Paleonet: New Publication Available

[Paula M Mikkelsen]

Paleontological Research Institution is proud to announce publication
of *Bulletins
of American Paleontology*, no. 380, "The North American *Holocystites* Fauna
(Echinodermata: Blastozoa: Diploporita): Paleobiology and Systematics," by T.
J. Frest, H. L. Strimple, and C. R. C. Paul (142 pp., 14 pls., ISBN
978-0-87710-493-3). See abstract below. The retail price is US $60.00.
Please order online at www.priweb.org or email me directly for a proforma
invoice. Members of PRI and booksellers should contact me first to receive
discount prices for this and other publications of PRI.

Abstract: The *Holocystites *fauna of central North America includes most
known Silurian Diploporita (Echinodermata: Blastozoa). This distinctive
diploporite association, widespread in the Wenlockian of Wisconsin,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, consists of eight genera
in the Aristocystitidae, Sphaeronitidae, and Holocystitidae. Species
of *Holocystites
*Hall, 1864, and *Triamara *Tillman, 1967, are particularly characteristic.
The fauna is best known from the Osgood Member, Salamonie Dolomite (late
Llandoverian-early Wenlockian) of southeastern Indiana. Expanded quarrying
operations near Napoleon, Ripley County, Indiana, add materially to
knowledge of the *Holocystites *fauna. Thousands of specimens were
recovered, including some in life position. Information from this and other
localities allows formulation of a paleoecological model for the *Holocystites
*fauna, which is tested against previously known distributional information.
Most Silurian diploporites were low-level feeders with relatively
inefficient subvective systems as compared with co-occurring camerate
crinoids. In the Osgood, they required firm attachment sites in
comparatively quiet, offshore, dominantly soft-bottomed environments with a
moderate rate of continuous terrigenous sedimentation, conditions limited in
southeastern Indiana to the Ripley Island positive area. Two major adaptive
strategies are recognized: one relatively eurytopic group comprising species
with free adults with elongate thecae, narrow bases, and aboral, stem-like
processes, and a more stenotopic group of globular, large-based, completely
sessile (attached) species. New taxa include a species of *Holocystites *Hall,
1864 (*H. clavus* n. sp.), a new genus (*Paulicystis *n. gen.) related
to *Trematocystis
*Jaekel, 1899, but with uniquely large ambulacral facets, and a new *
Pentacystis*-like genus (*Osgoodicystis *n. gen.). The fauna also has an
advanced sphaeronitid (*Finitiporus *n. gen.), the only Silurian
sphaeronitid yet known. Both the Sphaeronitidae and Holocystitidae are
revised. Subfamilies are established in both (Sphaeronitidae: Sphaeronitinae
and Herpetocystinae; Holocystitidae: Holocystitinae, Pentacystinae, and
Trematocystinae), based largely on peristome morphology. *Holocystites *is
divided into three new subgenera (*Holocystites*, *Megacystites *n. sgen.,
and *Sepulticystis *n. sgen.) on the basis of pore morphology. Evolutionary
trends are noted in the Holocystitidae toward reduction in number of thecal
and peristomial plates, enlargement of the subvective system, elevation of
the theca. Humatipore morphology becomes more specialized and efficient, but
average size decreased. Detailed specific and generic phylogenies are
constructed, using both traditional and quantitative phenetic methods. All
produced similar results. Osgood diploporite biostratigraphy is revised and
a zonal scheme presented. Osgood diploporites are strongly endemic.


-- 
********************************************
Paula M. Mikkelsen, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Science
and Director of Publications
Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel. (607) 273-6623, ext. 20
Fax (607) 273-6620
email  pmm37 at cornell.edu

"No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's
draft."  -H. G. Wells

See "Seashells of Southern Florida: Living Marine Mollusks of the Florida
Keys and Adjacent Regions:
Bivalves<http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8484.html>"
and BivAToL - Assembling the Bivalve tree of Life <http://bivatol.org>.

On Exhibit at Museum of the Earth:
*Maize - Mysteries of an Ancient Grain*, March 11 - May 22, 2011. Made
possible by the National Science Foundation.
Mon.-Sat. 10 am - 5pm and Sun. 11 am - 5 pm.
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday (Labor Day to Memorial Day).

PRI and its Museum of the Earth <http://www.museumoftheearth.org> are part
of Ithaca's Discovery Trail <http://www.discoverytrail.com>.
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