Late Ordovician Ostracods of the Girvan District, South-West Scotland

Abstract

The Late Ordovician ostracod fauna recorded from the Girvan district, south-west Scotland, comprises 54 species from 26 genera and 15 families, but includes 22 species described in open nomenclature and a further 17 that are considered as nomina dubia. The ostracods include representatives of the podocope suborders Palaeocopina, Binodicopina, Leiocopina and Metacopina, and the new genera and species Danemestrinus scotus n. gen. et sp., Leperditella girvanensis n. sp. and Krausella jonesiana n. sp. are described. The fauna includes several species that allow inter-continental correlation with the Late Ordovician succession of North America, including the Sandbian species Eurychilina sunbloodensis, Balticella deckeri, Baltonotella parsispinosa and Hippula ventrospinosa. The Katian species Kinnekullea comma has correlative value between Scotland, Ireland, England and the East Baltic. Biogeographically, the Girvan ostracod fauna of Sandbian age shows strong affinities at species-level with the fauna of palaeocontinental Laurentia, but from the early Katian onwards there are species level links with the Baltic region, and some common taxa at generic and species-level with palaeocontinental Avalonia.