Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T17:48:57.865Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Silurian Ramphoprionid polychaetes from Gotland, Sweden

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2016

Mats Eriksson*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 13, S–223 62 Lund, Sweden,

Abstract

Silurian ramphoprionid polychaete annelids, represented by their jaws (scolecodonts), are described from extensive collections from Gotland, Sweden. The family Ramphoprionidae, monotypic at its original description, is sub-divided into four genera; Protarabellites Stauffer, 1933; Ramphoprion Kielan-Jaworowska, 1962; “Pararamphoprion” Männil and Zaslavskaya, 1985; and Megaramphoprion new genus. Identified species include “P.” cf. nordicus Männil and Zaslavskaya, 1985; P. rectangularis new species; P. staufferi new species; P. triangularis new species; and two Protarabellites species left in open nomenclature. Ramphoprion is represented by one new highly plastic species, R. gotlandensis, housing five distinguishable morphotypes showing gradual evolution. Megaramphoprion, which is most closely related to Ramphoprion, is represented by M. magnus new genus and species, a rare but distinctive taxon. Most species have long stratigraphic ranges within which important morphological changes can nonetheless be observed. The stratigraphic range of ramphoprionids includes, at least, the Ordovician to the Silurian. They are fairly rare in the Silurian of Gotland and where present they generally form less than 10 percent of the polychaete faunas, although occasionally reaching as much as 20 to 30 percent. Evolution, paleoecology, and surface structures of the investigated species are briefly discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Current address: Department of Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210

