A unique early Triassic (Spathian) conodont community from the Nanzhang-Yuan'an Fauna, Hubei Province, South China

The largely stagnant marine ecosystem following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) was superseded by the appearance of marine reptiles. One of the most abundant Early Triassic (Spathian) marine reptile faunas occurs in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an area of Hubei Province, South China, and provides remarkable information for understanding biotic recovery after the PTME. Situated on the north edge of the Middle Yangtze Platform in South China, the well-exposed Zhangjiawan stratigraphic succession in Yuan'an County represents one of the most productive sections, yielding abundant marine reptiles. Intensive sampling of this section reveals a unique conodont community both before and during the emergence of the Nanzhang-Yuan'an Fauna (NYF). Occurrences of Neostrachanognathus tahoensis below the NYF and deposition of Modified Letter Turned CommaGreen Bean Rock (GBR)' above the NYF restricted this fauna to the latest Early Triassic. Except for the coniform Neostrachanognathus, this conodont community consists of abundant Ellisoniidae characterized by ramiform P-1 elements. Foraminifers and fish found together with the conodont elements form other low-level parts of the local food web. Other temporally coincident sections nearby, for example, the Yanduhe section of western Hubei Province, yield only rare conodonts. Hence, the unique conodont community from the Zhangjiawan section suggests that the Nanzhang-Yuan'an area might be a "refuge area" for the Early Triassic marine ecosystem, or at least for the marine reptiles and the conodont communities. Although the direct connection between conodonts and marine reptiles is still uncertain, low-level consumers-conodont animals-played important roles in the food webs of NYF. The collision of the South China and North China blocks removed this "refuge area" and witnessed the disappearance of endemic Hupeisuchians.