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Fossil Localities

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Posongchong Formation

Age: Pragian Age, Early Devonian Epoch, Devonian Period, Paleozoic Era, Phanerozoic Eon
Location: southeastern Yunnan Province, China, mainly in the Wenshan Zhuang-Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Localities: 23°18.04′N, 104°15.25′E to 23°17.72′N, 104°15.61′E
- Zhichang section (Zhichang Slope) near Zhichang Village, approximately 12 km south of Wenshan City, Yunnan. This is the best-known and most intensively studied locality, yielding many classic Posongchong taxa, including Eophyllophyton, Discalis, Adoketophyton, Zhenglia, Polythecophyton, and others.
- Changputang section (Tiechan Slope) near Changputang Village, about 16 km west of Zhichang. This locality has produced Celatheca, Zosterophyllum australianum, Psilophyton primitivum, Ramoferis, and other important plants.
- Additional Posongchong Formation outcrops occur in Guangnan, Mengzi, Xichou, and Yanshan districts of southeastern Yunnan
Paleoclimate: tropical, equatorial region
Paleoenvironment: Broad floodplain with river channels, including backswamps, marshes, dune systems
Plant taxa represented: 28 genera and 37 species recognized

Rhyniophytes

Huia recurvata
Catenalis digitata

Euphyllophytes

Eophyllophyton bellum
Psilophyton primitivum
Pauthecophyton gracile
Polythecophyton demissum
Hedeia sinica
Celatheca beckii
Estinnophyton yunnanense
Cervicornus wenshanensis

Zosterophylls and Related Plants

Zosterophyllum australianum
Zosterophyllum ramosum
Zosterophyllum minifertillum
Zosterophyllum tenerum
Discalis longistipa
Gumuia zyzzata
Ramoferis amalia
Wenshania zhichangensis
Demersatheca contigua
Guangnania cuneata
Yunia dichotoma
Yunia guangnania
cf. Hicklingia sp.
Oricilla sp

Lycopsids

Baragwanathia sp.
Halleophyton zhichangense
Hueberia zhichangensis
Zhenglia radiata

Incertae sedis

Adoketophyton subverticillatum
Adoketophyton parvulum
Stachyophyton yunnanense
Dibracophyton acrovatum

Important publications from this location

Foundational and Synthetic Works

Hao, S., & Xue, J. (2013). The Early Devonian Posongchong flora of Yunnan: A contribution to an understanding of the evolution and early diversification of vascular plants. Beijing, China: Science Press.
Hao, S., & Gensel, P. G. (2001). The Posongchong flora and the diversification of Early Devonian vascular plants.

Early Discovery Papers

Li, X. X., & Cai, C. Y. (1977). Early Devonian Zosterophyllum remains from Yunnan, China.
Geng, B. Y. (1983). Stachyophyton gen. nov. discovered from the Lower Devonian of Yunnan and its significance. Acta Botanica Sinica, 25, 574-579.
Geng, B. Y. (1985). Huia recurvata: A new plant from the Lower Devonian of southeastern Yunnan, China. Acta Botanica Sinica, 27, 419-426.

Major Euphyllophyte Discoveries

Hao, S. (1988). Eophyllophyton bellum, a new Lower Devonian plant from Yunnan, China.
Hao, S., & Beck, C. B. (1993). Further observations on Eophyllophyton bellum and its significance for early euphyllophyte evolution.
Hao, S., & Beck, C. B. (1991a). Catenalis digitata, a new Early Devonian plant with possible algal affinities.
Hao, S., & Beck, C. B. (1991b). Yunia dichotoma, a new Early Devonian vascular plant from Yunnan, China.
Hao, S., & Gensel, P. G. (1995). Celatheca beckii, a new synangiate plant from the Lower Devonian of Yunnan, China.
Hao, S., Gensel, P. G., & Wang, D. M. (2001). Polythecophyton demissum, an unusual Early Devonian euphyllophyte from Yunnan, China.

