The Kel'tminskaya-1 borehole, drilled along the northeastern margin of the East European Platform (EEP), reveals some 3,600 m of Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks, mostly confined to the subsurface. The upper 1,000 m of the drilled section correlates with late Ediacaran Redkino and Kotlin successions on the EEP, whereas the lowermost 2,000 m can be related to pre-Sturtian (Upper Riphean) deposits in the Ural Mountains. In between lies the Vychegda Formation, a 600 m siliciclastic succession that has no counterpart in classic EEP stratigraphy.

Vychegda microfossils can be separated into three assemblages. The upper part of the formation contains large, profusely ornamented acritarchs broadly comparable to those of the Ediacaran Complex Acanthomorph Palynoflora, including species of the genera Alicesphaeridium, Asterocapsoides, Cavaspina and Tanarium confined to Ediacaran-aged assemblages elsewhere. Diverse large acanthomorphs are known from Ediacaran strata around the world, but have not previously been recognized from the EEP, an absence attributed to a hiatus between the glacial Laplandian (>635 Ma) and Redkino (mostly <555 Ma) successions. The large acanthomorphic acritarchs record eukaryotic organisms with resting stages in their life cycles and likely include egg or diapause cysts of early animals. In contrast, the lower Vychegda assemblage, found in the basal 10 m of the succession, contains taxa typical of earlier Neoproterozoic successions. The middle assemblage contains only simple filaments and spheroidal acritarchs.

The most parsimonious interpretation of Vychegda biostratigraphy is that pre-Marinoan rocks in the basal part of the formation are separated by a cryptic unconformity from early and middle Ediacaran deposits above. This interpretation is consistent with data from China and Australia, which indicate that the major paleontological transition to diverse ECAP assemblages took place within the Ediacaran Period and not in association with the preceding ice age. Vychegda acritarch assemblages thus contribute to a biostratigraphic model for the initial Ediacaran boundary.

Although used in biostratigraphy and in studies of early Cambrian trilobite evolution, the olenelloid genus Peachella has received little research attention. The ontogenetic and evolutionary origins of its derived features—an effaced cephalon and grossly inflated genal spines—have remained mysterious. Based on examination of new and existing collections, P. iddingsi and P. brevispina are here described in detail, including aspects of their respective ontogenies and the first description of the thorax of P. iddingsi. A new monotypic genus, Eopeachella, is also described from recently collected material from the Delamar Member of the Pioche Formation, Nevada. Eopeachella angustispina n. gen. n. sp., is less derived and stratigraphically older than both Peachella species and bridges the morphological gap between Peachella and typical olenelloids. The study reveals that cephalic effacement was progressively attained during both ontogeny and phylogeny in the Eopeachella + Peachella clade. Comparative ontogeny with other olenelloids reveals that progressive effacement was a trend superimposed upon and independent of a conserved pattern of ontogenetic shape change in the glabella and did not represent a peramorphic “extension” of glabellar ontogeny. Genal spine inflation was also achieved progressively (in a proximal-to-distal direction) through both ontogeny and phylogeny in the Eopeachella + Peachella clade. Genal spine inflation that convergently arose in later trilobite groups may have been similarly ontogenetically dynamic. Discovery of E. angustispina and P. brevispina in the Delamar Member raises olenelloid diversity in this member to at least 20 species; a higher diversity than in any coeval unit.

During the Eocene, Hahajima Island of the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands of the Izu-Mariana Arc in the North Pacific was located near the present-day position of western Pacific Micronesia. We identified 17 Eocene ostracode species from the island, of which are new species and likely endemic to this island or to the West Pacific. These new species are systematically described herein and include: Costa matsumarui n. sp., Cytherelloidea ogasawaraensis n. sp., Havanardia ujiiei n. sp., Jugosocythereis nishii n. sp., Neonesidea boninensis n. sp., Schizocythere antiquimicronesiana n. sp., and Uroleberis hahajimaensis n. sp. The Eocene ostracode fauna has a higher rate of endemism than does the modern Micronesian fauna and contains Tethyan genera. These findings contradict a hypothesis that the Pacific fauna had a higher endemism rate after the Paleogene. The findings support another hypothesis that some genera invaded the Pacific from Tethys during the Paleogene. They suggest that West Pacific species did not disperse to the periphery of the Indo-West Pacific region during the Middle–Late Eocene. The “center of origin” hypothesis cannot be applied to Middle–Late Eocene marine ostracode biogeography.

