Culturing experiments of the intermediate morphotype of the cosmopolitan coccolithophore Calcidiscus leptoporus, indicate that the size of its coccosphere and of its coccoliths are affected only in a minor way by temperature. The changes observed in clones growing under different temperature and light conditions are within the range defined for this morphotype in the plankton and Holocene sediments. This outcome suggests that the three morphotypes of living C. leptoporus may be reproductively isolated species rather than stages in a life cycle of a single species or ecophenotypic adaptations of a single species with considerable morphological plasticity. Numerous extinct morphotypes of C. leptoporus have been recorded from marine sediments deposited during the last approximately 25 Ma. In the light of our experiments, these may in fact represent genetically distinct species, which experienced rapid evolution.

The Order Lagenida is a monophyletic group of calcareous foraminifers that originated in Middle Pennsylvanian time via acquisition of hyaline-radial wall structure and loss of microgranular wall structure, the latter being characteristic of the close sister group and likely ancestor, the Fusulinida. Early lagenides are delineated into subgroups on the basis of presence or absence of partitioning within their tests, and among partitioned forms, on continuous versus discontinuous growth styles. Partitioned, discontinuously growing forms may be further delineated on the basis of test symmetry and on modifications to chamber shape and apertural complexity. Early lagenides underwent rapid taxonomic differentiation during late Moscovian and early Kasimovian time. Taxonomic differentiation was accompanied by rapid dispersal from the presumed center of origin in the midcontinent-Andean area to tropical and subtropical shelves worldwide. By Early Permian time certain lagenides were adapted to cool water paleoenvironments, as evidenced by their occurrences in high paleolatitudes and even in glaciomarine basins. Early Permian lagenides do not exhibit marked provincialism, but there is evidence for paleolatitudinal control on assemblages. The midcontinent-Andean and present Arctic areas contain similar, diverse faunas from low- to mid paleolatitudes along the western margin of Pangaea. These faunas share many elements in common with faunas from the tropical and subtropical eastern margin of Pangaea (Paleotethys). In contrast, the Europe-Urals, Siberian and Australian areas are characterized by a slightly different faunal association from mid- to high paleolatitudes in both hemispheres. Panthalssan faunas are less well known, but seemingly contain only cosmopolitan taxa.

Four new Early Carboniferous athyridid species in three genera, including one new genus, Bruntonathyris, are described from the Qaidam Basin, northwest China: Lamellosathyris qaidamensis, Bruntonathyris amunikeensis, Bruntonathyris? heijianshanensis, and Lochengia qinghaiensis. Based on the new material and also on published information, we also reviewed the taxonomic composition and the stratigraphic and paleogeographic distributions of the three genera. As a result, Lamellosathyris is considered to be indicative of late Famennian to Viséan age, originating in late Famennian in central North America and Armenia of Russia, respectively. Later, the genus appears to have two migratory directions: one branch rapidly dispersed over Mississippi Valley, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico of central North America in Tournaisian; alternatively, another branch from Armenia migrated westerly to Belgium, France, Spain, Britain, Ireland, via the Moscow Basin and Ural seaway, eastward to the Tienshan Mountains and Qaidam Basin of northwest China during the Tournaisian to Viséan, and easterly along the southern shelves of the Paleo-Tethys to Iran and western Yunnan of southwestern China in Tournaisian. Both Bruntonathyris and Lochengia are restrictedly Tournaisian to Viséan in age, and probably originated in the Qaidam Basin. Later, Bruntonathyris migrated easterly to South China and Japan, and westerly to Urals, Moscow Basin, Donetsk Basin and Britain; Lochengia migrated easterly to South China and westerly to the Urals seaway and the adjoined Russian Platform (i.e., both the Moscow and Donetsk Basins).

The Early Oligocene to Recent genus Lirabuccinum Vermeij, 1991, is a North Pacific clade of rocky-bottom predatory buccinid gastropods. A re-examination of all available material from eastern Asia and comparison of this material with western American species leads us to recognize four northwestern Pacific species: L. fuscolabiatum (Smith, 1875) from the Pliocene to Recent; L. japonicum (Yokoyama, 1926) from the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene; L. branneri (Clark and Arnold, 1923) from the early Middle Miocene, also known from the Oligocene in the eastern Pacific; and Lirabuccinum sp. from the late Middle Miocene. The genus originated in the eastern Pacific and subsequently spread to the western Pacific by late Early Miocene to early Middle Miocene time. Lirabuccinum exemplifies a common pattern among rocky-bottom North Pacific gastropods in that the early species have a thick, internally strongly ribbed or denticulate outer lip. As they adapted to the colder boreal realm during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, Lirabuccinum and such other clades as Nucella, Ceratostoma, and Ocinebrellus (all Muricidae) evolved thinner, less heavily reinforced outer lips.

Small, silicified rostroconchs are present in the late Wolfcampian Bird Spring Formation in Nevada. Hadropipetta nevadaensis new species, Minycardita sectilis new genus and species, and Baiosoma sp. are described.

Intra- and interspecific variation in the early internal shell features of ammonoids has been examined in 14 Late Cretaceous species representing four suborders on the basis of large samples from Hokkaido (Japan) and the U.S. Western Interior Province. Our observations indicate that quantitative characters such as the size of the initial chamber and ammonitella, the length of the prosiphon, and the ammonitella angle exhibit moderate variation within species. The ranges of variation partly overlap among species, indicating that these characters are not suitable for studies of the higher-level systematics of ammonoids, but may sometimes help diagnose species. In contrast, there is much less variation within species with respect to qualitative characters such as the shape of the prosiphon, the presence or absence of accessory threads of the prosiphon, the shape of the caecum, and the initial position of the siphuncle. Examination of these characters shows that they appear to be stable at the superfamily level for the Ammonitina, but variable among species in the Lytoceratina. Thus, these characters are potentially more useful for higher-level phylogenetic analysis.

Brachyuran decapods (crabs) are rarely preserved in coastal environments and have not been documented in close association with dinosaur fossils. A crab referable to the Necrocarcinidae Förster, 1968, is here described from the Cenomanian Bahariya Formation, Bahariya Oasis, Egypt. The occurrence of a crab in a mangrove setting in association with terrestrial vertebrates is extremely unusual in the fossil record. Review of decapod occurrences from the region has resulted in placement of Portunus sp. of Roger (1946) within the Raninidae de Haan, 1839, and Lophoraninella cretacea (Dames, 1886) into the Galatheoidea Samouelle, 1819. The crabs of the Bahariya Formation were probably scavengers, feeding on vegetation and other organic material and were possibly a food source for fish and other vertebrates and invertebrates in the environment.

Acid-resistant specimens of trilobites were recovered from the dissolved residues of lime mudstone collected from the lower part of the Machari Formation, Yongwol Group, Taebaeksan Basin, Korea. One of the samples yields a trilobite assemblage comprising Lejopyge armata (Linnarsson, 1869), Lisogoragnostus coreanicus n. sp., agnostid genus and species indeterminate, ammagnostid genus and species indeterminate, clavagnostid genus and species indeterminate, Cyclolorenzella sp., and Eoshengia? sp. The stratigraphic interval yielding the trilobite assemblage is herein designated as the Lejopyge armata Zone, which is correlated well with the upper Middle Cambrian biozones established elsewhere. This provides the first biostratigraphic reference point for the upper Middle Cambrian sequence of the Yongwol Group and fills partially the biostratigraphic gap between the Tonkinella (middle Middle Cambrian) and the Glyptagnostus stolidotus (uppermost Middle Cambrian) zones in the Machari Formation.

