Ecologic and taxonomic diversification in the Mesozoic brackish-water bivalve faunas in Japan,with emphasis on infaunalization of heterodonts

Mesozoic brackish-water bivalve faunas in Japan diversified in three steps: at the beginning of the Early Jurassic, Early and Late Cretaceous. The Hettangian Niranohama Fauna in northeastern Honshu represents the establishment of a heterodont-dominated brackish-water fauna that persisted until the early Late Cretaceous. No similar composition is known from the Triassic. The infauna consists mostly of non-siphonate and some short-siphonate heterodonts, while the epifauna is represented by diverse pteriomorphian families. In the Early Cretaceous Tetori Group in central Honshu, the long-siphonate heterodonts Tetoria (Corbiculidae) and the semi-infaunal soft-bottom oyster Crassostrea appeared. The evolutionary diversification of the latter, known as the most important element of modern brackish-water faunas, may thus originate at that time. In the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of the Goshoura and Mifune Groups in west Kyushu, several euryhaline deep-burrowing heterodont families, such as Veneridae and Tellinidae, further diversified in the brackish and marine environments. The Late Cretaceous is characterized by massive shell biolithic beds in which large Crassostrea species are common, a feature common for Cenozoic brackish-water faunas. The long-term changes in the composition of the brackish-water faunas in Japan represents thus an evolutionary record, irrespective of the severe physiological and environmental conditions imposed on the highly conservative nature of the fauna.     

日本早白垩世非海相软体动物群组合

日本具有4个标志早白垩世的半咸水和淡水软体动物群组合:欧特里沃期—早巴列姆期的立川和菖蒲动物群组合,晚巴列姆期的濑林动物群组合和早阿普特期动物群组合。纯非海相下白垩统大量分布于日本东北部(本州岛北部)的部分地区,以及日本中部、西南部的内带。在日本东北部的部分地区以及日本西南部的外带(四国岛与本州岛中部),从巴列姆阶下部往上有一些海相地层夹在非海相层中,这为研究非海相动物群提供了准确的年代依据。生物组合之间在种一级水平上的区别,主要由环境的差异而引起。1)立川动物群组合(欧特里沃期—早巴列姆期),含有半咸水Hayamina naumanni组合和淡水Megasphaerioides okurodaniensis组合;手取群的Okurodani、Kuwajima和Izuki三个组内的淡水软体动物可与本动物组合相对比;2)菖蒲动物群组合(欧特里沃期—早巴列姆期),含有Eomiodon nipponicus组合;3)濑林动物群组合(晚巴列姆期),含有Costocyrena radiatostriata组合,可与手取群的Kitadani组和日本东北部关门群的Sengoku组以及Monomiyama组的淡水软体动物组合相对比;4)日比原动物群组合(早阿普特期),含有Costocyrena minor组合,关门群Wakamiya组的淡水软体动物可与本动物组合相对比。     

A Late Cretaceous polar dinosaur fauna from New Zealand

New fossils of dinosaurs and pterosaurs have been found in the conglomeratic facies of the Maungataniwha Member of the Tahora Formation (Campanian) of New Zealand. These derive from a large theropod, a sauropod, an ankylosaur and a pterosaur. Together with previously described material they indicate at least five, maybe seven, taxa from the Late Cretaceous terrestrial fauna of New Zealand. At that time New Zealand was an island near Antarctica, so this represents an insular, polar fauna.We assume a vicariance model for the origin of this fauna, which probably samples that present in Antarctica at the time New Zealand rifted away from it. The fauna differs from other well known Cretaceous Gondwana faunas in including an ankylosaur, but is similar to that from the Late Early Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia. The inclusion of both an ankylosaur and sauropod lend a relict, Early Cretaceous aspect to the fauna. There seems to be no particular similarity to known polar faunas from the Early Cretaceous of Victoria, Australia, or the Late Cretaceous of Alaska and Antarctica.Dinosaurs, both large and small, were capable of surviving in the cool to cold-temperate, seasonal climate of New Zealand at this time.     

