AN ORDOVICIAN LOBOPODIAN FROM THE SOOM SHALE LAGERSTÄTTE, SOUTH AFRICA |
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| Authors: | by ROWAN J WHITTLE‡ SARAH E GABBOTT RICHARD J ALDRIDGE JOHANNES THERON† |
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| Institution: | Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK;e-mails:;;
Department of Geology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag XI, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa;e-mail: |
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| Abstract: | Abstract: The first lobopodian known from the Ordovician is described from the Soom Shale Lagerstätte, South Africa. The organism shows features homologous to Palaeozoic marine lobopodians described from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang biota, the Lower Cambrian Sirius Passet Lagerstätte and the Lower Cambrian of the Baltic. The discovery provides a link between marine Cambrian lobopodians and younger forms from the Silurian and Carboniferous. The new fossil preserves an annulated trunk, lobopods with clear annulations, and curved claws. It represents a rare record of a benthic organism from the Soom Shale, and demonstrates intermittent water oxygenation during the deposition of the unit. |
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| Keywords: | Lagerstätte lobopodian Ordovician Soom Shale |
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