Lower Carboniferous

Over I6,000 conodonts have been extracted from the upper Dinantian (upper Courceyan to Brigantian stages) and early Namurian (Pendleian Stage) strata of the Craven Lowlands. Seventy three species and subspecies have been identified from 25 genera. One new genus and species, Embsaygnathus asymmetricus and 7 new species, Cloghergnathus cravenus, Clydagnathus? hudsoni, Metalon­chodina sp. nov. A, Metalonchodina sp. nov. B, Neoprioniodus discretus, Pseudopolygnathus minutus, Synprioniodina spathata are described. Six local-range biozones and two subzones based on the first appearance of selected species are proposed. The zones and subzones are in ascending order: Pseudopolygnathus minutus Zone, Mestognathus beckmanni­-Polygnathus bischoffi Zone (with a Gnathodus texanus pseudosemiglaber Subzone at the top), Gnathodus homopunc­tatus Zone, Gnathodus commutatus Zone (with a Gnathodus girtyi Subzone at the top), Gnathodus bilineatus Zone and Gnathodus nodosus Zone. Correlations based upon these zones and subzones in the Craven Lowlands indicate that all the sampled horizons in the Swinden and Broughton anticlines are of Chadian age. The base of the Arundian Stage in the Clitheroe Anticline is believed to lie within the Cephalopod Shales and not at the base of the Salt Hill Cap Beds as advocated by George and others ( l 976). Correlations with Belgium indicates that the Tournai­sian-Visean boundary in the type area of Dinant, Bel­gium, may be represented by a non-sequence. Possible non-sequences are also suggested in the Dinantian of Germany and Spain and Portugal.

Well preserved Mississippian palynological assemblages have been obtained from the
Cortaderas Formation in the Río Blanco Basin, northwestern Argentina. The geological setting and stratigraphic
provenance of the samples is provided. In this first part, fifty-two species are described from a total
of seventy-eight species of spores recognized. Five new species are proposed: Verrucosisporites incompositus
sp. nov., Verrucosisporites perbrevis sp. nov., Anapiculatisporites exiguus sp. nov., Anapiculatisporites
expolitus sp. nov. and Dibolisporites insolitus sp. nov. Previous worldwide geographic and stratigraphic
records of taxa are detailed.

Course name: Introduction to the Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Spain

Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus, Faculty: Science and Engineering
Semester:  Spring 2005.

Course description: This course gives an introduction into the Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Spain. Basic principles and methods of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology will be outlined. Especially presented will be the origins of life and human beings, evolution, and extinctions. The paleontological part will concentrate on some interesting Spanish case studies (reefs of the Devonian period, swamp forests of the Carboniferous period, shallow sea of the Jurassic period, dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, and mammals and insects of the Tertiary period). In the center of the paleoanthropological part will be the famous findings of Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis in the caves of Atapuerca and their importance for our knowledge about Human evolution.

Course Calendar:
Monday, Jan. 17: 1. Introduction – What are Fossils?
Wednesday, Jan. 19: 2. The Geologic Time Scale
Monday, Jan. 24, & Wednesday, Jan. 26: 3. Evolution and Taxonomy – Biology and Paleontology in Dialogue (I)
Thursday, Jan. 27: End of DROP/ADD period
Monday, Jan. 31, & Wednesday, Feb. 2: 3. Evolution and Taxonomy – Biology and Paleontology in Dialogue (II) & 4. Biogeography and Mass Extinctions (I)
Monday, Feb. 7: 4. Biogeography and Mass Extinctions (II)
Wednesday, Feb. 9: 5. From the Origins of Life to the Silurian
Monday, Feb. 14: Review & Preparation of first mid-term exam
Monday, Feb. 14: Deadline for the submission of the title of the paper
Wednesday, Feb. 16: First mid-term exam.
Monday, Feb. 21: 6. Reefs of the Devonian Period
Wednesday, Feb. 23: 7. Swamp Forests of the Carboniferous Period (I)
Monday, Feb. 28: 7. Swamp Forests of the Carboniferous Period (II) & 8. Reptiles of the Triassic Period
Wednesday, Mar. 2: 9. Life of the Shallow Sea of the Jurassic Period (I)
Saturday, Mar. 5, to Sunday, Mar. 13: SPRING BREAK
Monday, Mar. 14: 9. Life of the Shallow Sea of the Jurassic Period (II)
Wednesday, Mar. 16: 10. Dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous (I)
Monday, Mar. 21: 10. Dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous (II)
Wednesday, Mar. 23: 11. Fossils of the Tertiary Period
Thursday, Mar. 24, to Sunday, Mar. 27: Easter
Monday, Mar. 28: Review & Preparation of second mid-term exam
Wednesday, Mar. 30: Second mid-term exam
Monday, Apr. 4: Deadline for the submission of papers and PowerPoint presentations
Monday, Apr. 4, & Wednesday, Apr. 6: 12. Outline of Human evolution.
Friday, Apr. 8: Last day to drop a class and receive a grade of "W"
Monday, Apr. 11, & Wednesday, Apr. 13: 13. The Earliest Man in Spain – the Homo from Orce. & 14. Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis from the Caves of Atapuerca (Prov. Burgos) (I)
Saturday, Apr. 16: Field trip to Guadalajara
Monday, Apr. 18: 14. Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis from the Caves of Atapuerca (Prov. Burgos) (II)
Wednesday, Apr. 20: 15. The Humans after Homo heidelbergensis in Spain.
Monday, Apr. 25, & Wednesday, Apr. 27: Presentation of papers

