New records and descriptions of recent Australian brachiopods (Terebratulida, Dallinidae and Aulocothyropsidae; and Rhynchonellida, Frieleiidae)

Abstract

The recent brachiopod fauna of Australia remains poorly understood with several species lacking upto-date descriptions, and with many unidentified or misidentified specimens in museum collections. A large collection of brachiopods housed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery was recently examined to allow the re-description of two Australian endemic Dallinid brachiopods, Jaffaia jaffaensis and Campages furcifera, and identify new species and species occurrences. Furthermore, the large number of specimens allowed ecological aspects to be explored. As a result, the morphology and variation of C. furcifera and J. jaffaensis were clarified and expanded, a new deep-sea Dallinid species, Dallina tasmaniaensis, sp. nov. was described, the first occurrence of this genus from Australia, and the deep-sea Aulocothyropsid species Fallax neocaledonensis and Rhynchonellid Neorhynchia strebeli were also recorded from Australia for the first time. Jaffaia was revealed to be far more alike Nipponithyris than previously appreciated. The morphometric relationships of the three Dallinid species were found to differ significantly, with the attachment substrata and epibiota particularly prominent and diverse for J. jaffaensis and C. furcifera. This research facilitates the improved identification of Australian brachiopods, significantly increases understanding of variation within local species, and highlights the underappreciated biodiversity of deep-sea brachiopods in Australian waters.