The oldest hyolithids (Cambrian Series 2, Montezuman Stage) from the Iapetan margin of Laurentia

• Published in: Journal of Paleontology
• Main Authors: John S. Peel, Sebastian Willman, Steven J. Hageman
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The Paleontological Society 2020
• Subjects: Greenland; Sirius; North Greenland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2020.8

The recent description of the nevadioid trilobite Buenellus chilhoweensisWebster and Hageman, 2018 established the presence of early Cambrian Montezuman Stage (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 3) faunas in the Murray Shale of Chilhowee Mountain, Tennessee. The description recognized the oldest known age-diagnostic Cambrian trilobite from the Laurentian margin of the former Iapetus Ocean since BuenellusBlaker, 1988 is known otherwise only from the Sirius Passet Lagerstätte on the Innuitian margin of North Greenland. The bivalved arthropods Isoxys chilhoweanusWalcott, 1890 and Indota tennesseensis (Resser, 1938a) have also been described from the Murray Shale, but hyolithids appear to be the dominant body fossils in terms of diversity and abundance. Although poorly preserved, the hyolithids occurring together with Buenellus chilhoweensis are described to improve understanding of the Murray Shale biota. The hyolith assemblages of the Murray Shale and Sirius Passet Lagerstätte are not closely similar, although the poor preservation of both hinders comparison.