Mellopegma (Mollusca) from the Middle Cambrian of North Greenland

J.S Peel

doi:10.34194/rapggu.v132.7958

Abstract

During the last decade, the resurgence of interest in the non-trilobite faunas of the Cambrian has resulted in the description of many new taxa of problematic molluscs. One such form is the laterally compressed helcionellacean Mellopegma, originally described from the Middle Cambrian of Australia by Runnegar & Jell (1976) but subsequently reported from the Lower Cambrian of China (Zhou & Xiao, 1984). Mellopegma has now been identified from the Middle Cambrian of central North Greenland where it occurs as phosphatised internal mouids preserved in a manner similar to that of the original Australian specimens from the Currant Bush Limestone of Queensland.

Highlights

During the last decade, the resurgence of interest in the non-trilobite faunas of the Cambrian has resulted in the description of many new taxa of problematic molluscs
Specimens from GGU collection 218832 from the Ekspedition Bræ Formation of the Brønlund Fjord Group show a similar range in morphological variation to that seen in the illustrations of the type species, M. georginensis, given by Runnegar & Jell (1976, fig. 8B); they are readily assigned to that species
Associated microfossils in the prepared sample include Protowenella which was originally described from the Currant Bush Limestone by Runnegar & Jell (1976) but is known from a number of other localities, e.g. the Middle Cambrian of Bornholm (Berg-Madsen & Peel, 1978) and New Zealand (MacKinnon, 1985) and the Lower Cambrian of Maly Karatau, Soviet Union (Missarzhevsky & Mambetov, 1981) and Anhui Province, China (Zhou & Xiao, 1984)

Summary

Introduction

The resurgence of interest in the non-trilobite faunas of the Cambrian has resulted in the description of many new taxa of problematic molluscs. Specimens from GGU collection 218832 from the Ekspedition Bræ Formation of the Brønlund Fjord Group show a similar range in morphological variation to that seen in the illustrations of the type species, M. georginensis, given by Runnegar & Jell

Results

Conclusion