Discovery of Devonian spores in the Huoshenmiao Formation of the Erlangping Group in the Xixia area, Henan, China

The Edangping Group is exposed over large tracts in the Xixia area in the Qinling Mountains in the border region of Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Abundant spores of terrestrial plants, some acritarchs and scarce chitinozoans are found in silty slate of the Huoshenmiao Formation of the group. The spore assemblage may correlate with the early Middle Devonian spore assemblage reported in South and Southwest China and West Qiniing and also with the early Middle Devonian spore zone in Western Europe, Russian, and North America. The age of the spore assemblage is Middle Devonian and may also be early Middle Devonian, equivalent to the Eifelian of Western Europe.