We present new records of chondrichthyans recovered from strata of Maastrichtian age of the López de Bertodano Formation, Seymour (=Marambio) Island, and from levels of latest Campanian age of the Santa Marta Formation, James Ross Island, both located in the eastern Antarctic Peninsula. The material from Marambio Island comprises an associated assemblage with the first records of an indeterminate odontaspidid different from Odontaspis, as well as the genera Pristiophorus, Squatina, Paraorthacodus, and the species Chlamydoselachus tatere from the López de Bertodano Formation. Also, the studied section provides a well-constrained age for several taxa already recognized in the López de Bertodano Formation only by scattered samples of Maastrichtian age for the first time. The assemblage from Marambio Island is representative of one of the latest environmental conditions during the end of the Cretaceous in the coastal seas of the Larsen Basin before major changes that began after the K/P boundary. In addition, the finds from James Ross Island comprise the southernmost records of the neoselachians Cretalamna sp., Centrophoroides sp., as well as the holocephalans Callorhinchus sp. and an indeterminate rhinochimaerid, extending the occurrence of some of these taxa into the late Campanian, being their oldest record of the Weddellian Biogeographic Province.

Although diadematacean sea urchins (diadematids, aspidodiadematids, and micropygids) likely diverged sometime during the Jurassic, the lack of fossils representing this group has greatly hampered progress in understanding their evolution. No unequivocal Jurassic diademataceans have been described previously from North America. We describe a new genus and species, Sierradiadema kristini, from a single fossil from the Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Colfax sequence of the Mariposa Formation exposed in the Middle Fork American River drainage of the northern Sierra Nevada, California. The specimen, although not complete, reveals details of the spination and tooth morphology often lacking in Jurassic diademataceans, along with test architecture that yields information concerning the relative timing of important events in the origins of the diadematids in particular. We explore this evolution with a phylogenetic analysis of relevant clades with Jurassic times of divergence, finding not only that Sierradiadema n. gen. is the earliest known member of a clade containing the extant Diadematidae, but that it will stimulate ongoing discussion of the putative Jurassic origins of all the diadematacean groups.

A new dromomerycine palaeomerycid artiodactyl, Surameryx acrensis new genus new species, from upper Miocene deposits of the Amazon Basin documents the first and only known occurrence of this Northern Hemisphere group in South America. Osteological characters place the new taxon among the earliest known dromomerycine artiodactyls, most similar to Barbouromeryx trigonocorneus, which lived in North America during the early to middle Miocene, 20–16 Ma. Although it has long been assumed that the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) began with the closure of the Isthmus of Panama in the late Pliocene, or ca. 3.0–2.5 Ma, the presence of this North American immigrant in Amazonia is further evidence that terrestrial connections between North America and South America through Panama existed as early as the early late Miocene, or ca. 9.5 Ma. This early interchange date was previously indicated by approximately coeval specimens of proboscideans, peccaries, and tapirs in South America and ground sloths in North America. Although palaeomerycids apparently never flourished in South America, proboscideans thrived there until the end of the Pleistocene, and peccaries and tapirs diversified and still live there today.

We present a detailed morphological description of the type-locality cranial material of Theriosuchus sympiestodon Martin, Rabi, and Csiki, 2010 from the Maastrichtian Densuş-Ciula Formation of the Haţeg Basin, Romania together with new material of isolated cranial elements and teeth from various sites of the same general area. The recognition of several individuals of distinct sizes allows for an assessment of ontogenetic variation in this taxon. New material, consisting of isolated teeth and an incomplete maxilla with in situ teeth, coming from various late Campanian/early Maastrichtian sites in southern France is referable to ?Theriosuchus sp. and hints to a rare but widespread distribution of Theriosuchus in the Late Cretaceous European archipelago.

Two new genera, Anisaeger and Distaeger, and three new species, Anisaeger brevirostrus, A. spiniferus, and Distaeger prodigiosus, extend the range of the Aegeridae (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeoidea) into the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of China. Seven decapod crustacean species are now known from the Luoping biota of southern China. Morphological features of shrimp that are present but rarely mentioned in the neontological literature are recognized as potentially useful in classifying fossil material, including a diaeresis on the exopod of the uropods and multiarticulate flagellae on pleopods. Unusual taphonomic features of the shrimp include fractured cuticle, preservation in lateral, dorsal, and ventral position, and twisted cephalothoraxes.

