Condylopyge

Condylopyge Temporal range: latest Lower to early Middle Cambrian (Toyonian to Mayaian) PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Cephalon (top) and pygidium (bottom) of Condylopyge rex
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	† Trilobita (?)
Order:	† Agnostida
Family:	† Condylopygidae
Genus:	† Condylopyge Hawle & Corda, 1847
Species
C. rex(Barrande, 1846) (type) synonyms Battus rex, Agnostus rex C. amitinaRushton, 1966 C. antiquaElicki & Pillola, 2004 C. imperatorHowell, 1935 C. blayaci(Howell, 1935) synonym Fallagnostus blayaci C. globosa(Illing, 1916) C. carinataWestergård, 1936 C. cruzensis Liñan & Gozalo, 1986 C. eliGeyer, 1998 C. matutinaDean, 2005 C. regia(Sjögren, 1872) C. aff. regia(Sjögren, 1872) C. spinigeraWestergård, 1944 C. vicinaEgorova in Savitsky et al., 1972 C. cambrensis Hicks (in Harkness and Hicks, 1871), probably a senior synonym of C. carinata Westergård, 1936
Synonyms
Paragnostus Fallagnostus

Condylopyge ^[1] is a genus of agnostid trilobite that lived during the late Lower and early Middle Cambrian, in what are today Canada (Newfoundland and New Brunswick), the Czech Republic, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Russian Federation (North-East Siberia), Spain, Turkey and Sweden. It can easily be distinguished from all other Agnostida because the frontal glabellar lobe is notably wider than the rear lobe. It belongs to the same family as Pleuroctenium but the frontal glabellar lobe does not fold around the rear lobe, as it does in that genus. Condylopyge is long ranging, possibly spanning the early Cambrian Terreneuvian Series in Nuneaton, central England into at least Drumian strata (middle stage of the Miaolingian Series) at various locations elsewhere.

Description

Condylopyge is isopygous with cephalon and pygidium of approximately equal size. The characteristic lateral expansion of the frontal glabellar lobe, occipital structures, and pygidial axis with three pairs of lateral lobes and a terminal piece differentiate Condylopygidae from all other agnostids. The presence of a spine on the occipital band has been recognised as a distinctive feature of condylopygoids (Rushton 1966: p. 29). Condylopyge is easily distinguished from its sister taxon, Pleuroctenium, because the frontal glabellar lobe does not extend partially around the posterior glabellar lobe. Furthermore the frontal glabellar lobe is never bisected medially as in Pleuroctenium. The pygidium may carry a pair of backwardly directed spines, but this also occurs regularly in Pleuroctenium. ^[2]

Distribution

• C. eli, was originally collected from the Jbel Wawrmast Formation, Bou Tiouit section, at 51.1 m, in Morocco, Morocconus notabilis Zone. Holotype pygidium refigured by Geyer & Vincent (2014, p. 384, fig. 9D ^[3] ).
• C. antiqua was recovered from the latest Lower to the early Middle Cambrian of Italy (Campo Pisano Formation, 4 km south-east of Fluminimaggiore, Iglesiente area, South-West Sardinia). ^[4]
• C. amitina From the Purley Shale Formation (c. 450' above base), Camp Hill, St. Paul's Church, Stockingford, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England [Closest ICS interval: Cambrian Series 3 – Terreneuvian (521–541.0 Ma). ^[5]
• C. imperator and C. blayaci were found in the early Middle Cambrian Couloma Formation of France (Paradoxides beds, Herault, Languedoc). ^[6]
• C. carinata is present in the early Middle Cambrian of Morocco (A. birameus beds, Tissafin stage, Jbel Wawrmast Formation, Feijas internes group, Touchagt near Tinedjad, in the North of Alnif). ^[7] The species, originally described by Westergård (1936) from the Mossberga Borehole in Öland, Sweden, occurs also in Borgholm on the same island ^[8] and possibly in Wales as C. cambrensis (Rees et al., p.12). ^[9]
• P. cruzensis has been identified from the early Middle Cambrian of Spain (Acadoparadoxides mureroensis trilobite zone, Valdemiedes Formation, Aragon). ^[10]
• C. matutina is present in the Middle Cambrian of Turkey (Çal Tepe Formation, near Seydişehir, Central Taurides). ^[11]
• C. globosa was collected from the Abbey Shale Formation (horizon C2), Tomagnostus fissus Biozone of Hartshill Hayes, near Nuneaton, Wawrickshire, England. ^[12]

• 

  Condylopyge rex, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle.

