Abstract

Conodonts were common, widely distributed members of Late Permian and Early Triassic pelagic faunas and their minute skeletal elements have been recovered from a variety of sedimentary facies. Collections from sections including the Permian-Triassic boundary in important areas suggest that Late Permian and Early Triassic conodont faunas lacked diversity but included distinctive species of Anchignathodus, Ellisonia, Neogondolella, Neospathodus and Xaniognathus. All major Permian conodont stocks and most of the species known from latest Permian rocks passed the notorious Permian-Triassic filter with seeming indifference, hence there is no detectable change in conodont faunas at the level of the Permian-Triassic boundary in any of the presumably complete sections from which conodonts are currently known. Even so, a review of the distribution of these faunas suggests the outlines of a Permo-Triassic conodont biostratigraphy that may both supplement and complement the one based on ammonoids.