The Discovery of a Crinoid Community in the Late Triassic Zhuganpo Formation of Guizhou Province and Its Geological Significance

Abstract: Recently a rich and well—preserved crinoid community including Traumatocrinus and Encrinus has been found in the Late Triassic Zhuganpo Formation in Guanling and Xingyi, Guizhou province, China. Among the fossils Traumatocrinus is the richest, and most of it occurs as clusters, with each cluster containing 3–42 crinoid branches. Study of the stem and calyx of Traumatocrinus shows that the number of stem‐joints (columnals) is equal to the total stem length × K (5.85 per cm × stem—diameter). There are about 376 first‐ and second—order columnals on the whole stem. This number seems to coincide with the number of days in a year at that time. According to the present study of the palaeoecological environment of the crinoid community, it is considered that the reproduction and preservation of the crinoid community were controlled by the Late Triassic regression and the restricted bay of an interior sea behind the S—shaped shoal zone.