A CAMERATE-RICH LATE CARBONIFEROUS (MOSCOVIAN) CRINOID FAUNA FROM VOLCANIC CONGLOMERATE, XINJIANG, PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA

A low-diversity camerate-rich crinoid fauna from the Qijiagou Formatio n, Taoshigo Valley near Turpan, Xinjiang-Uygar Autonomous Region, Chin a was collected during held work in May, 1993. The crinoid fauna is do minated by species of Platycrinites. Other camerate crinoids include a species in the Paragaricocrinidae, Actinocrinites, a hexacrinitid, an d an acrocrinoid. The only other non-North American occurrence of this latter family is Springeracrocrinus from the Moscovian of Russia. In addition to the camerates, there are several advanced cladid inadunate s more typical of Upper Carboniferous crinoid faunas, including an eri socrinoid (possibly Sinocrinus), Graphiocrinus, ?Cromyocrinus and an a gassizocrinoid (Petschoracrinus) represented by partly fused infrabasa l cones. A single radial plate with angustary facet may represent a cy athocrinoid. There also is a catillocrinoid, assigned here to Paracati llocrinus. The fauna, which resembles Moscovian crinoids described fro m Russia, is preserved in graded volcanic conglomeratic debris flows t hat overlie a carbonate mound and contain clasts up to 3 m in dimensio n. The crinoids are fragmentary, with many calyces seemingly torn into two or three pieces and dumped in with the pyroclastic debris. Camera tes are represented by large thecal scraps consisting of numerous plat es, or by large individual plates or circlets. Other fossils include r are solitary rugose corals, tabular bryozoans, Neospirifer, and other fragmentary brachiopods. We suspect that the crinoids may have been sw ept off of a nearby carbonate mound and deposited as debris-flow bedlo ad.