Some Late Cambrian Molluscs from Liaoning Province, China
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Records of the Western AlIstm/UlII MlIselllll 19: 37':1-30':1 (1':1':1':1). Some Late Cambrian molluscs from Liaoning Province, China Yu Wen' and Ellis L. Yochelson2 1 NanJing Institute of Geology & Palaeontology, Academia Sinica, NanJing, 210000, China Present address: Department of Earth & Planetary SCiences, Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia 'Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural IIistory, Smithsonian Institution, Washmgton, D.e. 20560 USA. Abstract - Pzlilla liaolllllgellszs sp. nov. is described from the Late Cambrian Wanwankou Member of the Fengshan Formation, Benxi, Liaoning, China. Muscle scars and other internal structures are preserved very well in the paratype; bifurcate bundle scars are described for the first time from the fossil Tergomya. This is the oldest known occurrence of pz/ma. Three species of Late Cambrian gastropods, "Maclllrites" lI/richi (Kobayashi), Matherella wa/cotti Kobayashi and Lytospira wamuankollensis sp. novo are also described from the Late Cambrian of northeastern China. L.ytospzrIl has been previously reported in the Lower Ordovician to the Middle Silurian of North America and Europe. INTRODUCTI0 N Ordovician in age. Kobayashi (1933) studied the The fossil Tergomya and Gastropoda described fauna, which included a great variety of molluscs and illustrated in this paper were collected in 1980 from the Wanwankou Dolomite of the Wanwankou by Xu Jun-tao and his colleagues of the Nanjing Series exposed in the Niuxintai Basin of Liaoning Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Academia Province. In that work he described the following Sinica. They are from the Wanwankou Member of gastropods: He/icotoma wanwanensis Kobayashi, the Fengshan Formation exposed in two sections. Matherella wa/cotti Kobayashi, Clisospira The Chiushukou section is located at the Qiushugou niuhsintaiensis Kobayashi, Archinacella wanwanensis village of Niuxintai, northeastern Benxi County, Kobayashi, Proplina bridgei Kobayashi, P. ampla Liaoning Province, and the Doufangkou section is Kobayashi, P. (?) sp., Scenella sp. indet., Stenotheca (?) near the Yingzi village of Huolianzhai, in the manchurica Kobayashi, Scaevogyra u/richi Kobayashi northern part of Benxi. and S. naticafomlis Kobayashi. Two decades later, The collection contains four species placed in four after restudying the strata of the Taizihe Valley, genera: Pilina /iaoningensis sp. nov.; "Maclurites" Wang and others revised the age of the Wanwankou u/riclzi (Kobayashi); Matherella wa/cotti Kobayashi Limestone, Wanwankou Dolomite and Chiushukou and Lytospira wanwankouensis sp. novo The first two Shale, and assigned those three formations to the taxa are from the Doufangkou section; Matlzerella Late Cambrian Fengshan Formation (Wang et al., wa/cotti and Lytospira wanwankouensis are from the 1954; Lu, 1962; Lu et al., 1974; Chen et al., 1979, 1983; Chiushukou section (Figure 1). Apparently among Chen and Teichert, 1983). these fossils, Pilina liaoningellsis represents the oldest The Fengshan Formation in Liaoning Province is known species of the genus; its excellently divided into three members, in ascending order: the preserved muscle scars and other internal structures Yenzhou Member, the Wanwankou Member and are highly significant. the Chiushukou Member (Wang et a/., 1954; Lu, 1962; Chen et a/., 1979, 1983; Chen and Teichert, 1983). The Wanwankou Member is about 20 to 50 m GEOLOGICAL SETTING thick, and is noteworthy for its rich fauna of Cambrian sediments, especially Upper Cambrian, cephalopods, rostroconchs, gastropods, trilobites, are extensively distributed in Liaoning, Shandong brachiopods and conodonts. It is composed mainly and Shanxi Provinces and Inner Mongolia in North of tromatolitic limestone and stromatolitic China. The Upper Cambrian rocks are well dolomite, Interbedded with intraformational developed and contain a diversity of fossils. limestone conglomerate (Chen and Teichert 1983). Kobayashi (1931) established the Wanwankou The molluscs described herein are generally well Series in Taizihe Valley, Liaoning I'rovlllce, to preserved. Associated with them are the include the Wanwankou Limestone, Wanwankou cephalopods Silloerenzoceras WilIZWlllzellse Dolomite, Chiushukou Shale and I'Isiapingkou (KobayashiJ, 5 tai:ielzse Chen and Teichert and Dolomite. He considered the Series to be Early Wamualloceras Kobayashi, and trilobites. 