Lycophyte Evolution

Li, C. S., & Edwards, D. (1997). Halleophyton zhichangense, a new lycopsid from the Lower Devonian Posongchong flora of Yunnan, China.
Hao, S., Wang, D. M., Wang, Q., & Xue, J. (2006). A new lycopsid, Zhenglia radiata, from the Lower Devonian Posongchong flora of Yunnan, China. Acta Geologica Sinica, 80, 1-12.
Yang, N., Li, C. S., & Edwards, D. (2009). Hueberia zhichangensis, a new plant from the Lower Devonian Posongchong flora, Yunnan, China.

Hao, S., Wang, D. M., & Wang, Q. (2004). Estinnophyton yunnanense and evidence for early sphenopsid evolution.
Li, C. S., & Hueber, F. M. (2000). Cervicornus wenshanensis, a new Devonian plant from Yunnan, China.

Important Recent Additions to the Flora

Zhu, X., Hao, S., & Xue, J. (2011). A new species of Adoketophyton from the Pragian Posongchong Formation of Yunnan, China. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology.
Hao, S., Xue, J., Zhu, X., & Wang, D. M. (2012). A new genus of Early Devonian plants with novel strobilar structures and vegetative appendages from the Posongchong Formation of Yunnan, China. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 180, 1-12. (Dibracophyton acrovatum)
Xue, J., Hao, S., Zhu, X., & Wang, D. M. (2012). Pauthecophyton gracile, a new basal euphyllophyte from the Posongchong flora of Yunnan, China. Palaeontology.

Rhynie Chert

Age: Pragian Age, Early Devonian Epoch, Devonian Period, Paleozoic Era, Phanerozoic Eon
Location: Near the village of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, northeastern Scotland
Localities: 57°20′N, 2°50′W.
- Main Rhynie Chert locality: The classic site discovered by William Mackie in the early 1900s.
- Windyfield Chert: Located ~700 m east of Rhynie, and preserves related hot-spring deposits and additional taxa
Paleoclimate: Warm subtropical to warm temperate conditions
Paleoenvironment: Geothermal wetlands with hot-spring aprons, silica-rich marshes, ephemeral ponds and shallow lakes, and moist soils subject to flooding by silica-rich waters
Plant taxa represented:

Sporophytes of the following taxa:

Aglaophyton major †: a paravascular plant with a rhizome and isotomous aerial branching; Lyonophyton rhyniensis † is the gametophyte of this taxon.
Asteroxylon mackiei †: an early drepanophyte lycopod with leaf-like enations and root-bearing axes with quasi-roots.
Horneophyton lignieri †: a paravascular plant with a corm and isotomous aerial branching; Langiophyton mackiei † is the gametophyte of this taxon.
Nothia aphylla †: a vascular plant with rhizomes and leafless upright axes bearing lateral and terminal sporangia; Kidstonophyton discoides † is the gametophyte of this taxon.
Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii †: a vascular plant with rhizomes and leafless upright axes bearing lateral and terminal sporangia; Remyophyton delicatum † is the gametophyte of this taxon.
Trichopherophyton teuchansii †: a zosterophyll with rhizomes and leafless upright isotomous & pseudomonopodial axes with circinnate growth.
Ventarura lyonii †: a zosterophyll with rhizomes and smooth upright isotomous axes with lateral sporangia

Gametophytes of the following taxa:

Kidstonophyton discoides †: male plants with a rosette of aerial shoots with archegonia in cups; Nothia aphylla † is the sporophyte of this taxon
Lyonophyton rhyniensis †: female plants with an upright istomomous form; male plants with a rosette of aerial shoots with archegonia in cups; Aglaophyton major † is the sporophyte of this taxon
Langiophyton mackiei †: rosette of aerial shoots with archegonia in cups; Horneophyton lignieri † is the sporophyte of this taxon
Remyophyton delicatum †: Upright aerial unbranched axes that bear either archegonia or antheridia; Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii † is the sporophyte of this taxon

Green algae

Charophyte: Palaeonitella † is found in association with Lyonophyton †, indicating that these gametophytes may have lived in semi-submerged environments

