Ordovician trilobites from the Tafilalt Lagerstätte: new data and reappraisal of the Bou Nemrou assemblage

Juan Carlos Gutiérrez-Marco, Sofia Pereira, Diego C. García-Bellido, Isabel Rábano

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The early Late Ordovician (Sandbian 1) representatives of the Tafilalt Biota in the locality of Bou Nemrou (Jbel Tjarfaïouine) provide examples of fossil preservation in medium-grained sandstones with abundant microbially induced sedimentary structures. The recorded trilobite assemblage comprises 11 species of ten genera, among which one is new (Placoparia africana Pereira & Gutiérrez-Marco, sp. nov.) and four others previously regarded as endemic to the locality are considered to be synonymys of species already described from Bohemia. The oldest representative of the illaenid genus Cekovia is recorded, revised diagnosis proposed for the genus Mytocephala Struve and for Uralichas tardus Vela & Corbacho. Parvilichas Corbacho & Vela is considered to be a junior synonym of Uralichas Delgado. From a palaeobiogeographical point of view, the Bou Nemrou locality shows strong relationships with trilobite assemblages from the Dobrotivian and with the lower Berounian sandstone facies of Bohemia, reinforcing the correlation of both regions. Some soft-bodied structures are recognized here, including the digestive tracts of Uralichas and the traces of paired, metameric axial bands in the anterior thoracic segments of the trilobite Selenopeltis preserved in apatite and interpreted as intersegmental musculature.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGeological Society Special Publication
PublisherGeological Society of London
Pages97-137
Number of pages41
Edition1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Publication series

NameGeological Society Special Publication
Number1
Volume485
ISSN (Print)0305-8719

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