中国白垩纪叶肢介生物地层学

叶肢介是一种淡水甲壳类动物,个体不大,一般在几毫米到两厘米之间,软体有点像虾,具有很多附肢,雌雄异体,外裹一对几丁质壳瓣,形似蚌壳,但不如后者的钙质壳那么厚实坚硬。叶肢介从泥盆纪开始出现,中生代时其演化中心从欧洲迁移到了东亚,白垩纪它们的分异和演化达到顶峰,到了新生代则进入衰亡阶段。叶肢介化石一般出现在陆相地层中,由于它数量多、演化快、分布广泛,近年来已成为中国和邻近地区中生代非海相生物地层划分和对比研究的重要手段之一。中国大陆白垩系主要是陆相沉积,按古地理和生物地理区系,早白垩世可以划分为西南湖群和东北、东南、西北两个大区,前者出现的是直线叶肢介(Orthestheria)动物群,后者则是东方叶肢介(Eosestheria)和延吉叶肢介(Yanjiestheria)动物群;晚白垩世在西南湖群出现的是华美叶肢介(Aglestheria)动物群,在东北松花湖水系出现的是真瘤模叶肢介(Euestherites)动物群,在华中和东南沿海云梦泽水系出现的是薄壳叶肢介(Tenuestheria)动物群。链叶肢介(Halysestheria)是联系它们相互对比的共同分子;晚白垩世早期的线叶肢介(Nemestheria)动物群则在上述3个区系都有分布,甚至在西北喀什地区的塞诺曼期海陆交互相沉积和美国德克萨斯州同期海相地层的陆相夹层中都有发现的记录,它是将中国陆相白垩系与国际海相标准划分联系起来的重要证据。关于中国白垩纪的叶肢介动物群和有关陆相地层的划分对比,产东方叶肢介的义县组以前放在上侏罗统顶部或做为侏罗系-白垩系过渡层处理,这次按全国地层表将东方叶肢介群归入早白垩世。     

欧洲白垩纪非海相软体动物及其地层分布

本文综述了欧洲白垩纪非海相软体动物群,列出了主要产自英格兰南部、法国和西班牙早白垩世的16个不同沉积层的59个分类单元。淡水动物群以珠蚌类双壳类和田螺类腹足类为主,但在有些地点也存有肺螺类腹足类。这些化石类群与现代类型很相似,说明白垩纪淡水中的水草、氧气与营养环境良好。在欧特里沃期和巴列姆期,淡水与边缘海环境中的动物群组成都发生了显著的变化。欧洲的淡水生物群落早在巴列姆期就已存在,此时的有些类群,如著名的Mar garitifera(s.l.)valdensis在欧洲西部有着广泛的分布。英格兰南部的早白垩世韦尔登群被认为是欧洲最连续的非海相白垩纪地层,其上部的生物群可与西班牙的LasHoyas动物群和法国的Wassy动物群相对比。这3个动物群,以及法国侏罗(汝拉)和英格兰南部波倍克的侏罗纪-白垩纪的过渡生物群——Purbeck动物群,是了解欧洲白垩纪淡水动物群的关键动物群。     

内蒙古阿拉善地区的第三系及其动物群

笔者依据丰富翔实的资料,论述了该区第三地层的分布,区划,地层划分沿革,岩性,岩相古地理特征及地质演化史;在地层方面,首次在内蒙古西部建立了比较完整的第三纪地层序列;命名和划分了中始新统乌兰乌珠尔组,上始新统查干布拉格组。下渐新统乌兰塔塔尔组,上渐新统,下中新统乌尔较组,上中新统呼和好来组和上新统昂冈浩特组等６个地层单元,补充界定了查干布拉格组并将其时代厘定为晚始新世;在动物群方面,发现和命名了中始     

