New material from the Ordovician of China indicates that Inocaulis is a graptolite

Abstract

Muir, L.A., Zhang, Y.-D. & Lin, J.-P. 2012. New material from the Ordovician of China indicates that Inocaulis is a graptolite. Alcheringa 37, 558–559. ISSN 0311-5518.

The problematic Early Palaeozoic fossil Inocaulis has been regarded as an alga, a graptolite and a hydroid by different authors. A new specimen from the Ordovician (late Darriwilian) of Guizhou Province (China) shows fusellar banding, confirming that it is a benthic graptolite.

Lucy A Muir [[email protected]], Yuan-dong Zhang [[email protected]], Jih-Pai Lin [[email protected]] (corresponding author), State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China. Received 13.12.2012; revised 10.5.2013; accepted 13.5.2013.

中国奥陶纪新材料证明Inocaulis是笔石

早古生代有争议的化石Inocaulis曾被不同作者认为是藻类、笔石和水螅。中国贵州发现的一个奥陶纪 (晚Darriwilian阶) 新种显示有生长带, 证实它是底栖笔石。

Keywords:

• Dendroidea
• Graptolithina
• problematica

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Project-Oriented Hundred Talents Programme (KZCX2-YW-BR-23), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (20110490136). Joseph Botting, Guo Anshun and Li Xiangfeng are thanked for their assistance. Comments from Steve LoDuca and an anonymous reviewer improved the paper. This is a contribution to IGCP Project 591—The Early to Middle Palaeozoic Revolution.