A sample taken from a detrital limestone lens, presumed to be allochthonous, within the dark coloured argillaceous limestone of the Early Carboniferous Muhua Formation at the Muhua section, Guizhou, South China, yielded numerous, mostly silicified fossils. Ostracodes, which are the most numerous in the sample, were studied by Olempska (1999). Brachiopods and conodonts are described and illustrated in this paper, but other associated fossils are also noted. Among brachiopods the most common are productides, orthotetidines, spiriferides, and orthides. The productoid gen. et sp. indet. 2, Lambdarina sp., and rhynchonelloid gen. et sp. indet. most probably represent new taxa, but are described in open nomenclature because of inadequate material. Conodonts are indicative of late Tournaisian age. The fossil assemblage is represented by phosphatic and silicified remnants, the latter being originally calcitic. The pattern of silicification resulted generally in preservation of skeletal morphology in great details.

Key words: Brachiopoda, Conodonta, Early Carboniferous, silicification, China.

Andrzej Baliński [balinski@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Paleobiologii PAN, ul. Twarda 51/55, PL-00-818 Warszawa, Poland.