中—新生代有孔虫古地理对西藏特提斯演变的动态响应

有孔虫化石资料是地质历史的真实记录,对不同地质时期古地理格局和生态环境的变迁具有动态响应。西藏特提斯构造带的演化、板块相对地理位置变迁等诸多问题一直是地学界关注的热点。研究西藏特提斯沉积盆地内有孔虫动物群的古生态特征和古地理分布,能够识别生物地理区系,进而恢复不同时期的大地构造演化格局。西藏地区中、新生代古生物地理区系的分化是西藏特提斯地质演变的具体反映。西藏南部早侏罗世产底栖大有孔虫Orbitopsella喜暖动物群,晚侏罗世出现双壳类Buchia喜冷动物群。由此推测,侏罗纪新特提斯洋扩张尤其是中大西洋的开张,将位于印度大陆北缘的特提斯喜马拉雅带,从早侏罗世较低纬度的温暖位置向南推移至较高纬度的低温地区。白垩纪中期Orbitolina有孔虫类群繁盛于特提斯北侧亚洲大陆的拉萨地块和羌塘盆地,但没有出现在印度大陆。这说明当时印度大陆已脱离冈瓦纳大陆向北漂移,受四周深水环境的阻隔,Orbitolina动物群未能向印度大陆扩散。此时深水环境中生活着浮游有孔虫Ticinella-Rotalipora动物群。Turonian晚期开始形成海退,拉萨地块的海洋环境基本消失。Coniacian-Campanian早期印度大陆北缘浮游有孔虫继续占优势,繁盛Marginotruncana-Globotruncana动物群。直至白垩纪末,印度和欧亚大陆之间的深海阻隔仍然存在,雅鲁藏布江缝合带两侧动物群一直存在根本性差异。印度大陆北缘发育着Orbitoides-Omphaloceclus 动物群,冈底斯南缘则以Lepidorbitoides-Pseudorbitoides动物群为特征。古新世Danian期生态环境发生变化,显示大印度与亚洲大陆发生初始碰撞(66~61 Ma)。Selandian期之后,缝合带两侧才出现相同的Miscellanea-Daviesina有孔虫类群,生物区系的分异基本结束。始新世早期缝合带两侧为完全相同的生物区系,共同发育底栖大有孔虫Nummulites-Discocyclina动物群。有孔虫古地理证据表明,大印度与欧亚大陆的初始碰撞在古新世早期发生,时间大致在Danian期,沿雅鲁藏布缝合带的深海演变为残留海环境。小个体货币虫Nummulites willcoxi和浮游有孔虫Globigerina ouachitaensis的存在,代表特提斯喜马拉雅最高海相沉积,时代属于始新世Priabonian晚期(35~34 Ma)。随后,特提斯喜马拉雅海封闭,海水完全退出西藏境内。     

西藏岗巴晚白垩世有孔虫动物群与海平面变化

西藏南部岗巴地区上白垩统的有孔虫动物群十分丰富，经鉴定共有52属130种。根据岩性，该地区上白垩统可以划分出三个最基本的岩石地层单位：冷青热组、岗巴村口组及宗山组。依据其中有孔虫的形态结构、生态环境、系统演化及地史分布等特征，可以划分出五个主要的有孔虫动物群，Rotalipora动物群，Whiteinella-Helvetoglobotruncana动物群，Dicarinella-Marginotruncana动物群，Globotruncana-Globotuncanita动物群及Orbitoides-Omphalocyclus动物群。这五个有孔虫动物在晚白垩世相继绝灭，其绝灭与古水深有着十分密切的关系，主要是受海平面变化的影响。     

新疆乌伦古河地区第三纪哺乳动物群初析及地层年代确定

新疆准噶尔盆地北缘乌伦古河地区第三纪含有 7个哺乳动物群 :可可买登动物群 ,哈拉玛盖动物群 ,索索泉组顶部动物群 ,索索泉动物群 ,索索泉组底部 990 0 5动物群 ,铁尔斯哈巴合动物群和乌伦古河动物群。依据动物群分析初步确定 5个岩石地层单元的地质时代分别为 :可可买登组——中中新世晚期 ;哈拉玛盖组——中中新世早期 ,索索泉组——最早中新世至早中新世最晚期或中中新世最早期 ;铁尔斯哈巴合组——晚渐新世 ;乌伦古河组——早始新世至早渐新世。     

A new Cenomanian ichthyofauna from southeastern Morocco and its relationships with other early Late Cretaceous Moroccan faunas

A new ichthyofauna from southeastern Morocco, comprising five forms, is briefly discussed. The faunal composition differs from the Early Cenomanian Kem Kem and Early Turonian Goulmima assemblages, but is close to that from Jebel Tselfat. We propose a Late Cenomanian age for the new fauna and that from Jebel Tselfat. The evolution of these fish assemblages shows the Moroccan fish faunas to have been related to those from South America until at least the Early Turonian. Central Tethyan influence on faunas seems to have been restricted to a short period of time during the beginning of the Late Cenomanian transgressive phase.     

