergence of the Mediterranean endemic stock of extant skate species.

A new phyllocarid (Crustacea, Archaeostraca) from the Early Devonian (late Emsian) Heckelmann Mill Fossil-Lagerstätte (Lahn Syncline, Rhineland-Palatinate, SW-Germany) - Markus J. Poschmann (PalZ, 2021)

An exceptionally preserved conulariid from Ordovician erratics of Northern European Lowlands - Consuelo Sendino; Martin M. Bochmann (PalZ, 2021)
A conulariid preserved in three dimensions from Ordovician fluvioglacial erratics of the Northern European Lowlands (North German Plain) is described under open nomenclature. It is assigned to the genus Conularia with similarities to Baltoscandian conulariids. The lithology of the erratic boulder and fauna contained in it provide important information on the origin and transport direction of the sediment preserved in a kame from the Saalian glaciation. This paper deals with the site of origin of the boulder in Baltoscandia analysing the comprised palaeofauna, from a palaeostratigraphic and palaeogeographic point of view, from its deposition in Ordovician times until its arrival at its current location in the Late Pleistocene. It also reveals for the first time the internal structure of the conulariid aperture.

First report of the megathyridid (Terebratellidina) brachiopod Argyrotheca from a hydrocarbon seep deposit, middle Eocene Humptulips Formation, Washington State, USA - James L. Goedert; Michael R. Sandy; Jörn Peckmann (PalZ, 2021)

Middle Jurassic (Upper Bathonian and Lower Callovian) jaws of Kosmoceratid ammonites of Central Russia - Vasily V. Mitta; Aleksandr A. Mironenko (PalZ, 2021)

Triskelia scotlandica, an enigmatic Rhynie chert microfossil revisited - Michael Krings (PalZ, 2021)

Re-evaluation of the taxonomic and systematic status of “Halitherium” antillense Matthew, 1916 (Mammalia, Sirenia) - Manja Voss (PalZ, 2021)
Halitherium antillense Matthew, 1916 was established on a left mandibular fragment and two vertebrae from late Oligocene deposits of Puerto Rico. This species was only provisionally referred to the genus Halitherium and its taxonomic status and systematic affinities remained doubtful. In the course of the revision of the Halitherium -species complex and the meanwhile invalid generic name “ Halitherium ”, the holotype, and only known specimen, is re-investigated. A number of morphological characters usually diagnostic in sirenians are determined. However, the holotype material of “ H. ” antillense is not informative enough and, as such, neither can be assigned to any known species nor is it possible to define a taxon that can be clearly distinguished from other species. Unlike other, now revised species originally grouped under “ Halitherium ”, the establishment of a new taxonomic combination for “ H. ” antillense is not possible. As a nomenclatural consequence, the name “ H. ” antillense is only applicable to a single specimen, the holotype, and declared as a nomen dubium .

Taxonomy, diet and geographical provenance of fossil species of Sigmodon from west central Mexico during the late Pleistocene - Raymundo Cervantes-Barriga; Alejandro Hiram Marín-Leyva; María Luisa García-Zepeda; Javier Ponce-Saavedra; Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales; Peter Schaaf; Gabriela Solís-Pichardo; Tiberio Monterrubio-Rico; Horacio Cano-Camacho (PalZ, 2021)

An unusual historic dicynodont specimen (Therapsida: Dicynodontia) from the Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Santa Maria Formation (Middle Triassic) of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil - Michael W. Maisch (PalZ, 2021)

Mio–Pleistocene Ostracoda from the Zhada Basin (western Tibetan Plateau) - Mauro Alivernini; Junbo Wang; Peter Frenzel; Steffen Mischke (PalZ, 2021)
We present a list of Ostracoda (Crustacea) from stratigraphic sections of Mio–Pleistocene lacustrine deposits from Zhada Basin, western Tibetan Plateau. In this area, almost no taxonomical studies were carried out so far, and, aiming to a future use of ostracods as palaeoenvironmental proxy for this sector of the Tibetan Plateau, a documentation of several species was performed. The taxa Leucocytherella sinensis Huang, 1982, ? Leucocythere dorsotuberosa Huang, 1982, Leucocythere postilirata Pang, 1985, Ilyocypris spp., Eucypris cf. zandaensis Yang, 1982, ? Prionocypris sp., Paraeucypris sp. and Leucocytherella dangeloi sp. nov. were found and classified. The taxon Ilyocypris spp. probably represents three different species; other taxa in open nomenclature are Paraeucypris sp., Eucypris cf. zandaensis and ? Prionocypris sp. The reported taxa from the Zhada Basin are mainly lacustrine species, and their diversity is comparable to those of other Neogene and Quaternary basins located on the Tibetan Plateau.

A new sea scorpion (Arthropoda, Eurypterida) from the Early Devonian of Willwerath (Rhineland-Palatinate, SW Germany) - Markus J. Poschmann (PalZ, 2021)

Trialarva coburgensis gen. et sp. nov., a remarkable fossil holometabolan larva (Insecta: Coleoptera) from the Triassic of Germany - Alexander A. Prokin; Alexey S. Bashkuev (PalZ, 2021)

The paradoxical ichnotaxonomy of Thalassinoides paradoxicus: a name of different meanings - Dirk Knaust (PalZ, 2021)

Lower Tithonian and lower Berriasian brachiopods from the Márévár Limestone Formation, Zengővárkony (Mecsek Mountains Hungary), and remarks on their palaeoenvironment - László Bujtor; Richárd Albrecht; Dávid Maróti; Ákos Miklósy (PalZ, 2021)
A new collection provided some brachiopods assigned to Lacunosella hoheneggeri , Pygope diphya and P. janitor from the lower Tithonian (Micracanthoceras ponti Zone) and lower Berriasian (Calpionella Zone), and from the limestone succession at Zengővárkony, Mecsek Mountains, Hungary. This is the first taxonomic description and photographic documentation of these fossils. We provide reliable documentation of pygopid brachiopods from the Mecsek Mountains, known since 1880, but previously not described. For the moment, three pygopid brachiopod species are reliably reported from the Mecsek Mountains: Pygope diphya, P. janitor and Pygites diphyioides . The Lacunosella hoheneggeri described herein is the first record of Berriasian rhynchonellide brachiopods from the Mecsek Mountains. The lower Berriasian brachiopods may belong to a normal palaeoenvironment, with the usual size distribution.

