Norman Gary Lane (1930–2006), president of the Paleontological Society (1987–88) and founder of “Friends of the Echinoderms” (1967), contributed to the lives of each of the authors of this essay. He was an excellent paleontologist, a very fine person, and our friend. He influenced each of us, in ways large and small, and through his wisdom, insight, and sheer human decency he helped each of us to become better scientists, better teachers, and better human beings. We are proud to number ourselves among a great many for whom Gary Lane was a role model.

The Pennsylvanian fusulinid genus Profusulinella appeared in sub-Arctic North America in Medial Atokan (=Early Moscovian) time, roughly 4–5 My later than its oldest known occurrence in the Eurasian-Arctic province. the genus originated in the latter area in late Early Bashkirian time and then underwent significant diversification, so that by Early Moscovian time a range of shell morphologies existed. the first sub-Arctic North American species in the genus are interpreted as immigrants from Eurasia, with their migration through the Franklinian corridor having been facilitated by generally east-to-west currents during a glacio-eustatic flooding event. Previous work suggested that North American Profusulinella spp. may have derived from a local ancestor such as Eoschubertella. This possibility seems unlikely given that early North American species in Profusulinella are very similar to age-equivalent Eurasian forms, that they differ from North American Eoschubertella in a number of morphologic features, and that there are no known North American intermediates between Eoschubertella and Profusulinella. Fusulinoidean faunas apparently migrated from Eurasia to North America on multiple occasions during Pennsylvanian time. These migrations were an important source of North American diversity, and their recurrence is a dominant theme in fusulinoidean biogeography.

The morphologic variation in Yabeina columbiana (Dawson) was carefully studied using probable topotype specimens from the Marble Canyon-Hat Creek area, southern British Columbia, and the material was compared with related species of neoschwagerinids from various parts of the circum-Pacific region. in the five Marble Canyon-Hat Creek samples examined, we found considerable individual variation in important characters, such as the size of the proloculi, and shape and development of primary and secondary transverse septula in relation to the growth stage of the test. These differences gradually changing from specimen to specimen within and among samples are thought to represent intraspecific variation within this species. Wide individual variations are also found in three different species of Yabeina from Japan, Yabeina sp., Y. kaizensis (Huzimoto), and Y. globosa (Yabe).

Most North American species of Yabeina, such as Yabeina columbiana, have morphological features such as the occurrence of primary and secondary transverse and axial septula in later whorls and the average size of proloculi that reasonably place them as early species in the genus Yabeina. Yabeina columbiana is neither a Lepidolina nor a Colania as some authors had previously thought. Evolved forms of Neoschwagerinidae in the western Cordillera of North America consist of Yabeina cordillerensis Ross, Y. cascadensis (Anderson), Y. columbiana (Dawson), Y. packardi Thompson and Wheeler, and Lepidolina dunbari (Skinner and Wilde).

The earliest North American Yabeina is thought to be Y. cordillerensis from northwestern British Columbia where it is associated with Afghanella sp., Pseudodoliolina sp., and the Wordian ammonoid Waagenoceras. This assemblage is closely comparable to that in the lowest zone of the Midian Stage in the Tethyan realm, the Afghanella robbinsae and Yabeina archaica Zone. the remainder of the known North American Cordilleran species of Yabeina are assignable to the second zone of the Midian Stage, the Yabeina globosa and Lepidolina multiseptata Zone and to the Japanese Yabeina globosa Zone. This zone is considered equivalent to the Capitanian Stage at the top of the Guadalupian Series in southwestern North America. Morphological and faunal analyses of these North American Cordilleran species of Yabeina and Lepidolina and most of the associated species of schwagerinids (for example, Chusenella andersoni, C. atlinensis, and Schwagerina pavilionensis) suggest ages that range through the late Guadalupian. the highest zone of the Tethyan Midian lacks Yabeina and other neoschwagerinids and is based on the ammonoids Eoaraxoceras and Anderssonoceras. This zone is found in sediments of post-Capitanian (post-Guadalupian) age in northern Mexico.

