A new chitinozoan species from the Middle Ordovician of Estonia

A new species Baltochitina delicata is formally defined. This rare species has been identified in the Aseri Regional Stage (Darriwilian) in North Estonian sections. The genus Baltochitina was known so far only by a single species B. nolvaki, which occurs in the Lasnamägi Regional Stage (Darriwilian) of Estonia. The restricted range of both species points to their stratigraphical utility and suggests that Baltochitina belongs to endemic Baltica fauna

New biostratigraphically important chitinozoans from the Kukruse Regional Stage, Upper Ordovician of Baltoscandia

Three new chitinozoan species, Conochitina savalaensis, Conochitina viruana and Belonechitina intonsa, are described. All these species are stratigraphically restricted to the Kukruse age (lowermost Sandbian, Laufeldochitina stentor chitinozoan Zone) and have been recorded in numerous East Baltic sections as well as from NE Poland and NW Ukraine and Sweden. Their short temporal range and relative abundance point to a great biostratigraphical value for regional correlations near the base of the Upper Ordovician

Darriwilian (Middle Ordovician) conodont biostratigraphy in NW Estonia

Darriwilian conodonts have been studied in numerous sections of Baltoscandia, but few data are available from the classical outcrop area in northern Estonia. In this paper we report the succession of Darriwilian conodonts and chitinozoans from the bed-by-bed sampled Uuga and Osmussaar cliffs, NW Estonia. Standard Baltoscandian conodont and chitinozoan zones and subzones were identified from the topmost Volkhov to Uhaku regional stages. The global Dapingian–Darriwilian boundary coincides with the Volkhov–Kunda boundary in NW Estonia. The Kunda Stage is represented by its middle or upper part only, and the Aseri Stage is probably missing in both sections studied. The lowermost part of the Lasnamägi Stage with the conodont Yangtzeplacognathus foliaceus is also very condensed. The rest of the Lasnamägi and Uhaku stages, corresponding to the main part of the Pygodus serra conodont Zone, is well represented and can be correlated across Estonia and Sweden. Subtle regional variations in this interval indicate very uniform depositional conditions over wide areas of the Baltoscandian palaeobasin. Our results suggest that the Y. foliaceus Subzone in Estonia needs further assessment. Stratigraphically well-constrained Y. protoramosus appears to be more common than previously thought, and is thus a valuable regional subzonal index. The integrated conodont and chitinozoan scale provides more than 20 biostratigraphically important levels for local and regional correlations, probably approaching temporal resolution in the order of 0.1 Ma for the late Darriwilian

Microfossils in the Ordovician erratic boulders from Southwestern Finland

Chitinozoans, ostracods and acritarchs found in four glacially transported limestone boulders from the south-western coast of Finland have been studied in order to test the usefulness of these microfossil groups in age determinations. Also rare specimens of conodonts, inarticulated brachiopods and foraminifers were found. Baltic limestone (or Östersjö limestone) was the most problematic, because only fossils with calcitic or phosphatic shells are preserved. It is concluded that the boulders identified correlate with the Uhaku and Rakvere stages of the Middle Ordovician

Upper Sandbian–lower Katian bio- and chemostratigraphy in the Pajevonys-13 core section, Lithuania

The succession of five formations (Auleliai, Vilučiai, Alvitas, Šakiai, Jakšiai) corresponding to the upper Sandbian and lower Katian in southern Lithuania is dated based on new bio- and chemostratigraphical data from the Pajevonys-13 core section. The dating of the Auleliai and Vilučiai formations is controversial: chitinozoans suggest younger ages (Keila and Oandu) than brachiopods (Haljala and Keila) for this interval. Chemostratigraphical data (δ13Ccarb and δ13Cbrach) agree better with the dating based on brachiopods: the Alvitas and Šakiai formations correspond to the Oandu Stage, the older Vilučiai Formation is of Keila age. The Jakšiai Formation is commonly dated as of Rakvere age, but it is problematic in the studied section. However, its upper boundary is well defined by the appearance of subzonal chitinozoans Armoricochitina reticulifera characteristic of the lowermost Nabala Stage. The Ancyrochitina bornholmensis and Fungochitina spinifera chitinozoan zones, and the upper Amorphognathus tvaerensis, A. superbus and the lowermost A. ordovicicus conodont zones were identified in the studied section

Mind-reading ability: Beliefs and performance

Every adult possesses and uses to a various extent, a powerful tool, a theory of mind. The ability to recognize emotions, intentions, and thoughts of others is an important component of social competence. The use of personality questionnaires implies that people are aware of their personality traits, experienced emotions, values, and attitudes. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that a normal adult is aware of his or her mind-reading abilities and can estimate, in relation to the others, how good he or she is at judging other person’s traits, states of mind, emotions, and intentions. In this study we have demonstrated that a person’s beliefs about their own mind-reading ability forms a single and unitary dimension. If a person believes that he or she is competent in forming judgments about another person’s personality traits then he or she has a relatively high opinion of their abilities to read another person’s thoughts and emotions. However, the results of our research show that the self-reported mind-reading ability was not correlated with actual performance. Those who believe that they are good at reading others’ minds are generally neither (1) significantly better than the others in recognition of emotions expressed in face or speech, nor (2) superior in their estimation of the personality traits of a stranger. The self-reported mind-reading ability was correlated with personality traits but not with psychometrically measured intelligence. On the contrary, the actual mind-reading performance was correlated with IQ scores. It is discussed why individuals are relatively accurate in estimation of their own personality but lack metaknowledge about their mind-reading abilities