Tetrapod swim techniques interpreted from swim trace fossils from the Lower Triassic Baranów Formation, Holy Cross Mountains, central Poland - Grzegorz Sadlok; Krzysztof Pawełczyk (PalZ, 2021)
Swimming tetrapods may leave their traces under water if their digits or limbs stir the bottom sediment. Resulting trace fossils are evidence of a swim behavior. Tetrapods swim techniques depend on the functional morphology of the swimmers. Examination of swim trace fossils may reveal the swim techniques employed and swimmers’ functional morphologies behind the behaviors. The present paper analyzes swim trace fossils of tetrapods from the fluvial Lower Triassic Baranów Formation in the Holy Cross Mountains (central Poland). The examination focuses on swim techniques. An attempt is made to correlate the inferred technique with functional morphology of the swimmer. It is concluded that the two types of swim traces occur in the Baranów Formation. These record two different swim techniques—paddling with limbs and body/tail undulation. The distinct types of swim trace fossils point to two types of swimmers: fully terrestrial archosaurs paddling with their limbs and amphibious tetrapods swimming with undulatory movements—likely utilizing their laterally flattened tails.

Bryozoan fauna from the Mobarak Formation (Mississippian), northern Iran - Andrej Ernst; Yaghub Nasiri; Marcelo G. Carrera; Reza Moussavi-Harami; Asadollah Mahboubi; Hossein Mosaddegh (PalZ, 2021)

A new large edrioasteroid from the Seifen Formation of the Westerwald, Rhenish Massif (Lower Devonian, Germany) - Peter Müller; Gerhard Hahn (PalZ, 2020)

Sharks, rays and skates (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii) from the Upper Marine Molasse (middle Burdigalian, early Miocene) of the Simssee area (Bavaria, Germany), with comments on palaeogeographic and ecological patterns - Jaime A. Villafaña; Giuseppe Marramà; Stefanie Klug; Jürgen Pollerspöck; Markus Balsberger; Marcelo Rivadeneira; Jürgen Kriwet (PalZ, 2020)
Elasmobranch remains are quite common in Miocene deposits and were the subject of numerous studies since the middle of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the taxonomic diversity of the Marine Molasse sharks, rays and skates is still largely unknown. Here, we describe 37 taxa from the lower Miocene of the Molasse Basin: 21 taxa could be identified at species level, whereas 15 taxa could only be assigned to genus and one taxon is left as order incertae sedis. The material was collected from deposits of the Auwiesholz Member of the Achen Formation (middle Burdigalian, middle Ottnangian age, ca. 17.8 Ma) exposed near Simssee, Upper Bavaria. This faunal assemblage is a mixture of shallow marine, near-coastal, pelagic and deep-water taxa. The fauna from Simssee displays different biogeographic dynamics at local and regional scales, possibly related to the intense climatic, oceanographic and tectonic events that occurred during the Eggenburgian–Ottnangian stages. The faunal relationships of the early Miocene chondrichthyan faunas from the Mediterranean Sea and Paratethys with others regions are established on the basis of qualitative (presence/absence) data. The beta diversity (Sørensen–Dice coefficient) of the Miocene Molasse elasmobranchs was used to characterize the taxonomic differentiation between localities and regions. According to our results, the fauna from Simssee shows close similarities with those from Switzerland, Austria, France and northern Germany. Faunal similarities and differences are mainly related to tectonic events and oceanographic variables (i.e. migration through seaway passages) or might represent collecting biases.

New Pennsylvanian Bivalvia (Mollusca), the Early Permian glaciation and the Carboniferous–Permian boundary in western Argentina - Pamela Díaz Saravia; Carlos R. González (PalZ, 2020)

Re-description of the Spence Shale palaeoscolecids in light of new morphological features with comments on palaeoscolecid taxonomy and taphonomy - Anna F. Whitaker; Paul G. Jamison; James D. Schiffbauer; Julien Kimmig (PalZ, 2020)

Unexpectedly curved spines in a Cambrian trilobite: considerations on the spinosity in Kingaspidoides spinirecurvatus sp. nov. from the Anti-Atlas, Morocco, and related Cambrian ellipsocephaloids - Gerd Geyer; Miguel Caldeira Pais; Thomas Wotte (PalZ, 2020)
The new ellipsocephaloid trilobite species Kingaspidoides spinirecurvatus has a spectacular morphology because of a unique set of two long and anteriorly recurved spines on the occipital ring and the axial ring of thoracic segment 8. Together with the long genal spines this whimsical dorsally directed spine arrangement is thought to act as a non-standard protective device against predators. This is illustrated by the body posture during different stages of enrolment, contrasting with the more sophisticated spinosities seen in later trilobites, which are discussed in brief. Kingaspidoides spinirecurvatus from the lower–middle Cambrian boundary interval of the eastern Anti-Atlas in Morocco has been known for about two decades, with specimens handled as precious objects on the fossil market. Similar, but far less spectacular, spine arrangements on the thoracic axial rings are known from other ellipsocephaloid trilobites from the Anti-Atlas of Morocco and the Franconian Forest region of Germany. This suggests that an experimental phase of spine development took place within the Kingaspidoides clade during the early–middle Cambrian boundary interval.

