The utility of benthic foraminifera in bathymetric interpretation of clastic depositional environments is well established. In contrast, bathymetric distribution of benthic foraminifera in deep-water carbonate environments has been largely neglected. Approximately 260 species and morphotypes of benthic foraminifera were identified from 12 piston core tops and grab samples collected along two traverses 25 km apart across the northern windward margin of Little Bahama Bank at depths of 275-1,135 m. Certain species and operational taxonomic groups of benthic foraminifera correspond to major near-surface sedimentary facies of the windward margin of Little Bahama Bank and serve as reliable depth indicators. Globocassidulina subglobosa, Cibicides rugosus, and Cibicides wuellerstorfi are all reliable depth indicators, being most abundant at depths >1,000 m, and are found in lower slope periplatform aprons, which are primarily comprised of sediment gravity flows. Reef-dwelling peneroplids and soritids (suborder Miliolina) and rotaliines (suborder Rotaliina) are most abundant at depths <300 m, reflecting downslope bottom transport in proximity to bank-margin reefs. Small miliolines, rosalinids, and discorbids are abundant in periplatform ooze at depths <300 m and are winnowed from the carbonate platform. Increased variation in assemblage diversity below 900 m reflects mixing of shallow- and deep-water species by sediment gravity flows.

Girty (1895) named six species of stromatoporoids from the Lower Devonian of central and east-central New York, which are here redescribed and reillustrated. Additional new specimens provide data on variations within the following species: Anostylostroma jewetti, Parallelostroma foveolatum, ?Parallelostroma centrotum, and ?Parallelostroma microporum.

Stromatoporoids from the Late Devonian (early Frasnian) Waterways Formation near Fort McMurray, Alberta, contain well preserved Trypanites Mägdefrau. The stromatoporoid heads are formed of an initial growth of Clathrocoilona inconstans Stearn that is encased by a second stage growth of Trupetostroma papulosum Stearn. These two stages were separated by a period of no growth and erosion. The first two generations of boring penetrated the skeleton of C. inconstans while the third generation borings penetrated both C. inconstans and T. papulosum. The borings in the stromatoporoids are filled with light colored micrite, dark colored micrite, skeletal fragments, dolomite, non-ferroan calcite, and ferroan calcite. Analysis of the borings, the growth stages of the stromatoporoids, the boring fill, and the orientation of the geopetal fabrics indicates that the stromatoporoids were subjected to repeated cycles of growth-boring-filling and reorientation. This complex interaction of biologic and physical reworking had a profound influence on the diagenetic transformation of the stromatoporoid heads. This example clearly illustrates the role that biogenic agents can play in the production of diagenetic fabrics of hard carbonate substrates.

Of all the morphologic characters used in favositid taxonomy, corallite size has most frequently been given more weight than others because of its relative ease of measurement and because it has been generally believed to be less variable. This study evaluates the reliability of corallite size as a criterion by a statistical treatment of several populations of favositids in the Upper Silurian West Point Reef Complex in Gaspé, Québec. Calculation of corallite cross-sectional area was made feasible by computer-based image analysis which provides a quick and accurate measure of size. The present study shows that the mean of the largest 10 percent corallite areas in mature parts of colonies with a minimum sample size of 100 corallites per cross section is the best approximation available of mean adult corallite size.

It is suggested that intraspecific variability of corallite size is often too large for this character to be used in practice, probably due to phenotypic plasticity. The same may be true of most other morphologic characters. In some cases, however, one or two characters remain invariate within a species and can be used diagnostically. The same characters may be extremely variable in other species.

A new strophalosiid, Megalosia chuluensis n. gen. and sp., from the Nisal Member, Senja Formation, in the Manang district north of Mt. Annapurna, north-central Nepal, is of early Dorashamian or Changhsingian (Late Permian) age. Wyndhamia circularis Chang, from slightly older faunas of south Tibet, might be congeneric.

Significant new occurrences of Devonian articulate brachiopods retaining color patterns including Stringocephalus burtini Defrance from the Givetian of southern England with both concentric and radial bands, an undetermined stringocephalid brachiopod with concentric bands from the Givetian of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, Beachia cf. B. thunii (Clarke) from the mid-Early Devonian Oriskany Sandstone of Schoharie, New York, with a prominent pair of radial color bands, and Athyris vittata Hall from the early Givetian Ferron Point Formation of Michigan with numerous radial color bands are illustrated. The presence of preserved color patterns is documented for the first time in members of the family Stringocephalidae King and in the family Athyrididae McCoy.

