Discovery of late Changhsingian (latest Permian) brachiopod Attenuatella species from South China

<i>Attenuatella mengi sp.</i> nov. and ?<i>Attenuatella</i> sp. from the Talung Formation, southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, South China, are described herein. This discovery represents the first report of <i>Attenuatella</i> from the late Changhsingian (latest Permian) in South China and provides evidence that <i>Attenuatella</i> expanded its range from high-latitude cold-water regions to palaeoequatorial warm water areas in the Late Permian. <i>Attenuatella</i><br />species appear to have been pseudoplanktonic, judging from their hair-like spinose ornamentation, which could have contributed to the global palaeogeographical distribution of <i>Attenuatella</i>.<br />