A Pliocene rhinocerotid (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from Ajimu, Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, with comments on the Japanese Pliocene rhinocerotid fossil records - Naoto Handa; Takafumi Kato (PalZ, 2020)

Terrestrial palaeofloral succession across the Permian–Triassic Boundary in the North and South China blocks: a brief review - Jean Broutin; Jianxin Yu; Xiao Shi; Wenchao Shu; Xue Qing (PalZ, 2020)

Further evidence for fungivory in the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) of the Welsh Borderland, UK - Dianne Edwards; Lindsey Axe; Jennifer L. Morris; Lynne Boddy; Paul Selden (PalZ, 2020)
The recent demonstrations that widespread mid-Palaeozoic Prototaxites and other nematophytes had fungal affinities indicate that terrestrial fungi were important elements in carbon cycling in the Early Devonian. Here, we provide evidence for their participation in the recycling of nutrients by early terrestrial invertebrates. Evidence is in the form of coprolites, both those associated with nematophytes or containing their fragmentary remains. Cylindrical coprolites consistently associated with fungal mats are placed in a new ichnospecies, Bacillafaex myceliorum . Their contents are granular to amorphous, suggestive of complete digestion of the ingested hyphae, with the inference of possession of chitinases in the digestive tracts of the consumers. A further single example comprises a cluster of cylindrical bodies attached to the lower surface of a Nematothallus fragment. Here, homogenisation was less complete, with traces of hyphae remaining. Terrestrial animal fossils have not been found at the locality, but scorpions, pseudoscorpions, Opiliones, mites, centipedes (carnivores) and millipedes, and Collembola (detritivores) have been recorded from the slightly younger Rhynie cherts. Studies of fungivory in extant arthropods have concentrated on Collembola and, to a lesser extent, mites, but their faecal pellets are much smaller than the fossil examples. Millipedes, based on body size and faeces of extant forms, are considered more realistic producers, but little is known about fungal feeding in these animals. Regardless of the affinities of the producers, the diversity in morphology, sizes, aggregations, and composition of nematophyte-containing examples suggests that fungivory was an important component of carbon cycling in early terrestrial ecosystems.

Early Maastrichtian cheilostome bryozoans from the middle Volga River region - Anna V. Koromyslova; Vladimir B. Seltser (PalZ, 2020)

Rhizocorallites Müller, 1955 from the Triassic and Jurassic of Germany: burrow, coprolite, or cololite? - Dirk Knaust (PalZ, 2020)

Morphological diversity of fungal reproductive units in the Lower Devonian Rhynie and Windyfield cherts, Scotland: a new species of the genus Windipila - Michael Krings; Carla J. Harper (PalZ, 2020)

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil-based scientific data”: the importance of private collections - Carolin Haug; Jelle W. F. Reumer; Joachim T. Haug; Antonio Arillo; Denis Audo; Dany Azar; Viktor Baranov; Rolf Beutel; Sylvain Charbonnier; Rodney Feldmann; Christian Foth; René H. B. Fraaije; et al. (PalZ, 2020)

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil-based scientific data”: Myanmar amber - Joachim T. Haug; Dany Azar; Andrew Ross; Jacek Szwedo; Bo Wang; Antonio Arillo; Viktor Baranov; Julia Bechteler; Rolf Beutel; Vladimir Blagoderov; Xavier Delclòs; Jason Dunlop; et al. (PalZ, 2020)

Pearl formation in an Early Cretaceous belemnite - Kevin Stevens; René Hoffmann; Marie-Claire Picollier; Jörg Mutterlose (PalZ, 2020)
Many aspects of the paleobiology and biomineralization of belemnites, the most common fossil coleoid cephalopods of the Mesozoic, are still unclear. Here, we describe a pearl from an Early Cretaceous belemnite rostrum ( Duvalia emerici ) using high-resolution micro-CT imaging. After initial formation of a free pearl within the soft tissue, the pearl was fused to the rostrum and later overgrown by rostrum increments, thereby forming a blister pearl. The contact zone of the pearl with the rostrum shows resorption and deformation of earlier rostrum increments. Formation of a free pearl inside the soft tissue of the belemnite demonstrates a relatively thick (min. 5.6 mm) tissue layer surrounding the rostrum in this species. Our data show that classification of paleopathologies based on external features alone might lead to false inferences of formation mechanisms.

