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An unusually rich and diverse suite of virgianid brachiopods, hitherto poorly known, is systematically described here for the first time from the Ordovician–Silurian boundary interval (late Katian – Aeronian) of North Greenland. The Late Ordovician virgianids comprise typical taxa of the warm‐water Tcherskidium fauna (e.g. Tcherskidium tenuicostatum, Proconchidium schleyi, Holorhynchus giganteus and Deloprosopus dawesi sp. nov.). Among the early Silurian taxa, Virgiana hursti sp. nov. occurs as abundant shell beds, similar to other congeneric species in Laurentia, but has somewhat larger internal skeletal structures, albeit not as extravagantly developed as in the late Katian virgianids; Borealoides balderi gen. et sp. nov. shows extreme thickening of the shell wall and internal structures, approaching the extravagant calcification of Katian virgianids. The highly distinctive mid‐Aeronian stricklandioid brachiopod genus, Kulumbella, characterized by a shell with criss‐cross (divaricate) ribbing, also occurs in North Greenland, represented by K. heimdali sp. nov., which has the largest and most strongly biconvex shells for the genus. Palaeogeographically, the Late Ordovician virgianid fauna of Laurentia was highly distinct, confined to the low–mid tropical latitudes north of the palaeoequator. In comparison, the early Silurian (Rhuddanian) Virgiana and some related taxa in Laurentia spanned the tropics of both hemispheres, forming extensive shell beds in carbonate basins, although Borealis and Borealoides gen. nov. remained confined largely to the northern hemisphere, suggesting a certain level of provincialism extending into the earliest Silurian. A palaeoecological preference for warm‐water carbonate settings would explain the unusual abundance and richness of the virgianid faunas in North Greenland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dalmanelloid brachiopod shells were collected from the Upper Ordovician Lexington Formation (lower Katian) of Kentucky, Sheguindah Shale (middle Katian) on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, and the Stony Mountain Formation (upper Katian) in the Winnipeg area, Manitoba. They were investigated to test the hypothesis of paleo-latitudinal zonation of the shelly benthos. A multi-technique approach was applied to evaluate the petrographic and geochemical (isotopic and elemental) preservation of the secondary layer of shells. Preliminary conventional microscopy, cathodoluminescence (CL), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the retention of primary shell ultrastructure (prismatic low-Mg calcite). The geochemical diagenesis proxies (e.g., Sr, Mn, Fe, and [summation]REE) show insignificant correlations with the [delta][.sup.18]O and [delta][.sup.13]C values, thus supporting the preservation of at least near-primary geochemical compositions. Among the three lots of shells, the mean [delta][.sup.18]O value is the highest in those from the Lexington Formation (-4.5[per thousand] [+ or -] 0.3[per thousand] VPDB), lowest from the Stony Mountain Formation (-6.8[per thousand] [+ or -] 0.4[per thousand] VPDB), and intermediate from the Sheguindah Shale (-6.0[per thousand] [+ or -] 0.8[per thousand] VPDB). The relative gradient in [delta][.sup.18]O increase is in agreement with the paleo-latitudinal gradient, with Kentucky in subtropical, southern Ontario in mid-tropical, and southern Manitoba in subequatorial latitudes. The Lexington Formation shells also have the highest mean [delta][.sup.13]C value (0.8[per thousand] [+ or -] 0.2[per thousand] VPDB) and relatively high P contents (170 [+ or -] 27 ppm), suggesting higher organic productivity, which is consistent with previous interpretation of frequent upwelling of nutrient-rich cool waters along the southeastern margin of Laurentia during the Katian. The Lexington shells also have a lower mean Th/U (0.6 [+ or -] 0.6), which is consistent with blooming organic productivity that likely led to more consumption of oxygen in the water column. Des coquilles de brachiopodes dalmanelloides ont ete recueillies de la Formation de Lexington de l'Ordovicien superieur (Katien inferieur) du Kentucky, du shale de Sheguindah (Katien moyen) de l'ile Manitoulin (Ontario) et de la Formation de Stony Mountain (Katien superieur) de la region de Winnipeg (Manitoba). Elles ont ete examinees pour verifier l'hypothese d'une zonation paleolatitudinale du benthos a coquilles. Une approche faisant appel a plusieurs techniques a ete utilisee pour evaluer la preservation petrographique et geochimique (isotopique et elementaire) de la couche secondaire des coquilles. La microscopie classique preliminaire, la cathodoluminescence (CL) et la microscopie electronique a balayage (MEB) ont confirme la retention d'une ultrastructure primaire dans les coquilles (calcite pauvre en Mg prismatique). Des caracteres geochimiques temoignant de la diagenese (p. ex. Sr, Mn, Fe et [summation]ETR) montrent des correlations significatives avec les valeurs de [delta][.sup.18]O et de [delta][.sup.13]C, appuyant l'interpretation de la preservation de compositions geochimiques au moins quasi primaires. Parmi les trois lots de coquilles, la valeur de [delta][.sup.18]O moyenne est la plus elevee pour celui de la Formation de Lexington (-4,5 [per thousand] [+ or -] 0,3 [per thousand] VPDB), la plus faible pour la Formation de Stony Mountain (-6,8 [per thousand] [+ or -] 0,4 [per thousand] VPDB) et intermediaire pour le shale de Sheguindah (-6,0 [per thousand] [+ or -] 0,8 [per thousand] VPDB). Le gradient relatif d'augmentation du [delta][.sup.18]O concorde avec le gradient paleolatitudinal dans lequel le Kentucky se trouve a des latitudes subtropicales, le sud de l'Ontario, a des latitudes mid-tropicales et le sud du Manitoba, a des latitudes subequatoriales. Les coquilles de la Formation de Lexington presentent egalement le [delta][.sup.13]C moyen le plus eleve (0,8 [per thousand] [+ or -] 0,2 [per thousand] VPDB) et des concentrations de P relativement fortes (170 [+ or -] 27 ppm), ce qui indiquerait une plus grande productivite organique, en accord avec l'interpretation anterieure de remontees frequentes d'eaux froides riches en nutriments le long de la bordure sud-est de la Laurentie au Katien. Les coquilles de la Formation de Lexington ont aussi un rapport Th/U moyen plus faible (0,6 [+ or -] 0,6), ce qui concorde avec une productivite organique fleurissante qui s'est vraisemblablement traduite par une consommation d'oxygene accrue dans la colonne d'eau. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction The abundance of planktonic and benthic foraminifers in the Cenozoic marine carbonates provided suitable material for the geochemical studies that reconstructed the environmental variations during that time interval (e.g., [...]