Spatiopora Ulrich, 1882 is a trepostome bryozoan that is found encrusting living orthoconic nautiloids in the Upper Ordovician (Katian) of North America, as do several other bryozoans. These epizoozoan bryozoans are characterized by possessing thin unilaminate zoaria with rows of elongate maculae, which may be monticulate and aligned coaxially to the host growth axis. These develop a distinctive linear shape in response to growing on a conical host, rather than as a response to channelized water flow along the host. Monticules increase in size and spacing adorally until a maximum inter-macular area is reached that results in a decline in surface water flow efficiency, and a new monticular line is inserted. Orthocones normally swam forward at lower velocities that enabled lophophore eversion and feeding, which would have been impossible at the higher speeds reached when the host jetted backwards during escape. Monticules reduced drag and turbulence acting on the orthocones which allowed for more efficient venting of bryozoan macular excurrents. Characteristic elliptical monticule growth continued even after death of the motile host. A Trypanites-bryozoan-orthoconic nautiloid association shows a complex biological and taphonomic relationship between these organisms.

Brachiopods of the order Chileida have been recorded previously only from rocks of early to mid-Cambrian age (Botomian–Amgaian). They are typified by having a calcareous strophic shell with a delthyrium and colleplax, and these characters are shown to be present in species of the two new genera Tolen and Trifissura, from the Late Ordovician of Kazakhstan and the Silurian of Sweden and Britain, respectively. In specimens of Trifissura, the triangular colleplax is phosphatized secondarily by bacterial activity. It is suggested that the phosphatized colleplax represents an organic pad and that served as the original attachment structure of Trifissura by encrustation. Tolen and Trifissura represent the first post-Cambrian record of chileides from the Ordovician and Silurian; the new family Trifissuridae forms the first phylogenetic link between Cambrian chileides and Carboniferous–Permian isogrammides.

Teeth of a new freshwater dasyatoid ray recovered from the latest middle Eocene Brian Head Formation of southern Utah represent the youngest freshwater stingray so far known in the fossil record of North America. The crown morphology of Saltirius utahensis n. gen. n. sp. exhibits strong sexual dimorphism, with the presumed males bearing two prominent margino-labial protuberances and a bifid cusp that produces a saltire-like outline. This unique crown separates this genus and species from any known extinct or extant myliobatiform, but does have some resemblance to the crown of Asterotrygon maloneyi from the lower Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming. The occurrence of S. utahensis in the Brian Head Formation provides additional evidence for the persistence of warm subtropical temperatures during the late Eocene in southern Utah.

The occurrences of Cricetidae and the description of a new species, Megacricetodon yenicekentensis new species from the Denizli terrestrial Neogene Basin are considered herein. The Miocene sediments of the area mainly include terrestrial siliciclastic sediments and have a significant mammal fauna. Fieldwork was carried out in the six localities in the basin and the following rodents were identified: Cricetodon candirensis, Cricetulodon hartenbergeri, Megacricetodon minor and Megacricetodon yenicekentensis n. sp. This is the first study of rodent faunas from the Denizli Basin, which is still poorly documented. This study contributes to a better understanding of the stratigraphic and geological features of the Denizli Basin, which is one of the grabens formed within the Neotectonic period of Western Anatolia and has a significant role in explaining the tectonic evolution of the region. Its sedimentary units are, in stratigraphic order, the Kızılburun, Sazak, Kolankaya and Ulubey formations. Based on the systematics and biochronological implications of cricetids and the bulk faunas from six localities, the time range of these formations is discussed, and an age between the early middle Miocene (MN 6) and late Miocene (MN 10) is proposed for this stratigraphic succession. In addition, the dating of the Ulubey Formation, which is observed both in the Denizli and Uşak-Selendi basins, provides new data about the time of connection between these two basins.