First fossil record of a jumping plant-louse (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea) from Japan - Aika Horiguchi; Hiroaki Aiba; Yui Takahashi; Hiromitsu Inoue; Tamaki Sato (PalZ, 2020)

Carboniferous bryozoans from the Kalmard area, central Iran - Andrej Ernst; Mohammad N. Gorgij (PalZ, 2020)

Sea lilies of the genera Holocrinus, Tollmannicrinus, and Eckicrinus (order Holocrinida) from the Anisian (Middle Triassic) of Qingyan, south-western China - Frank Stiller (PalZ, 2020)

A new representative of a stylonuroid eurypterid from the Upper Devonian of the Kursk region, Russia - Serge V. Naugolnykh; Alexander V. Areshin (PalZ, 2020)

The polyphasic ontogeny of the discoidal Late Devonian ammonoid Acrimeroceras - Stella Zora Buchwald; Christian Klug; Dieter Korn (PalZ, 2020)

The (truly) first fossil freshwater molluscs from Antarctica - Sergio Martínez; Roberto A. Scasso; Andrés Elgorriaga; Ignacio Capelli; Rodolfo del Valle; Pablo Puerta; Juan Manuel Lirio; Cecilia Rodríguez Amenábar (PalZ, 2020)

Chondrichthyans from the Lower Clayton Limestone Unit of the Midway Group (Paleocene) near Malvern, Arkansas, USA, with comments on the K/Pg boundary - Harry M. Maisch; Martin A. Becker; Michael L. Griffiths (PalZ, 2020)

Differentiating taphonomic and paleopathological features in Vertebrate Paleontology: a study case with Quaternary mammals - Fernando Henrique de Souza Barbosa; Lucas Henrique Medeiros da Silva; Hermínio Ismael de Araújo-Júnior (PalZ, 2020)

A chasmataspidid affinity for the putative xiphosuran Kiaeria Størmer, 1934 - James C. Lamsdell (PalZ, 2020)

The last chapter of 30 million years of molluscan evolution: Permian non-marine bivalves of the Rio do Rasto Formation, Paraná Basin, Brazil - Vitor B. Guerrini; Suzana A. Matos; Rosemarie Rohn; Filipe G. Varejão; Lucas V. Warren; Marcello G. Simões (PalZ, 2020)

The Middle and Late Pleniglacial (Weichselian) malacofauna of the Zemun loess–paleosol sequence, Serbia - Bojan Gavrilović; Pál Sümegi; Miloš Ćirić; Milica G. Radaković; Milivoj B. Gavrilov; Dragan Mlađan; Slobodan B. Marković (PalZ, 2020)

First Triassic tetrapod (Eusauropterygia) in the Triassic of the Subbetic domain of the Betic Cordillera (Southeastern Spain) - Juan Alberto Pérez-Valera; Mélani Berrocal-Casero; Fernando Pérez-Valera (PalZ, 2020)

Giant salamander from the Miocene of the Mecsek mountains (Pécs-Danitzpuszta, southwestern Hungary) - Zoltán Szentesi; Krisztina Sebe; Márton Szabó (PalZ, 2020)
The Late Miocene fossil locality Pécs-Danitzpuszta (Mecsek Mts., Hungary) has yielded cranial and postcranial bones of giant salamanders. Based on taxonomical studies, these relatively well-preserved, isolated bones belong to the cryptobranchid species Andrias scheuchzeri . Whereas the species is well documented from Neogene of Central Europe, this is the first record of the genus Andrias from Hungary, representing the sole record of giant salamanders from the country. The fossils were found in Upper Miocene sands deposited in the brackish Lake Pannon, but their late Miocene age is uncertain, because they occur together with vertebrate remains reworked from older sediments. The mild and humid climate and the presence of freshwater wetlands on the mainland indicated by the fossil flora, the syn-depositional uplift of the mountains providing for a rugged topography, and the intense clastic sediment input into Lake Pannon indicative of a fluvial network on the Mecsek Island and of sufficient precipitation support that conditions were convenient for the giant salamanders in the early late Miocene. Together with three other late Miocene localities in Austria, the Pécs-Danitzpuszta site is the fourth Miocene occurrence of Andrias in the Pannonian Basin System. It resembles the first three localities in lying at the foot of elevated terrain and in having freshwater input, conditions thought to be necessary for giant salamander habitats.

First lingulate brachiopods from the Ordovician volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Famatina Range, western Argentina - Fernando J. Lavié; Juan L. Benedetto (PalZ, 2020)

Cornuproetine (proetide) trilobites with nine thorax segments from the Devonian of Morocco, Germany and the Czech Republic - Allart van Viersen; Frederik Lerouge (PalZ, 2020)

Leaf-mimicking katydids from the Middle Miocene of Yunnan, southwestern China (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) - André Nel; Bo Wang; Michael S. Engel; Jian Huang; Lin-Bo Jia; Tao Su; Torsten Wappler (PalZ, 2020)

A treasure trove of peculiar Permian plant fossils - Patrick Blomenkemper; Hans Kerp; Benjamin Bomfleur (PalZ, 2020)

Taxonomic notes on Eustrophinae from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, with description of a new species (Coleoptera, Tetratomidae) - Yun Hsiao (PalZ, 2020)

Distinction of Arvernoceros ardei and Cervus perrieri (Cervidae, Mammalia) from the late Pliocene site of Perrier (France) based on the postcranial skeleton: taxonomic and phylogenetic conclusions - Thekla Pfeiffer-Deml (PalZ, 2020)

Pelmatozoan “rooting grounds” from the Early Devonian (late Emsian) Heckelmann Mill Fossil-Lagerstätte (Lahn Syncline, Rhineland-Palatinate, SW-Germany): morphological, palaeoenvironmental and taphonomic aspects - Markus Poschmann (PalZ, 2020)

Helcionelloid molluscs and hyoliths from the Miaolingian (middle Cambrian) of the subsurface of the Delitzsch–Torgau–Doberlug Syncline, northern Saxony, Germany - Gerd Geyer; John M. Malinky (PalZ, 2020)

Tortodus dodoensis, a new conodont species, and a Givetian (Middle Devonian) conodont fauna from the northern Mackenzie Mountains, northwest Canada - Sofie A. Gouwy; Thomas T. Uyeno; Alexander D. McCracken (PalZ, 2020)

