An early form of eurypterids (Chelicerata), Archopterus anjiensis n. gen. n. sp., is described from the uppermost Ordovician Wenchang Formation of Anji County, Zhejiang Province, South China. It is the earliest record of eurypterids in China and likely the oldest representative of the Adelophthalmidae. The species, represented by a single specimen, is diagnosed by a ventrally preserved prosoma with a parabolic carapace, Hughmilleria-type prosomal appendages, a short vase-shaped metastoma, and a three-segmented type A (female) genital appendage. The specimen is preserved, together with diverse sponges, graptolites and occasional nautiloids, in a 10 m thick shale of marine deep-water setting. This finding extends the stratigraphic range of adelophthalmids from the previously recorded early Silurian into the Late Ordovician (some 10 million years older) and supports an earlier cryptic phase of eurypterid evolution in Gondwana.

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Clathrodictyids are the most abundant stromatoporoids in the Upper Ordovician Xiazhen Formation (middle to upper Katian) of South China. A total of nine species belonging to four clathrodictyid genera are identified in the formation, including Clathrodictyon idense Webby and Banks, 1976, Clathrodictyon cf. Cl. microundulatum Nestor, 1964, Clathrodictyon cf. Cl. mammillatum (Schmidt, 1858), Clathrodictyon megalamellatum Jeon n. sp., Clathrodictyon plicatum Webby and Banks, 1976, Ecclimadictyon nestori Webby, 1969, Ecclimadictyon undatum Webby and Banks, 1976, Camptodictyon amzassensis (Khalfina, 1960), and Labyrinthodictyon cascum (Webby and Morris, 1976). The clathrodictyid fauna in the Xiazhen Formation is very similar to those from both New South Wales and Tasmania, although the latter two Australian regions do not share any common clathrodictyid species during the Late Ordovician. The paleobiogeographic pattern indicates that the northward drift of South China resulted in a favorable environment for the migration of clathrodictyids from other peri-Gondwanan terranes to South China. In addition, these peri-Gondwanan clathrodictyid species hosted various endobionts, representing a variety of paleoecological interactions. The high abundance and species-level diversity of clathrodictyid species presumably increased the substrate availability of suitable host taxa, judging from the diverse intergrowth associations between clathrodictyids and other benthic organisms. These paleoecological interactions between stromatoporoid and other organisms are known from the Late Ordovician and became more abundant and widespread in the Siluro–Devonian. Overall, the Late Ordovician clathrodictyid assemblage in South China demonstrates one of the highest species-level diversities among all peri-Gondwanan terranes and represents a precursor of the complex, clathrodictyid-dominated communities of later metazoan reefs during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.

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Due to the presence of geological fluid under actual geological conditions, water–rock interaction will occur between the fluid and reservoir. Thus, to analyse the influence of the water–rock interaction on storage space during the organic matter evolution stages, this study conducted a series of simulation experiments on shales by using a closed autoclave: four temperatures, 250°C, 300°C, 350°C, 400°C, and five fluid–rock ratios (FRRs), 0:20, 4:20, 10:20, 15:20, and 20:20. Low pressure N2 adsorption measurement was conducted on the solid residues. The experimental results show that the effect of temperature on the yield and pore structure of oil shale was the same as the result when the FRR was = 0:20, 4:20 and = 10:20, 15:20, 20:20, respectively. This result showed that temperature remained the main factor that affected the thermal evolution of hydrocarbon generation. Additionally, temperature was beneficial to the generation and storage of shale oil within a certain range, but only occupied the storage space of shale oils or connected a certain storage space beyond a certain range. The variation trend of shale oil yield with increasing FRR under the same simulated temperatures, 250°C and 400°C, was most affected by the FRR, but little change occurred at 300°C and 350°C. This further proved that the ratio of fluid to rock was an indirect acting factor, which affected the evolution of organic matters and then the development of pore structures. Before the oil window (350°C), the lower evolution degree, the higher water content and the more significant effect. In the higher evolution stage, the higher the water content, and the more complete the kerogen reaction, which was also more conducive to the development of pore structures. Therefore, this study promotes the establishment of linear equations on FRR to the gas adsorption capacity, which further provides a theoretical basis and guidance for the exploration and development of shale oil.

