Maria Da Gloria Pires De Carvalho

A new family of fossil scorpions from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil

A new family, new genus and species of fossil scorpions are described from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil, Santana formation, Crato area in the state of Ceara. These fossils can be classified together with extant families within the Scorpionoidea. This suggests that these modern scorpions belong to lineages present at least for 110 Myr.

Lower Devonian fish remains from the Falkland Islands

We report the discovery of fossil vertebrate remains from the Lower and Middle Devonian of West Falkland (Fig. 1). Acanthodian remains were found in the marine Fox Bay formation (Lower Devonian; Emsian?) near Roy Cove, Port North. Although this material is fragmentary, it represents the first record of any Lower Devonian vertebrate from the Falkland Islands. An incomplete placoderm central plate was also recovered from the Port Philomel formation (Middle Devonian, Givetian) at Dunnose Head, West Falkland.

The Trilobite “Dalmanites” Maecurua Clarke, 1890 (Middle Devonian, Amazon Basin, Brazil) and the New Genus Amazonaspis (Synphoriidae)

Abstract The revision of “Dalmanites” maecurua Clarke, 1890, from the Upper Lontra Member, Eifelian, Maecuru Formation, Pará State, Amazon Basin, Brazil is presented. The new genus Amazonaspis is assigned within the family Synphoriidae. Comparisons are made with other Silurian and Devonian synphoriids, and some paleobiogeographic inferences are presented.Abstract The revision of “Dalmanites” maecurua Clarke, 1890, from the Upper Lontra Member, Eifelian, Maecuru Formation, Para State, Amazon Basin, Brazil is presented. The new genus Amazonaspis is assigned within the family Synphoriidae. Comparisons are made with other Silurian and Devonian synphoriids, and some paleobiogeographic inferences are presented.

A Middle Devonian Trilobite Assemblage from Venezuela

Abstract Three new species of trilobites are described from the upper level of the Caño del Oeste Formation (Middle Devonian) of Venezuela. These taxa include a phacopinine, Viaphacops venezuelensis, n. sp., and two asteropyginines, Rhenops odremani, n. sp., and Greenops perijaensis, n. sp. The biogeographic implications of these records are discussed. Viaphacops is somewhat cosmopolitan in its distribution. The presence of Rhenops in Venezuela represents a profound range extension beyond the Rhenish-Bohemia region of the Old World Realm. The Venezuelan occurrence of Greenops represents a southerly range extension within the Eastern Americas Realm, reinforcing faunal similarities previously recognized among Devonian brachiopods and trilobites of Venezuela and North America.

New Calmoniid Trilobites (Phacopina: Acastoidea) from the Devonian of Bolivia

Abstract Four new taxa of Lower Devonian Calmoniidae from Bolivia are described: Gemelloides delasernai, n. gen. and sp., Eldredgeia eocryphaeus, n. sp., Wolfartaspis liebermani, n. sp., and Granadocephalus hannibali, n. gen. and sp. The new genus Gemelloides is sister taxon to Vogesina Wolfart, 1968. Eldredgeia eocryphaeus, from the Scaphiocoelia Assemblage Zone in La Paz and Tarija Departments, closes a stratigraphic gap/ghost lineage in the early history of the Metacryphaeus group. Wolfartasapis liebermani (Icla Formation, Kochis, central Bolivia) predates its only congener, W. cornutus. A novel combination of features within Calmoniidae characterizes Granadocephalus hannibali, from the Icla Formation in Cochabamba Department. This monotypic genus may have its closest relatives in the Calmonia group.

PARANACASTE PONTAGROSSENSIS POPP, 1989 (TRILOBITA: ACASTOIDEA): PROPOSED CONSERVATION OF THE TAXON

The present note aims to clarify the taxonomic status of the calmoniid trilobite Paranacaste pontagrossensis Popp, 1989, from the Ponta Grossa Formation, Lower Middle Devonian (Eifelian) of the Parana Basin, Brazil. Paranacaste Popp, 1989 was erected as a monotypic genus based on P. pontagrossensis . Carvalho and Edgecombe (1991) described material from the Ponta Grossa Formation as Bainella pontagrossensis (Popp, 1989), considering it to be conspecific with the types, and regarded Paranacaste as a subjective synonym of Bainella Rennie, 1930. New specimens that clearly represent Paranacaste pontagrossensis demonstrate that the species is distinct from the Bainella described and figured by Carvalho and Edgecombe (1991). Furthermore, the generic distinctness of Paranacaste can be upheld. The genus may be diagnosed based upon the cephalic margin being rounded medially, having a dense sculpture of mixed small tubercles and coarse granules (Fig. 1.1 …

Occurrence of Dipleura dekayi Green, 1832 (Trilobita; Homalonotidae) in the Devonian of Colombia

ABSTRACT A large and almost complete dorsal exoskeleton of a homalonotid trilobite from the Middle Devonian of Colombia (Floresta Formation) is described and referred to Dipleura dekayi Green, 1832, confirming prior suggestions of biogeographical affinity between Colombia and the North Eastern Americas Realm during Devonian times.