Establishing a neotype for Crocidura obtusa Kretzoi, 1938 (Mammalia, Soricidae): an emended description of this Pleistocene white-toothed shrew species - Lukács Mészáros; Dániel Botka; Mihály Gasparik (PalZ, 2020)

A new species of Burguklia (Pisces, Actinopterygii) from the Middle Permian of the Volga Region (European Russia) - Aleksandr Bakaev; Ilja Kogan (PalZ, 2020)

Regional persistence of the extant coral genus Stephanocoenia since the Early Cretaceous in the Western Atlantic - Hannes Löser (PalZ, 2020)

Permian gastropods from the Ratburi Limestone, Khao Phrik, Central Thailand - Chatchalerm Ketwetsuriya; Alex G. Cook; Alexander Nützel (PalZ, 2020)

Unusual preservation of an Ordovician (Floian) arthropod from Peary Land, North Greenland (Laurentia) - John S. Peel; Sebastian Willman; Stig A. Schack Pedersen (PalZ, 2020)

Edaphosauridae (Synapsida, Eupelycosauria) from Europe and their relationship to North American representatives - Frederik Spindler; Sebastian Voigt; Jan Fischer (PalZ, 2020)

Sulcolithos variabilis igen. et isp. nov.: grooves on firm and hard bedding surfaces - Dirk Knaust (PalZ, 2020)

Becassius charadriioides, an early Miocene pratincole-like bird from France: with comments on the early evolutionary history of the Glareolidae (Aves, Charadriiformes) - Vanesa L. De Pietri; Gerald Mayr; R. Paul Scofield (PalZ, 2020)

New information on the maxilla, dentary, and dentition of Maotherium sinense, with comments on the zhangheotheriid dental formulae - Thorsten Plogschties; Thomas Martin (PalZ, 2020)

On the presence of Ichniotherium in the Coconino Sandstone (Cisuralian) of the Grand Canyon and remarks on the occupation of deserts by non-amniote tetrapods - Heitor Francischini; Spencer G. Lucas; Sebastian Voigt; Lorenzo Marchetti; Vincent L. Santucci; Cassandra L. Knight; John R. Wood; Paula Dentzien-Dias; Cesar L. Schultz (PalZ, 2020)

Permian bryozoans from the Nemda horizon (Roadian) of Samara Region, Russia - Zoya Tolokonnikova (PalZ, 2020)

Characterizing the branching architecture of drepanophycalean lycophytes (Lycopsida): an exceptional specimen from the Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, southwest Germany, and its paleobiological implications - Markus Poschmann; Rolf Gossmann; Kelly K. S. Matsunaga; Alexandru M. F. Tomescu (PalZ, 2020)

The Vallesian bovid association from the Ouranopithecus-bearing site of Xirochori-1 (Axios Valley, Greece) - Dimitris S. Kostopoulos; Louis de Bonis; George D. Koufos (PalZ, 2020)

On the morphological, taxonomic, and phylogenetic status of South American Quaternary dinomyid rodents (Rodentia: Dinomyidae) - Leonardo Kerber; Elver Luiz Mayer; Anny Caroliny Gomes; Norma Nasif (PalZ, 2020)

Perforocycloides nathalieae new genus and species, an unusual Silurian cyclocystoid (Echinodermata) from Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada - Timothy A. M. Ewin; Mike Reich; Mark R. Graham; Mario E. Cournoyer (PalZ, 2019)

New discoveries in the frog Latonia seyfriedi (Anura: Alytidae) and their impact on taxonomy of the genus Latonia - Elena Syromyatnikova; Zbyněk Roček; Sabrina van de Velde (PalZ, 2019)

Taxonomic note: Sogdianagonia nom. nov. pro Turkestanella Tashiro, 1979 (Bivalvia: Trigoniida: Megatrigoniidae) - Simon Schneider; Simon R. A. Kelly (PalZ, 2019)

Paleobiology and taphonomy of the pycnodont fish Nursallia gutturosum, based on material from the Latest-Cenomanian-middle Turonian Vallecillo platy limestone, Mexico - Eva Susanne Stinnesbeck; Jes Rust; Fabian Herder (PalZ, 2019)

The first fossil Discolomatidae (Coleoptera) from Hispaniola - Karol Szawaryn; Janusz Kupryjanowicz (PalZ, 2019)

Oldest known fossil of Rossellids (Hexactinellida, Porifera) from the Ordovician–Silurian transition of Anhui, South China - Lixia Li; Dorte Janussen; Renbin Zhan; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2019)

A new Pliensbachian elasmobranch (Vertebrata, Chondrichthyes) assemblage from Europe, and its contribution to the understanding of late Early Jurassic elasmobranch diversity and distributional patterns - Sebastian Stumpf; Jürgen Kriwet (PalZ, 2019)

A holoplanktic gastropod in a raised reef: Hopegate Formation, Jamaica (upper Pliocene) - Stephen K. Donovan; Arie W. Janssen; Roger W. Portell; A. J. De Winter (PalZ, 2019)

Middle Cambrian Bradoriida (Arthropoda) from the Franconian Forest, Germany, with a review of the bradoriids described from West Gondwana and a revision of material from Baltica - Michael Streng; Gerd Geyer (PalZ, 2019)

Sauropod remains from the Middle Jurassic Itat Formation of West Siberia, Russia - Alexander Averianov; Sergei Krasnolutskii; Stepan Ivantsov; Pavel Skutschas; Rico Schellhorn; Julia Schultz; Thomas Martin (PalZ, 2019)

