The Cenozoic Brachiopods of the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Abstract

The Paleocene‐Miocene deposits of the Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia contain a rich fauna of brachiopods, but only two species, Tegulorhynchia boongeroodaensisWestralicrania allani, both from the Paleocene, have previously been described.One new genus, Giraliathyris, and eight new species are described herein. They are Giraliathyris mcnamari, G. kaitrinae, G. jubileensis, Liothyrella longorum, Victorithyris decapello, V. cardabiaensis, V. blakeorum, V. tulkiensis, Diedrothyris cf. johnstonianaParaldingia timi. A Terebratulina species and two species of indeterminate genera are also described. Basiliola (Rhynchonellida) and Cancellothyris (Terebratulida) are recorded for the first time from the upper Paleocene of Australia. These, together with VictorithyrisDiedrothyrisLiothyrella and Paraldingia, represent the oldest records of these genera. It is suggested that their early occurrence, together with those known from the Antarctic Peninsula, indicates a southern origin for this fauna and a high latitude, southern circum‐Indo‐Atlantic faunal province is proposed. Subsequently the brachiopod fauna spread northwards towards lower latitudes and west to east around southern Australia, before and during the development of the circum‐polar current during the Oligocene.

Fossil craniid brachiopods (Craniata) of Australia and New Zealand

“…Craig (1997) reinstated Westralicrania and proposed a second species, W. zenobiae from Albany, Western Australia. Bassett (2000) again synonymised the genus Westralicrania with Danocrania; however, Craig (2000Craig ( , 2002 continued to use Westralicrania. Craig (1997) indicated that new species W. zenobiae is generally larger with a longer pseudointerarea than W. allani; the pseudointerarea is anacline whereas it is apsacline in W. allani; and the spines in W. zenobiae are shorter and radiate in lines whereas in W. allani they are randomly placed.…”

Taxonomy and palaeoecology of brachiopods from the South-Helvetic zone of the Fäneren region (Lutetian, Eocene, NE Switzerland)

“…Representatives of these genera display cardinal processes which, otherwise rare in terebratulidines, are quite polymorphic as regards their myophores, which are massive, high and hypertrophically developed (often trilobed) in Carneithyris (Asgaard 1975;Farrow and Owen 1980;Gaspard 2002) and forming a protuberant cup in Giraliathyris (Craig 2000). Carneithyris subregularis too shows a cardinal process of a characteristic shape (see details in the description).…”

Brachiopods from the Chlamys Ledge Member (Polonez Cove Formation, Oligocene) of King George Island, West Antarctica

“…-This short−looped genus is very common in the Cenozoic strata of New Zealand (Thomson 1916;Allan 1932;Lee 1978;MacKinnon et al 1993;MacFarlan et al 2009), Australia (Craig 2000(Craig , 2001 and Antarctica (Owen 1980;Bitner and Pisera 1984;Wiedman et al 1988;Bitner 1996;Bitner and Crame 2002). It was also reported from the lower part of the Polonez Cove Fm, Low Head Mb (Bitner and Pisera 1984;Bitner 1997;Quaglio et al 2008).…”