Foraminifera from the Upper Devonian Lennard Shelf reef complexes and overlying Lower Carboniferous beds in the northern Canning Basin of north-western Australia include twenty species that are tournayellids and endothyrids of stratigraphic significance, including, Quasiendothyra kobeitusana, Endothyra lipinae, E. communis, Laxoendothyra parakosvensis struniana, Tuberendothyra tuberculata, Rectoseptaglomospiranella elegantula, Rectoavesnella, Septabrunsiina crassa, S. primaeva and five species of Septatournayella. They provide further biostratigraphic dating of the Lennard Shelf reef complexes and their overlying beds. These north-west Australian microfaunas bear a striking resemblance to microfaunas of the Famennian, and Tournaisian of Russia, Kazakhstan, and south China. A new genus and species Triploshaerina medaensis is established, as well as the new species Nodosinella canningensis and Rectoavesnella lennardi.

A phylogenetic sequence in the radiolarian genus Albaillella, from Changhsingian chert sequences of Upper Permian, Upper Ubara, Gochi-Hachawa, and Tenjinmaru, Southwest Japan, is divided into six lineage-zones. The youngest two of these zones are new, and are based on newly recognized dwarfed taxa in depauperate faunas. Conodont correlations between the Japanese sections and the Permo-Triassic GSSP at Meishan, southern China, is strengthened by new end-Permian pelagic conodont biozonation from Huangshi, Hubei, China. The correlations show that the decline and extinction of the albaillellinid lineage coincides with the period of mass extinction at the end of the Permian. The two depauperate Albaillella lineage-zones alternate with three barren interzones with anomalous isotope ratios, supporting the theory that the end-Permian event may actually have consisted of three closely-spaced biotic crises; a fourth crisis is suggested in basal Triassic strata at Huangshi. Because the deep-water radiolarian lineage can be closely correlated with the Permo-Triassic GSSP utilizing conodonts, most notably by the boundary-index conodont Hindeodus parvus (Kozur and Pjatakova), we suggest that the Ubara section may be a good candidate for a boundary hypostratotype section in a pelagic cherty facies in which planktonic fossils are abundantly preserved, and in which the Permo–Triassic boundary may be confidently correlated.

Quantitative analysis of benthic foraminifers from three continuously-cored boreholes (130m deep) at different distances from the Adriatic coast and focused within two marine intervals (0–30m and 100–120m depth) that on the basis of AMS ¹⁴C dating and pollen data are assigned to oxygen isotope Stage 1 and Substage 5e, respectively, has revealed seven foraminiferal associations. Associations Me (Textularia spp. and Miliolidae) and Md (Miliolidae, Elphidium spp. and Cribroelphidium spp.) are characteristic of infralittoral environments. Associations Mb (Ammonia tepida, A. parkinsoniana and Cribroelphidium spp.) and Ma (Ammonia tepida and A. parkinsoniana) are indicative of shallow-marine environments influenced by freshwater. Reworked and transported microfaunal association Rm corresponds to supralittoral environments (beach-ridge deposits). Associations Bd-b (Ammonia tepida, A. parkinsoniana and brackish ostracods) and Ba (Trochammina inflata) are characteristic of bay, lagoon and estuary environments.

Comparison of benthic foraminiferal associations from coeval deposits provides information on the relative distance of cores from the Holocene and Tyrrhenian paleo-shorelines. Core 205-S10 is characterised by deeper marine associations than core 223-S12. Core 240-S13 contains exclusively associations characteristic of lagoonal and brackish marsh environments.

Vertical variation in microfaunal associations within each marine deposit reveal in both intervals a transgressive trend, followed upwards by a regressive trend. Benthic foraminiferal associations from cores 205-S10 and 223-S12 show that the Tyrrhenian maximum flooding surface corresponds to a deeper marine environment than peak transgression in the Holocene. This is also shown by core 240-S13, where an open lagoonal microfauna characterizes Tyrrhenian deposits and a brackish marsh association marks the Holocene sediments.

The taxonomy of the marine diatom spore genus Liradiscus Greville is established based on detailed light and electron microscopic observations, along with the stratigraphic examination of DSDP Holes 438A, 438B and 436 (northwestern Pacific) and the Newport Beach Section (California). The genus Liradiscus is characterized by circular or elliptical valves covered with circular, branched or net-like veins. Eleven fossil Liradiscus species including five new species (L. akibae, L. japonicus, L. petasus, L. pacificus and L. reticulatus) are described, and their stratigraphic ranges are presented. Liradiscus akibae, L. reticulatus and L. petasus can potentially serve as additional useful biostratigraphic markers to improve the Miocene diatom biostratigraphy of the North Pacific. Furthermore, taxonomy of fossil resting spores will allow us to detect additional paleoceanographic signals recorded in fossil resting spore assemblages in upwelling regions.

Monotrabs goricanae n. sp. is a new species belonging to the Tritrabidae family (Spumellaria, Radiolaria). Monotrabs goricanae n. sp. has been discovered in the Middle Jurassic pelagic successions from northwestern Sicily (Favignana Island) and the Southern Alps (Cava Vianini and Coston delle Vette) (Italy).

Monotrabs goricanae n. sp. is characterized by having one ray with a tritrabid structure, a bulbous distal part with two stout lateral opposite spines, and a proximal part always incomplete. The external longitudinal beams are nodose and separated by grooves with two rows of rounded pores. Remains of very small spines occur sometimes on the external edge of the bulbous portion and on the external longitudinal beams.

Monotrabs goricanae n. sp. is a good stratigraphical marker for the Middle Jurassic time.

Existing schemes for the palynozonation of the Namurian deposits in western Europe require updating to reflect improvements in both independent biostratigraphical calibration and species distribution data. New biozonation proposals are presented which include the accurate positioning of all biozonal boundaries and the establishment of new sub-biozonal units within the Pendleian – Alportian sections.

The base of the renamed Cingulizonates cf capistratus – Bellispores nitidus (CN) Biozone is placed within the late Brigantian and a new unit, the C. cf. capistratus (Cc) Sub-Biozone, with an upper boundary coincident with the Viséan – Namurian Stage boundary is proposed. The Pendleian part of the revised CN Biozone is established as the Verrucosisporites morulatus (Vm) Sub-Biozone.

Additional data from the Lycospora subtriquetra – Kraeuselisporites ornatus (SO) Biozone, in the interval adjacent to the proposed Mid - Carboniferous Boundary, permits the establishment of L. subtriquetra – Apiculatisporis variocorneus (SV)Sub-Biozone in the upper part of the Arnsbergian Stage and the L. subtriquetra – Cirratriradites rarus (SR) Sub-Biozone which occupies the Chokierian and most of the Alportian stages. The base of the Crassispora kosankei – Grumosisporites varioreticulatus (KV) Biozone is repositioned into the upper part of the Alportian Stage.

Comparable assemblages described from the Silesian Coal Basins of Poland are discussed and correlations between the palynozonations of both areas are suggested.