Silurian reef-dwelling pentamerid brachiopods, Wisconsin and Illinois, USA

Eight species of pentamerid brachiopods, assigned toApopentamerus, Capelliniella, Kirkidium, Lissocoelina, Rhipidium, Supertrilobus andStenopentamerus, occur in stromatoporoid-coral reefs of the Silurian (Wenlockian) Racine Formation, Wisconsin and Illinois, USA. One new taxon,Rhipidium kuglitschi n.sp., is described. In contrast to level-bottom communities, where single pentamerid species occur in great numbers over large areas, pentamerids were generally rare members of the Racine reef fauna, and most species have localized distributions. An increase in diversity from one pentamerid species in the north to six species in the south correlates with a southward increase in reef size. Four morphologic groups of pentamerid species differed in the shape of the mantle cavity, which suggests different dynamics of suspension-feeding. Where two or more species are present in single reefs, co-occurrence of these groups represents a partitioning of the pentamerid niche. The relatively high diversity, local distributions, and morphologic distinctions among the Racine pentamerid fauna represent an evolutionary radiation and functional specialization of pentamerids in Wenlock reefs.