A New Species ofJiangxialepis(Galeaspida) from the Lower Telychian (Silurian) of Jiangxi and its Biostratigraphic Significance

Abstract

AbstractA new species of Shuyuidae (Eugaleaspiformes, Galeaspida),Jiangxialepis jiujiangensissp. nov., is described from the lower Telychian (Llandovery, Silurian) Qingshui Formation in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China. The new species differs from the type speciesJ. retrospinafrom Wuhan, Hubei Province in its sharp and posteriorly positioned median dorsal spine and narrow spine‐shaped inner cornual processes. The Silurian strata in Xiushui–Wuning area has provided a standard framework for the correlation of Silurian shallow marine red beds in South China. Thus, the finding ofJ. jiujiangensisfrom the Silurian Lower Red Beds (LRBs) in Jiangxi Province bears very important biostratigraphic significance. It can directly compare toJiangxialepis retrospinafrom the Fentou Formation in Wuhan, Hubei Province in the genus level. This indicates that the age of the fish‐bearing strata in Wuhan is most likely to be the early Telychian rather than middle Telychian as previously assumed.