Capitanian

In the geologic timescale, the Capitanian is an age or stage of the Permian. It is also the uppermost or latest of three subdivisions of the Guadalupian epoch or series. The Capitanian lasted between 265.1 and 259.1 million years ago. It was preceded by the Wordian and followed by the Wuchiapingian.[3]

Capitanian
265.1 ± 0.4 – 259.1 ± 0.5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Chronology
Key events in the Permian -300 — – -295 — – -290 — – -285 — – -280 — – -275 — – -270 — – -265 — – -260 — – -255 — – -250 — P a l e o z o i c M Z C P e r m i a n T P L P C i s u r a l i a n G u a d a l u p. L o p i n. E T Gzhelian Asselian Sakmarian Artinskian Kungurian Roadian Wordian Capitanian Wuchiapingian Changhsingian Induan         ← Permian-Triassic mass extinction event ← end-Capitanian extinction event ← Olson's Extinction An approximate timescale of key Permian events. Axis scale: millions of years ago.
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
Usage Information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional Usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Age
Stratigraphic unit	Stage
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	FAD of the Conodont Jinogondolella postserrata
Lower boundary GSSP	Nipple Hill, Guadalupe Mountains, Texas, USA 31.9091°N 104.7892°W
GSSP ratified	2001[1]
Upper boundary definition	FAD of the Conodont Clarkina postbitteri postbitteri
Upper boundary GSSP	Penglaitan Section, Laibin, Guangxi, China 23.6953°N 109.3211°E
GSSP ratified	2004[2]

A significant mass extinction event (the End-Capitanian extinction event) occurred at the end of this stage, which was associated with anoxia and acidification in the oceans and possibly caused by the volcanic eruptions that produced the Emeishan Traps.[4] This extinction event may be related to the much larger Permian–Triassic extinction event that followed about 10 million years later.

Stratigraphy

The Capitanian stage was introduced into scientific literature by George Burr Richardson in 1904. The name comes from the Capitan Reef in the Guadalupe Mountains (Texas, United States). The Capitanian was first used as a stratigraphic subdivision of the Guadalupian in 1961,[5] when both names were still only used regionally in the southern US. The stage was added to the internationally used ICS timescale in 2001.[6]

Definitions

The base of the Capitanian stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record where fossils of conodont species Jinogondolella postserrata first appear. The global reference profile for this stratigraphic boundary is located at Nipple Hill in the southern Guadalupe Mountains of Texas.

The top of the Capitanian (the base of the Wuchiapingian and Lopingian series) is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record where the conodont species Clarkina postbitteri postbitteri first appears.

The Capitanian stage was part of the time in which the Zechstein was deposited in Europe.[3] It is coeval with the old European regional Saxonian stage. In the eastern Tethys domain, the Capitanian overlaps the regional Murgabian stage, the Midian stage and the lower part of the Laibinian stage. In Russia the Capitanian equals the lower part of the regional Severodvinian stage.

Biostratigraphy

The Capitanian contains one ammonite biozone (Timorites) and three conodont biozones:

• zone of Clarkina postbitteri hongshuiensis
• zone of Jinogondolella altudaensis
• zone of Jinogondolella postserrata

Larger fusulinid species permit a division in two biozones:

• zone of Rausserella
• zone of Afganella schenki

Biodiversity

Olson’s Extinction, in the early Guadalupian (Roadian, Wordian), led to an extended period of low diversity when worldwide two-thirds of terrestrial vertebrate life was lost.[7] Global diversity rose dramatically in the Capitanian, probably the result of disaster taxa filling empty guilds, only to fall again when the end-Guadalupian event caused a diversity drop in the Wuchiapingian.[8]

Events

Carbon isotopes in marine limestone from the Capitanian age show an increase in δ¹³C values. The change in carbon isotopes in the sea water reflects cooling of global climates.[9]

This climatic cooling may have caused the end-Capitanian extinction event among species that lived in warm water, like larger fusulinids (Verbeekninidae), large bivalves (Alatoconchidae) and rugose corals, and Waagenophyllidae.[10]

Capitanian Life

†Trilobites

Trilobita of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Endops	Guadalupian	Japan	A proetid	Endops
Triproetus	Carboniferous to Guadalupian	Oman, United States	A proetid

Actinopterygians

Actinopterygii of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Platysomus	Carboniferous to Lopingian	Russia	A non-neopterygian	Platysomus
Varialepis	Permian	Russia	A non-neopterygian

†Chroniosuchians

Chroniosuchia of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Chroniosaurus	Guadalupian to Lopingian	Russia	A reptiliomorph	Chroniosaurus Suchonica
Suchonica	Guadalupian	Russia	A reptiliomorph

†Temnospondyli

Temnospondyls of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Rhinesuchoides Rhinesuchoides capensis		Karoo Supergroup, South Africa	A species of stereospondyl amphibian in the family Rhinesuchidae, formerly placed in the genus Rhinesuchus.	Rhinesuchus
Rhinesuchus Rhinesuchus whaitsi		Karoo Supergroup, South Africa	A species of stereospondyl amphibian in the family Rhinesuchidae, it's the type species the genus Rhinesuchus.

