Early Devonian (late Emsian) Brachiopods from Zhongping, Xiangzhou, central Guangxi, China

The brachiopod fauna (20 species in 6 genera) from the Ma'anshan section of the Emsian Dale Formation at Zhongping, Xiangzhou county, central Guangxi is described. The fauna is dominated by spire-bearing brachiopods. One new genus and 4 new species are proposed: the smooth-shelled, septalium-bearing Lubricospirifer gumoensis gen. et sp. nov., Parathyrisina transitoria sp. nov., Acrospirifer shipengensis sp. nov. and Barbarothyris? luhuiensis sp. nov. Athyrisinoidea Chen and Wan 1980 is regarded as equating partly with Athyrisina partly with Parathyrisina. Excellence of preservation has provided an opportunity to present internal structure - obtained from serial sections - for 12 of the 20 species represented.