Cymatiosphaera hymenosynypha Morbey 1975, previously recorded from the Rhaetian Westbury Formation in the United Kingdom, occurs in Triassic–Jurassic boundary strata from Denmark. From the present study it is clear that this small, finely reticulate, ellipsoidal, two-layered palynomorph is not a prasinophyte, but a dinoflagellate cyst with a combination apical/intercalary archaeopyle (type tAtI) which involves three apical plates plus one intercalary plate. This cavate cyst is morphologically similar but not identical to Valvaeodinium hanneae Piasecki 2001 from the uppermost Bathonian to lower Callovian of East Greenland, and it is therefore here transferred to Valvaeodinium, as Valvaeodinium hymenosynypha (Morbey) Lindström comb. nov. The appearance of Valvaeodinium hymenosynypha in Rhaetian strata in the Danish Basin suggests that the lineage of cavate Valvaeodinium cysts originated in the Late Triassic alongside a chorate species of the genus. Valvaeodinium hymenosynypha seems to have survived just barely past the end-Triassic mass extinction as it is also present in the earliest Hettangian.

The early Cambrian Buen Formation (North Greenland) hosts an exceptionally rich fossil biota that has contributed significantly to our knowledge of early metazoans, yet the fossil remains of primary producers from this deposit have received less attention. Here we examine the palynological component of the Buen Formation, with a focus on acritarchs and filamentous microfossils. Our analysis revealed the presence of 49 form taxa, 15 of which are described for the first time in the Buen Formation. These include large elements of presumably benthic origin, together with cyst-like acritarchs. Comasphaeridium longispinosum Vidal 1993 is renamed Comasphaeridium? brillesensis nom. nov., and Comasphaeridium densispinosum Vidal 1993 is reassigned to a new genus, Pearisphaeridium, becoming Pearisphaeridium densispinosum comb. nov. The diagnoses of Pearisphaeridium densispinosum (Vidal 1993) comb. nov. and Skiagia pura Moczydłowska 1988 are emended. Further, careful analysis of disparity in the recovered assemblage has revealed the presence of numerous transitional morphologies among the recorded acritarch form taxa. Though some of these transitional forms likely represent biologically meaningful entities (e.g. life cycle stages, ecophenotypes), others appear to have been artificially generated by taphonomic processes. Accounting for taphonomic factors and other sources of morphological variation has curtailed diversity down to 30 acritarch morphotypes, ten of which represent distinct abundance peaks broadly corresponding to acritarch genera. This analysis illustrates how population-based studies of early Cambrian acritarchs can help to discern the different factors that impinge on acritarch morphology, detect instances of taxonomic inflation, and refine our measures of diversity at the base of early Palaeozoic food webs.

The Lashkarak Formation (Lower–Middle Ordovician) in the Gerdkuh locality, 10 km west of Damghan city, northern Iran, has been found to contain acritarchs and chitinozoans. This study aimed to understand these chitinozoan and acritarch successions as well as brachiopods in this part of the Alborz Mountains, in a novel manner. Ninety-seven surface samples from this succession were collected and analysed. Thirty samples yielded well-preserved palynomorph taxa such as acritarchs, chitinozoans, and scolecodonts, as well as graptolite remains. In total, 53 taxa were identified among the acritarchs (38 species belonging to 21 genera) and chitinozoans (15 species belonging to 10 genera). Although scolecodonts and graptolite remains were also observed, they were not studied in detail. The palynological analyses revealed the presence of several diagnostic acritarchs in the Lashkarak Formation, including Vulcanisphaera simplex, Arbusculidium filamentosum, Coryphidium bohemicum, Dactylofusa velifera, Striatotheca mutua, Arkonia virgata, and Orthosphaeridium ternatum. These acritarchs allowed the recognition of five acritarch assemblage zones. Similarly, seven chitinozoan biozones were recognised: Eremochitina brevis, Desmochitina ornensis, Belonechitina henryi, Cyathochitina protocalix, Cyathochitina calix, Siphonochitina formosa, and Laufeldochitina clavata. These findings confirm the inclusion of the Alborz Mountains in the peri-Gondwana palaeoprovince during the Early–Middle Ordovician. The co-occurrence of the acritarch and chitinozoan taxa with previously identified brachiopods allowed for the establishment of a more detailed Early–Middle Ordovician biozonation, demonstrating their potential usefulness for global chronostratigraphy. Based on palynological and brachiopod assemblages, a shallow marine inner shelf setting is suggested for the Early–Middle Ordovician at the Gerdkuh locality. Moreover, in this study, four new morphotype species were erected, consisting of one new chitinozoan (Cyathochitina gerdkuhensis sp. nov.) and three new acritarchs (Baltisphaeridium razii sp. nov., Navifusa alborzensis sp. nov., and Orthosphaeridium iranense sp. nov.). However, Othosphaeridium cf. ternatum was left in open nomenclature.

The current study’s objective is to infer the specific pollen morphologies of 27 different Euphorbia L. Turkish taxa were cultivated using LM and SEM. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) is developed and cluster analysis is used to examine similarity grouping in this study. The results of the current study showed that tricolporate pollen grains are present in 24 different taxa of Euphorbia, whereas three other taxa E. denticulate, E. esula subsp. tommassiniana, and E. orientalis have tricolpate and tricolporate pollen grains. The results of this study also revealed that pollen grains frequently have a perforated pattern. The use of ornamentations with reticulate- and rugulate-perforate surfaces has also been discovered. The current study revealed that six taxa of Euphorbia have prolate-spheroidal pollen shapes, while 20 of the 27 Euphorbia under study have oblate-spheroidal pollen shapes. But only the pollen of E. grisophylla, 1 of the 27 tested Euphorbia taxa, has a subprolate shape. On the other hand, the PCA results explained 92.16% of the variation, and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram identified four taxonomic groupings, as follows: types 1–4.

The Lower Devonian Klerf Formation is an exceptional Konservat-Lagerstätte, exposed at multiple sites in the Waxweiler region in the Eifel area, western Germany. It has been studied for its various fossils, mainly arthropods, fishes, plants, molluscs, brachiopods and crinoids. At Waxweiler, the strata are palaeoecologically interpreted as a prograding deltaic depositional system elongate from NW to SE in the Ardenno-Rhenish area. The Klerf Formation has, however, not been studied in full in terms of its microflora and microfauna. Our study of the formation from two different quarries in the Waxweiler area yielded fairly diverse miospore assemblages dominated by abundant organic matter in varying degrees of coalification. The miospore assemblages are mainly composed of classic Lower Devonian taxa of the Old Red Continent (Laurussia). These belong, among others, to the genera Ambitisporites, Apiculiretusispora and Retusotriletes. Biostratigraphically more important species recovered include Acinosporites lindlarensis, Apiculiretusispora brandtii, Cymbosporites asymetricus, Diatomozonotriletes franklinii, Emphanisporites annulatus, Verruciretusispora dubia and Verrucosisporites polygonalis. In addition, Emphanisporites foveolatus, which is known only from a limited area in the Ardenno-Rhenish region, is also identified, indicating an earliest Pragian to middle Emsian age for the composite section. These assemblages are found to be accompanied by reworked phytoplankton to a much lesser extent. Our results reveal a much larger palaeobotanical diversity from the Rhineland outcrops than previously known, indicating a well-developed Psilophyton-type vegetation with related plants. The results further suggest a likely presence of plants such as Leclercqia and Pertica.

Volkheimerites labyrinthus gen. et sp. nov., an angiosperm pollen type, is fully described and illustrated. The specimens were retrieved from lower Paleocene strata of the Salamanca Formation (San Jorge Basin) located in Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina. Medium to large size (25.5–55 μm) and a characteristic striate sculpture with labyrinthine pattern are distinguishing features of the grains in this new genus. Volkheimerites labyrinthus shares the presence of a coarse tectum supported by columellae with the fossil genera Dichastopollenites, Trisectoris and Periretisyncolpites, and some Winteraceae and Annonaceae species, but differs in having striate-labyrinthine as opposed to reticulate ornamentation. Our material is also distinguishable by the occurrence of solitary grains (monads) instead of the more frequent presence of tetrads in the Winteraceae family or grains separated into two hemispheres as in Dichastopollenites. The large thin area of the exine appears to be morphologically analogous to the proximal thinning of the exine in the monads of tetrads as occurs in some Annonaceae species. The detailed description and illustration of this new angiosperm pollen genus expands our understanding of Paleocene plant diversity in Patagonia.

ABSTRACT Due to several overlaps of the primary pollen morphological attributes (viz., aperture type and exine sculpturing) throughout the subfamilies and tribes of Rubiaceae, they are of less importance in delineating majority of the taxa at the subfamilial and tribal levels than at generic and specific levels. This in turn renders difficulties in the identification of rubiaceous pollen grains in various palynological studies. In such cases, where the two major pollen morphological attributes viz., apertural type and exine ornamentation pattern are more or less common, we intended to see whether an additional pollen morphological character could reliably be used in demarcation of taxa. The present work deals with the pollen morphological details of 17 species of Rubiaceae from Darjeeling and Arunachal Himalayas. This eurypalynous family exhibits wide array of pollen morphological attributes, specially apertural type, exine ornamentation pattern and variable sculpturing on colpus membrane. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is performed to determine the major pollen morphological variables responsible for delimiting the studied species which pointed out that variation in colpus membrane ornamentation (psilate, granulate, scabrate, verrucate) is a key attribute in characterizing the studied eastern Himalayan rubiaceous taxa up to generic and specific levels.

Ilha Grande is a Brazilian island that has a high vegetal biodiversity with a well-documented prehistoric human occupation but has few paleoenvironmental studies developed in this area. In view of this, multiproxy analysis of lagoonal sediments including radiocarbon dating were carried out on a 139 cm-long continental sediment core. The aim of our study was to recognise and explain environmental dynamics in this region during the Holocene (∼5200 cal yr BP). The palynomorphs indicate the continuous presence of Atlantic Forest under humid conditions during the last Holocene sea-level highstand, after 5200 cal yr BP. A phase of low palynomorph concentrations was followed by a marked increase in palynomorph accumulation and diversity which may be linked to the subsequent drop of the sea-level. Dinoflagellate cysts showed a higher accumulation at the base of the sediment core. The high accumulation of charcoal particles identified between approximately 3700 and 3000 cal years BP might indicate human activity related to the long-lasting bonfires kept burning by the inhabitants of the archaeological site of Ilhote do Leste.

There are many published items on guidance in scientific writing, and potential authors should not try to read too many of these to prevent information overload. This article aims to advise aspiring authors on producing scientific manuscripts for publication. It is particularly aimed at early career researchers in palynology and related topics who wish to publish their work in the peer-reviewed literature. It is vitally important that your manuscript makes a good initial impression with the journal editors. This means strictly adhering to the house-style (textual format) of the respective journal, and that your work is well-illustrated, well-structured and well-written. Despite the apparent complexity of the scientific publishing process, the system is primarily designed to allow several expert third parties to critically scrutinise your work in order to ensure scientific excellence. During the production of the first draft, authors are advised to anticipate issues that may be noted by peer reviewers. Consider carefully where to submit your work to. Specifically key metrics such as the impact factor, readership and scope of journals should be assessed. You will need to navigate an online submission process hence it is critical to organise your files effectively before submitting. It is possible, even likely, that you may be asked for more than one round of peer review. Moreover, you may have to recast your work and submit it elsewhere if it is declined by your first choice journal. Ethics in publishing are very important. For example you should invite colleagues to be co-authors only if they have materially contributed to the particular manuscript, and make strenuous efforts not to use the work of others unacknowledged. Remember that many more people will read your title, abstract and keywords than the main body of the paper so pay special attention to crafting these items optimally.

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs were analysed from 35 modern moss cushions collected along an altitudinal gradient (2225–2552 m a.s.l.) from the Baramulla District of Jammu and Kashmir State (Western Himalaya), India. The selected sampling altitude is at the elevation of appearance of blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) and West Himalayan spruce or morinda spruce (Picea smithiana). We used cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) to reveal trends and characteristics in the modern pollen and non-pollen palynomorph composition within this zone. Tree taxa mainly correlated positively with the altitudinal gradient, i.e. tree pollen is more abundant at higher altitudes. The presence of West Himalayan spruce pollen increased significantly above 2490 m a.s.l., which coincides with its increased abundance in the area. Poaceae, Cerealia, Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Asteroideae and Cichorioideae, indicating open land and human agricultural activities, are more characteristic of higher locations. Greater relative abundance of dung spores was characteristic of lower elevations, indicating human-related grazing activities. While tropical deciduous plants grow only at lower elevations away from the study area, their pollen was present at higher altitudes, suggesting long-distance pollen dispersal, beyond the growing localities.