Biostratigraphically significant finds of two important species of Nemagraptus in the Middle and Upper Ordovician carbonate sections of Baltoscandia are reviewed. Nemagraptus subtilis is found in the lower part of the Uhaku Regional Stage, which is correlated with the Hustedograptus teretiusculus graptolite zone. Nemagraptus gracilis is restricted to the upper part of the Kukruse Stage in the Central and South Estonian and western Latvian sections. This level correlates with the Nemagraptus gracilis graptolite Zone. the vertical distribution of these taxa is similar to, although less complete than, their ranges in the classic black shale succession in Scania, southern Sweden. the first three-dimensionally preserved specimens of N. subtilis are illustrated and described. Nemagraptus subtilis can be differentiated from N. gracilis by its lack of cladial branches, more slender stipes, shorter sicula, and upward orientation of the first two thecae.

New rhynchonelliformean brachiopods are documented from Upper Cambrian and Tremadoc beds of the Cordillera Oriental and Puna regions, which are representative of the initial radiation of Plectorthoidea on the Andean (South American) shelves of Gondwana. Protorthisina n. gen., so far the oldest known representative of the family Euorthisinidae, and Lesserorthis n. gen. (Euorthisinidae?) are described, as well as the new species Euorthisina? nazarenensis, Kvania mergli, Kvania lariensis, Kvania azulpampensis (with two subspecies), Kvania? primigenia, and Nanorthis calderensis (with two subspecies). Protorthisina, Kvania, and Nanorthis form a stratigraphically continuous series of species displaying well-defined evolutionary trends involving size, shell ornament, and internal features. in the cardinalia, a transition from a V-shaped septalium (typical of Protorthisina) through almost parallel brachiophore plates (typical of Kvania) to the orthoid notothyrial platform of Nanorthis is documented. the species Nanorthis purmamarcaensis Benedetto and “Nanorthis” grandis (Harrington) are considered as the end members of the lineage. the heterochronic (peramorphic) origin of this trend is supported by ontogenetic evidence from species of Kvania and Nanorthis calderensis. the origin of the ‘plectorthoid’ cardinalia of Kvania from a euorthisinid configuration present in the stem group, followed by the appearance of a orthoidlike configuration in Nanorthis, pose an intricate systematic problem. the preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the northwestern basin taxa shows that the Upper Cambrian Protorthisina simplex n. gen. and sp. is the stem group of both the nanorthid and euorthisinid clades. On the basis of the new evidence, the genus Nanorthis is removed from the Orthoidea to the Plectorthoidea, and the diagnosis of the families Euorthisinidae and Nanorthidae are revised.

Study of abundant well-preserved specimens of cyrtospiriferid brachiopods from early Famennian triangularis Zone shelf deposits from South China shows that none of them can be attributed to the genera Cyrtospirifer Nalivkin in Fredericks, 1924, or Tenticospirifer Tien, 1938, as previously assigned. Some of these forms are reassigned to the new genus Plicapustula, with Spirifer (Sinospirifer) gortanioides Grabau, 1931 serving as the type species. Restudy of the Upper Devonian cyrtospiriferids of North America and South China indicates that genera of the subfamily Cyrtospiriferinae all developed a delthyrial covering usually composed of two or more thin plates referred to as a composite pseudodeltidium. the delthyrial covering of Cyrtiopsis Grabau, 1923 and other genera of the subfamily Cyrtiopsinae is a convex pseudodeltidium. the lack of a pedicle foramen penetrating the pseudodeltidia of Frasnian Cyrtospirifer indicates that most species had an atrophied pedicle. the pseudodeltidia of most early Famennian cyrtospiriferids are perforated by a pedicle tube or a central hypothyrid foramen as in Sinospirifer Grabau, 1931, or a hypothyrid-to-submesothyrid foramen as in Lamarckispirifer Gatinaud, 1949 and Plicapustula n. gen. the orientation and concavity of the interarea, used with other shell characteristics, are useful characters in species-level taxonomy of Famennian cyrtospiriferids.