A diverse labechiid stromatoporoid assemblage that includes 16 species in 8 genera was found in the Upper Ordovician Xiazhen Formation (mid–late Katian) at Zhuzhai, Jiangxi Province of South China. The assemblage is characterized by a combination of (1) North China provincial species succeeding from their origination in the Darriwilian, including Pseudostylodictyon poshanense Ozaki, 1938, Labechia shanhsiensis Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930, Labechia variabilis Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930, and Labechiella regularis (Yabe and Sugiyama, 1930) and (2) South China endemic species, including three new species (Labechia zhuzhainus Jeon n. sp., Labechiella beluatus Jeon n. sp., Sinabeatricea luteolus Jeon n. gen. n. sp.), and four species in open nomenclature (Rosenella sp., Cystostroma sp., Pseudostylodictyon sp., and Labechia sp.). The finding of Labechiella gondwanense Jeon n. sp., Stylostroma bubsense Webby, 1991, Stylostroma ugbrookense Webby, 1991, and Thamnobeatricea gouldi Webby, 1991 in the formation indicates that Tasmania was closely related to South China and had a closer paleobiogeographical relation with peri-Gondwanan terranes than with Laurentia. In addition, the occurrences of Labechia altunensis Dong and Wang, 1984 and Stylostroma species support a close biogeographic link between Tarim and South China through the Middle to Late Ordovician interval, corresponding with the results from other fossil groups such as brachiopods, conodonts and chitinozoans. The diverse labechiids from the Xiazhen Formation improve our understanding of the diversity of Ordovician stromatoporoids in peri-Gondwanan terranes and the biogeographic affinities among Australia (especially Tasmania), Tarim, and South China.

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The latest Ordovician to earliest Silurian graptolite Avitograptus avitus is important in the biostratigraphy of the Ordovician–Silurian boundary interval. Two additional species of Avitograptus are described from the sponge-dominated Anji Biota of the Upper Ordovician Wenchang Formation (Metabolograptus persculptus Biozone) of Zhejiang Province, South China. One species, Avitograptus akidomorphus new species, is new; the other, Avitograptus acanthocystus new combination, which was previously placed in Climacograptus, is herein assigned to Avitograptus. The former species may represent the ancestral akidograptid because it is identical in thecal form to Akidograptus, but differs in the development of the proximal end. The evolutionary changes from Avitograptus avitus to Akidograptus and Parakidograptus involved distal movement of the origins of th11 and th12, thecal elongation, and greater outward inclination of the thecal walls.

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Actinocerid nautiloids from the Lhasai Formation in the Xainza region are studied systematically for the first time. The nautiloids are identified as Middle Ordovician in age based on stratigraphic correlations with those from North China, Sibumasu, North Australia (northern Gondwana), and North America (Laurentia). A cluster analysis shows strong affinities between the actinocerid nautiloids of the Lhasa Terrane and those of the Himalaya, North China, and Sibumasu terranes. Our results support Middle Ordovician paleogeographic reconstructions that place North China rather than South China much closer to Australia. Nine species assigned to six genera of Meitanoceratidae, Wutinoceratidae, Armenoceratidae, Ormoceratidae, and Discoactinoceratidae are described in detail: Pomphoceras nyalamense (Chen, 1975), Pomphoceras yaliense (Chen, 1975), Wutinoceras cf. W. foerstei (Endo, 1930), Mesowutinoceras giganteum Chen in Chen and Zou, 1984, Armenoceras tani (Grabau, 1922), Armenoceras teicherti Endo, 1932, Armenoceras xizangense new species, Deiroceras globosom Zou and Shen in Chen and Zou, 1984, and Discoactinoceras cf. D. multiplexum Kobayashi, 1927.

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Malongitubus kuangshanensis Hu, 2005 from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte of China is redescribed as a pterobranch and provides the best evidence to demonstrate that hemichordates were present as early as Cambrian Stage 3. Interpretation of this taxon as a hemichordate is based on the morphology of the branched colony and the presence of resistant inner threads consistent with the remains of an internal stolon system. The presence of fusellar rings in the colonial tubes cannot be unambiguously proven for Malongitubus, probably due to early decay and later diagenetic replacement of the thin organic material of the tubarium, although weak annulations are still discernible in parts of the tubes. The description of M. kuangshanensis is revised according to new observations of previously reported specimens and recently collected additional new material. Malongitubus appears similar in most features to Dalyia racemata Walcott, 1919 from the Cambrian Stage 5 Burgess Shale, but can be distinguished by the existence of disc-like thickenings at the bases of tubarium branching points in the latter species. Both species occur in rare mass-occurrence layers with preserved fragmentary individuals of different decay stages, with stolon remains preserved as the most durable structures. Benthic pterobranchs may have occurred in some early Cambrian shallow marine communities in dense accumulations and provided firm substrates and shelter for other benthic metazoans as secondary tierers.

The graptolite and conodont biostratigraphy of the latest Darriwilian, Sandbian and early and middle Katian succession on the Yangtze Platform is reassessed based on numerous new fossil collections and previously published data. At least at some localities, the lowermost Miaopo Formation is of pre-Nemagraptus gracilis Zone age (uppermost Pygodus serra and lowermost P. anserinus conodont zones). The rest of this formation (except for the uppermost part, which lacks diagnostic graptolites) has a diverse graptolite fauna of the N. gracilis Zone. The uppermost part of the Miaopo Formation contains few biostratigraphically diagnostic graptolites but the occurrence of conodonts of the Baltoniodus alobatus Subzone of the Amorphognathus tvaerensis Zone suggests equivalence with part of the Climacograptus bicornis graptolite Zone. The conodont succession of the Datianba Formation is virtually identical with that of the Miaopo Formation, confirming that these units are coeval. The lowermost part of the overlying non-graptolitic Pagoda Formation represents the upper A. tvaerensis Zone, and its upper part represents the A. superbus Zone. The occurrence of Dicellograptus elegans in the overlying Chientsaokou Formation (equivalent to the Linhsiang Formation in Yangtze Gorges region) suggests equivalence with the Pleurograptus linearis Zone in Scotland, which is consistent with the relatively non-diagnostic conodont fauna in these Chinese units. The biostratigraphic data are in good agreement with the δ13C chemostratigraphy and permit the establishment of precise correlations with the Baltoscandic and North American successions.

Late Ordovician to earliest Silurian is an important geological period marked by large geological and biological events. However, the strata and fossils of this interval are not complete in many parts of the world. Based on studies of 43 sites in South China, in particular the continuous sections on the Yangtze platform, we recognize a complete succession including seven graptolite zones and two shelly faunas. In ascending order, the graptolite zones are the Dicellograptus complanatus, Dicellograptus complexus, Paraorthograptus pacificus (including Lower Subzone, Tangyagraptus typicus Subzone and Diceratograptus mirus Subzone), Normalograptus extraordinarius–Normalograptus ojsuensis, Normalograptus persculptus, Akidograptus ascensus and Parakidograptus acuminatus zones. The shelly faunas are the Foliomena–Nankinolithus and Hirnantia faunas, which may be correlated with D. complanatus Zone and N. extraordinarius–N. ojsuensis to part of N. persculptus zones respectively. The biozonation through this interval from the Yangtze region can be correlated with that of other parts of the world such as Dob's Linn in Scotland, Spain and Portugal, Thuringia–Saxonia–Bavaria, Bohemia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Kolyma, Malaya Peninsula, Yukon, Canadian Arctic Islands, Nevada, Argentina, Niger and Victoria, Australia. The Hirnantian Substage, which has been proposed by us recently, includes the N. extraordinarius–N. ojsuensis Zone, Hirnantia fauna and N. persculptus Zone. The base of the Hirnantian Substage is marked by the First Appearance Data (FADs) of N. extraordinarius and N. ojsuensis, which have been determined to be synchronous on a global scale.