Supplemental Material: Mass extinction or extirpation: Permian biotic turnovers in the northwestern margin of Pangea

Illustrations of Permian brachiopod species from the Kapp Statostin Formation in Spitsbergen and their detailed stratigraphic ranges.

Supplemental Material: Mass extinction or extirpation: Permian biotic turnovers in the northwestern margin of Pangea

Illustrations of Permian brachiopod species from the Kapp Statostin Formation in Spitsbergen and their detailed stratigraphic ranges.

Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy and Ostracoda Paleoecology of Hartha Formation from Balad (1) well, Central Iraq

Seventeen samples of Hartha Formation in Balad (1) well, central Iraq, are studied on the basis of stratigraphic ranges of the recorded calcareous nannofossils for twenty species belonging to twelve genera. The studied section reveals three biozones arranged from oldest to youngest as follows; (1) Calculites ovalis Interval Biozone (CC19), (2) Ceratolithoides aculeus Interval Biozone (CC20), (3) Quadrum sissinghii Interval Biozone (CC21). These Biozones are correlated with other calcareous nannofossils biozones from both local and regional sections, leading to conclude the age of the Middle Campanian. Rerecorded eighteen ostracode species that belong to eleven genera are identified, all of which were previously recorded from Iraq and adjacent regions. The occurrence of these species leads to conclude a continental shelf environment, while they are typical of inner shelf-outer shelf depth.

Studies in the Wanganui Series: Pliocene Foraminifera from Wanganui Basin

<p>Foraminifera have been examined from seven Pliocene sections in South Wanganui Basin, southern North Island, New Zealand, including the Waipipian and Mangapanian Stratotypes. Lithology, faunal distribution, biostratigraphy and paleoecology are discussed for each section. The systematics and ecologic and stratigraphic ranges of 193 species are discussed. The new genus Zelamarkina is erected, with Z. excavata n.sp. as type species, and the following five species are also described as new: Bolivina hornibrooki, B. vellai, B. wanganuiensis, Rotalia fastigata and Notorotalia briggsi. Three biostratigraphic zones based on benthonic foraminifera are recognised. The Hurupiensis Zone, defined by the range of Notorotalia hurupiensis in South Wanganui Basin, is considered equivalent to the Opoitian Stage. The Molestus Zone, defined by the overlapping ranges of Cibicides molestus and Notorotalia finlayi, represents the Waipipian Stage. The Finlayi Zone equals that part of the range of N. finlayi after the extinction of Cibicides molestus, and extends through to the Recent. Temperatures dropped abruptly and markedly at the time represented by the base of the Molestus Zone, accompanied by a substantial fall in sea level, then rose at the time represented by the end of this zone to a level maintained through the period studied. No marked temperature or sea level change is recorded across the presumed Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. The region was covered during late Miocene and early Pliocene times by shallow seas, possibly with land to the west. Rapid subsidence of the centre of the basin during the early Pliocene was followed by gradual shallowing until by the late Pliocene uniformly shallow depths again pertained. The basin was bounded to the east by the emergent Ruahine and Tararua Ranges, and probably to the south and west by shallow bars or islands formed from uplifted basement blocks. The surface microstructure of nine species of Bolivina and seven species of Notorotalia is described from scanning electron micrographs. Addition of calcite to the test of Notorotalia is progressive and is controlled largely by the positions of sutural and apertural pores.</p>

Fossils Do Not Substantially Improve, and May Even Harm, Estimates of Diversification Rate Heterogeneity

There is a prevailing view that the inclusion of fossil data could remedy identifiability issues related to models of diversification, by drastically reducing the number of congruent models. The fossilized birth-death (FBD) model is an appealing way of directly incorporating fossil information when estimating diversification rates. Here we explore the benefits of including fossils by implementing and then testing two-types of FBD models in more complex likelihood-based models that assume multiple rate classes across the tree. We also assess the impact of severely undersampling, and even not including fossils that represent samples of lineages that also had sampled descendants (i.e., k-type fossils), as well as converting a fossil set to represent stratigraphic ranges. Under various simulation scenarios, including a scenario that exists far outside the set of models we evaluated, including fossils rarely outperforms analyses that exclude them altogether. At best, the inclusion of fossils improves precision but does not influence bias. We also found that severely undercounting the number of k-type fossils produces highly inflated rates of turnover and extinction fraction. Similarly, we found that converting the fossil set to stratigraphic ranges results in turnover rates and extinction fraction estimates that are generally underestimated. While fossils remain essential for understanding diversification through time, in the specific case of understanding diversification given an existing, largely modern tree, they are not especially beneficial.