The new genus Tanycythere (Crustacea, Ostracoda) is described from the Jurassic (Hettangian–Bathonian) of western and central Europe based on T. caudata new species, T. praecaudata praecaudata new subspecies, T. praecaudata parallela new subspecies, T. duartei new species, T. posteroelongata new species, and T. wattonensis new species. Another new species, T. procera, is described from the Lower Cretaceous (?Barremian). Recognition of a new genus comprising six new species and subspecies indicates that overall Jurassic and Early Cretaceous ostracod biodiversity is underestimated.

Although there is a generally accepted framework for the Permian marine biogeography of Australia, significant uncertainties remain concerning the temporal biogeographical changes closely related to the timing of Permian glacial–interglacial events. Several recent studies along these research lines demonstrate the importance of a reliable high-resolution biostratigraphical timescale for paleobiogeographical and paleoclimatic reconstructions. This paper provides, for the first time, a full taxonomic and biostratigraphical study of the brachiopod fauna from the Wasp Head Formation, southern Sydney Basin, southeastern Australia. The fauna is associated with deposits of the first Permian glacial interval suggested for eastern Australia. Three brachiopod assemblages are recognized. The lower and middle assemblages contain scarce brachiopods although associated bivalves are comparatively more common. Despite very low diversity and low abundance, these two brachiopod assemblages contain characteristic species of the Strophalosia concentrica and Strophalosia subcircularis brachiopod zones, both considered of late Asselian age. The third assemblage, occurring in the uppermost part of the formation, contains more brachiopods than bivalves and is referred to early Sakmarian in age. The species diversity and stratigraphic occurrences of the brachiopod assemblages in relation to sedimentary facies suggest that the lower two assemblages may represent an intra-glacial interval while the younger third assemblage, characterized by abundant occurrences of Trigonotreta and Tomiopsis species, accompanied by the bivalve Eurydesma, is more indicative of a post-glacial benthic marine fauna comparable to coeval brachiopod faunas found elsewhere in Gondwana.

The Pratt Ferry beds are a three meter thick bioclastic carbonate unit containing the Pygodus serrus–P. anserinus conodont zone boundary and lying just below the Nemagraptus gracilis graptolite zone at a single locality in Alabama. Telephina Marek at Pratt Ferry and other eastern North American localities is represented by at least six species. These are judged widespread and in part conspecific with Scandinavian or Asian forms of similar age. Most of the fifteen Appalachian telephinid species proposed by Ulrich (1930) are reviewed and some synonymized. Bevanopsis Cooper is present, extending its stratigraphic range via B. buttsi (Cooper). The original description of Ceraurinella buttsi Cooper is augmented. Other recorded but poorly represented genera include Ampyxina, Arthrorhachis, Calyptaulax, Hibbertia, Lonchodomas, Mesotaphraspis, Porterfieldia, and Sphaerexochus. The entire faunule represents a mixture of ‘inshore' and ‘offshore' or planktonic faunal elements rarely seen elsewhere in the latest Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) of eastern North America.

Phylogenetic analyses of the Cambrian spiny oryctocephalids support the elevation to familiar rank of Oryctocephalidae Beecher, 1897 and indicate that the family can be divided into two clades, here designated as the subfamilies Oryctocephalinae Beecher, 1897 and Lancastriinae Kobayashi, 1935. Curvoryctocephaliinae Zhao and Yuan in Yuan et al., 2002 is considered here a junior synonym of Lancastriinae. Oryctocephalinae have tapered or parallel sided glabella and is composed of species of Oryctocephalus Walcott, 1886. The subgenera Oryctocephalus (Oryctocephalus) and O. (Eoryctocephalus) Zhao and Yuan in Yuan et al., 2002 do not form separate clades and are here rejected.

