The Hassi Nebech area of the SE Tafilalt (Tafilalt Basin, Anti-Atlas, Morocco) yielded the richest and most diverse late Givetian ammonoid fauna on a global scale. Above the distinctive regional “Lower Marker Bed” (Synpharciceras clavilobum Zone), abundant loosely collected limonitic specimens derive from hypoxic shales of the Taouzites taouzensis to Petteroceras errans zones. The ontogenetic morphometry and intraspecific variability of a total of 30 species representing five families, the Acanthoclymeniidae, Taouzitidae, Pharciceratidae, Petteroceratidae, and Tornoceratidae, are documented. New taxa are: Pseudoprobeloceras praecox n. sp., Scaturites minutus n. gen. n. sp., Darkaoceras velox n. sp., Pharciceras decoratum n. sp., Ph. fornix n. sp., Ph. subconstans n. sp., Ph. involutum n. sp., Lunupharciceras incisum n. sp., Transpharciceras procedens n. gen. n. sp., Stenopharciceras progressum n. sp., Pluripharciceras n. gen. (type species: Synpharciceras plurilobatum Petter, 1959), Plu. orbis n. sp., Synpharciceras frequens n. sp., Lobotornoceras bensaidi n. sp., Nebechoceras eccentricum n. gen. n. sp., and Phoenixites lenticulus n. sp.. The documentation of conch and particularly suture ontogeny and intraspecific variability necessitates a revised diagnosis for ten taxa. Manticoceras pontiformis Termier & Termier, 1950, Probeloceras costulatum Petter, 1959, and Pseudoprobeloceras nebechense Bensaïd, 1974 are regarded as subjective junior synonyms of Ps. pernai (Wedekind, 1918). Sandbergeroceras acutum Termier & Termier, 1950 is a subjective synonym of Taouzites taouzensis (Termier & Termier, 1950). Pharciceras applanatum Bensaïd, 1974 is transferred to Extropharciceras. Other forms (Ph. aff. tridens, Ph. cf. subconstans n. sp., Extropharciceras n. sp. 2, Ex. cf. arenicum, Ex. cf. applanatum, Synpharciceras sp., Plu. cf. plurilobatum) are described in open nomenclature. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Lacewings (Neuroptera) normally bear four well-developed wings. There are a few brachypterous, micropterous or apterous species, found in several extant families; this wing reduction is usually associated with flightlessness. The only documented fossil neuropteran with reduced hind wings (modified to small haltere-like structures) is the enigmatic minute genus Mantispidiptera Grimaldi from the Late Cretaceous amber of New Jersey. In this paper, we report a new genus and species from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China (Dipteromantispa brevisubcosta n. gen. et n. sp.) resembling Mantispidiptera. We place these two genera in the new family Dipteromantispidae, n. fam. They bear well-developed forewings with reduced venation, and hind wings that are extremely modified as small structures resembling the halteres of Diptera. Dipteromantispidae n. fam. might be specialized descendants of some early Berothidae or of stem group Mantispidae + Berothidae. We presume that dipteromantispids were active fliers. This is a remarkable example of parallel evolution of wing structures in this neuropteran family and Diptera. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The early Middle Miocene Lake Gacko was part of the Dinaride Lake System (DLS) and gave rise to a poorly known freshwater mollusk fauna. This was subject to malacological studies from the late 19th century onwards. Herein, we provide the first thorough taxonomic survey of Lake Gacko including revisions of several taxa. A total amount of 1,077 specimens was obtained from 17 samples, comprising at least 11 freshwater and 2 terrestrial gastropod species and 6 bivalve species. So far, none of the described taxa has been documented outside the Dinarides and the DLS, respectively. The fauna shows variable overlap with other paleolakes of the DLS, proofing once more the complex biogeographic patchwork of this system. The current paleoenvironmental reconstructions are tested and refined by application of a statistical analysis. This confirms the partition of the sedimentary history of Lake Gacko into three major depositional phases responding to astronomically forced climate changes. The low diverse mollusk assemblage in the initial phase, with abundant pulmonate and rissooid gastropods, signals a more arid climate with lowered lake level. During the second interval, the fauna becomes more diverse with common rissooid and melanopsid gastropods. It represents a more humid interval with enhanced precipitation and increased lake level, entailing the installation of a perennial lacustrine environment. The final phase is a return to arid conditions with the same elements as in the initial pulmonate-rissooid assemblage. The sphaeriid Pisidium vukovici n. sp. is introduced as new species. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The latest Permian mass extinction, the most severe Phanerozoic biotic crisis, is marked by dramatic changes in palaeoenvironments. These changes significantly disrupted the global carbon cycle, reflected by a prominent and well known negative carbon isotope excursion recorded in marine and continental sediments. Carbon isotope trends of bulk carbonate and bulk organic matter in marine deposits of the European Southern Alps near the low-latitude marine event horizon deviate from each other. A positive excursion of several permil in δ¹³C_org starts earlier and is much more pronounced than the short-term positive δ¹³C_carb excursion; both excursions interrupt the general negative trend. Throughout the entire period investigated, δ¹³C_org values become lighter with increasing distance from the palaeocoastline. Changing δ¹³C_org values may be due to the influx of comparatively isotopically heavy land plant material. The stronger influence of land plant material on the δ¹³C_org during the positive isotope excursion indicates a temporarily enhanced continental runoff that may either reflect increased precipitation, possibly triggered by aerosols originating from Siberian Trap volcanism, or indicate higher erosion rate in the face of reduced land vegetation cover. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Material belonging to a new fossil genus and species of caddisfly, Pulchercylindratus punctatus n. gen., n. sp., was collected from the Daohugou locality (Middle Jurassic, Jiulongshan Formation; Inner Mongolia, China). The new species is assigned to the Hydrobiosidae according to subcylindrical shape of the 2nd segment of maxillary palp, the forked R₁ (in the forewing, located near apex), and long anal cells (in the forewing). In addition, we propose to transfer the genus Juraphilopotamus Wang, Zhao & Ren 2009, known from the same locality, to the family Hydrobiosidae, based on the 1st and 2nd segments of the maxillary palp being cylindrical, shorter than the 3rd segment. A Middle Jurassic origination of family Hydrobiosidae can be established based on the new discovery. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Data on Odonatoptera species from the Xiaheyan locality (Ningxia, China; Early Pennsylvanian) described so far are complemented based on abundant new material. Several taxonomic and nomenclatural adjustments are proposed. The species Tupus readi Carpenter, 1933 is transferred to the genus Shenzhousia Zhang & Hong, 2006 in Zhang et al. (2006), and therefore should be referred to as Shenzhousia readi (Carpenter, 1933) n. comb. The monotypic genus Sinomeganeura Ren et al., 2008 is synonymized with Oligotypus Carpenter, 1931. As a consequence the type species of the former must be referred to as Oligotypus huangheensis (Ren et al., 2008) n. comb. The monotypic genus Paragilsonia Zhang, Hong & Su, 2012 in Su et al. (2012) is synonymized with Tupus Sellards, 1906. As a consequence the type-species of the former is to be referred to as Tupus orientalis (Zhang, Hong & Su, 2012 in Su et al. (2012)) n. comb. The monotypic genus Sinierasiptera Zhang, Hong & Su, 2012 in Su et al. (2012) is synonymized with Erasipterella Brauckmann, 1983. As a consequence the type-species of the former is to be referred to as Erasipterella jini (Zhang, Hong & Su, 2012 in Su et al. (2012)) n. comb. In addition Aseripterella sinensis n. gen. et sp. and Sylphalula laliquei n. gen. et sp. are described. The ‘strong oblique distal' cross-vein, located in the area between RA and RP is found to occur more extensively than previously expected. It is believed to be a structure distinct from the subnodal cross-vein, and therefore deserves to be referred to by a distinct name (viz. ‘postsubnodal cross-vein'). Odonatoptera from the Xiaheyan locality cover a broad range of sizes. Factors that could have promoted the evolution of large-sized Odonatoptera are briefly reviewed. The permissive conditions prevailing during the Pennsylvanian, and the existence of an elaborated food web, are emphasized as putative positive factors. The new taxonomic treatment suggests that genera documented in the Lower Permian, such as Shenzhousia and Oligotypus, stem from the early Pennsylvanian, and implies a high resilience of these taxa when facing the Pennsylvanian–Permian environmental perturbations. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)