  C. rex has been collected from the early Middle Cambrian of the Czech Republic (E. pusillus-zone, Týřovice an Skryje, Bohemia), ^[2] and Spain (Badulesia-zone, Los Villares Formation, Sierra de Córdoba). ^[13] Illing (1916) recorded this species from the Abbey Shale Formation (horizons A4 - D3) at Hartshill Hayes, near Nuneaton. Condylopyge cf. rex is recorded from Locs, CF - 2 and PR - 4 of Rees et al. (2014) and from within the Drumian Biozones of Tomagnostus fissus and Hypagnostus parvifrons, in the Menevia Formation of SW Wales, respectively.
• C. regia occurs in the Baltoparadoxides oelandicus Biosuperzone (in Öland confined to the zone of Eccaparadoxides insularis). - Öland: Borgholm; Mossbega (boring); Stora Frö; Torp, parish of Böda (boulder). Jämtland: Brunflo (boulder). Fairly infrequent in Öland and rare in Jämtland. ^[14]
• C. aff. regia was found close to Viken, a hamlet near the north-east corner of Näkten, 14 km SW of Brunflo and 20 km south of Östersund, Jämtland (locs. 1-3 of Rushton and Weidner, 2007, pl. 1, Figs 1-4). ^[15]
• Condylopyge spinigera is recorded from the Zone of Ptychagnostus s.l. atavus at Brantevik (boulder 8o); basal layer of the zone of Pt. (Pt.) punctuosus and probably also the former zone at Andrarum (boring), Scania. - Rare (Westergärd 1946, pp 33, 34, pl. 2, figs. 3 - 8).
• C. cambrensis is recorded from the Trwyncynddeiriog headland located 1.3 km SSW of St David’s Cathedral and 500 m east of Porth Clais Harbour in SW Wales; The fauna is of late Baltoparadoxides oelandicus [B. pinus] Biosubzone age); Newgale Formation, Pen-y-Cyfrwy Member (of Rees et al., 2014). Known examples of this species cannot be distinguished from C. carinata and cambrensis may in fact be a senior synonym of carinata (Rees et al., op. cit., p 12).
• C. sp. occurs in the early Middle Cambrian of the United States (Chamberlain's Brook Formation, Braintree Member, Hayward's Quarry, Massachusetts). ^[16]
• C. sp. also occurs in the early Middle Cambrian of Spain (Solenopleuropsis thorali trilobite zone, Genestosa Member, Oville Formation, Los Barrios de Luna, León). ^[17]
• C. carinata vicina Egorova in Savitsky et al. (1972) ^[18] is from the Cambrian Judomian–Olenetsky type section in the Kuonamsky Complex deposits, Siberian Platform, Russia.
• C. sp.? Material tentatively assigned to Condylopyge has been reported from the Leny Limestone of Perthshire, Scotland by Fletcher & Rushton (2007) who suggested that the species appears to occur also in the Kounamkites Zone of the River Nekekit area, Siberia, and figured by Egorova & Savitsky (1976, pl. 50, fig. 12) as “Condylopyge carinata vicina”. ^[19]

References

1. HAWLE, J. & CORDA, A. J. C. 1847. Prodrom einer Monographieder bohmischen Trilobiten. 176 pp. J. G. Calve, Prague
2. WHITTINGTON, H. B. et al. Part O, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Revised, Volume 1 – Trilobita – Introduction, Order Agnostida, Order Redlichiida. 1997
3. GEYER, G., & VINCENT, T. The Paradoxides puzzle resolved: the appearance of the oldest paradoxidines and its bearing on the Cambrian Series 3 lower boundary. Paläontologische Zeitschrift89 (3) 89:335–39
4. MERGL, M.; ELICKI, O. (2004). "Cambrian lingulid and acrotretid brachiopods from the Iglesiente area (Campo Pisano Formation, southwestern Sardinia)". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 3 (110): 581–589.
5. RUSHTON, A. W. A. 1966. The Cambrian Trilobites from the Purley Shales of Warwickshire. Palaeontographical Society Monographs (1): p.29 pl.4 figs. 1 a - b.
6. HOWELL, B. F. (1935). "Cambrian and Ordovician trilobites from Herault, southern France". Journal of Paleontology. 3 (9): 222–238.
7. MYKERINOS. "Condylopyge cf. carinata". Forum des chercheurs de trilobites. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
8. WESTERGÄRD, A. H., 1936: Paradoxides oelandicus beds of Öland, with the account of a diamond boring through the Cambrian at Mossberga. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning C 394, 1–66.
9. REES, A. J., THOMAS, A. T., LEWIS, M., HUGHES, H. E. & TURNER, P. 2014. The Cambrian of SW Wales: Towards a United Avalonian Stratigraphy. Geological Society, London, Memoirs, 42, 1 – 30.
10. GARCIA-BELLIDO, D. C.; DIES ALVARES, M. E.; GAMEZ VINTANED, J.A.; LINAN, E.; GOZALO, R. (2011). "First report of Crumillospongia (Demospongea) from the Cambrian of Europe (Murero biota, Spain)". Bulletin of Geosciences. 3 (86): 641–650. doi: 10.3140/bull.geosci.1253 . hdl: 10261/61397 .
11. DEAN, W. T. (2005). "Trilobites from the Çal Tepe Formation (Cambrian), near Seydişehir, Central Taurides, Southwestern Turkey" (PDF). Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences (Turkish J. Earth Sci.) (14): 1–71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
12. ILLING, V. C. 1916. The paradoxidian fauna of a part of the Stockingford Shales. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, London, 71 [for 1915], 386 – 450.
13. LIÑAN, E.; DIEZ, M. E.; VINTANED, J. A. G.; GOZALO, R.; MAYORAL, E.; MUÑIZ, F. (2005). "Lower Ovetian (Lower Cambrian) trilobites and biostratigraphy of the Pedroche Formation (Sierra de Córdoba, southern Spain)" . Géobios. 38 (3): 365–381. Bibcode:2005Geobi..38..365L. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2003.11.007.
14. WESTERGÄRD, A. H. 1946. Agnostidea of the Middle Cambrian of Sweden. Sveriges Geologiska Untersokning, Avhandlingar Series C. no. 526.
15. RUSHTON, A. W. A. & WEIDNER, T. 2007. The Middle Cambrian paradoxidid trilobite Hydrocephalus from Jämtland, central Sweden. Acta Geologica Polonica, 57 (4), 391 - 401. Warszawa.
16. GEYER, G.; LANDING, E. (2001). "Middle Cambrian of Avalonian Massachusetts: Stratigraphy and correlation of the Braintree trilobites" . Journal of Paleontology. 1 (75): 116–135. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2001)075<0116:mcoams>2.0.co;2. S2CID   130041666.
17. ZAMORA, S.; SMITH, A. B. (2008). "A new Middle Cambrian stem-group echinoderm from Spain: Palaeobiological implications of a highly asymmetric cinctan". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53 (2): 207–220. doi: 10.4202/app.2008.0204 .
18. SAVITSKY, V. E., EVTUSHCHENOKO, V. M., EGOROVA, L. I., KONTOROVICH, A. E., SHABANOV, Y. Y. (eds) (1972): Kembriy Sibirskoy platformy (Yudoma-Olenekskiy tip razreza. Kuonamskiy kompleks otlozheniy) [Cambrian of the Siberian platform (Judomian–Olenetsky type section, Kuonamsky Complex deposits)]. − Trudy Sibirskiy nauchno-issledovatel’skiy Institut geologii, geofiziki i mineral’nogo syr’ya (SNIIGGiMS), 130: 1 – 199. (in Russian).
19. FLETCHER, T. P. & RUSHTON, A. W. A. 2007. The Cambrian Fauna of the Leny Limestone, Perthshire, Scotland. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh98(02): 199 - 218.

External links

• photograph of a complete Condylopyge rex