Chemical processing of fossil phyllocarid cuticle: a comparison of micro- and macrofossil remains

Abstract

Cuticular remains of the phyllocarid crustaceans Caryocaris? and Ceratiocaris? obtained via maceration of macrofossil remains in hydrofluoric acid are compared with dispersed fragments isolated using both the low-manipulation HF extraction and the standard HCl–HF–HCl method. The studied specimens were obtained from Ordovician and Silurian shales of the Šárka and Požáry formations (Prague Basin, Barrandian area, Czech Republic). This methodological approach allows a direct comparison of macrofossil remains with microfossils in residue. The differences in residues obtained through the two bulk-rock extraction methods are also discussed.

Keywords:

• Phosphatic microfossils
• organic-walled microfossils
• extraction methods
• early Paleozoic
• Prague Basin

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Ondřej Zicha (Prague) for providing specimens of Caryocaris and Saltericaris for the in situ study. We would further like to thank Monika Uhlířová and Zuzana Strossová (both Charles University Prague) for aid with collecting samples at Kosov quarry, Lena Kraus (Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung) for assistance during laboratory processing of bulk rock samples from the Šárka Formation and Jana Čepičková (Charles University Prague) for providing literature, Lucy Muir for language editing, and finally to Vera Korasidis, Ben Slater and an anonymous referee for providing valuable feedback that significantly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

VK received the support from the project ‘Grant Schemes at CU’ (reg. no. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016935). OF received the support from the Cooperatio GEOL of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.

Notes on contributors

Vojtěch Kovář

VOJTĚCH KOVÁŘ is a PhD student at the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Czech Republic. His research is focused on the Lower Paleozoic palynology, mainly acritarchs and small carbonaceous fossils.

Matěj Šilinger

MATĚJ ŠILINGER is a PhD student at the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Czech Republic. He studies lower Paleozoic marine arthropods (mostly trilobites and phyllocarids) focusing mainly on the internal structures in their exoskeletons.

Oldřich Fatka

OLDŘICH FATKA is a professor of palaeontology at the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Czech Republic. His research is focused on the biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology of Paleozoic fossils.

Rainer Brocke

RAINER BROCKEis head of the section Palynology and Microvertebrates of the Paleozoic at the Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Germany. His research focus is mainly on organic-walled microfossils of the Paleozoic and their biostratigraphic and paleoecological application.