The previously poorly known “Tapiravus” polkensis Olsen, 1960 (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) is now known from abundant, well preserved specimens from both the type area in central Florida and from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) in eastern Tennessee. The latter has produced over 75 individuals, the greatest number of tapirids from a single fossil site, including many articulated skeletons. Almost all linear measurements taken on skulls, mandibles, and cheek teeth from GFS have coefficients of variation less than 10 (most between 3 and 7), indicating the presence of a single species. However, the sample reveals considerable intraspecific variation for a few key morphologic features, including development of the sagittal crest, outline shape of the nasals, and number and relative strength of lingual cusps on the P1. The Florida sample of T. polkensis is more limited, but has the same state as the GFS sample for all preserved characters of systematic significance, and while the Florida teeth are on average smaller (especially narrower lower cheek teeth), they fall either within or just below the observed range of the Gray Fossil Site population. The new material supports a reassignment of “Tapiravus” polkensis to the genus Tapirus, and demonstrates that the geologic age of the species is significantly younger than previously thought, Hemphillian rather than Barstovian. Tapirus polkensis is the smallest known North American Tapirus, and smaller than any of the extant species in the genus, with an estimated average mass of 125 kg.

Previously unknown ontogenies of five lichid genera, Dicranopeltis, Platylichas, Borealarges, Dicranogmus and Radiolichas, are described and placed in the context provided by a review of known lichid ontogenies. Lichid phylogenies have been based on holaspid morphology alone without reference to ontogeny. To broaden knowledge of lichid phylogeny, an analysis, based on the last protaspid instar of lichids and possible sister group taxa, is conducted. The results of this analysis show that, within the lichids, the traditional subfamily groupings are not supported, and the sister group of lichids is more likely to be found within the Proetida than the Odontopleurida. Tubercles, a prominent feature of lichid morphology, have not been considered taxonomically significant. An examination suggests that tubercle arrangement and the pattern of change of tubercle arrangement through ontogeny could be important in defining taxa. It is recommended that future work on lichid phylogeny include ontogenetic information and patterns of change in development.

Three rugose species in two genera—Nanshanophyllum hamadai n. sp., N. gokasense n. sp., and Shensiphyllum sp.—are described for the first time from the Kurosegawa Terrane, Southwest Japan. These species occur in the Middle Member of the Gionyama Formation, which is Late Llandovery to Early Ludlow (Silurian) in age. The two genera, Nanshanophyllum and Shensiphyllum, formerly were known only from South China and Qaidam. The occurrence of these two genera in Japan may indicate a paleogeographic connection between ‘Proto-Japan’ and the South China Block during the Silurian.

Relatively common specimens of the hypercalcified agelasiid sponge Hormospongia labyrinthica Rigby and Blodgett, 1983 and specimens of associated species of Hormospongia have been previously reported from Emsian and Eifelian stratigraphic units at several localities in south-central and southeastern Alaska (Rigby and Blodgett, 1983). Those sponges were first described from the type section of the Eifelian Cheeneetnuk Limestone in the McGrath A-5 quadrangle. Since then several additional specimens of Hormospongia labyrinthica have also been collected from a new locality in the Talkeetna C-6 quadrangle in south-central Alaska (Figs. 1, 2.1), and are documented here.

The furongian of Mount Kinnekulle, Västergötland, Sweden (Fig. 1) is exposed in a number of road cuts, stream cuts, and abandoned alum shale quarries scattered around the mountain (e.g., Westergård, 1922, fig. 18; Müller and Hinz, 1991, fig. 2). Stratigraphically, the exposed successions span the Olenus gibbosus Zone through the Peltura paradoxa Zone (Fig. 2), and they have a maximum thickness of ca 12 m (Westergård, 1943). The strata consist of interfingering layers of alum shale and bituminous limestone (colloquially referred to as “orsten”). Trilobites, predominantly olenids, occur frequently throughout the succession, although they are generally restricted to the limestones. During an investigation of trilobites in the Lotagnostus americanus Zone (Fig. 2) at two localities on Kinnekulle, the second author (JA) recovered two unusual trilobites. After a closer examination they could be assigned to Elkanaspis Ludvigsen, 1982 and Parabolinella Br⊘gger, 1882, both of which are extremely rare in the Furongian of Scandinavia.

