First record of conulariids from the Tērvete Formation, Upper Devonian of Latvia

• Main Author: Ervīns Lukševičs
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Estonian Academy Publishers 2020-11-01
• Series: Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Subjects: cnidaria; scyphozoa; conulariida; devonian; famennian.
• Online Access: https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/earth-4-2020-262-268_20201111122350.pdf

Phosphatized remains belonging to conulariids have been found in the Middle Famennian (Upper Devonian) deposits of the TÄrvete Formation of Latvia for the first time. The ornamentation pattern and characteristics of the exoskeleton indicate that the conulariids, represented by two incomplete and flattened specimens, belong to a single species within the genus Paraconularia. Paraconularia sp. from the TÄrvete Formation differs from Conularia latviensis Delle from the JoniÅ¡kis Formation in size and details of the morphology of the periderm; however, most probably, the species C. latviensis also belongs to the genus Paraconularia. Finding well-preserved almost complete conulariids agrees with the interpretation of sedimentation of the sandy deposits of the TÄrvete Formation in the deltaic or estuarine settings.