The oldest known tetrapod (Temnospondyli) from Germany (Early Carboniferous, Viséan) - Ralf Werneburg; Florian Witzmann; Joerg W. Schneider (PalZ, 2019)

Permian brachiopods from Chiapas, Mexico: new stratigraphical and paleobiogeographical insights - Miguel A. Torres-Martínez; Daniela P. Heredia-Jiménez; Francisco Sour-Tovar; Blanca E. Buitrón-Sánchez; Ricardo Barragán (PalZ, 2019)

Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental interpretation of three successive macrofloras and palynofloras from the Kola Switch locality, lower Permian (Archer City Formation, Bowie Group) of Clay County, Texas, USA - William A. DiMichele; Carol L. Hotton; Cindy V. Looy; Robert W. Hook (PalZ, 2019)

Special issue: Palaeobotanical papers written in honour of Professor Dr. Hans Kerp, current president of the Paläontologische Gesellschaft, on the occasion of his 65th birthday (PalZ, 2019)

Preface: Professor Dr. Hans Kerp – a birthday tribute - Henk Visscher; Johanna H. A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert (PalZ, 2019)

A new anatomically preserved Alloiopteris fern from Moscovian (Bolsovian) volcanoclastics of Flöha (Flöha Basin, SE Germany) - Josef Pšenička; Ronny Rößler; Jana Frojdová; Stanislav Opluštil; Mathias Merbitz (PalZ, 2019)

Naiadita lanceolata (Marchantiophyta) from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Germany: a new reconstruction attempt and considerations on taphonomy - Klaus-Peter Kelber (PalZ, 2019)

Ginkgo leaf cuticle chemistry across changing pCO2 regimes - Phillip E. Jardine; Matthew Kent; Wesley T. Fraser; Barry H. Lomax (PalZ, 2019)

A silicified Todea trunk (Osmundaceae) from the Eocene of Patagonia - Benjamin Bomfleur; Ignacio Escapa (PalZ, 2019)

Did the Czekanowskiales already exist in the late Permian? - Evelyn Kustatscher; Henk Visscher; Johanna H. A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert (PalZ, 2019)

Beetle borings in wood with host response in early Permian conifers from Germany - Zhuo Feng; Markus Bertling; Robert Noll; Adam Ślipiński; Ronny Rößler (PalZ, 2019)

Frond morphology and epidermal anatomy of Compsopteris wongii (T. Halle) Zalessky from the Permian of Shanxi, China - Malte Backer; Mingli Wan; Jun Wang (PalZ, 2019)

The first record of Dicroidium from the Triassic palaeotropics based on dispersed cuticles from the Anisian Mukheiris Formation of Jordan - Abdalla M. B. Abu Hamad; Bety Al-Saqarat; Cátia V. Gonçalves; Rafael Spiekermann; André Jasper; Dieter Uhl (PalZ, 2019)

Palaeolyngbya kerpii sp. nov., a large filamentous cyanobacterium with affinities to Oscillatoriaceae from the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert - Michael Krings (PalZ, 2019)

A shoot with attached leaves of Desmiophyllum harrisii Barbacka et Pacyna from the Rhaetian of Bavaria, Germany - Johanna H. A. van Konijnenburg-van Cittert; Christian Pott; Evelyn Kustatscher; Johan van der Burgh; Stefan Schmeißner; Günter Dütsch (PalZ, 2019)

The cycadalean megasporophyll Dioonitocarpidium in the Carnian (Late Triassic) flora of Lunz am See, Austria - Christian Pott (PalZ, 2019)

Filamentous green algae from the Early Devonian Rhynie chert - Charles H. Wellman; Linda E. Graham; Louise A. Lewis (PalZ, 2019)

Cryptokerpia sarlaccophora gen. et sp. nov., an enigmatic plant fossil from the Late Permian Umm Irna Formation of Jordan - Patrick Blomenkemper; Abdalla Abu Hamad; Benjamin Bomfleur (PalZ, 2019)

Morphology and ontogeny of the eodiscoid trilobite Pagetia vinusta from the Cambrian (Miaolingian) of South China - Linhao Cui; Tao Dai; Xingliang Zhang; Shanchi Peng (PalZ, 2019)

The brain anatomy of an early Miocene felid from Ginn Quarry (Nebraska, USA) - George A. Lyras; Aggeliki Giannakopoulou; Lars Werdelin (PalZ, 2019)

The coprolite Lumbricaria Münster in the Early Tithonian of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: new evidence for a holothurian producer - Diego A. Kietzmann; Graciela S. Bressan (PalZ, 2019)

Three-dimensionally preserved stem-group hexactinellid sponge fossils from lower Cambrian (Stage 2) phosphorites of China - Cui Luo; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2019)

A new mesenosaurine from the lower Permian of Germany and the postcrania of Mesenosaurus: implications for early amniote comparative osteology - Frederik Spindler; Ralf Werneburg; Jörg W. Schneider (PalZ, 2019)

Early Jurassic “worm holothurians” (Echinodermata) as faecal traces of a worm-like holothurian-eater reflecting the consumed species - Reimund Haude (PalZ, 2019)

Helcionelloids, stenothecoids and hyoliths from the Tannenknock Formation (traditional lower middle Stage 4/Wuliuan boundary interval) of the Franconian Forest, Germany - Gerd Geyer; Martin Valent; Stefan Meier (PalZ, 2019)

The stem group teleost Pachycormus (Pachycormiformes: Pachycormidae) from the Upper Lias (Lower Jurassic) of Strawberry Bank, UK - John J. Cawley; Jürgen Kriwet; Stefanie Klug; Michael J. Benton (PalZ, 2019)

Phenetic classification of Kimmeridgian ammonites from the eastern Kachchh Basin, India - Dhirendra K. Pandey; Ranajit Das; Matthias Alberti; Franz T. Fürsich; Rajesh Singh Shekhawat; Prajna Udupa (PalZ, 2019)

The uniquely diverse taphonomy of the marine reptile skeletons (Sauropterygia) from the Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian) of Winterswijk, The Netherlands - Jelle Heijne; Nicole Klein; P. Martin Sander (PalZ, 2019)

A new species of tumbling flower beetle (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) from Baltic amber - Tong Bao; Katarzyna S. Walczyńska; Błażej Bojarski; Ed Jarzembowski; Bo Wang; Jes Rust (PalZ, 2019)

Late Miocene proboscideans from Samos Island (Greece) revisited: new specimens from old collections - George E. Konidaris; George D. Koufos (PalZ, 2019)

Ferns of the Lower Jurassic from the Mecsek Mountains (Hungary): taxonomy and palaeoecology - Maria Barbacka; Evelyn Kustatscher; Emese R. Bodor (PalZ, 2019)

Pakkokuhyus and Progenitohyus (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the Eocene of Southeast Asia are not Helohyidae: paleobiogeographical implications - Stéphane Ducrocq (PalZ, 2019)

Fungal intruders of enigmatic propagule clusters occurring in microbial mats from the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert - Michael Krings; Carla J. Harper (PalZ, 2019)

Palaeoecology of Late Ladinian (Middle Triassic) benthic faunas from the Schlern/Sciliar and Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi area (South Tyrol, Italy) - Evelyn Friesenbichler; Michael Hautmann; Alexander Nützel; Max Urlichs; Hugo Bucher (PalZ, 2019)

Taphonomic variation within a Middle Triassic fossil lagerstätte (Cassina beds, Meride Limestone) at Monte San Giorgio - Susan R. Beardmore; Heinz Furrer (PalZ, 2019)

Problematic archaic whale Phococetus (Cetacea: Odontoceti) from the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, USA, with comments on geochronology of the Pungo River Formation - Robert W. Boessenecker (PalZ, 2019)

New Tithonian and Lower Berriasian aptychi of Štramberk Limestone from the Kotouč Quarry (Outer Western Carpathians, Czech Republic) - Zdeněk Vašíček; Petr Skupien (PalZ, 2019)

First Triassic record of the beetle family Permocupedidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): a peculiar example of a Lazarus taxon - Alexandr G. Ponomarenko; Alexei S. Bashkuev (PalZ, 2018)

Exceptionally well-preserved early Eocene fossil reveals cranial and vertebral features of a stem group roller (Aves: Coraciiformes) - Gerald Mayr; Stig A. Walsh (PalZ, 2018)

Revision of Rhabdolepis macropterus (Bronn, 1829) (Osteichthyes, lower Actinopterygii; Lower Permian, SW Germany) - Thomas Schindler (PalZ, 2018)

The fossil fallow deer Dama geiselana (Cervidae, Mammalia, upgrade to species level) in the context of migration and local extinctions of fallow deer in the Late and Middle Pleistocene in Europe - Thekla Pfeiffer-Deml (PalZ, 2018)

Teichichnus zigzag Frey and Bromley, 1985: a probable echiuran or holothurian burrow from the Jurassic offshore Norway - Dirk Knaust (PalZ, 2018)

Reappraisal of the early Permian dissorophid Alegeinosaurus from Texas, USA - Bryan M. Gee (PalZ, 2018)

Revision and redescription of Palaeopinnixa mytilicola Vía Boada, 1966 (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Brachyura) from the Miocene (Langhian) of Spain, with an appraisal of the genus Palaeopinnixa - Matúš Hyžný; Pedro Artal (PalZ, 2018)

Experimental subaqueous burial of a bird carcass and compaction of plumage - Evan T. Saitta; Charles Clapham; Jakob Vinther (PalZ, 2018)

First find of aptychi of Leioceras and Bredyia (Ammonoidea, Hildoceratoidea) in the Aalenian of Northern Caucasus, Russia - Vasily V. Mitta; Günter Schweigert; Mikhail P. Sherstyukov; Volker Dietze (PalZ, 2018)

Mastication and enamel microstructure in Cambaytherium, a perissodactyl-like ungulate from the early Eocene of India - Wighart von Koenigswald; Kenneth D. Rose; Luke T. Holbrook; Kishor Kumar; Rajendra S. Rana; Thierry Smith (PalZ, 2018)

New Middle Devonian conodont data from the Dong Van area, NE Vietnam (South China Terrane) - Katarzyna Narkiewicz; Peter Königshof (PalZ, 2018)

A non-destructive technique for chemical mapping of insect inclusions in amber - Anezka Kolaceke; Ryan C. McKellar; Mauricio Barbi (PalZ, 2018)

Enigmatic large-sized tubular fossils from the Terreneuvian of Arctic Siberia - Vasiliy V. Marusin; Dmitriy V. Grazhdankin (PalZ, 2018)

Have ladybird beetles and whiteflies co-existed for at least 40 Mya? - Karol Szawaryn; Jacek Szwedo (PalZ, 2018)

An eddy, a wake and a plume: controls on bathyal foraminifera around Tobago, western tropical Atlantic Ocean - Brent Wilson; Lee-Ann C. Hayek; Khadine A. Ramdin (PalZ, 2018)

