Acritarchs from the type area of the Ordovician Llandeilo series, South Wales

Abstract

The sediments of the type Llandeilo yield sparse acritarchs that are poorly preserved but of considerable diversity. Thirty acritarch species are recognized and described and their stratigraphic distribution is indicated. One new species and one new combination are proposed: Stellechinatum llandeilum n.sp. and Solisphaeridium lucidum n.comb. No acritarchs of Llandeilo age have previously been described from the British Isles and relatively few reported from elsewhere. The acritarchs in the type Llandeilo section indicate the potential biostratigraphic utility of this group of microfossils although comparison with acritarchs of Llandeilo age elsewhere is difficult because of the paucity of published information.