380 Yu Wen, E.L. Yochelson Dengta Huolianzhai 25 SOkm Figure 1 Sketch map showing the two fossil localities. The fauna contains characteristic fossils of the Type locality Upper Cambrian which is widely distributed in the DoufangKou section exposed near Yingzi Upper Cambrian of Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang village, Huolinanzhai, Benxi Liaoning Province, Provinces (Lu, 1962; Chen et aI., 1979; Chen and China (see Figure 1). Teichert, 1983; Chen et al., 1983). Illustrated specimens are deposited in the Nanjing Diagnosis Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGP), Shell large, tryblidiforrn, elliptical in dorsal view. Academia Sinica. Protoconch symmetrically conical. Apex overhanging adapical margin. Surface ornamented with stout comarginal rugae, fine growth lines and radiating SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY threads. Interior with eight metarnetric pairs of muscle scars, one pair of radular muscle scars, and other Class Tergomya Homy, 1965 internal structures on dorsal side of steinkern. Order Tryblidiida Lemche, 1957 Description Superfamily Tryblidiacea Pilsbry, in Zittel Shell large, elliptical in dorsal view. Protoconch Eastrnan, 1899 small, about 5 mm wide, symmetrically conical in dorsal view, protruding strongly forward, broadly Family Tryblidiidae Pilsbry, in Zittel-Eastman, 1899 rounded in the basal part, slowly and gradually Genus Pilina Koken, in Koken and Pemer, 1925 increasing in size away from the apex. Tip and external features of protoconch are not preserved Pilina liaoningensis sp. novo (Figure 3c). Dorsum gently flattened, oblique Figures 2, 3a-i, 4a-e toward the abapical margin, with greatest shell Material Examined width just behind midlength. Abapical margin rounded; adapical margin narrowly rounded, Holotype though not known in detail. Lateral margins more The holotype (NIGP 113849) shows the external broadly curved but also not known in detail. surface covered with ornament. Shell surface ornamented with comarginal rugae, growth lines and radiating threads. Comarginal Other material rugae stout and evenly distributed, more than 20 in The three paratypes, NIGP 113850-113852 are number, gradually becoming stronger from apex more or less complete to fragmentary, but all toward abapical margin, with the distance between contribute information on the musculature. rugae also gradually becoming wider. Growth lines Late Cambrian molluscs from China 381 b Figure 2 Pilina liaoningensis, sp. novo a, b. Paratype 113850. a, dorsal view, showing the serially arranged muscle scars on the right side of the dorsum, x 5. b, diagrammatical drawing of NIGP 113850: A-H = pedal retractor muscle scars; 1 = media-pedal muscle scar; 2 = latero-pedal muscle scar; 3 + 4 = musculus branchialis and pallial muscle; ra. m. S. =radular muscle scars; s.g.c. =scar of gill cavity; b.mJ. =bifurcated muscle fibres, x 2.25. 382 Yu Wen, E.L. Yochelson g I b Late Cambrian molluscs from China 383 rather fine, clu"ely spaced. Radiating thredlis pair being larger and rope-like 111 appedrdnCe, crossing rugae and growth lines to fom1 a concellate situated anterior to A to C pairs of muscle scars. sculpture. The second pair are located near the anteriorly In lateral view of steinkern (Figure 3g), apex lateral side and are stripe-like in appearance and protruding and overhanging adapical margin, extend posteriorly. The third pair are subcircular, dorsal side flattened and inclined gradually situated near the lateral margin and next tu the downward to the abapical margin. Dorsum of second pair. Furthermore, between the stripe-like steinkern broadly rounded in the central part with a muscle scars and the subcircular muscle scars, there rather shallow dorsal furrow, bounded by two are five small grain-like muscle scars (Figures 2, obtuse ridges. On the outer side of these, muscle 3[,g). On both sides of A to C pairs there are at least scars are present raised above the general level of two pairs of muscle scars parallel to the radular the steinkem. Scars are interpreted as one pair of muscle scars. radular muscle scars and eight metameric pairs of A broken steinkern is shown on Figure 3i. composite muscle scars (i.e. Figure 2 A to H), other Preserved on the right of the inner side are five interior shell marking are present. preserved muscle scars, which are similar in shape and size to the D-H pairs of muscle scars illustrated Details ofnlllsclIlations in Figure 2, 3[, g, h, 4a, b. Radular muscle scars are largest and most A more or less weathered specimen IS figured in pronounced of internal features. These scars are Figure 4c, d, e. It has the traces of the radular subelliptical in plan view, complex, being composed muscle scars, and the A to H muscle scar sets on the of more than thirty small scars, and situated one right side are clearer than those on the left SIde third of distance between adapical margin and midline. Dimensions (mm) The A to C pairs of muscle scars are situated on Length Height Width both sides of the radular muscle scars. All three pairs of muscle scars are linked together in the NIGP 113849, Holotype 45.50 12.00 29.50 anterior portion of the shell. The