Strata in the Canadian Arctic contain diverse and moderately well-preserved Late Cretaceous siliceous microfossil assemblages. One-hundred-twelve samples were analyzed from a composite stratigraphic section (1094m-thick) of the Smoking Hills, Mason River and Kanguk formations. Four sections were examined: (1) Slidre Fjord on Ellesmere Island; (2) Hoodoo Dome on Ellef Ringnes Island; (3) Cape Nares on Eglinton Island; and (4) Horton River on the Anderson Plains, Northwest Territories. Two hundred-three diatom taxa were identified in forty-nine productive samples. Four Upper Cretaceous diatom zones are proposed for the Canadian Arctic based on the biostratigraphic distribution of diatoms: (i) the Upper Cenomanian to Upper Santonian(?) Gladius antiquus Concurrent Range Zone, (ii) the Lower Campanian Costopyxis antiqua Partial Range Zone, (iii) the lower Upper Campanian Trinacria indefinita Interval Zone, and (iv) the upper Upper Campanian Stephanopyxis simonseni Partial Range Zone.

The diatom assemblages are similar to those of Alpha Ridge (Arctic Ocean), Ural Mountains (Russia), and Campbell Plateau (SW Pacific Ocean), enabling diatom-based biostratigraphical correlations within the northern high-latitudes and to the southern high-latitudes. A fifth biostratigraphic zone, Azpeitiopsis morenoensis Concurrent Range Zone, is also proposed, based on common and widespread distribution of the nominative taxon in lower to upper Maastrichtian sediments. Sufficient data is now available to establish the construction of a diatom-based standard zonal framework for the Upper Cretaceous.

Two new combinations, Trochosira denticulatum (Strelnikova) Tapia and Trochosiropsis polychaeta (Strelnikova) Tapia are here proposed.

Clarkina, which characterizes Upper Permian (Lopingian Series) strata, evolved from Jinogondolella altudaensis in the Delaware basin of West Texas as demonstrated by transitional continuity. The West Texas section is significantly more complete in the uppermost Guadalupian interval than that of the probable GSSP reference section in South China, and clarifies the phylogenetic relationships among other conodont taxa as well. Jinogondolella granti clearly evolved into J. artafrons new species, both characterized by Pa elements with a distinctive fused carina. Representatives of Jinogondolella crofti are limited to the uppermost part of the altudaensis zone, and are interpreted as terminal paedomorphs. The associated foraminifer (non-fusulinid) fauna has some species in common with Zechstein faunas, possibly presaging the evaporitic basin that would develop following this latest Guadalupian marine deposition in West Texas.

Ostracodes were recovered from eight Eocene sections of southern Israel; 41 species were identified. Biostratigraphic correlation is with reference to planktic foraminiferal P-zone schemes. Five new taxa include the new species Krithe benjaminii, Schizocythere guerneti, Paijenborchella druckmani, and Echinocythereis aqravensis; Mauritsina jordanica israeliana is distinguished from M. jordanica s.s. Three assemblage zones are recognized: E-1, the Soudanella laciniosa triangulata AZ, Early Eocene; E-2, the Costa capsella AZ, late Early to Middle Eocene; and E-3, the Mauritsina jordanica israeliana AZ, latest Middle to Late Eocene. Issues of provinciality, and disparities in ranges relative to other regions, are raised.

Data on 103 species and subspecies of ostracoda from Maastrichtian to lower Eocene localities in North Africa, West Africa, and the Middle East were analyzed using correspondence analysis to interpret marine paleobiogeography in this wide area of the world during the time in question. Two main biogeographical provinces, the South Tethyan Province (STP) and the West African Province (WAP), were connected during this entire period through the Trans-Saharan Seaway. In addition, a third grouping was distinguished that combines species from both provinces, but with more similarity to the STP. R-mode cluster analysis based on the Jaccard coefficient of similarity demonstrated the distinctness of the first two provinces, and indicated that the third grouping represents an overlap of the Garra Type (GAT) and the Afro-Tethyan Type (ATT) of Bassiouni and Luger (1990). The study confirms the stability of ostracod habitats in this region. There was essentially no turnover across the K/T and Paleocene/Eocene boundaries, and faunal changes came about almost entirely due to lateral migration of certain genera. Statistical analysis of the available data shows that the most common genera are: Buntonia, Cytherella, Leguminocythereis, Bythocypris, Mauritsina, Ordoniya and Paracypris.