References

Barnes, C. R., Fredholm, D., and Jeppsson, L. 1987. Improved techniques for picking of microfossils, p. 7476. In Austin, R. L. (ed.), Conodonts Investigative Techniques and Applications. British Micropalaeontological Society Series, Ellis Horwood Ltd. Chichester, England.Google Scholar
Bergman, C. 1979. Polychaete jaws, p. 92102. In Jaanusson, V., Laufeld, S., and Skoglund, R. (eds.), Lower Wenlock faunal and floral dynamics—Vattenfallet section, Gotland. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, C 762:1294.Google Scholar
Bergman, C. F. 1989. Silurian paulinitid polychaetes from Gotland. Fossils and Strata, 25:1128.Google Scholar
Bergman, C. F. 1991. Revision of some Silurian paulinitid scolecodonts from western New York. Journal of Paleontology, 65:248254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergman, C. F. 1995. Symmetroprion spatiosus (Hinde), a jawed polychaete showing preference for reef environments in the Silurian of Gotland. GFF, 117:143150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergman, C. F. 1998. Reversal in some fossil polychaete jaws. Journal of Paleontology, 72:632638.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calner, M. 1999. Stratigraphy, facies development, and depositional dynamics of the Late Wenlock Fröjel Formation, Gotland, Sweden. GFF, 121:1324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calner, M., and SÄll, E. 1999. Transgressive oolites onlapping a Silurian rocky shoreline unconformity, Gotland, Sweden. GFF, 121:91100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corradini, D., Russo, F., and Serpagli, E. 1974. Ultrastructure of some fossil and recent polychaete jaws (scolecodonts). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 13, 1–2:122134Google Scholar
Dales, R. P. 1963. Annelids. Hutchinson University Library, London, 200 p.Google Scholar
Edgar, D. R. 1984. Polychaetes of the Lower and Middle Paleozoic: a multi-element analysis and a phylogenetic outline. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 43:255284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehlers, E. 1868a. Über fossile würmer aus dem litographischen schiefer in Bayern. Palaeontographica, 17:145175.Google Scholar
Ehlers, E. 1868b. Über eine fossile Eunicee aus Solenhofen (Eunicites aviatus), nebst bemerkungen über fossile würmer überhabt. Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie, 18:421443.Google Scholar
Elfman, M., Eriksson, M., Kristiansson, P., Malmqvist, K., and Pallon, J. 1999. Application of microPIXE and STIM in analyses of fossil and Recent polychaete jaws (scolecodonts). Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, B 158:287291.Google Scholar
Eller, E. R. 1940. New Silurian scolecodonts from the Albion Beds of the Niagara Gorge, New York. Annals of the Carnegie Museum, 28:946.Google Scholar
Eller, E. R. 1942. Scolecodonts from the Erindale, Upper Ordovician, at Streetsville, Ontario. Annals of the Carnegie Museum, 29:240270.Google Scholar
Eller, E. R. 1945. Scolecodonts from the Trenton series (Ordovician) of Ontario, Quebec, and New York. Annals of the Carnegie Museum, 30:119212.Google Scholar
Eriksson, M. 1996. Taxonomy and palaeoecology of some labidognathid polychaetes from the Lower Silurian of Gotland. GFF, Jubilee Issue, 118:A59.Google Scholar
Eriksson, M. 1997. Lower Silurian polychaetaspid polychaetes from Gotland, Sweden. GFF, 119:213230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, M. 1999a. Taxonomic discussion of the scolecodont genera Nereidavus Grinnell, 1877, and Protarabellites Stauffer, 1933 (Annelida: Polychaeta). Journal of Paleontology, 73:403406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, M. 1999b. Structure and chemistry of the jaws of two Silurian polychaete species from Gotland (Sweden). GFF, 121:7778.Google Scholar
Eriksson, M. 2000a. Early Palaeozoic jawed polychaetes with focus on polychaetaspids and ramphoprionids from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden. Lund Publications in Geology, 151:119.Google Scholar
Eriksson, M. 2000b. Enigmatic polychaete jaws from the Silurian of Gotland, Sweden. Lethaia, 33:175189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, M., and Bergman, C. F. 1998. Scolecodont systematics exemplified by the polychaete Hadoprion cervicornis (Hinde, 1879). Journal of Paleontology, 72:477485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, M., and Elfman, M. 2000. Enrichment of metals in jaws of fossil and extant polychaetes—distribution and function. Lethaia, 33:7581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksson, M., and Lindström, S. 2000. Ophryotrocha sp., the first report of a jawed polychaete from the Cretaceous of Skåne, Sweden. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 45:311315.Google Scholar
Fauchald, K. 1982. Description of Mooreonuphis jonesi, a new species of onuphid polychaete from shallow water in Bermuda, with comments on variability and population ecology. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 95:807825.Google Scholar
Fredholm, D. 1988. Vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Hemse Beds of Gotland, Sweden. Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholm Förhandlingar, 110:237253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grinnell, G. B. 1877. Notice of a new genus of annelids from the Lower Silurian. American Journal of Science and Arts, 14:229230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gries, J. P. 1935. Ordovician scolecodonts. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, 44 p.Google Scholar
Hadding, A. 1941. The pre-Quaternary rock of Sweden. VI. Reef limestones. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift N. F. 2, 37(10):1137.Google Scholar
Hede, J. E. 1921. Gottlands silurstratigrafi. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, C 305:1100.Google Scholar
Hede, J. E. 1925. Berggrunden (Silursystemet), p. 1330. In Munthe, H., Hede, J. E., and von Post, L. (eds.), Gotlands geologi, en översikt. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, C 331.Google Scholar
Hede, J. E. 1927. Berggrunden (Silursystemet), p. 1556. In Munthe, H., Hede, J. E., and Lundqvist, G. (eds.), Beskrivning till kartbladet Hemse. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, Aa 164.Google Scholar
Hede, J. E. 1960. The Silurian of Gotland, p. 4489. In Regnéll, G. and Hede, J. E. (eds.), The Lower Palaeozoic of Scania. The Silurian of Gotland. International Geological Congress, XXI Session, Norden, Guidebook d, Sweden.Google Scholar
Hinde, G. J. 1879. On annelid jaws from the Cambro-Silurian, Silurian and Devonian Formations in Canada and from the Lower Carboniferous in Scotland. The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, 35:370389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hints, O. 1998a. Revision of the Ordovician and Silurian ramphoprionid polychaetes from Severnaya Zemlya, Russian arctic. Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, 47:7785.Google Scholar
Hints, O. 1998b. Late Viruan (Caradoc) polychaete jaws from North Estonia and the St. Petersburg region. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 43:471516.Google Scholar
