No. 4] Proc. Japan Acad., 65, Ser.

B (1989) 67

18. A Permian Trilobite from North Thailand

By Teiichi KOBAYASHI, M. J. A., and Sumio SAKAGAMI*!

(Communicated April 12, 1989)

A few Lower Permian trilobites were described from the Rat Buni limestone
at Tham Nam Maholan, Loei district, North Thailand (Kobayashi and Hamada,
1979) in association with Asselian brachiopods (Yanagida, 1967) and f usulinids
(Igo, 1972). The new collection from the same district contains Pseudophillipsia
resembling the Middle and Upper Permian species in Japan. The trilobite speci-
mens were found at Huai Mae Phlung (Loc. no. 880-80601-05) and northern ridge
of Khao Doi Pha Phlung (Loc. no. 88080703) in the black shale bed in the lower
part of the Huai Thak Formation which contains brachiopods, bryozoans, bivalves
and corals in association with trilobites.
Among these fossil remains the brachiopods were studied by Waterhause
(1983) and he correlated the association to the lower Changxsing faunas of South
China which are assigned to the lower Dorashamian. Subsequently Ueno and
Sakagami (MS) recognized the Upper Permian foraminiferal fauna containing
Gallowaiana from these localities. Therefore its age must be the early Changxsian
in China or the early Dorashamian in Transcaucasia. Thus the foraminifers
supported Waterhouse's conclusion on the geological age. At Huai Mae Phlung
(Loc. no. 88080601) a small outcrop there is just beside a river where the trilobite-
horizon (05 bed), overlies 1.5 m above the Gallowaiina-bearing horizon. Another
locality on the northern ridge of Khao Doi Pha Phlung (Loc. no. 88080703) is
considered to be nearly the same, if not a little bit higher horizon than that of
Huai Mae Phlung.
Description of the trilobite.
Family Phillipsiidae Oehlert, 1864
Subfamily Ditomopyginae Hupe, 1953
Genus Pseudo phillipsia Gemmellaro, 1892
Pseudophillipsia as a genus is widely distributed from the Mediterranean
region to China and Japan through the Tethys sea. It is particularly profused
in Japan where more than ten species are distinguishable and its three subgenera
are all represented by Pseudoph-illipsia (Pseudo phillipsia), P's. (Carniphillipsia) G.
Hahn and C. Braukmann, 1975 and Pseudophillipsia (Nodiphillipsia) Kobayashi
and Hamada, 1984.

Subgenus Pseudo phillipsia (Nodiphillipsia)

Kobayashi and Hamada, 1984
Pseudophillipsia (Nodiphillipsia) aff. ozawai
Kobayashi and Hamada, 1984

1984. aff. Pseudophillipsia (Nodiphillipsia) ozawai Kobayashi and Hamada,

Proc. Japan Acad., 60B, p. 2, figs. 4a-b.
1984. Pseudo philli;psia sp., Kojima et al., Chigaku-kenkyu, 34, nos. 1-6, p. 121,
figs. 2-3.
' China University , Japan.
68 T. KOBAYASHI and S. SAKAGAMI [Vol. 65(B),

Fig. 1. Pseadophillipsia (Nodiphillipsia) aff. ozawai Kobayashi and Hamada. All

figures are in )<3. Four pygidia. a : Internal mould (GK. D 50009-a). b : External
mould of the specimen Fig, a (GK.D 50009-b). c : External replica from the speci-
men Fig. b (GK.D 50009-c). d, e : Internal moulds (GK.D 50010 and GK.D 50011).
f : External mould of the specimen Fig. e (GK.D 50012). Localities : The speci-
mens Figs, a-d are from Huai Mae Phlung and the specimens Figs. e, f are from
the northern ridge of Khao Doi Pha Phlung.

Descripsion. Pygidium elongate tariangular ; lateral margins gently arcuate

and suddenly rounded near posterior extremity; axial and pleural lobes convex;
marginal border narrow and depressed. Axial lobe high up, prominent and a
little narrower than the pleural lobe exclusive of the border, slowly narrowing
backward, overlapping the posterior border, more or less flattened on the top and
its slope terminating at nodes; twenty-five or more axial rings countable on the
lobe; pleural lobe divided into some seventeen ribs by pleural furrows which are
as wide as ribs; a pair of nodes alinged on the flat top of the axial lobe. Test
smooth.
Comparison. This form resembles closely Pseudophillipsia (Nodiphillipsia)
ozawai Kobayashi and Hamada, 1984. The former species occurs in the Yabeina
globosa zone of the Akasaka limestone in Gifu Prefecture, West Japan and the
latter in the Middle Permian Kanokura series in the Kitakami mountains, North
Japan. These two species have similar pygidia in outline and 24 to 25 axial rings.
However, the pleural ribs are 17 in P. (N.) ozawai, but 12 in P. (N.) spatulif era.
Incidentally the Yabeina globosa zone is considered either late Middle Permian
or early Upper Permian.
The specimens treated in this paper will be deposited in the Palaeontological
Repository of the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University.
No. 4] A Permian Trilobite from North Thailand 69

References

Kobayashi, T., and Hamada, T. (1984) : Permian trilobites of Japan in comparison

with Asian, Pacific and other faunas. Palaeont. Soc. Japan, Sp. Pap., no. 26, 92 pp.,
14 pls (see Bibliography for other references).
Ueno, K., and Sakagami, S. (MS) : Upper Permian foraminiferal fauna of Doi Pha
Phlung, North Thailand (in preparation).
Waterhouse, J. B. (1983) : A late Permian Lyttoniid fauna from Northwest Thailand.
Rep. Dept. Geol., Univ. Queensland, 10(3), 113-153.
Yanagida, J. (1967) : Permian brachiopods from north-central Thailand. Geol. Palaeont.
SE. Asia, 3, 46--97, pis. 9-23.