The Middle Eocene (Lutetian) bee faunas of Eckfeld and Messel, Germany are revised. In addition to the previously known Electrapis electrapoides (Lutz), five additional species are recognized. Four new species of the Electrapini (Apidae: Apinae) are described: Electrapis micheneri Wappler and Engel, E. prolata Engel and Wappler, Protobombus pristinus Wappler and Engel, and P. messelensis Engel and Wappler. In addition, the new genus Pygomelissa Engel and Wappler is proposed for Pygomelissa lutetia Engel and Wappler new species, which cannot presently be classified into any tribe of the Apidae. The tribe Megachilini (Megachilidae: Megachilinae) is also recorded from Eckfeld but in the absence of any body fossil. Megachilines include the leaf-cutter bees (Megachile) and from the occurrence of the distinctive semicircular damage they produce in leaves, we conclude that such bees were also present in the fauna. The bee fauna is compared with that of the contemporaneous Baltic amber. As with Baltic amber, the majority of bee specimens are from the advanced eusocial lineages of the corbiculate Apinae. Lastly, comments are made on the phylogenetic and paleobiological significance of the faunas.

A new diverse Famennian echinoderm fauna (∼600 specimens representing 33 genera and 47 species) dominated by blastoids and cladid, small-calyx camerate, and flexible crinoids is reported from the Hongguleleng Formation, Junggar Basin, Xinjiang-Uygar Autonomous Region, China. Two stratigraphically distinct pelmatozoan faunas were collected: one from the lower member of the Hongguleleng Formation (crepida Zone to marginifera Zone) and one from the upper member of the Hongguleleng Formation (praesulcata Zone). Both faunas are distinctively “Carboniferous” in aspect. The older fauna is dominated by cladids and small-calyx camerates, whereas the younger fauna is dominated by blastoids.

Discovery of these two faunas has more than doubled the number of Famennian echinoderm specimens known in the world and more than quadrupled the number of known taxa. Latest Devonian (Famennian) and earliest Carboniferous stemmed-echinoderm (pelmatozoan) faunas traditionally have been considered to be very low diversity relative to earlier Frasnian and later Early Carboniferous faunas. Furthermore, Carboniferous pelmatozoan faunas seemingly arose suddenly, with unclear ancestral ties to Devonian taxa. The Hongguleleng faunas are critical in understanding pelmatozoan biogeography and evolution in the aftermath of Devonian extinction event(s) prior to the Carboniferous echinoderm diversification, as they indicate that diversification and re-radiation of stemmed echinoderms already were well underway before the close of the Famennian.

Collections from field excursions in 1993 and 1995 include seven new taxa of blastoids and nine new taxa of crinoids among the twenty-four total taxa reported. New blastoid taxa are Emuhablastus planus, Tripoblastus plicatus, Breimeriblastus pyramidalis, B. gracilis, Conoblastus invaginatus, Sinopetaloblastus grabaui, and Hyperoblastus emuhaensis. Together with collections from 1991, we have amassed 333 blastoid specimens, representing 13 genera and 15 species. Emuhablastus planus, new genus and species, is the oldest genus of the Family Codasteridae, extending the familial record back from the Viséan to the Famennian. The hyperoblastid genera, Breimeriblastus, new genus, and Conoblastus, new genus, apparently represent transitional genera between a Pentremitidea-like ancestor and a Pentremites-like descendant. These taxa imply that the fissiculate-spiraculate transition may have occurred in a mosaic fashion during the Middle to Upper Devonian. Hyperoblastus emuhaensis, new species, is the first report of the genus from rocks of Famennian age or from Asia.

New crinoid taxa include Athabascocrinus orientale, Hexacrinites pinnulata, Abactinocrinus devonicus, Euonychocrinus websteri,? Parisocrinus nodosus,? P. conicus, Bridgerocrinus discus, Julieticrinus romeo, and Sostronocrinus quadribrachiatus. In addition, we propose several other taxonomic reassignments based on new collections. Uperocrinus zhaoae is reassigned to the genus