Abstract: The Kettle Point Formation of southwestern Ontario consists of intervals of organic-rich interlaminated black shale interbedded with organic-poor greyish green mudstones and rare red beds, separated by metre-scale sequences [...]

Pentameroides is a large-shelled pentameride brachiopod, which was widespread throughout Laurentia in the early Silurian (Telychian). Evolving from Pentamerus in the early Telychian, it dispersed from its subtropical--high tropical origin [...]

The Late Ordovician (late Katian) Tcherskidium fauna consisted of large- and thick-shelled virgianid pentamerid brachiopods characterized by large and ribbed shells of Tcherskidium and Proconchidium and usually associated with Holorhynchus, Deloprosopus, and Eoconchidium. This unique fauna was widely distributed across several tectonic plates, largely confined to the paleoequatorial and especially the northern paleotropical zones, such as northern Laurentia, accretionary terranes of Alaska, Kolyma, Baltica, Siberia, Kazakh and adjacent terranes, and South China. In Laurentia, the eponymous genus Tcherskidium was predominant in regions north of the paleoequator and, in sharp contrast, was absent south of the paleoequator. In this study, Tcherskidium lonei n. sp. and Proconchidium schleyi n. sp. are described from Alaska and North Greenland, respectively, adding new data on the Tcherskidium fauna of the Late Ordovician Northern Hemisphere. Shell gigantism, together with the sharp paleobiogeographic division, suggests that the Late Ordovician (late Katian) Northern Hemisphere had a prevailing warm-water mass, probably due to the lack of large landmass beyond the northern tropics. This was in sharp contrast to the Southern Hemisphere, which was frequently influenced by cold-water invasions from the ice-bearing Gondwana supercontinent centered on the South Pole. UUID: http://www.zoobank.org/25d9b772-bd7d-4ad6-bfc6-ba02b1567cf3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivariate analysis of 197 well-preserved specimens among 11 species of late Late Ordovician (Katian and Hirnantian) plaesiomyid brachiopods from North America revealed two trends of morphological changes: (1) increasing globosity and dorsal convexity from the early to late Katian, and (2) coarser, but fewer ribs in species from the paleoequatorial intracratonic seas compared with species from the mid- to high-tropical pericratonic shelves and platforms. Another notable change, albeit not quantified, was the enlargement of cardinal process in plaesiomyids from early to late Katian, characterized by a predominantly trilobed cardinal process in the intracratonic species versus a bilobed cardinal process in pericratonic species. Increases in dorsal convexity and shell globosity are interpreted to have allowed for development of a larger lophophore, improving the capacity and efficiency of filter feeding and gas exchange. Smaller but more frequently bifurcating ribs would have led to more numerous setae near the margin of the shell, resulting in increased sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Increased size and number of lobes of the cardinal process would have allowed for larger diductor muscles to open a larger, heavier shell. In this study, two new species, Plaesiomys periosa sp. nov. and Plaesiomys lenzi sp. nov., are proposed, and two existing species are transferred from Dinorthis to Plaesiomys. Une analyse multivariee de 197 specimens bien preserves de 11 especes de brachiopodes plaesiomyides de la fin de l'Ordovicien tardif (Katien et Hirnantien) de l'Amerique du Nord revele deux tendances en ce qui concerne les changements morphologiques, a savoir: (1) l'augmentation de la globosite et de la convexite dorsale du Katien precoce au Katien tardif et (2) des cotes plus larges bien que moins nombreuses chez les especes de mers intracratoniques paleoequatoriales par rapport aux especes de plateaux ou plateformes pericratoniques des tropiques intermediaires ou hauts. Un autre changement notable, bien que non quantifie, est l'augmentation de la taille du processus cardinal chez les plaesiomyides du Katien precoce au Katien tardif, caracterises par un processus cardinal principalement trilobe chez les especes intracratoniques comparativement a un processus cardinal bilobe chez les especes pericratoniques. L'augmentation de la convexite dorsale et de la globosite de la coquille aurait rendu possible le developpement d'un lophophore plus grand, ameliorant ainsi la capacite et l'efficacite de l'alimentation par filtration et de l'echange de gaz. Des seta plus nombreuses pres de la bordure de la coquille decoulant de cotes plus petites, mais plus frequemment bifurquees, se seraient traduites par une sensibilite accrue aux stimuli ambiants. L'augmentation de la taille et du nombre des lobes du processus cardinal aurait donne lieu a des muscles divaricateurs plus grands capables d'ouvrir une coquille plus imposante etlourde. Deux nouvelles especes, Plaesiomys periosa sp. nov. et Plaesiomyslenzi sp. nov., sontproposees et deux especes existantes sont transferees de Dinorthis a Plaesiomys. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Plaesiomyids constitute an orthide brachiopod family that became most common in Laurentia during the Late Ordovician. Most plaesiomyids belong to the subfamily Plaesiomyinae, characterized by large, costate to costellate, [...]