Two new well-preserved cornute stylophorans from the Upper Cambrian Whipple Cave Formation represent a new genus and species assigned here to Cardiocystella prolixora. These nearly complete specimens contain morphological information not available from other cornute specimens previously collected from this formation. Both specimens are preserved with superior faces exposed. One specimen contains a nearly complete theca but a somewhat disrupted aulacophore, whereas the other theca has been partially damaged by burrows but has a nearly complete but moderately eroded aulacophore. Cardiocystella prolixora exhibits wide marginals, abundant supracentral platelets, and an aulacophore with cover plates. Supracentral platelets cover much of the interior regions of the theca, which lacks a visible zygal bar in both specimens. In holotype 1791TX13, a bulge in the superior face of the theca likely shows the zygal bar position. The wide marginals of these new specimens resemble those of a specimen previously described from a partial theca and aulacophore assigned to Archaeocothurnus species indeterminate (Sumrall et al., 1997); however, the specimens described here are heart-shaped rather than boot-shaped. The placement of this specimen in a new genus and species is based on its unique marginal shape and arrangement.

Ninety-five percent of the surface geology of The Netherlands consists of various Pleistocene sedimentary sequences. Of the other five percent, the principal area of ‘solid’ geology is in the south around Maastricht, in the province of Limburg, justifiably famous for its highly fossiliferous Upper Cretaceous succession, including the type section of the Maastrichtian Stage. Paleozoic exposures are very rare and, most relevant to the discussion herein, there is no exposed Permian succession. Yet the colonial history of The Netherlands makes it a haven for Permian researchers. The purpose of this brief communication is to alert interested researchers to the amalgamation of the Dutch Timor collections by the recent acquisition by the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum - Naturalis, Leiden (NNM), of more than 10,000 specimens of Permian fossils, mainly marine invertebrates, from West Timor, Indonesia. Together with the collections already present at Naturalis, this easily forms the largest concentration of fossils from Timor in any museum.

Crasquin proposed (in Crasquin et al., 2008) the generic name Bairdiacratia (p. 244-246) for a Bairdioidea ostracod (Crustacea) recorded from the latest Permian of the Southern Alps (Italy) and Guizhou, Zhejiang, and Hubei Provinces (South China). Unfortunately, I discovered recently that the name was already used for an ostracod genus from the Middle Devonian of eastern Yunnan Province (China) by Jiang (1983).

Dr. Philippe Bouchet, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, kindly brought to my attention that the name Modestella Hautmann, 2001, which I introduced for a Triassic trigonoid bivalve genus (type species: Trigonia zlambachensis Haas, 1909), is preoccupied by Modestella Owen (in Casey), 1961 (Brachiopoda, Terebratulida). I therefore propose to replace Modestella Hautmann, 2001 by the new name Modesticoncha. The new name derives from the combination modestus (Latin) = modest, referring to the lack of ornamentation, and concha (Latin) = shell.

In 2005, we (Westrop and Palmer, in Westrop et al.) proposed the name Arcadiaspis for a new genus of eurekiid trilobite from the Jordan Sandstone of Wisconsin. We thank Jonathan Adrain, John Page, and John Paterson, all of whom pointed out that this name is preoccupied by Arcadiaspis Bognibova (in Chernysheva, 1971), a trilobite genus from the Middle Cambrian of Russia. We propose the name Wisarcadiaspis which refers to the collecting locality at Arcadia, Wisconsin, as a replacement.

In 2006, we (Grande & Hilton, 2006) described a well-preserved fossil sturgeon (Acipenseridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Montana and proposed the name †Psammorhynchus longipinnis Grande & Hilton for the new species. Through accidental discovery of an on-line taxonomic database of flatworms (Tyler et al., 2006) and subsequent investigation, we recently discovered that the genus-group name is preoccupied by Psammorhynchus Meixner, 1938 in Platyhelminthes (“Turbellaria”). Therefore, under Article 60 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999), a replacement name is required for the junior homonym †Psammorhynchus Grande and Hilton.

Luis C. Sánchez de Posado of Oviedo University was kind to point out that Asturiella blessi Hoare, 2007 is a junior homonym of Asturiella blessi Becker, 1971. It is proposed to change the name to Asturiella pecki, named for the late Raymond E. Peck of the University of Missouri.