Archosaurian reptiles with Gondwanan affinities in the Upper Cretaceous of Europe

The Late Cretaceous (mainly Campanian and Maastrichtian) non-marine vertebrate faunas of Europe contain archosaurian reptiles which belong to groups otherwise known mainly or only from the southern ('Gondwanan') continents. They include titanosaurid sauropods, abelisaurid theropods, and trematochampsid crocodilians. The occurrence of these forms together with others of 'Asiamerican' affinities gives the Late Cretaceous vertebrate faunas of Europe a peculiar composition, which makes them clearly different from the well-known faunas from western North America and Central Asia. The Gondwanan dinosaurs and crocodilians from Europe provide evidence of faunal interchange across the Tethys Sea during the Cretaceous, possibly via the Alboran plate, or the Apulian plate, which may have functioned as 'stepping-stones', especially during periods of low sea level.     

Variation on Foraminiferal Composition in Cretaceous Black-Gray-Red Bed Sequence of Southern Tibet, China

An Upper Cretaceous black-gray-red bed sequence was deposited in the Tethys-Himalayan Sea where abundant foraminifera, especially planktons, were yielded. In the shallow shelf to the upper slope on the north margin of Indian plate was recorded an extinction-recovery-radiation cycle of foraminiferal fauna highly sensitive to paleoceanographical changes. The black unit, consisting of the Late Cenomanian-earliest Turonian beds, displays a major extinction, with keeled planktonic and many benthic species as the principal victims at the end of the Cenomanian when existed only low diversity, sin-face water-dwelling foraminifera. The gray unit spans a long-term recovery interval from the Turonian to the early Santonian with keeled planktonic foraminifera returning stepwise to the water colunm. The planktonic biota in the red unit, extremely abundant, indicate a biotic radiation during the Late Santonian and the Early Campanian, implying that the high oxygen levels had returned to all the oceanic depth levels,and that the water stratification disappeared, followed by the radiation of all depth-dwellers. The variation on foraminiferal faunas from the whole sequence refers to the extreme warm climate that appeared in the Middle Cretaceous and to the declined temperature toward the late epoch. Substantial deposits for this warming and cooling zones represent the black shales in the Middle Cretaceous and the red beds in the later period of the southern Tibet. The change in the foraminiferal composition corresponded to the formation of dysaerobic facies and to the development of high-oxidized circumstances.     

Mammal fauna during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene in the far northeast of Europe

The paper summarises materials on the mammal remains in northeastern Europe, dated by radiocarbon. Altogether, 23 local faunas of small mammals and 47 local faunas of large mammals were analysed. Multidimensional statistical analysis shows a strong correlation between changes in small mammal fauna composition and climate changes throughout time. The correlations with the spatial gradients, however, are less pronounced. The faunas are classified into three groups: (1) faunas of Holocene age; (2) Late Pleistocene ‘stadial’ assemblages; and (3) Late Pleistocene ‘interstadial’ assemblages. In some cases, changes in species abundance are better understood in terms of biotic interrelations rather than of climatic effects. The most pronounced change in small mammal fauna composition and structure occurred at the Preboreal/Boreal boundary, and a less conspicuous alteration took place at the LGM/Lateglacial transition. The most noticeable transformation in the large mammal fauna composition is dated to the early Holocene. Less significant changes are observed at the Middle Weichselian/LGM transition and at the LGM/Lateglacial transition. It is safely concluded that variations in the faunas of small and large mammals recorded in NE Europe during the last 35 000 years occurred synchronously and unidirectionally.     