Enigmatic millimetre-scale micro-concretions with pseudocrystal faces and dominated by green clay minerals occur in unfossiliferous siliciclastic mudstone of the Lower Ordovician (479.0-466.0 Ma) Tonggao Formation, South China. The fossil-free mudstone unit is associated with local biodiversity decline. The mineralogy and mineral chemistry of these concretions were unknown previously, and this study comprises a preliminary investigation. The concretions are dominated by Fe-rich phyllosilicate minerals including glauconite and clinochlore, with minor quartz and traces of magnetite. The textural relations between the micro-concretions and the surrounding matrix, and the preservation of original mudstone laminations within the concretions, point to an origin during early diagenesis. The mineralogy and chemistry of these concretions are consistent with an origin in a restricted, hypersaline, relatively deep-water environment, in accordance with stratigraphical and paleonotological data. These micro-concretions provide clues for a stressed environment with poor water circulation and anomalies of salinity and oxygen. Des micro-concretions enigmatiques d'echelle millimetrique, avec des faces pseudocristallines et dominees par des mineraux argileux verts, se trouvent dans des mudstones siliclastiques non fossiliferes de la Formation de Tonggao de l'Ordovicien inferieur (479,0-166,0 Ma), dans le sud de la Chine. L'unite mudstone sans fossile est associee a un declin de la biodiversite locale. La mineralogie et la chimie des mineraux de ces concretions n' etaient pas connues anterieurement et la presente etude comprend une investigation preliminaire. Les concretions sont dominees par des mineraux phyllosilicates riches en Fe, incluant la glauconite et le clinochlore, avec un peu de quartz et des traces de magnetite. Les relations texturales entre les micro-concretions et la matrice environnante ainsi que la preservation des laminations originales du mudstone a l'interieur des concretions signalent une origine au debut d'une diagenese. La mineralogie et la chimie de ces concretions correspondent a une origine dans un environnement aqueux limite, hypersalin et relativement profond, ce qui concorde avec les donnees stratigraphiques et paleontologiques. Ces micro-concretions fournissent des indices qu'il s'agissait d'un environnement perturbe avec une mauvaise circulation d' eau et des teneurs anormales en sel et en oxygene. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction The Lower Ordovician (479.0-466.0 Ma) Tonggao Formation in Guizhou, South China (Fig. 1), contains abundant microconcretions of clay minerals, which occur in the largely unfossiliferous units of siliciclastic deposits [...]

Shelly communities and reef ecosystems represent the pinnacle of generic diversity and organizational complexity in marine environments. These systems are sensitive to climatic, tectonic, eustatic, and catastrophic changes, and their [...]

Abstract: The Early Silurian carbonate succession of Anticosti Island, eastern Canada, contains a rich and diverse pentameride brachiopod fauna. Multivariate analyses of 91 samples (total 17 230 specimens) confirm a [...]

Abstract: Brachiopods from the lower Tonggao Formation (Floian, late Early Ordovician) of Sandu, southeastern Guizhou Province, represent a deep-water benthic shelly fauna from the Jiangnan Slope facies of the South [...]