Pulvinites lawrencei n. sp. is described from the upper Paleocene (Landenian Stage) Paspotansa Member of the Aquia Formation in Stafford County, Virginia. This is the first report of a member of the pteriacean family Pulvinitidae in the Tertiary on either side of the Atlantic, the only other post-Mesozoic records of Pulvinites being in the Paleocene of California and the present-day Pacific off southeast Australia. The stratigraphic setting and co-occurring molluscan assemblage of the new species indicate shallow-shelf, open-marine conditions with near normal salinities.

The composition of Permian members of the superfamily Subulitacea is considered, and 12 new species of Subulitacea are described from the silicified fauna of the Permian System of West Texas and New Mexico. Other elements of the gastropod fauna were previously described by Yochelson (1956a, 1960) and Batten (1958).

The new genus Ischnoptygma is established for subulitaceans possessing a plate-like columellar fold, and includes the new species Ischnoptygma archibaldi and I. valentinei. The genus is placed within the new family Ischnoptygmidae. New species of Subulitidae are Ceraunocochlis deformis, C. elongata, C. kidderi, C. trekensis, Strobeus girtyi, Soleniscus diminutus, S. variabilis, Cylindritopsis hamiltonae, and C. spheroides. The status of the genus Labridens is questioned, but provisionally retained. The assignment of the family Meekospiridae to the Subulitacea is questioned, and a single new species, Meekospira mimiae, is described.

Four species of Emilites are now known; these are E. incertus (Böse), E. plummeri Ruzhencev, E. brownwoodi n. sp., and E. bennisoni n. sp. Representatives of this genus may occur as early as Middle Pennsylvanian in North America to as late as Early Permian in the Soviet Union. All described taxa are from North America except E. plummeri, which is from the Soviet Union. Because Emilites is extremely rare in upper Paleozoic ammonoid assemblages, generic and species level phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood. Emilites is not considered to be a good generic-level zone indicator due to its relatively long time range and its rarity.

Rare specimens of the nautiloids Nautilus and Aturia and extremely rare specimens of a sepiamorph sepiid are described from the late Eocene Hoko River Formation, northern Olympic Peninsula, Washington. The well-preserved partial phragmocones are from channel-fill clastics deposited on the inner and middle slopes of a submarine-fan system.

The Nautilus specimen is allied to N. cookanum Whitfield from middle Eocene strata, New Jersey, and is probably conspecific with Nautilus sp. (Miller) from late Eocene strata, northwestern Oregon, both of which were previously assigned to Eutrephoceras. This is the first record of Nautilus in the northeastern Pacific.

The Aturia specimen is tentatively identified as A. cf. A. alabamensis (Morton), a species previously only known from late Eocene strata in the Atlantic-Gulf Coastal area and northeastern Mexico. Aturia alabamensis may be the same as numerous Eocene North American aturiid species.

The two sepiamorph sepiid specimens resemble Belosepia Voltz but are probably generically distinct. They are only the second record of sepiids in the Eocene of the northeastern Pacific.

The excellent preservation of the molluscan fauna from the Gosport Sand (Eocene) at Little Stave Creek, Alabama, has made it possible to describe the preserved color patterns of 15 species. In this study the functional significance of these color patterns is tested in the context of the current adaptationist controversy. The pigment of the color pattern is thought to be a result of metabolic waste disposal. Therefore, the presence of the pigment is functional, although the patterns formed by the pigment may or may not have been adaptive. In this investigation the criteria proposed by Seilacher (1972) for testing the functionality of color patterns were applied to the Gosport fauna and the results compared with life mode as interpreted from knowledge of extant relatives and functional morphology. Using Seilacher's criteria of little ontogenetic and intraspecific variability, the color patterns appear to have been functional. However, the functional morphology studies indicate an infaunal life mode which would preclude functional color patterns. Particular color patterns are instead interpreted to be the result of historical factors, such as multiple adaptive peaks or random fixation of alleles, or of architectural constraints including possibly pleiotropy or allometry. The low variability of color patterns, which was noted within species and genera, suggests that color patterns may also serve a useful taxonomic purpose.

Leviceraurus mammilloides n. gen. and sp. is an Ordovician cheirurine trilobite which occurs in limestones and shales of the Hallowell and Hillier Members of the Cobourg Formation, southern Ontario. It is a probable descendant of Ceraurus.