Four major types of radial micro-ornament characterize Late Devonian species of Cyrtospirifer and other genera of the Cyrtospiriferinae. These are 1) the verneuili type, consisting of microspines arising from the shell surface with spine bases extending into the primary shell layer, with radial capillae; 2) the whitneyi-subextensus type with small pustules both in the grooves and on the plications; 3) the subarchiaci type characterized by pustules only on plications; and 4) the hayasakai type with coarse elongated pustules on plications and capillae in grooves. There is a notable increase in complexity of the medial plication patterns of shells of Late Devonian cyrtospiriferinids. Simple sinal plication patterns characterize shells of Frasnian species of Cyrtospirifer and related genera, whereas most early Famennian cyrtospiriferinids developed complex patterns. We have documented three variations in the structure of the cardinal processes of the Late Devonian cyrtospiriferids. These consist of 1) unsupported; 2) supported by callus (secondary shell material) from below; or 3) supported by a median septum.

In Hunan-South China, cyrtospiriferid diversity was low in the late Frasnian, but a postextinction radiation of cyrtospiriferids in the very early Famennian resulted in the evolution of numerous new genera within the interval of the undifferentiated triangularis Zone shortly after the Frasnian–Famennian (F–F) mass extinction. Cyrtospiriferid brachiopods of the subfamilies Cyrtospiriferinae and Cyrtiopsinae are important elements of the early Famennian post-extinction survivor and recovery faunas that migrated and radiated rapidly to occupy niches vacated by extinct clades of late Frasnian brachiopods.

A brachiopod fauna from the Hogan Formation near Skunk Springs, western Utah, in the eastern Great Basin, USA, includes only the new taxon Duartea bruntoni n. sp., and other brachiopod taxa described for the first time in North America. the faunas are considered to be late Moscovian (late Desmoinesian) in age, which represents the first record of post-middle Desmoinesian brachiopod faunas within the Pennsylvanian of the Great Basin. Systematic analyses of the faunas suggest strong affinities with brachiopods previously described in South America and Russia, confirming the idea of faunal migration into the Great Basin. the migration of these faunas appears to correlate with the development of new oceanic currents in response to paleogeographic changes related to the formation of the Late Paleozoic Pangea.

Cenozoic marine deposits of forearc basins in southern Peru contain a molluscan fauna that includes 15 species of turritelline gastropods. Twelve species were previously known; ten from northern Peru or Chile and two species solely from southern Peru. Three new fossil species are described: Turritella riverae, Turritella cruzadoi, and Turritella salasi. Six species of turritellines with crenulated primary spirals, a distinctive spiral ontogeny, and which are mostly endemic to Peru and Chile, are assigned to Incatella n. gen., including I. cingulata (Sowerby, 1825), I. cingulatiformis (Möricke, 1896), I. chilensis (Sowerby, 1846), I. leptogramma (Philippi, 1887), I. hupei Nielsen, new name (= Turritella affinis Hupé, 1854), and I. trilirata (Philippi, 1887). Most Paleogene taxa range from northern to southern Peru, while most Neogene taxa, including all species of Incatella, range from Peru to Chile. This biogeographic asymmetry is attributed to a series of biotic events (e.g., extinctions, immigrations) impelled by global oceanographic changes acting locally in a regime of coastal upwelling.

Proetid trilobites are described from three sections in two regions of southern Morocco. the sections are located at Jbel Gara el Zguilma (‘Zguilma’) and a neighboring section (‘near Zguilma’), near Foum Zguid; and at another locality (BD5) in the Ma'der Region, between the villages of bou Dib and Tazoulaït, near the town of Alnif. the trilobites described here are assigned to a proposed new genus, Timsaloproetus, with Cornuproetus (Sculptoproetus) haasi Alberti, 1971 as type species. Timsaloproetus haasi occurs in Eifelian strata of both Germany and Morocco (at BD5, and both of the sections near Foum Zguid). New Moroccan species of this genus are Timsaloproetus dibbanus and Timsaloproetus elguerrouji. the former occurs in upper Emsian strata at Zguilma, and the latter occurs in strata of early Eifelian age, with T. haasi, in both the Zguilma and near Zguilma sections.

