Abstract Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) are ‘extra’ microfossils often found in palynology slides. These include remains of organisms within the size range of pollen grains ( c. 10–250 µm), resistant to laboratory treatments used for the preparation of palynological samples. NPPs are a large and taxonomically heterogeneous group of remains of organisms living in diverse environments. Taxonomically, they belong to a wide variety of groups such as cyanobacteria, algae, vascular plants, invertebrates and fungi. The aim of this chapter is to provide a general overview of NPP groups observed in palynology slides. It includes more than 40 of the most common groups starting with acritarcha, cyanobacteria and algae, moving through transitional groups to animals and fungi and finishing with human-made objects such as textile fibres. Although far from complete, it provides an updated overview of taxonomical diversity of NPPs and their indicator values. Further works on NPP identifications are of great importance to improve our current knowledge. Since NPPs occur in all kinds of sediments, their analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing environmental changes over time. Further detailed studies of specific NPP groups and their indicator values will open the way for new fields of study.

Abstract: The Permian timescale has developed over about two centuries of research to the current chronostratigraphic scale advocated by the Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy of three series and nine stages: Cisuralian (lower Permian) – Asselian, Sakmarian, Artinskian, Kungurian; Guadalupian (middle Permian) – Roadian, Wordian, Capitanian; and Lopingian (upper Permian) – Wuchiapingian and Changhsingian. The boundaries of the Permian System are defined by global stratotype sections and points (GSSPs) and the numerical ages of those boundaries appear to be determined with a precision better than 1‰. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done to refine the Permian timescale. Precise numerical age control within the Permian is very uneven and a global polarity timescale for the Permian is far from established. Chronostratigraphic definitions of three of the nine Permian stages remain unfinished and various issues of marine biostratigraphy are still unresolved. In the non-marine Permian realm, much progress has been made in correlation, especially using palynomorphs, megafossil plants, conchostracans and both the footprints and bones of tetrapods (amphibians and reptiles), but many problems of correlation remain, especially the cross-correlation of non-marine and marine chronologies. The further development of a Permian chronostratigraphic scale faces various problems, including those of stability and priority of nomenclature and concepts, disagreements over changing taxonomy, ammonoid v. fusulinid v. conodont biostratigraphy, differences in the perceived significance of biotic events for chronostratigraphic classification and correlation problems between provinces. Future research on the Permian timescale should focus on GSSP selection for the remaining undefined stage bases, the definition and characterization of substages, and further development and integration of the Permian chronostratigraphic scale with radioisotopic, magnetostratigraphic and chemostratigraphic tools for calibration and correlation.

Abstract: Conchostracans are one of the most common fossil animal groups of continental deposits from late Palaeozoic to modern times. Their habitats have ranged from perennial lakes of the Carboniferous and Early Permian to seasonal playa lakes and temporary ponds from the late Early Permian into the Triassic, where they could form mass occurrences. This, together with relatively high speciation rates, makes them ideal guide fossils, especially in otherwise fossil-poor wet and dry red beds. Based on material and data collected since the 1980s from both surface outcrops and well cores in central Europe, a preliminary conchostracan zonation is proposed. We used a conservative approach, erecting assemblage zones comprising two or three species instead of species-range zones with only one or, sometimes, two forms. Assemblage zones are more robust and provide more reliability for each delineated time interval. Isotopically dated occurrences of conchostracan zone species, or co-occurrences of conchostracans, insect zone species and marine index fossils such as conodonts and fusulinids, allow us to correlate our assemblage zones with the marine Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale.