Permian Conodont Fauna in the Wenguer Area, Artux County, Xinjiang

Because fossils are rare and poorly preserved, the exact age of the Permian in the Wenguer area, Artux County, Xinjiang, is still doubtful. The Permian important conodonts Neostreptognathodus pequopensis Behnken, Streptognathodus nashuiensis Zhong et Zhang,Streptognathodus sp. , Hindeodus minutus (Ellison), Xaniognathus curvatus Sweet, Xaniognathus sp. , Cypridodella sp. and Lonchodina sp. were found in the upper part of the Permian at the Wenguer section. Neostreptognathodus pequopensis Behnken is one of the important standard fossils of the Neostreptognathodus pequopensis Zone in the Luodian stage in Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces, China, the Lower part of the Nabeyawa Stage in Japan and the Kungurian stage in Ural, Russia. According to appearance of Neostreptognathodus pequopensis Behnken, the upper part of the Permian of the Wenguer section may belong to the Luodian stage of the Middle Permian.Based on an analysis of the conodont biofacies, it is inferred that there was probably a deep-sea basin facies sedimentary environment in the Wenguer area during the early Middle Permian.