Upper Permian and Lower Triassic conodonts, high-precision U-Pb zircon ages and the Permian-Triassic boundary in the Malay Peninsula

Conodont biostratigraphic and high-precision U-Pb isotope data are presented for the Permian-Triassic transition in three limestone hills, Gua Bama, Gua Panjang and Gua Sei, in the Malay Peninsula. Gua Bama yielded conodonts representating the Clarkina orientalis, Clarkina wangi and Clarkina subcarinata zones and the Wuchiapingian-Changhsingian stage boundary is identified for the first time in Malaysia. The Wuchiapingian subspecies Hindeodus julfensis wardlawi Kozur is elevated to species level, H. wardlawi, and evolved to the Changhsingian species Hindeodus julfensis Sweet and then Hindeodus changxingensis Wang. Distinguishing features and a new phylogeny of species of the genera Hindeodus and Isarcicella in the Late Permian-Early Triassic are presented. A new CA-TIMS high-precision U-Pb age of 253.70 +/- 0.06 Ma for zircon from a tuff layer 6.5 m above the Wuchiapingian-Changhsingian boundary and in the lower part of the Clarkina subcarinata zone is reported. Conodont faunas from Gua Panjang represent the Clarkina changxingensis-Hindeodus praeparvus, Clarkina yini-Clarkina zhangi, and Hindeodus parvus zones and the PTB is placed at approximately 12 m in the studied 19 m thick sequence. Three tuff layers in the lower part of Gua Panjang contain zircon grains with CA-TIMS U-Pb ages of 252.23 +/- 0.07 Ma, 252.47 +/- 0.12 Ma and 252.16 +/- 0.16 Ma (maximum age), respectively. Conodont faunas from Gua Sei represent the Upper Permian (Changhsingian) Clarkina hauschei - Hindeodus latidentatus Zone and the basal Triassic lower Induan (Griesbachian) Hindeodus parvus and Isarcicella staeschei zones. The PTB is placed at 30 m above the base of the Gua Sei sequence.