
Mats Eriksson
Professor

Jawed polychaetes from the Upper Sylvan Shale (Upper Ordovician), Oklahoma, USA
Author
Summary, in English
A jawed polychaete fauna from the upper 30 in of the Upper Ordovician Sylvan Shale (Richmondian, Ash-ill) of Oklahoma is described, based on recovered scolecodonts (polychaete jaws). The fauna includes members of six families: Paulinitidae, Ramphoprionidae, Polychaetaspidae, Atraktoprionidae, Hadoprionidae, and Kalloprionidae. Ten species are identified and one new paulinitid species, Ketmerites (Aeolus) sylvanensis, dominates. The low-abundance and relatively low-diversity Sylvan Shale fauna differs from approximately coeval ones of both Laurentia and Baltica, particularly by its high relative frequency of paulinitids. The scolecodonts are associated with chitinozoans, as well as some enmnatic organic-walled microfossils. Conodonts are extremely rare. with Plectodina tenuis, Amorphognathus sp., and Dapsilodus sp. identified.
Department/s
- Lithosphere and Biosphere Science
Publishing year
2005
Language
English
Pages
486-496
Publication/Series
Journal of Paleontology
Volume
79
Issue
3
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Paleontological Society
Topic
- Geology
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0022-3360