Fedexia striegeli , a new genus and species of trematopid temnospondyl amphibian, is described on the basis of a single specimen that includes the greater portion of the skull and articulated portions of both mandibles and the atlas-axis complex, The holotype was collected from Upper Pennsylvanian—early Virgilian strata assignable to the lower part of the Casselman Formation of the Conemaugh Group in western Pennsylvania. This is not only the first trematopid to be reported from the State of Pennsylvania, but also, in addition to Actiobates Eaton, 1973, and Anconastes Berman et al., 1987, only the third reported Late Pennsylvanian member of the family that otherwise has a greater Early Permian representation.

A cladistic analysis of the Dissorophoidea was performed utilizing primarily cranial characters and only members of Amphibamidae, Trematopidae, and Dissorophidae that are well represented in this field of inquiry. This includes Ecolsonia Vaughn, 1969, whose relationships to the latter two families have been controversial. The resultant cladogram depicts: 1) Fedexia to be nested within a monophyletic Trematopidae as the sister taxon to the terminal dichotomy of Anconastes and Tambachia Sumida et al., 1998; 2) Trematopidae and Dissorophidae as forming monophyletic sister clades; and 3) Ecolsonia, Dissorophus Cope, 1895, and Broiliellus Williston, 1914, as forming an unresolved, terminal trichotomy within the dissorophid clade.

Fedexia is representative of a wide variety of Late Pennsylvanian, medium-to-large amphibian and amniote tetrapods that record the earliest occurrence of vertebrates adapted to a terrestrial existence in North America. It is hypothesized that this biotic event was in response to the final stage of a long-term, global climatic trend toward drier conditions during the Pennsylvanian from perhumid to humid during the Early and Middle Pennsylvanian to dry subhumid or semiarid in the latest Virgilian. The lattermost climatic stage, which was also coincident with a marked retreat of the southern polar hemisphere glaciers during the late Paleozoic Ice Age, was followed by a strong and progressive reversal of the climate and an advance of the southern hemisphere glaciers to conditions characteristic of the earlier Pennsylvanian.

Climatic changes during the Pennsylvanian are chronicled not only by major changes in rock types and associated lithologies, but also by a shift in the biology of the vertebrates they preserve. Middle Pennsylvanian vertebrates are characterized by large, diverse assemblages of predominantly small, aquatic amphibians and fish preserved in black shales and cannel coals associated with coal-forming and sapropelic fluvial sediments that developed in permanently wet, abandoned river channels. In contrast, the terrestrially adapted vertebrates of the Missourian—Virgilian Pennsylvanian are typically preserved in thin deposits of freshwater limestone or their closely associated paleosols that are interpreted as representing seasonally dry lake deposits. Yet, aquatic amphibians continue to be a major constituent of Late Pennsylvanian vertebrate assemblages.

The external anatomy of the last instar larva and pupa of the crane fly, Indotipula demarcata (Brunetti, 1911) (Diptera: Tipulidae: Tipulinae), is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Taiwan. Comments concerning natural history and microhabitats of larvae are provided. This is the first detailed description with illustrations for the larva and pupa of Indotipula Edwards, 1931, Pupal characters resemble those of most species from advanced lineages within the subfamily Tipulinae.

This study determines the current and historic distributions of Prenanthes crepidinea Michaux (Asteraceae: Lactuceae) and describes its habitat and life history. A phytogeographical study based on herbarium material was conducted to delimit historic and current distributions of P. crepidinea. Ecological data were gathered from herbarium specimens. A literature search was conducted for information about P. crepidinea to enhance the herbarium study.

An in-depth field study over two seasons, 1998 and 1999, was made at three extant sites, providing a characteristic life history and habitat description for the species. Associated plant species, pollinators, and parasites were investigated, with voucher specimens for all associated plant species deposited in the herbaria of Youngstown State University (YUO) and Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM).

Twelve species of Neogene decapod crustaceans are described from late Miocene and early Pliocene deposits in the Valdivia, Osomo-Llanquihue, and Chiloé basins as well as from Mocha Island, offshore from the Temuco Basin, southern Chile. New species of thalassinideans include Ctenocheles notialis and Axianassa? chilensis. Axianassa Schmitt, 1924, has not been reported previously in the fossil record. New species of brachyurans include Trichopeltarion frassinetti. Pirulella antipodea, Chaceon quadrata, Geryon manningi, Phenophthalmus mochaensis, and Chasmocarcinus chiloeensis. Pirulella and Phenophthalmus are new genera and Geryon Krøyer, 1837, is noted in the fossil record for the first time. Extant congeners are primarily known from lower latitude regions. Only Chaceon Manning and Holthuis, 1989, is known from the Chilean coast at present.