Lichens

Winfrenatia reticulata † (Taylor, Hass & Kerp, 1997)

Fungi

Glomeromycetes: Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) found in the rhizome of Aglaophyton major †
Chytrids: Rhizophydites matryoshkae † (Krings et al., 2021), on the in situ spores of Horneophyton lignieri †
Ascomycetes: Potteromyces asteroxylicola † colonized the aerial axes and leaf-like appendages of Asteroxylon mackiei †

Invertebrates

Tydeid mites, trigonotarbid arachnids, harvestmen, myriapods, springtails, water fleas, fairy shrimp
Freshwater crustacean Lepidocaris † is also found in association with Lyonophyton.

Important publications from this location

Foundational Papers

Kidston, R., & Lang, W. H. (1917). On Old Red Sandstone plants showing structure, from the Rhynie Chert Bed, Aberdeenshire. Part I. Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii Kidston and Lang. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 51, 761-784.
Kidston, R., & Lang, W. H. (1920). On Old Red Sandstone plants showing structure, from the Rhynie Chert Bed, Aberdeenshire. Part II. Additional notes on Rhynia gwynne-vaughanii, with descriptions of Rhynia major and Hornea lignieri. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 52, 603-627.
Kidston, R., & Lang, W. H. (1921). On Old Red Sandstone plants showing structure, from the Rhynie Chert Bed, Aberdeenshire. Part V. The Thallophyta occurring in the peat-bed; the succession of the plants throughout a vertical section of the bed, and the conditions of accumulation and preservation of the deposit. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 52, 855-902.

Geology and Paleoenvironment

Rice, C. M., Trewin, N. H., & Anderson, L. I. (2002). Geological setting of the Early Devonian Rhynie Cherts, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: An early terrestrial hot spring system. Journal of the Geological Society, 159(3), 203-214.
Trewin, N. H., & Rice, C. M. (2004). Temnocephalid-style preservation and the palaeoenvironment of the Rhynie Cherts. In D. J. G. Briggs & P. R. Crowther (Eds.), Palaeobiology II (discussion of Rhynie paleoecology and preservation).
Trewin, N. H., & Kerp, H. (2017). The Rhynie Cherts: Our earliest terrestrial ecosystem revisited. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1739), 20160490.

Plant Biology and Evolution

Edwards, D. (2004). Paleobotanical perspectives on plant evolution from the Rhynie Chert flora. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 94, 345-361.
Bateman, R. M., Crane, P. R., DiMichele, W. A., Kenrick, P. R., Rowe, N. P., Speck, T., & Stein, W. E. (1998). Early evolution of land plants: Phylogeny, physiology, and ecology of the primary terrestrial radiation. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 29, 263-292.
Kenrick, P., & Crane, P. R. (1997). The origin and early diversification of land plants: A cladistic study. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Fungi and Plant Interactions

Krings, M., Harper, C. J., Taylor, T. N., & Dotzler, N. (2017). Fungi and fungal interactions in the Rhynie Chert: A review of the evidence, with the description of Perexiflasca tayloriana. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1739), 20160500.
Strullu-Derrien, C., Kenrick, P., Pressel, S., Duckett, J. G., Rioult, J. P., & Strullu, D. G. (2014). Fungal associations in the Rhynie Chert ecosystem. New Phytologist, 203, 964-979.

Arthropods and Ecosystem Ecology

Dunlop, J. A., & Garwood, R. J. (2017). Terrestrial invertebrates in the Rhynie Chert ecosystem. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1739), 20160493.
Anderson, L. I., Trewin, N. H., & Davis, P. G. (2004). Arthropods of the Rhynie Chert. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences, 94, 297-308.

Modern Comprehensive References

Edwards, D., Kerp, H., & Hass, H. (Eds.). (2018). The Rhynie Cherts: Our earliest terrestrial ecosystem revisited. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Special Issue 373(1739).
Garwood, R. J., Strullu-Derrien, C., Bateman, R. M., Sutton, M. D., & Withers, P. J. (2020). Ancient life and ecology of the Rhynie Chert biota. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 48, 69-95.

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