Weitschataster intermedius gen. et sp. nov., a goniasterid starfish (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from the Upper Cretaceous of Germany - Christian Neumann; Peter Girod (PalZ, 2018)

Saccomorpha guttulata: a new marine fungal microbioerosion trace fossil from cool- to cold-water settings - Max Wisshak; Neele Meyer; Gudrun Radtke; Stjepko Golubic (PalZ, 2018)

Redescription of a Lotagnostus–Mendoparabolina faunule (Trilobita; late Furongian) from Quebrada San Isidro, Precordillera of Mendoza, Argentina - M. Franco Tortello (PalZ, 2018)

Palaeocentroscymnus (Chondrichthyes: Somniosidae), a new sleeper shark genus from Miocene deposits of Austria (Europe) - Jürgen Pollerspöck; Christina K. Flammensbeck; Nicolas Straube (PalZ, 2018)

Pleistocene mollusc assemblage in the slightly raised atoll lagoon of Niau (Tuamotu, French Polynesia) - Bernard Salvat; Jean Tröndlé; Jean Letourneux (PalZ, 2018)

Review of the marsupials (Mammalia: Metatheria) from the late Paleogene (Chadronian–Arikareean: late Eocene–late Oligocene) of North America - William W. Korth (PalZ, 2018)

Paleoecological and isotopic analysis of fossil continental mollusks of Sandelzhausen (Miocene, Germany) - Rodrigo B. Salvador; Thomas Tütken; Barbara M. Tomotani; Christoph Berthold; Michael W. Rasser (PalZ, 2018)

Re-description of the lectotype of “Spatangus cortestudinarium Goldfuss, 1829” (Late Cretaceous) and its implications for the phylogeography of Micraster (Spatangoida, Echinoidea) - Nils Schlüter (PalZ, 2018)

New turtle remains from the Late Cretaceous of Monte Alto-SP, Brazil, including cranial osteology, neuroanatomy and phylogenetic position of a new taxon - Gabriel S. Ferreira; Fabiano V. Iori; Guilherme Hermanson; Max C. Langer (PalZ, 2018)

The first record of Tyrannoneustes (Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae): a complete skull from the Callovian (late Middle Jurassic) of Germany - Katja Waskow; Detlef Grzegorczyk; P. Martin Sander (PalZ, 2018)

Four new fossil associations identified in the Cipit boulders from the St. Cassian Formation (Ladinian–Carnian; Dolomites, NE Italy) - Francisco Sánchez-Beristain; Joachim Reitner (PalZ, 2018)

New long-horned caddisflies in Eocene Baltic amber (Insecta, Trichoptera) - Wilfried Wichard; Christian Neumann; Ingmar Werneburg (PalZ, 2018)

Textural biosignatures from the Pilbara: an important benchmark for early life on Earth - Tara Djokic; Martin J. Van Kranendonk (PalZ, 2018)

First arboreal 'pelycosaurs' (Synapsida: Varanopidae) from the early Permian Chemnitz Fossil Lagerstätte, SE Germany, with a review of varanopid phylogeny - Frederik Spindler; Ralf Werneburg; Joerg W. Schneider; Ludwig Luthardt; Volker Annacker; Ronny Rößler (PalZ, 2018)

First Middle–Late Jurassic gladius vestiges provide new evidence on the detailed origin of incirrate and cirrate octopuses (Coleoidea) - Dirk Fuchs; Günter Schweigert (PalZ, 2018)

The internal morphology of Acoscinopleura Voigt, 1956 (Cheilostomata, Bryozoa) from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of Central and Eastern Europe - Anna V. Koromyslova; Silviu O. Martha; Alexey V. Pakhnevich (PalZ, 2018)

First discovery of fossil Coloninae in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera, Staphylinoidea, Leiodidae) - Shûhei Yamamoto; Yui Takahashi (PalZ, 2018)

The last terror birds (Aves, Phorusrhacidae): new evidence from the late Pleistocene of Uruguay - Washington Jones; Andrés Rinderknecht; Herculano Alvarenga; Felipe Montenegro; Martín Ubilla (PalZ, 2018)

Tempestitic shell beds formed by a new serpulid polychaete from the Bajocian (Middle Jurassic) of the Central High Atlas (Morocco) - Ján Schlögl; Tomáš Kočí; Manfred Jäger; Tomasz Segit; Jan Sklenář; Driss Sadki; Mounsif Ibnoussina; Adam Tomašových (PalZ, 2018)

Slipped through the bottleneck: Lazarechinus mirabeti gen. et sp. nov., a Paleozoic-like echinoid from the Triassic Muschelkalk (late Anisian) of East France - Hans Hagdorn (PalZ, 2018)

A synoptic review of the Eocene (Ypresian) cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali, Elasmobranchii) of the Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte, Italy - Giuseppe Marramà; Giorgio Carnevale; Andrea Engelbrecht; Kerin M. Claeson; Roberto Zorzin; Mariagabriella Fornasiero; Jürgen Kriwet (PalZ, 2018)

New belemnites (Megateuthididae, Cylindroteuthididae) from the Bajocian and Bathonian of the Yuryung-Tumus Peninsula, northern Siberia, Russia and their palaeobiogeographic implications - Oksana S. Dzyuba; Benoît de Lagausie (PalZ, 2018)

Diagenetic alterations of Meriones incisors (Rodentia) of El Harhoura 2 cave, Morocco (late Pleistocene–middle Holocene) - Yannicke Dauphin; Hiram Castillo-Michel; Christiane Denys; Mohamed Abdeljalil El Hajraoui; Roland Nespoulet; Emmanuelle Stoetzel (PalZ, 2018)