†Millerosauria

Millerosaurs of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Broomia	Capitanian	South Africa	A genus of millerettid parareptile.

†Procolophonomorphs

Procolophonomorpha of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Australothyris	middle Capitanian	South Africa	The most basal procolophonomorph known and the only one not placed into Ankyramorpha.	Bradysaurus
Bradysaurus B. baini B. seeleyi	Guadalupian	South Africa	A likely paraphyletic genus of pareiasaurid parareptiles, with the species B. seeleyi being the most basal pareiasaurid known while the type species was a more derived taxon.
Deltavjatia		Urpalov Formation, Russia	A pareiasaurid parareptile.
Embrithosaurus E. alexanderi E. schwarzi E. strubeni	Guadalupian	South Africa	A likely paraphyletic genus of basal pareiasaurid parareptiles.

Synapsids (non-therapsid)

Synapsida of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Elliotsmithia	Guadalupian	South Africa	A varanopid	Heleosaurus
Heleosaurus	Guadalupian	South Africa	A varanopid
Pyozia	Guadalupian	Russia	A varanopid

Therapsids

Therapsida of the Capitanian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Anteosaurus	Guadalupian	Karoo Basin, South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid	Anteosaurus Eosimops Jonkeria Tiarajudens Robertia Moschops Struthiocephalus Titanophoneus Titanosuchus
Deuterosaurus	Guadalupian	Russia	A dinocephalian therapsid
Eosimops	Guadalupian	South Africa	A dicynodont therapsid
Hipposaurus	Guadalupian	South Africa	A biarmosuchian therapsid
Jonkeria		Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, Lower Beaufort Group, Karoo Basin Supergroup, South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid
Lycosuchus	Guadalupian	South Africa	A therocephalian therapsid
Moschops	Guadalupian	Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, Lower Beaufort Group, Karoo Basin Supergroup, South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid
Robertia	Guadalupian to Lopingian	South Africa	A dicynodont therapsid
Struthiocephalus		Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, Lower Beaufort Group, Karoo Basin Supergroup, South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid
Styracocephalus	Guadalupian	South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid
Tapinocephalus	Guadalupian	South Africa	A dinocephalian therapsid
Tiarajudens	Guadalupian	Brazil	An anomocephaloid therapsid
Titanophoneus		Isheevo, Russia	A dinocephalian therapsid
Titanosuchus		Karoo Basin	A dinocephalian therapsid
Ulemosaurus	Guadalupian	Russia	A dinocephalian therapsid

References

1. "GSSP for Roadian Stage". International Commission on Stratigraphy. International Commission on Stratigraphy. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
2. Jin, Yugan; Shen, Shuzhong; Henderson, Charles; Wang, Xiangdong; Wang, Wei; Wang, Yue; Cao, Changqun; Shang, Qinghua (December 2006). "The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the boundary between the Capitanian and Wuchiapingian Stage (Permian)" (PDF). Episodes. 29: 253–262. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
3. Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press
4. Bond, D. P. G.; Wignall, P. B.; Joachimski, M. M.; Sun, Y.; Savov, I.; Grasby, S. E.; Beauchamp, B.; Blomeier, D. P. G. (2015-04-14). "An abrupt extinction in the Middle Permian (Capitanian) of the Boreal Realm (Spitsbergen) and its link to anoxia and acidification" (PDF). Geological Society of America Bulletin. 127 (9–10): 1411–1421. doi:10.1130/B31216.1. ISSN 0016-7606.
5. Glenister, B.F. & Furnish, W.M.; 1961: The Permian ammonoids of Australia, Journal of Paleontology 35(4), pp 673–736.
6. Glenister, B.F.; Wardlaw, B.R.; Lambert, L.L.; Spinosa, C.; Bowring, S.A.; Erwin, D.H.; Menning, M. & Wilde, G.L.; 1999: Proposal of Guadalupian and Component Roadian, Wordian and Capitanian Stages as International Standards for the Middle Permian Series, Permophiles 34: pp 3–11.
7. Bond, David; Hilton, Jason (2010). "The Middle Permian (Capitanian) mass extinction on land and in the oceans". Earth-Science Reviews. 102 (1): 100–116. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.07.004.
8. Sahney, S.; Benton, M.J. (2008). "Recovery from the most profound mass extinction of all time". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1636): 759–65. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1370. PMC 2596898. PMID 18198148.
9. Isozaki, Yukio; Kawahata, Hodaka; Ota, Ayano (2007). "A unique carbon isotope record across the Guadalupian–Lopingian (Middle–Upper Permian) boundary in mid-oceanic paleo-atoll carbonates: The high-productivity "Kamura event" and its collapse in Panthalassa". Global and Planetary Change. 55 (1–3): 21–38. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.06.006.
10. Isozaki, Yukio; Aljinović, Dunja (2009). "End-Guadalupian extinction of the Permian gigantic bivalve Alatoconchidae: End of gigantism in tropical seas by cooling". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 284 (1–2): 11–21. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.08.022. ISSN 0031-0182.

External links

• GeoWhen Database - Capitanian
• Upper Paleozoic stratigraphic chart at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS