HALKIERIIDS IN MIDDLE CAMBRIAN PHOSPHATIC LIMESTONES FROM AUSTRALIA

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Abstract
Halkieriids are part of a distinctive Early Cambrian fauna, the “Tommotian fauna” sensu Sepkoski (1992), that is preserved mostly as phosphatic and secondarily phosphatized skeletal elements. The distinctiveness of the Tommotian fauna is ascribed, in part, to its preferential elimination during the end-Early Cambrian mass extinction event (the “Botomian extinction”). Newly discovered halkieriids in phosphatic limestones of the Middle Cambrian (Ptychagnostus gibbus Zone) Monastery Creek Formation, Georgina Basin, Australia, now indicate that this group not only survived the end-Early Cambrian extinction, but was at least locally abundant thereafter. Most of the Georgina halkieriid sclerites can be accommodated within a single species, Australohalkieria superstes new genus and species, described and partly reconstructed here. Remaining sclerites probably represent two additional but rare halkieriid species. Additional newly discovered sclerites may have affinities with the sachitids, another proble...