Lemdadella

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Lemdadella
Temporal range: Late Atdabanian
Scientific classification
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Lemdadella

Sdzuy, 1978
Species
  • L. spectabilisSdzuy, 1978 (Type)
  • L. antarcticaePalmer in Palmer and Rowell, 1995
  • L. linaresaeLiñán Guijarro, 1978
  • L. perejoniLiñán c.s., 2005

Lemdadella is an extinct genus of redlichiid trilobites that lived during the late Atdabanian stage, [1] which lasted from 521 to 514 million years ago during the early part of the Cambrian Period.

Contents

Distribution

Description

Glabella gently tapered forward. At the midline, a ridge between the glabella and the border of the cephalon (a so-called plectrum) may be present. Crescent-shaped eye-ridges. Thorax not divided in prothorax and opisthothorax, no macropleural segment. [5]

Biostratigraphy

Lemdadella is currently the oldest trilobite genus known, dating back to about 521 million years ago. The International Commission on Stratigraphy has proposed that the first appearance datum of trilobites should be used as the lower boundary of Cambrian Series 2 and Cambrian Stage 3. [6] If this proposal will be defined as a GSSP, it will most likely use the first appearance of Lemdadella, a species of Lemdadella, or a trilobite zone that includes Lemdadella. The age and global distribution of Lemdadella are therefore of key importance for the Stratigraphy of the Cambrian. [7]

The following trilobite zones contain Lemdadella (Brackets contain geographic distribution): [7]

Related Research Articles

Emuellidae Extinct family of trilobites

Emuellidae are a small family of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods, that lived during the late Lower Cambrian of the East Gondwana supercontinent, in what are today South-Australia and Antarctica. Emuellidae can be recognized among trilobites in having a set of unique features. The headshield or cephalon has large genal spines reaching back as far as the 3rd to 6th segment of the thorax. The eye-ridges contact the back of the frontal lobe of the glabella and extend laterally and backwards, roughly parallel to the frontal and lateral rim of the cephalon. There are small, clearly incised pits at the junction between the eye-ridge and the frontal lobe of the cephalic axis. The thorax reaches its greatest width at the 6th segment. The frontal part or prothorax consists of 6 segments, with number 5 and 6 fused, and the 6th carrying very large trailing spines. The rear part or opistothorax consists of a variable but extremely large number of segments.

<i>Nevadia</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

Nevadia is an extinct genus of trilobites, fossil marine arthropods, with species of average size. It lived during the Atdabanian stage, which lasted from 530 to 524 million years ago, in what are today Western Canada, the Western United States, and Mexico.

<i>Acontheus</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

Acontheus is a genus of trilobites belonging to the Family Corynexochidae, Order Corynexochida, and is geographically widespread having been recorded from middle Cambrian strata in Sweden, Newfoundland, Germany, Siberia, Antarctica, Queensland, China and Wales.

Resserops is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the middle of the Atdabanian or the early part of the Botomian stage, which lasted from approximately 524 to 518.5 million years ago. This faunal stage was part of the Cambrian Period. It has been found in Spain and southern Morocco. It can be recognised by the sabre-like spines of the headshield that are a smooth continuation of the frontal edge, and the enlarged spines on the 9th segment of the thorax.

<i>Archaeaspis</i>

Archaeaspis is an extinct genus of redlichiid trilobites. It lived during the late Atdabanian stage, which lasted from 521 to 515 million years ago during the early part of the Cambrian Period. The first specimens were first found in Siberia, where they were originally thought to have been endemic. Later, though, more specimen were found in the Inyo Mountains in Southern California. An Ediacarian proarticulatan was given the same name, Archaeaspis Ivantsov, 2001. This is however a junior homonym. The name Archaeaspis Repina in Khomentovskii and Repina, 1965, for the trilobite has priority. The new valid name for the proarticulate is Archaeaspinus Ivantsov, 2007.

Cirquella is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the Atdabanian stage, in the former continent Laurentia.

<i>Holyoakia</i> Genus of trilobites

Holyoakia is a genus of very small trilobites of the family Dorypygidae, from the late Lower Cambrian of South Australia and Antarctica.

<i>Yunnanocephalus</i> Extinct genus of trilobites

Yunnanocephalus is a genus of ptychopariid trilobite. It lived during the late Atdabanian and Botomian stages, in what are currently Antarctica, Australia and China. It was a "moderately common" member of the Chengjiang Fauna. Yunnanocephalus is the only genus currently assigned to the Yunnanocephalidae family.

<i>Tsunyidiscus</i> Genus of trilobites

Tsunyidiscus is a trilobite belonging to the Suborder Eodiscina. Tsunyidiscus appeared near the end of the Lower Cambrian, during the late Atdabanian stage of geologic time and some collections suggest it may have survived into the Botomian. The genus is very small, oculate and isopypous with a narrow dome-shaped glabella and a narrow bullet-shaped pygidial axis. Thorax consists of three segments. Tsunyidiscus is the only genus currently attributed to the family Tsunyidiscidae.

