A NEW DIENERIAN (EARLY TRIASSIC) BRACHIOPOD FAUNA FROM SOUTH CHINA AND IMPLICATIONS FOR BIOTIC RECOVERY AFTER THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC EXTINCTION

Brachiopods suffered severe extinction during the Permian-Triassic crisis, such that their diversity dropped to extremely low levels in the Early Triassic. Here we describe a new brachiopod fauna from the Dienerian of Lichuan, South China. This fauna consists of three monospecific genera, including one new genus and one new species: Lichuanorelloides lichuanensis gen. et sp. nov., Lissorhynchia sp. and Crurithyris sp. These brachiopods co-occur with the ammonoids Ussuridiscus, Jieshaniceras, Hubeitoceras and Vishnuites, suggesting an early Dienerian age. The geographical distribution of brachiopods in family Norellidae during the Early Triassic suggests that a migration took place towards higher latitudes, which may have been caused by the extreme climate warming that prevailed during the Dienerian.