Studies in the Wanganui Series: Pliocene Foraminifera from Wanganui Basin

<p>Foraminifera have been examined from seven Pliocene sections in South Wanganui Basin, southern North Island, New Zealand, including the Waipipian and Mangapanian Stratotypes. Lithology, faunal distribution, biostratigraphy and paleoecology are discussed for each section. The systematics and ecologic and stratigraphic ranges of 193 species are discussed. The new genus Zelamarkina is erected, with Z. excavata n.sp. as type species, and the following five species are also described as new: Bolivina hornibrooki, B. vellai, B. wanganuiensis, Rotalia fastigata and Notorotalia briggsi. Three biostratigraphic zones based on benthonic foraminifera are recognised. The Hurupiensis Zone, defined by the range of Notorotalia hurupiensis in South Wanganui Basin, is considered equivalent to the Opoitian Stage. The Molestus Zone, defined by the overlapping ranges of Cibicides molestus and Notorotalia finlayi, represents the Waipipian Stage. The Finlayi Zone equals that part of the range of N. finlayi after the extinction of Cibicides molestus, and extends through to the Recent. Temperatures dropped abruptly and markedly at the time represented by the base of the Molestus Zone, accompanied by a substantial fall in sea level, then rose at the time represented by the end of this zone to a level maintained through the period studied. No marked temperature or sea level change is recorded across the presumed Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. The region was covered during late Miocene and early Pliocene times by shallow seas, possibly with land to the west. Rapid subsidence of the centre of the basin during the early Pliocene was followed by gradual shallowing until by the late Pliocene uniformly shallow depths again pertained. The basin was bounded to the east by the emergent Ruahine and Tararua Ranges, and probably to the south and west by shallow bars or islands formed from uplifted basement blocks. The surface microstructure of nine species of Bolivina and seven species of Notorotalia is described from scanning electron micrographs. Addition of calcite to the test of Notorotalia is progressive and is controlled largely by the positions of sutural and apertural pores.</p>

Upper Eocene planktonic foraminifera from northern Saudi Arabia: implications for stratigraphic ranges

The Rashrashiyah Formation of the Sirhan Basin in northern Saudi Arabia contains diverse assemblages of planktonic foraminifera. We examined the biostratigraphy, stratigraphic range and preservation of upper Eocene planktonic foraminifera. Assemblages are well-preserved and diverse, with 40 species and 11 genera. All samples are assigned to the Priabonian Globigerinatheka semiinvoluta Highest Occurrence Zone (E14), consistent with calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy indicating Zone CNE17. Well-preserved planktonic foraminifera assemblages from the lower part of the upper Eocene are rare worldwide. Our study provides new insights into the stratigraphic ranges of many species. We find older (Zone E14) stratigraphic occurrences of several species of Globoturborotalita previously thought to have evolved in the latest Eocene (Zone E15, E16) or Oligocene; these include G. barbula, G. cancellata, G. gnaucki, G. pseudopraebulloides, and G. paracancellata. Older stratigraphic occurrences for Dentoglobigerina taci and Subbotina projecta are also found, and Globigerinatheka kugleri occurs at a younger stratigraphic level than previously proposed. Our revisions to stratigraphic ranges indicate that the late Eocene had a higher tropical–subtropical diversity of planktonic foraminifera than hitherto reported.