Hints, O. 1999. Ordovician scolecodonts of the East Baltic and surrounding areas—an overview. Acta Universitatis Carolinae—Geologica, 43:317320.Google Scholar
Hints, O., Bergman, C. F., and Märss, T. 2000. Silurian jawed polychaetes from Cornwallis and Ballie-Hamilton islands, Canadian Arctic. Pan-Arctic Palaeozoic tectonics, evolution of basins and faunas. Syktyvkar, Russia, July 2000. Ichtyolith Issues Special Publication, 6:3538.Google Scholar
Jaanusson, V. 1979. Stratigraphical and environmental background, p. 1138. In Jaanusson, V., Laufeld, S., and Skoglund, R. (eds.), Lower Wenlock faunal and floral dynamics—Vattenfallet section, Gotland. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, C 762:1294.Google Scholar
Jansonius, J., and Craig, J. H. 1971. Scolecodonts: I. Descriptive terminology and revision of systematic nomenclature; II Lectotypes, new names for homonyms, index of species. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 19:251302.Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L. 1982. Third European Conodont Symposium (ECOS III). Guide to excursion. Publications from the Institutes of Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Quarternary Geology, University of Lund, Sweden, 239:132.Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L. 1983. Silurian conodont faunas from Gotland. Fossils and Strata, 15:121144.Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L. 1997. A new latest Telychian, Sheinwoodian and Early Homerian (Early Silurian) Standard Conodont Zonation. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences. 88:91114.Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L. 1998. Silurian oceanic events: summary of general characteristics, p. 239257. In Landing, E. and Johnson, M. E. (eds.), Silurian Cycles: Linkages of Dynamic Stratigraphy with Atmospheric, Oceanic and Tectonic Changes. James Hall Centennial Volume. New York State Museum Bulletin, 491.Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L., and Männik, P. 1993. High-resolution correlations between Gotland and Estonia near the base of the Wenlock. Terra Nova, 5(4):348358Google Scholar
Jeppsson, L., Anehus, R., and Fredholm, D. 1999. The optimal acetate buffered acetic acid technique for extracting phosphatic fossils. Journal of Paleontology, 73:964972.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jeppsson, L., Viira, V., and Männik, P. 1994. Silurian conodont-based correlations between Gotland (Sweden) and Saarema (Estonia). Geological Magazine, 131:201218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jerre, F. 1994. Anatomy and phylogenetic significance of Eoconularia loculata (Wiman, 1895), a conulariid from the Silurian of Gotland. Lethaia, 27:97109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, G. M. 1937. Stratigraphy of the Trenton group. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 48:233302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kielan-Jaworowska, Z. 1962. New Ordovician genera of polychaete jaw apparatuses. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 7:291325.Google Scholar
Kielan-Jaworowska, Z. 1966. Polychaete jaw apparatuses from the Ordovician and Silurian of Poland and comparison with modern forms. Palaeontologia Polonica, 16:1152.Google Scholar
Kozur, H. 1970. Zur klassifikation und phylogenetischen entwicklung der fossilen Phyllodocida und Eunicida (Polychaeta). Freiberger Forschungshefte, C 260:3581.Google Scholar
Larsson, K. 1979. Silurian tentaculitids from Gotland and Scania. Fossils and Strata, 11:1180.Google Scholar
Laufeld, S. 1974a. Silurian Chitinozoa from Gotland. Fossils and Strata, 5:1130.Google Scholar
Laufeld, S. 1974b. Reference localities for palaeontology and geology in the Silurian of Gotland. Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning, C 705:1172.Google Scholar
Laufeld, S., and Jeppsson, L. 1976. Silicification and bentonites in the Silurian of Gotland. Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholm Förhandlingar, 98:3144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Männil, R., and Zaslavskaya, N. M. 1985. Silurian polychaetes from northern Siberia. Trudy Instituta Geologii i Geofiziki SO AN SSSR, 615:98119. (In Russian).Google Scholar
Manten, A. A. 1971. Silurian Reefs of Gotland. Elsevier, 537 p.Google Scholar
Mori, K. 1970. Stromatoporoids from the Silurian of Gotland. Pt. 2. Stockholm Contributions in Geology, 22:1152.Google Scholar
Nield, E. W. 1981. The inception and development of reef growth in the Visby Formation (Sheinwoodian/late Llandovery) of Gotland, Sweden. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wales, 285 p.Google Scholar
Orensanz, J. M. 1990. The eunicemorph polychaete annelids from Antarctic and Subantarctic seas. Biology of the Antarctic seas XXI, Antarctic Research Series, 52:1183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, F. C. 1933. Scolecodonts from the Upper Richmond of Illinois. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, 44 p.Google Scholar
Ramsköld, L. 1983. Silurian cheirurid trilobites from Gotland. Palaeontology, 26:175210.Google Scholar
Ramsköld, L. 1986. Silurian encrinurid trilobites from Gotland and Dalarna, Sweden. Palaeontology, 29:527575.Google Scholar
Riding, R., and Watts, N. R. 1991. The lower Wenlock reef sequence of Gotland: facies and lithostratigraphy. Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholm Förhandlingar, 113:343372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samtleben, C., Munnecke, A., Bickert, T., and Pätzold, J. 1996. The Silurian of Gotland (Sweden): facies interpretation based on stable isotopes in brachiopod shells. Geologische Rundschau, 85:278292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sandström, O. 1998. Sediments and stromatoporoid morphotypes in Ludfordian (Upper Silurian) reefal sea stacks on Gotland, Sweden. GFF, 120:365371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stauffer, C. R. 1933. Middle Ordovician Polychaeta from Minnesota. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 44:11731218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strauch, F. 1973. Die feinstruktur einiger scolecodonten. Senckenbergiana Lethaea, 54:119.Google Scholar
Szaniawski, H. 1974. Some Mesozoic scolecodonts congeneric with recent forms. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 19:179199.Google Scholar
Szaniawski, H. 1996. Scolecodonts, p. 337354. In Jansonius, J. and McGregor, D. C. (eds.), Palynology: Principles and Applications. American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists Foundation. Volume 1.Google Scholar
Szaniawski, H., and Gazdzicki, A. 1978. A reconstruction of three Jurassic polychaete jaw apparatuses. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 23:329.Google Scholar
Szaniawski, H., and Imajima, M. 1996. Hartmaniellidae—living fossils among polychaetes. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 41:111125.Google Scholar
Tasch, P., and Stude, J. R. 1966. Permian scolecodonts from the Fort Riley Limestone of southeastern Kansas. Wichita State University Bulletin, 42:135.Google Scholar
Torsvik, T. H. 1998. Palaeozoic palaeogeography: a North Atlantic viewpoint. GFF, 120:109118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar