Morphological Variation of Conodonts Platyvillosus from Yinkeng Formation in Chaohu, Anhui Province, China

A preciously undescribed Lower Triassic sequence of a series of multiple cycles of mud-lime rocks, with the argillaceous content decreasing upward while limestone becomes the dominant lithology in the upper part, contains abundant fossils such as conodonts, ammonoids and bivalves. The Yinkeng Formation is the oldest Triassic unit represented, and it conformably overlies dark-gray thin-bedded argillaceous silicalite and intercalated grayish illite clay interbeds of the Upper Permian of Dalong Formation. Conodont samples collected from west Pingdingshan Section, one of four measured sections in Chaohu, yielded abundant Lower Triassic conodonts from the middle part of the Yinkeng Formation. Most interesting and unusual is the abundant occurrence of Platyvillosus in seven samples from the Flemingites-Euflemingites bearing (Smithian) mudstone, rhyolitic clay and limestone part of the section. The associated conodonts are Neospathodus dieneri type 1, N. dieneri type 2, N. dieneri type 3, N. cristagalli, N. waageni eowaageni (nov. subsp.), N. waageni elongata (nov. subsp.), N. waageni waageni, N. sp. G (nov. sp.), N. sp. L (nov. sp.), N. sp. H (nov. sp.), N. alberti, N. novaehollandiae, N. peculiaris, N. aff. discretus, N. conservativus, Parachirognathodus sp. and ramiform elements. The species Platyvillosus, which is restricted to a 1.32 m interval, reveals great variety in shape and denticle ornamentation pattern on the platform. The morphological study of the samples indicates that all speciemens with denticles on the upper surface can be included in intraspecific variation in Platyvillosus costatus (Staesche). Platyvillosus hamadai (Koike), marked by smooth upper surface, also appears to be connected by transitional forms in some samples. The fauna corresponds closely with that of the Taho limestone in Japan, although the depositional environments differ. The associated lithologies of the Yinkeng Formation within Chaohu area reflect a deeper and low energy remaining basin of the northern edge of the Lower Yangtze block.