Salterella rugosa (Early Cambrian: Agmata) on Nordaustlandet and Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Abstract

Occurrence of Salterella rugosa Billings on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, is reported for the first time. The rocks that produced these fossils belong to the upper part of the Kapp Sparre Formation. This unit can be correlated with the Oslobreen Dolomite in Ny Friesland (Spitsbergen, Svalbard) from which the same species has been reported earlier; these fossils have not been illustrated previously. In both areas many specimens are poorly preserved, and it is becoming increasingly evident that the difference between Salterella and Volborthella simply may be the result of loss of the outer shell in the Volborthella.