中国晚白垩世陆相红层与恐龙蛋化石群序列及其地层学意义

中国的恐龙蛋化石埋藏丰富,分布广泛。迄今为止,已报道有14个省(区)发现恐龙蛋化石。尤其在浙江天台盆地、山东莱阳盆地、广东南雄盆地以及河南西峡和淅川盆地等晚白垩世陆相红层中发现大量的恐龙蛋化石,同时也发现大量共生的恐龙等脊椎动物化石。中国恐龙蛋化石具有数量大、种类多、保存好、分布广、时代跨度大等特点,因此恐龙蛋可以作为中国白垩纪陆相地层划分与对比的重要化石之一。本文在建立天台盆地赖家组和赤城山组的岩石地层、年代地层和恐龙蛋生物地层层序框架的基础上,重点对比讨论了我国几个主要含恐龙蛋沉积盆地的恐龙蛋类群组合序列及其对应的地层关系。同时,对我国周边相邻地区如蒙古、韩国和印度以及其他各个大陆发现的恐龙蛋化石进行了初步对比讨论。天台恐龙蛋化石群与我国其他几个主要的恐龙蛋化石群之间存在一定的差距。相比较而言,天台恐龙蛋化石群和南雄恐龙蛋化石群组合特征鲜明,前者主要以网形蛋类和蜂窝蛋类为主,后者以长形蛋类为优势类群,结合天台盆地陆相红层中多个凝灰岩夹层获得的98～91Ma和南雄盆地67Ma的同位素年龄,据此,天台恐龙蛋化石群代表了晚白垩世早期的恐龙蛋组合,而南雄恐龙蛋化石群则代表了晚白垩世晚期的恐龙蛋组合。天台恐龙蛋化石群与莱阳恐龙蛋化石群明显不同,莱阳盆地的主要蛋化石类型——圆形蛋类和椭圆形蛋类在天台盆地至今没有被发现。但莱阳恐龙蛋化石群与南雄恐龙蛋化石群比较相似,如莱阳盆地金刚口组以椭圆形蛋类为主,含有少量的长形蛋类,而南雄盆地以长形蛋类为主,含有少量的椭圆形蛋类,其中金刚口椭圆形蛋、薄皮椭圆形蛋、长形长形蛋和安氏长形蛋等2属4种蛋化石在两个盆地均有发现。此外,在莱阳盆地王氏群中下部的将军顶组还发现了相对原始的网形蛋类。综合以上分析,莱阳恐龙蛋化石群大致介于晚白垩世早期的天台恐龙蛋化石群和晚白垩世晚期的南雄恐龙蛋化石群之间,更接近于南雄恐龙蛋化石群,时代应为晚白垩世中晚期。天台恐龙蛋化石群与西峡恐龙蛋化石群非常相似,在科一级分类单元中,至少有巨型长形蛋类、蜂窝蛋类和棱柱形蛋类等6个蛋科在两个盆地中均有发现,尤其是巨型长形蛋科仅在天台和西峡两个盆地中有化石记录,其中西峡巨型长形蛋这一蛋种同时产于西峡盆地走马岗组、赵营组和天台盆地的赤城山组。西峡盆地发现的其他一些蛋化石也可以归入到天台盆地新建立的一些蛋化石类型中。据此推断,走马岗组和赵营组与赤城山组的层位可能大致相当。虽然我们对西峡盆地已报道的部分恐龙蛋化石进行了初步厘定,但鉴于西峡盆地大量恐龙蛋化石的形态学和分类学尚存在较多的问题,两盆地的详细对比还有待于进一步的研究。天台恐龙蛋化石群与淅川盆地的恐龙蛋化石组合差别很大,相应的淅川盆地的恐龙蛋类群与相邻的西峡盆地的差别也较大,此外,在淅川盆地高沟组发现有树枝蛋类,这一类蛋化石在天台盆地未发现,据此推测淅川盆地的时代应晚于天台盆地和西峡盆地。相比较而言,淅川盆地的蛋化石组合与莱阳和南雄恐龙蛋化石群有一定的相似性,都含有长形蛋类、圆形蛋类和椭圆形蛋类等,因而,淅川盆地的马家村组和寺沟组的层位被认为可能与莱阳盆地的金刚口组和南雄盆地的坪岭组相当。综上分析,我们可以初步建立我国晚白垩世恐龙蛋化石群的组合序列及其对应的地层层序和时代框架,从下至上至少包含了4个恐龙蛋化石群:1)天台恐龙蛋化石群,赋存层位为天台群中上部的赖家组和赤城山组,时代约为晚白垩世早期(塞诺曼期土伦期);2)西峡恐龙蛋化石群,赋存层位为走马岗组、赵营组和六爷庙组,晚白垩世早中期(土伦期桑顿期);3)莱阳恐龙蛋化石群,赋存层位为王氏群中上部的将军顶组和金刚口组,晚白垩世中晚期(科尼亚克期坎潘期);4)南雄恐龙蛋化石群,赋存层位为南雄群园圃组和坪岭组,晚白垩世晚期(坎潘期马斯特里赫特期)。此外,随着研究工作的继续和深入,有望建立起包括早白垩世恐龙蛋化石群在内的白垩纪恐龙蛋化石群的组合特征序列,为进一步划分与对比我国白垩纪地层提供更多的基础资料。     

