Abderaz Formation is one of the Upper Cretaceous formations in the Kopet-Dagh sedimentary basin. A stratigraphic section from the mentioned formation is selected for detailed systematic description with regard to echinoids. Numerous well preserved representatives of the families Mircrasteridae wright, 1857 and Echinocorythidae Lambert, 1920 are described from the Ghaleh-Zoo stratigraphic sectio...

CONTENTS. PAGE 1. I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . . . . . . 105 2. D E S C R I P T I O N S OT T H E L A H V A E W I T H I N V E R S E S I T U S . . 1 0 7 3. R E S U L T S O F T H E E X P E R I M E N T S . . , . . . 1 1 3 4. C H A N G E S W H I C H M A Y P O S S I B L Y H A V E T A K E N P L A C E DURING* E A R L I E R S T A G E S . . . . . . . . 1 1 7 5. V A R I A T I O N S A M O N O D O U B L ...

An echinoderm fauna from the San Salvatore Formation (Middle Triassic, Southern Alps) is here described in detail for first time. Identifiable crinoids and echinoids were collected three different localities: Mt. (Ticino, Switzerland), Rasa di Varese Michele (Lombardy, Italy). Crinoid taxa include Encrinus cf. aculeatus, Holocrinus sp. indet., Zardinicrinus granulosus, Encrinidae gen. et indet....

Molecular divergence time analyses often rely on the age of fossil lineages to calibrate node age estimates. Most divergence time analyses are now performed in a Bayesian framework, where fossil calibrations are incorporated as parametric prior probabilities on node ages. It is widely accepted that an ideal parameterization of such node age prior probabilities should be based on a comprehensive...