The genera of the Lancastriinae have expanding glabellae. The subfamily is composed of a broad variety of genera that can be divided into three major subclades: Lancastria, Protoryctocephalus, and Oryctocephalites. The Lancastria subclade is composed of Lancastria Kobayashi, 1935, Changaspis Lee in Chien, 1961, and Goldfieldia Palmer, 1964 occurring at the base of the Lancastriinae. Goldfieldia and Lancastria form a sister group to Changaspis. The long branches in the phylograms indicated significant differences between these taxa; thus, the genus Goldfieldia is maintained. The Protoryctocephalus subclade is monogeneric and forms a sister group to the Oryctocephalites subclade. The Oryctocephalites subclade consists of several species of this genus and the more derived forms Metabalangia Qian and Yuan in Zhang et al., 1980 and Tonkinella Mansuy, 1916. Oryctocephaloides Yuan in Zhang et al., 1980 is considered a junior synonym of Oryctocephalites Resser, 1939. The subgenera Oryctocephalites (Oryctocephalites) and O. (Parachangaspis) Zhao and Yuan in Yuan et al., 2002 do not form separate clades. The later subgenus occurs in the basal portion of the Oryctocephalites subclade indicating that it is a paraphyletic taxon.

Opsiosoryctocephalus Sundberg, 1994, Oryctocephalops Lermontova, 1940, and Curvoryctocephalus Zhao and Yuan in Yuan et al., 2002 are not consistent in their placement within the phylogenetic analyses, although they always occur in the Lancastriinae. As a result they are not placed within a subclade within Lancastriinae.

The type species Goldfieldia pacifica Palmer, 1964 was based solely on cranidia. This species is redescribed using topotype material that includes cranidia, librigenae, hypostomes, thorax, and pygidia.

An uppermost Gzhelian bioherm discovered in the central highlands of Timor Leste contains abundant foraminifera belonging to 17 genera. Representatives of the families Biseriamminidae, Biwaellidae, Bradyinidae, Cornuspiridae, Lasiodiscidae, Palaeotextulariidae, Pseudotaxidae, Ozawainellidae, Schubertellidae, Schwagerinidae, Staffellidae and Textrataxidae are present, including 21 species referred to known types and 12 species left in open nomenclature. Two new Schwagerina species are described: Schwagerina timorensis new species, and Schwagerina maubissensis new species. The assemblage belongs to the uppermost Gzhelian Schwagerina robusta–Ultradaixina bosbytauensis Zone although a possible lowest Asselian correlation cannot be excluded (the name Ultradaixina is controversial and sometimes synonymized as Bosbytauella. The case to resolve this issue has been submitted to the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature). The bioherm is the oldest carbonate unit so far recorded from the Maubisse Formation and the oldest sedimentary unit biostratigraphically dated in Timor. This discovery has implications for the latest Carboniferous–earliest Permian climate history of Timor that lay in the northern part of the north-south East Gondwana rift system along which the western margin of Australia later developed. The highest peak in fusulinid diversity within the Pennsylvanian–Cisuralian interval and a major marine transgression documented in many regions in Northern Pangaea took place during the latest Gzhelian to earliest Asselian and evidence for this is now extended to southern Pangaea. Cluster analysis, using the Jaccard similarity index at species level, of late Gzhelian fusulinids from 16 regions has been performed. This shows that the Timor fauna is most closely related to faunas from South China and the Changning-Menlian region of Yunnan (China). The assemblages here are distinct from those of three biogeographic regions (Arctic, Uralo-Asian and Irano-Taurids) recognized within the Tropical belt.

The first Mesozoic thylacocephalans from the western hemisphere are documented from the Muhi Quarry plattenkalk in the La Negra facies of the El Doctor Formation (Albian–Cenomanian), Zimapán Area, northwestern Hidalgo, central Mexico. They all are found in a single horizon at the base of the type section. These specimens represent two new genera and species, and a third undetermined species which likely also represents a new genus and species. Victoriacaris muhiensis is a shorted-bodied thylacocephalan with concave anterior and posterior notches as well as a beveled anterior spine. Polzia eldoctorensis is trapezoidal in outline with a rounded posteroventral corner. The third undetermined species is known only from one broken specimen, but has distinctive marginal spines that are not possessed by any other post-Cambrian thylacocephalan. The occurrence of such a diverse fauna of thylacocephalans markedly increases the diversity and geographic range of Cretaceous thylacocephalans, but does not offer any insights into the tempo of thylacocephalan extinction at the end of the Cretaceous.