ORBITOLINIDS AND OTHER LARGER BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM THE APTIAN-ALBIAN OF TIBET: CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF SOME RECENTLY PUBLISHED DATA

Orbitolinidae together with other larger benthic foraminifera are particularly important in Lower Cretaceous shallow-water biostratigraphy provided that they are correctly identified. Especially in the case of the Orbitolininae (with complex embryo), their biostratigraphic range with overlapping ranges corresponds to different lineages displaying ancestor-descendant relationship (e.g., Praeorbitolina-Mesorbitolina). In the last fifty years well established and repeatedly confirmed taxon ranges have been largely extended thereby diluting or negating any biostratigraphic value to individual species. Some biostratigraphic data provided by BouDagher-Fadel et al. (2017) from the Aptian-Albian of Tibet that are contradicting previous results are reviewed herein. This publication mostly refers to the stratigraphic ranges of Praeorbitolina cormyi Schroeder and Pseudochoffatella cuvillieri Deloffre towards the top of the Albian, and that of Palorbitolina lenticularis (Blumenbach) into the late Aptian, as well as some misidentifications.

DINOSTRAT: A global database of the stratigraphic and paleolatitudinal distribution of Mesozoic-Cenozoic organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts

Mesozoic–Cenozoic organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) biostratigraphy is a crucial tool for relative and absolute age control in complex ancient sedimentary systems. However, stratigraphic ranges of dinocysts are found to be strongly diachronous geographically. A global compilation of state-of-the-art calibrated regional stratigraphic ranges could assist in quantifying regional differences and evaluate underlying causes. For this reason, DINOSTRAT is here initiated – an open source, iterative, community-fed database intended to house all regional chronostratigraphic calibrations of dinocyst events (https://github.com/bijlpeter83/DINOSTRAT.git). DINOSTRAT version 1.0 includes > 8500 entries of first and last occurrences (collectively called “events”) of > 1900 dinocyst taxa, and their absolute ties to the chronostratigraphic time scale of Gradstein et al., 2012. Entries are derived from 199 publications and 189 sedimentary sections. DINOSTRAT interpolates paleolatitudes of regional dinocyst events, allowing evaluation of the paleolatitudinal variability of dinocyst event ages. DINOSTRAT allows for open accessibility and searchability, on region, age, and taxon. This paper presents a selection of the data in DINOSTRAT: (1) the (paleo)latitudinal spread and evolutionary history of modern dinocyst species; (2) the evolutionary patterns and paleolatitudinal spread of dinoflagellate cyst (sub)families; (3) a selection of key dinocyst events which are particularly synchronous. Although several dinocysts show – at the resolution of their calibration – quasi-synchronous event ages, indeed many species have remarkable diachroneity. DINOSTRAT provides the data storage approach by which the community can now start to relate diachroneity to (1) inadequate tie to chronostratigraphic time scales; (2) complications in taxonomic concepts and (3) ocean connectivity and/or the affinities of taxa to environmental conditions.

Stratigraphic and Microfacies Study of Kometan Formation (Upper Turonian-Lower Campanian), in the Dokan area, Northern Iraq

The Kometan Formation is widely distributed in the northern (Kurdistan region) and central Iraq. The studied area is located near the Dokan Dam, about 58 km., to the Northwest of the Sulaymaniyah city, Northeastern Iraq. The Kometan Formation is exposed on the southwest flank of the Sarah anticline. The formation consists of limestone and dolomitic limestone, which have cherts nodules throughout the formation. The Gulneri Formation is recorded below the Kometan Formation with unconformable contact, while at the top is bounded by the Shiranish Formation unconformably too. Three microfacies are identified, these are lime mudstone, planktic foraminiferal lime wackestone-packstone, keeld planktonic foraminiferal lime wackestone-packstone microfacies. All the sedimentary and fossil evidence refer that the sedimentary environment of the formation is the outer shelf to upper bathyal at the lower and upper parts of formation and its extension to the middle bathyal in the middle part of the formation. Based on the stratigraphic ranges of the recorded Calcareous nannofossils biozones, the age of the Kometan Formation at Dokan area is Late Turonian-Early Campanian.