Abstract
Introduction: The present work constitutes the first record of Ubaghsicystis Gil-Cid & Domínguez-Alonso (Echinodermata-Eocrinoidea) in the El Gavilán Formation, exposed in the El Sahuaral Hill, a new Cambrian locality of central Sonora, Mexico. The El Gavilán Formation is a sedimentary sequence mainly made up of shale interbedded with limestone, with abundant invertebrate fossils, deposited in an open shelf marine environment. Objective: The main objective of this research work is to describe the species Ubaghsicystis cf. U. segurae for the first time in Mexico, in addition to biostratigraphic and paleoecological considerations. Methods: A composite stratigraphic section of the El Gavilán Fm. was measured in central Sonora, where samples corresponding to eocrinods were collected, the material was examined in the Microscope Leica MZ10. Results: The biotic association is composed of reticulosan sponges, chancelloriids (Chancelloria eros, Allonnia tintinopsis, Archiasterella sp.), hyolithids, brachiopods, trilobites (Quadragnostus depressa, Peronopsis sp., Tonkinella valida, and Elrathina sp.), and echinoderms (Ubaghsicystis cf. U. segurae). Regarding the age, the trilobite association establishes a chronostratigraphic position from the middle Cambrian (Miaolingian, Wuliuan), Altiocculus Subzone, Ehmaniella Zone. The material studied is constituted by isolated echinoderm plates, which probably represent various cycles of theca plates assigned to Ubaghsicystis cf. U. segurae. The genus Ubaghsicystis has been scarcely recorded in a few Cambrian regions (e.g., Burgess Shale in Canada and Los Barrios de Luna in Spain), so that the information about this taxon is limited. Conclusions: The Cambrian succession of Sonora, where Ubaghsicystis occurred, was part of the border from the Laurentia craton during this period, located near the Paleoequator during this period, where ideal conditions for increasing diversity and abundance of species were developed, including echinoderms.
Highlights
The present work constitutes the first record of Ubaghsicystis Gil-Cid & Domínguez-Alonso (Echinodermata-Eocrinoidea) in the El Gavilán Formation, exposed in the El Sahuaral Hill, a new Cambrian locality of central Sonora, Mexico
Biostratigraphical considerations: The trilobite fauna from the El Gavilán Formation of the El Sahuaral section is represented by Quadragnostus depressa, Peronopsis sp., Tonkinella valida, and Elrathina antiqua
The biotic content corresponds to the Altiocculus Subzone, the upper part of the Ehmaniella Zone, defined by Sundberg (1994), as an assemblage zone that occurs above the Glossopleura Zone and below the Bolaspidella Zone, dividing it into four subzones: Proehmaniella, Elrathiella, Ehmaniella, and Altiocculus
Summary
The present work constitutes the first record of Ubaghsicystis Gil-Cid & Domínguez-Alonso (Echinodermata-Eocrinoidea) in the El Gavilán Formation, exposed in the El Sahuaral Hill, a new Cambrian locality of central Sonora, Mexico. Objective: The main objective of this research work is to describe the species Ubaghsicystis cf U. segurae for the first time in Mexico, in addition to biostratigraphic and paleoecological considerations. The material studied is constituted by isolated echinoderm plates, which probably represent various cycles of theca plates assigned to Ubaghsicystis cf U. segurae. Conclusions: The Cambrian succession of Sonora, where Ubaghsicystis occurred, was part of the border from the Laurentia craton during this period, located near the Paleoequator during this period, where ideal conditions for increasing diversity and abundance of species were developed, including echinoderms
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