Conodonts were extracted from three limestone units in westcentral Indiana: the Silverwood Limestone Member of the Staunton Formation; the Universal Limestone Member of the Dugger Formation; and from a new unit, the informally named Salt Creek limestone lens (Dagger Formation). Identified conodonts include: Adetognathus gigantus (Gunnell), 1933; Adetognathus lautus (Gunsell), 1933; Idiognathodus delicatus Gunnell, 1931; Idiognathodus sinuosis Ellison and Graves, 1941; Neognathodus bassleri bassleri (Harris and Hollingsworth), 1933; Spathognathodus coloradoensis Murray and Chronic, 1965; S athognathodus minutes Ellison, 1941; Spathognathodus orphanus Merrill, 1973; Streptognathodus holmesi Gunnell, 1933; and Streptognathodus minatus Gunnell, 1933.The presence of the genus Streptognathodus in the Salt Creek limestone lens supports the hypothesis that streptognathodid numbers increase in rocks of mid-Desmoinesian age or younger. The scarcity of conodonts in the Universal Limestone Member may ba attributed to storm-related deposition of unusually large quantities of carbonate sediments, effectively diluting the conodont population, followed by infaunal reworking of these sediments during a period of little or no deposition.The occurrence of conodonts establishes that the Silverwood limestone Member is early to middle Desmoinesian in age, the Universal Limestone Member is middle to late Desmoinesian in age, and that the newly discovered Salt Creek limestone lens is middle to late Desmoinesian in age.

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The quarry of Western Indiana Aggregates, Inc., south of Francesville, Indiana, was examined to determine the relation off its stratigraphy and paleontology to that of other Silurian (Niagaran) outcrops of northern Indiana. Lithologic analysis and paleoecologic interpretations of 25 genera of fossils found in the quarry were utilized in the investigation.Strata exposed at the Francesville locality belong to the Liston Creek Member of the Wabash Formation. The exposure reveals a reef core, reef-flank and back-reef platform which are identified by their attitude and fossil content. The coral Ealysites is interpreted as being a deep-water (low reef-flak dweller while the rugose coral, Strombodes is a rough water (reef core) form. Distribution of pentamerids and trilobites also yields evidence of selective zoning. The occurrence of a coquina of the pentamerid Kirkidium is significant. The bed is believed to have formed as the result of a storm lowering wave base sufficiently to expose the living Kirkidium colony and subjecting it to surf activity. Detailed examination of individual specimens within the unit reveal the storm approached the reef from the south-southwest. Normal (non-storm) current direction was also from the south-southwest, as demonstrated by the location of the back water reef platform north of the reef core.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Shale samples from three Upper Pennsylvanian assemblages overlying the Danville (No. 7) Coal Member in Sullivan County, Indiana were compared with respect to miospore content. Eight samples from each of the Hawthorn, Dugger and Minnehaha mines were chemically macerated and analyzed for pollen/spore content. A total of 108 species assigned to 40 genera were recovered. A comparison of the palynoflora from the three assemblages reveals 17 genera and 32 species found in common. The palynoflora is dominated by the following four genera: Lycospora, Laevigatosporites. Punctatisporites and Punctatosporites. Genera of secondary importance include: Spinosporites, Crassispora, Calamospora, Latosporites, Cycloqranisporitesand Thymospora. These findings are similar to other palynofloras of comparable age from the United States and Europe.Abundance data at each site from the three localities were analyzed using cluster analysis. This was achieved employing the Baroni-Urboni-Buser correlation coefficient (complete linkage, furthest neighbor strategy). This method uses presence-absence data to indicate association between sites. Results revealed few taxonomic differences within or between mines. The uniformity in palynoflora observed between all sites is indicative of contemporaneous deposition which represents a regional flora. Percentage of miospore components assigned to previously established plant affinities were arranged by major plant groups. This allowed indirect comparison with megaflora from the same area as reported by Pheifer (1979). Results were found to be complementary and corroborative. Data from the three mines revealed an abundance of arborescent lycopods, ferns and sphenopsids with few gymnosperms. This is suggestive of current paleoenvironmental models which indicate a wet swamp regime.It is likely that the three areas in this study represent a small portion of a vast freshwater swamp located on the eastern periphery of the Illinois Coal Basin. This interpretation is substantiated by species composition, uniformity in palynoflora and absence of species associated with saline environments. / Department of Biology

Ctenoconularia deiphiensis,is a new species of the Conulata based on a population of specimens from a phosphatic nodular sandstone at the base of the New Albany Shale (Upper Devonian) at Delphi,Indiana.The transverse ridges possess interridge furrows with bead-like nodes that are not structurally continuous with the ridges. The ridges are altered into four elongate pustules upon crossing the interfacial groove.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306