Novel coprolitic records from the Silurian (Přídolí) Wallace Shale of New South Wales

Abstract

Evidence of successful predation or scavenging in the fossil record represents important palaeobiological data to more thoroughly understanding extinct ecosystems. Shelly coprolites are particularly useful indications of durophagous predation in deposits, as they can have a higher preservational potential than their producers. Here we present a new shelly coprolite from the Silurian (Přídolí) Wallace Shale of New South Wales, Australia. This specimen contains abundant fragments of the trilobite Denckmannites rutherfordi Sherwin, 1968 that show limited disarticulation across exoskeletal sections. We propose that a pterygotid eurypterid was the most likely producer of this coprolite, although trilobites and fishes are not completely excluded as possible trace-makers. In documenting this specimen, we highlight that the Wallace Shale likely preserves a more complex palaeoecosystem than previously thought and renewed efforts to understand this deposit are needed in light of this new insight. R.D.C. Bicknell [rdcbicknell@gmail.com], Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia; P.M. Smith [Patrick.Smith@austmus.gov.au], Palaeontology Department, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia; J. Kimmig [julien.kimmig@smnk.de], Abteilung Geowissenschaften, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, 76133, Germany.