A B S T R A C T The Eyam Limestone Formation of Steeplehouse Quarry, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, UK yields a diverse assemblage of Lower Carboniferous vertebrate remains. The assemblage is dominated by dermal denticles of the enigmatic selachian Petrodus patelliformis M'Coy, 1848, but also contains teeth of petalodonts, hybodonts and neoselachians. Actinopterygian remains also occur. The assemblage has yielded the earliest Neoselachian, Cooleyella fordi (Duffin and Ward, 1983) and the earliest British lonchidiid, Reesodus wirksworthensis (Duffin 1985). The first occurrence of the enigmatic spiny shark Acanthorhachis (Listracanthidae) is reported from the Viséan, extending its range back some 10 million years. Associated invertebrate remains and sedimentological data indicates a thriving fore-reef environment, deposited in a low energy off-reef setting. The vertebrate remains are well preserved with little abrasion, indicating short transport distances. Conodont elements indicating a late Brigantian age (Early Carboniferous, Viséan) have unusual and extensive euhedral apatite overgrowths.

The very small teeth of a new petalodont chondrichthyan are described from the Lower Carboniferous Eyam Limestone Formation (Peak Limestone Group, Carboniferous Limestone Supergroup; Brigantian, Early Carboniferous) of Derbyshire. Cypripediodens cristatus gen. et sp. nov. belongs to the Family Janassidae on the basis of the angle formed between the base and the crown. Presumed lower symphyseal teeth are Fissodus-like, possessing two labial cusps, whilst the rest of the dentition is relatively homodont. Individual crowns measure up to 1.3 mm labiolingually and possess a single labial cusp with virtually circular cross-section, separated from a prominent lingual cusp with circumferential cristae from which it is separated by a central trough.

A new biozone for the late Viséan miospores from the Cortaderas Formation in western Argentina is proposed. It is the Reticulatisporites
magnidictyus-Verrucosisporites quasigobbettii (MQ) Interval Biozone. The base of the biozone is defined by the range bases of
Apiculiretusispora microseta, Dibolisporites disfacies, Reticulatisporites magnidictyus, Rugospora australiensis, and Verrucosisporites
quasigobbettii. The upper limit of the MQ Interval Biozone is marked by the appearance of monosaccate pollen. Two distinct associations
are recognized; Association A is characterized by the range bases of the diagnostic species, and the presence of a group of long-ranging
species. Association B is characterized by the range bases of Anapiculatisporites austrinus, Anapiculatisporites kekiktukensis, Apiculatisporis
variornatus, Crassispora kosankei, Cristatisporites menendezii, Kraeuselisporites tendatus, Kraeuselisporites volkheimerii, Raistrickia
paganciana, Raistrickia rotunda, and Spinozonotriletes hirsutus, and is represented in the upper part of the Cortaderas Formation.

Well preserved Mississippian palynological assemblages have been obtained from the
Cortaderas Formation in the Río Blanco Basin, northwestern Argentina. In this second contribution, twenty-
eight from a total of seventy-eight spore species are described. A new species of trilete spores is proposed:
Densosporites scalabrinii sp. nov. Worldwide geographic and stratigraphic records of taxa are
analysed. The Cortaderas Formation is dated as late Viséan in age based on the presence of species of potential
stratigraphic relevance, such as Reticulatisporites magnidictyus Playford and Helby, Verrucosisporites
quasigobbettii Playford and Helby and Rugospora australiensis (Playford and Helby) Jones and Truswell and
the absence of pollen grains. The samples collected in the uppermost level of this unit, contain some of
spores typical of the Upper Carboniferous of Argentina and Brazil, although pollen grains are still absent.