The ophthalmosaurid Caypullisaurus from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, is redescribed based on new information from recent discoveries. Cladistic analysis of Caypullisaurus, based on previous ichthyopterygian data sets and using NONA, yielded two most parsimonious trees. Two clades are recognized within the Ophthalmosauridae. Caypullisaurus is found to be nested with Brachypterygius and Platypterygius. Simultaneous, unconstrained analysis, using unambiguous character optimization, is suggested as the best way to analyze data sets with large amounts of missing data.

A new centrosaurine ceratopsid, Albertaceratops nesmoi, is described from the lower Oldman Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of southern Alberta, and is based on a single, almost complete skull. Referred material is described from equivalent beds in the Judith River Formation of north-central Montana. A limited phylogenetic analysis of the Ceratopsidae places the new taxon as the basal member of the Centrosaurinae and indicates that robust, elongate postorbital horncores that form a synapomorphy of (Ceratopsidae + Zuniceratops) are also present in Centrosaurinae.

Extant comatulid (stalkless) crinoids consist of approximately 530 species, classified in 143 genera and 18 families (Clark, 1931, 1941, 1947, 1950; Clark and Clark, 1967; Messing and White, 2001). Recent comatulids account for almost 85% of all the extant crinoid species (comatulids plus stalked crinoids), and their taxonomy is currently being extensively revised (e.g., Hoggett and Rowe, 1986; Rowe et al., 1986; Messing and White, 2001). in stark contrast to such a high extant diversity, records of fossil comatulids are far less common. This is partly due to their low fossilization potential. From the Cretaceous, only 18 genera and nine families of comatulids have been documented (Rasmussen, 1978).

Records of fossil decapod crustaceans from Iran are scarce. Förster and Seyed-Emami (1982) reported Eryma bedelta (Quenstedt, 1857) from the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic) in northern Iran. Garassino and Krobicki (2002, p. 56) noted the presence of the lobster Eryma von Meyer, 1840, from Iran. Garassino (personal commun., 2005) confirmed that this referred to the work of Förster and Seyed-Emami and noted that this was the only decapod occurrence in the country known to him. Toraby and Yazdi (2002) reported a portunid from the Miocene of the country in an abstract but we are unaware of a subsequent publication. Microcoprolites with an internal structure characteristic of decapods are known from the Jurassic of Iran (Brönnimann, 1977). Thus, the discovery of the remains of a remarkable macrurous decapod, recovered from a well core sampling the Gadvan Formation, is noteworthy. This unique specimen is the basis for description of a new family, genus, and species of palinuroid lobster.

In a series of recent papers, colleagues and I (Milner, 1994; Carroll, 1998; Anderson, 2002, 2003a, 2003b; Anderson et al., 2003) have revised Aïstopoda, a collection of elongate, limbless tetrapods from the Paleozoic of Euramerica. Aïstopods are part of a larger, monophyletic assemblage of tetrapods known as lepospondyls, which are proving to be critical to understanding the early evolution of amniotes and are possibly related to the origins of some, or all, modern amphibians (Carroll, 1995, 2000a, 2000b; Laurin and Reisz, 1997, 1999; Laurin, 1998; Anderson, 2001; Ruta et al., 2003; Vallin and Laurin, 2004).

The ornithischia and its sister group, the Saurischia, comprise the Dinosauria. Ornithischians (Weishampel, 2004) are a diverse group of primarily quadrupedal herbivores that include such familiar dinosaurs as the armored stegosaurs and ankylosaurs (Thyreophora), as well as the duckbilled hadrosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, and ceratopsians (Cerapoda). the Ceratopsia (You and Dodson, 2004) includes a number of relatively small basal forms such as psittacosaurs and Neoceratopsia, which comprises protoceratopsids and the larger, more derived horned Ceratopsidae.