<i>Meteoraspis</i>

Meteoraspis is an extinct genus of ptychopariid trilobites of the family Tricrepicephalidae. The various species lived from 501 to 490 million years ago during the Dresbachian faunal stage of the late Cambrian Period. Fossils of Meteoraspis are characteristic of Late Cambrian strata in North America, though they are found in Late Cambrian strata elsewhere in the world, such as M. nevensis from Victoria Land, Antarctica.

Holmiidae Family of trilobites

Holmiidae is a family of trilobites, that lived during the Lower Cambrian (Atdabanian). The Holmiidae is a diverse family of eight genera containing at least 17 species. It includes some of the earliest trilobites of Baltica. Holmiidae occur throughout Baltica and Western Laurentia, and also in Morocco.

Olenelloidea Extinct superfamily of trilobites

The Olenelloidea are a superfamily of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. They lived during the late Lower Cambrian and species occurred on all paleocontinents.

<i>Bristolia</i>

Bristolia is an extinct genus of trilobite, fossil marine arthropods, with eight or more small to average size species. It is common in and limited to the Lower Cambrian shelf deposits across the southwestern US, which constitutes part of the former paleocontinent of Laurentia.

Bolbolenellus is an extinct genus of trilobites, fossil marine arthropods, with five species attributed to it currently. It can be easily distinguished from all other trilobites by the combination of the absence of dorsal sutures in the head shield like all Olenellina, and a distinctly bulbous frontal lobe (L4) of the raised axial area in the head called glabella. The species lived at the end of the Lower Cambrian.

Fallotaspidoidea

The ”Fallotaspidoidea” are a superfamily of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. It lived during the Lower Cambrian (Atdabanian) and species occurred on all paleocontinents except for the Gondwana heartland. A member of this group, Profallotaspis jakutensis, has long been the earliest known trilobite, but recently the redlichiid Lemdadella has been claimed as occurring even earlier.

Cambrian Stage 3 is the still unnamed third stage of the Cambrian. It succeeds Cambrian Stage 2 and precedes Cambrian Stage 4, although neither its base nor top have been formally defined. The plan is for its lower boundary to correspond approximately to the first appearance of trilobites, about 521 million years ago, though the globally asynchronous appearance of trilobites warrants the use of a separate, globally synchronous marker to define the base. The upper boundary and beginning of Cambrian Stage 4 is informally defined as the first appearance of the trilobite genera Olenellus or Redlichia around 514 million years ago.

Cambrian Series 2 is the unnamed 2nd series of the Cambrian. It lies above the Terreneuvian series and below the Miaolingian. Series 2 has not been formally defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, lacking a precise lower boundary and subdivision into stages. The proposed lower boundary is the first appearance of trilobites which is estimated to be around 521 million years ago.

<i>Delgadella</i>

Delgadella is a diminutive trilobite that lived during the late Lower Cambrian and has been found in Russia, Mongolia, Spain, Italy (Sardinia), Portugal, Morocco and Canada (Newfoundland). It can be recognized by its strongly effaced headshield and tailshield, with narrow but distinct furrows and borders along its margins, and three thorax segments.

<i>Condylopyge</i>

Condylopyge Hawle and Corda (1847) is a genus of agnostid trilobite that lived during the late Lower and early Middle Cambrian, in what are today Canada, the Czech Republic, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, the Russian Federation, 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 at various locations elsewhere.

Shackleton Limestone

The Shackleton Limestone is a Cambrian limestone formation of the Byrd Group of Antarctica. The age of the formation is established to be Cambrian Stage 3, dated at ranging from 520 to 516 Ma. This period correlates with the End-Botomian mass extinction. Fossils of trilobites and Marocella mira and Dailyatia have been found in the formation, named after Ernest Shackleton, who led a failed expedition into Antarctica. At time of deposition, the Antarctic Plate has been established to be just south of the equator as part of the supercontinent Pannotia, contrasting with its present position at 82 degrees southern latitude.

References

  1. 1 2 Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Trilobita entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 363: 1–560. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
  2. Geyer, G.; Landing, E.; Heldmaier, W. (1995). "Faunas and depositional environments of the Cambrian of the Moroccan Atlas regions". Beringeria (Special Issue 2): 47–119.
  3. Liñán, E.; Dies, 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. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2003.11.007.
  4. 1 2 Palmer, A.R.; Rowell, A.J. (1995). "Early Cambrian trilobites from the Shackleton Limestone of the Central Mountains". Journal of Paleontology Memoir. 69 (6): 1–28. doi:10.1017/S0022336000061424.
  5. Paterson, R.J.; Jago, J.B. (2006). "New trilobites from the Lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale Lagerstätte at Big Gully, Kangaroo Island, South Australia". Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists. 32: 43–57. hdl:1959.14/10651. ISSN   0810-8889.
  6. "GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era" . Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  7. 1 2 Yuan, J.L.; Zhu, X.J.; Lin, J.P.; Zhu, M.Y. (22 September 2011). "Tentative correlation of Cambrian Series 2 between South China and other continents" (PDF). Bulletin of Geosciences. 86 (3): 397–404. doi: 10.3140/bull.geosci.1274 . Retrieved 23 November 2012.