Middle Ordovician Aporthophyla brachiopod fauna from the roof of the World, southern Tibet. (8th October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhan, Renbin; Harper, David A. T.; Jin, Jisuo; Liang, Yan; Liu, Jianbo; Stemmerik, Lars; Stouge, Svend; Alvarez, Fernando
• Is Part Of: Palaeontology. Volume 57:Part 1(2014:Jan.)
• Page Start: 141
• Page End: 170
• Publication Date: 2013-10-08
• Subjects: Paleontology -- Periodicals; 560
• DOI: 10.1111/pala.12058
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-0239

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="pala12058-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>A Darriwilian (late Middle Ordovician) brachiopod fauna from the Lower Formation of the Chiatsun Group at Jiacun, northern Nyalam, southern Tibet, consists of ten brachiopod species, forming a distinct <italic>Aporthophyla</italic>–<italic>Paralenorthis </italic>Association. Its taxonomic composition is typical of the <italic>Aporthophyla </italic>Fauna that occupied lower BA2 to upper BA3 benthic environments on sandy lime mud substrates. The occurrence of <italic>Paralenorthis</italic> in southern Tibet is confirmed for the first time, represented by <italic>P</italic>. <italic>costata</italic> sp. nov. Numerical analyses (PCA and CA) of 18 Darriwilian brachiopod faunas from ten palaeoplates or terranes indicate that: (1) the <italic>Aporthophyla </italic>Fauna was confined to a specific latitudinal belt although it had a wide lateral distribution from the large palaeocontinents of Gondwana to Laurentia; (2) the <italic>Saucrorthis </italic>Fauna, a typical late Middle Ordovician regional fauna, is limited to a much smaller area, marginal to the Gondwana supercontinent; (3) the strong provincialism persistent in the late Middle Ordovician contributed to increased gamma biodiversity during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event.</p> </abstract>