HAUTERIVIAN AND BARREMIAN IN THE FAR EAST

Valanginian marine sediments are widespread in the eastern margin of Asia from China northward over the Sikhote-Alin region, as far west as the Amur river, and as far north as the Amgun river. This was an interior type sea with abundant islands and a boreal fauna. It is surmised that Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the other Japanese islands were not invaded by the sea. A paralic coal basin is known on southwestern Honshu. Post-Valanginian folding and erosion preceded a Barremian-Albian marine transgression over the same general area. In these younger Cretaceous rocks southern faunas appear and the boreal fauna is present north of 45° latitude. Aucella and Aucellina species are important elements of the faunas. This review of faunas and correlations, including western North America, suggests that Hauterivian folding was a major event in North Pacific tectonic history. -- C. G. Tillman.     

Cretaceous sedimentary basins in Sichuan,SW China: Restoration of tectonic and depositional environments

This study documents sediment infill features and their responses to the tectonic evolution of the Sichuan Basin and adjacent areas. The data include a comparison of field outcrops, well drillings, inter-well correlations, seismic data, isopach maps, and the spatial evolution of sedimentary facies. We divided the evolutionary history of the Sichuan Cretaceous Basin into three stages based on the following tectonic subsidence curves: the early Early Cretaceous (145–125 Ma), late Early Cretaceous to early Late Cretaceous (125–89.8 Ma), and late Late Cretaceous (89.8–66 Ma). The basin underwent NW–SE compression with northwestward shortening in the early Early Cretaceous and was dominated by alluvial fans and fluviolacustrine sedimentary systems. The central and northern areas of the Sichuan Basin were rapidly uplifted during the late Early Cretaceous to early Late Cretaceous with southwestward tilting, which resulted in the formation of a depression, exhibited southwestward compression, and was characterized by aeolian desert and fluviolacustrine deposits. The tectonic framework is controlled by the inherited basement structure and the formation of NE mountains, which not only affected the clastic supply of the sedimentary basin but also blocked warm-wet currents from the southeast, which changed the climatic conditions in the late Late Cretaceous. The formation and evolution of Cretaceous sedimentary basins are closely related to synchronous subtle far-field tectonism and changes in climate and drainage systems. According to the analysis of the migration of the Cretaceous sedimentation centers, different basin structures formed during different periods, including periods of peripheral mountain asynchronous thrusting and regional differential uplift. Thus, the Sichuan Cretaceous sedimentary basin is recognized as a superimposed foreland basin.     

An Ichthyornis-like bird from the earliest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of European Russia

Ornithuromorph birds (the clade which includes modern avian radiation) first appeared in the Early Cretaceous in Asia and achieved a great diversity during the latest ages of the Late Cretaceous (Campanian and Maastrichtian). The evolutionary history of orithuromorphs during the first 17 MYAs of the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Santonian ages) remains very poorly known, as the fossil record for this time interval is largely restricted to several isolated finds of the classic avian genus Ichthyornis in North America. Here we describe an isolated distal tibiotarsus of an evolutionary advanced bird, morphologically similar to Ichthyornis, from the middle Cenomanian of Saratov Province, European Russia. This is the first documentation of an Ichthyornis-like bird in the Old World. The find further constitutes only the second pre-Campanian record of the Late Cretaceous Ornithuromorpha in Eurasia, the second record of Cenomanian birds in Russia. This discovery shows that Ichthyornis-like birds enjoyed a wide geographical distribution as early as the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. Given that the earliest and the most primitive ornithuromorph birds are known from Asia, the new find supports a Eurasian origin for Ichthyornithidae.     

Southern African Phanerozoic marine invertebrates: Biogeography,pal˦oecology,climatology and comments on adjacent regions

The Palaeozoic marine invertebrate fossil record in southern Africa is characterised by extensive data for the Early and Middle Devonian but extremely limited or absent for other Palaeozoic Periods. The Mesozoic Era is lacking in marine invertebrate fossils for the Triassic, Late Jurassic, and Cretaceous. For the Cenozoic Era there is limited marine megafossil information. Overall, in benthic, cool waters, Palaeozoic, marine megafossils from southern Africa appear to represent relatively low diversity communities, when compared to ecologically comparable warm water environments elsewhere. However, the marine benthic Cretaceous and Cenozoic faunas of southwestern Africa are typically diverse warm water types, until the later Miocene when cool waters again prevailed. The Benguela Current clearly influenced lower diversity faunas.Climatically, it can be inferred from the marine megabenthic pal˦ontological evidence, thatwarm conditions were present from Early Cambrian until mid-Ordovician times, followed by a much cooler climate that persisted well into the Middle Devonian. The Late Palaeozoic evidence thus indicates cool to cold conditions. In contrast, the Late Permian fossils are consistent with warmer conditions, continuing through Late Jurassic and Cretaceous times along the East African and West African coasts, until the Late Miocene.Within the Gondwanan framework, a Central African region can be envisaged that was subject to non-marine conditions during the entire Phanerozoic Eon. Peripheral to this central African region were marine environments of various ages. The geological history of these peripheral regions was fairly unique. Some features in southern Africa are similar of those found in the Paraná Basin and the Falkland Islands.Most of North Africa from central Senegal to Libya contains a Phanerozoic marine cover extending from the Early Cambrian through to the Carboniferous, characterised by warm water faunas, except for the Ordovician which yields cool-cold water faunas.The Palaeozoic of Arabia, which was an integral part of Africa until the Miocene, has yieldedwarm water fossils.     

义县阶的时代与侏罗系-白垩系界线——义县阶标准地层剖面建立和研究之三

义县阶中孔子鸟类、中华龙鸟类、翼龙类、叶肢介、昆虫、双壳类和植物(包括木化石)时代确定为晚侏罗世晚期或提塘晚期；哺乳类、鸟臀类恐龙和孢粉为早白垩世早期或贝里阿斯期；介形类、鱼类为晚侏罗世早白垩世过渡期或提塘晚期-贝里阿斯期。考虑到义县期生物群与德国索伦霍芬(Solnhofen)生物群、英国普尔贝克(Purbeck)生物群，日本晚侏罗世手取(Tetori)型、领石(Ryoseki)型植物群可以比较、对比以及与中侏罗世约克郡(Yorkshire)植物群、大河口(Great EstLiarine)叶肢介群的联系分析，综合时代可确定为提塘晚期至贝里阿斯期；尖山沟层时代倾向于提塘晚期，大康堡层时代倾向于贝里阿斯期。由于可与义县组对比的英国普尔贝克(Purbeck)群(组或层)的侏罗系与白垩系界线仍未确定；同时因缺乏实测数据，国际地层表推荐的144Ma、145Ma、135Ma等侏罗系与白垩系界线年龄，不能作为可靠的依据标准；因此应据中国义县阶标准地层剖面的综合生物年代及实测同位素年代确定侏罗系与白垩系界线，界线倾向于义县阶下部尖山沟层与上部大康堡层之间，同位素年龄以124Ma为界线年龄符合目前综合生物年代，是较优选的方案。     

The fossil vertebrates from Lano (Basque Country, Spain); new evidence on the composition and affinities of the Late Cretaceous continental faunas of Europe

A newly discovered fossil locality at Lano (Basque Country) has yielded a vertebrate assemblage of probably Maastrichtian age comprising fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. It considerably enlarges our knowledge of the Late Cretaceous continental faunas of Europe, hitherto based on a much less complete record. Some taxa are recorded for the first time in Europe, and the fauna also contains the oldest known representatives of some groups (amphisbaenians, salamandrids). The Lan assemblage reveals an original fauna comprising both forms related to Asian and North American groups and elements with Gondwanan affinities.