Unusual cystoporate? bryozoan from the Upper Ordovician of Siljan District, Dalarna, central Sweden

ABSTRACT

Suecipora ebbestadi gen. n. sp. n. (Bryozoa) is described from the Upper Ordovician of Siljan District, Dalarna, central Sweden. This taxon is characterized by long peristome-like tubes with keel-shaped projections, as well as apparent angular kenozooecia. These morphologies are regarded being homologous to the post-Palaeozoic cyclostomes. Colonies of Suecipora are mainly multilayered developed by budding of new sheets from peristome-like tubes. The morphology of Suecipora suggests its adaptation to an environment with soft substrate and strong sediment influx. It is supposed that the colonies of this bryozoan were partially elutriated and experienced fresh water diagenesis.

KEYWORDS:

• Cystoporate bryozoans
• Ordovician
• taxonomy
• phylogeny
• Sweden

Acknowledgements

Andrej Ernst thanks the DFG for funding the research within the project ER 278/10-1. The authors are grateful to Jan Ove Ebbestad, Uppsala, for his kind help with local stratigraphy, and to Axel Munnecke, Erlangen, for his helpful comments on sedimentology. Zoya Tolokonnikova thanks the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) for funding the research within the project 22-27-00030. Marcus M. Key, Carlisle, and Caroline Buttler, Cardiff, are appreciated for their helpful and constructive reviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Andrej Ernst thanks the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for funding the research within the project ER 278/10-1. Zoya Tolokonnikova thanks the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) for funding the research within the project 22-27-00030.