Reply to discussion Reply to discussion by Maletz on: Stone, P. & Rushton, A.W.A.2003. A late Arenig (early Yapeenian) graptolite fauna and the coeval tectonic development of the Ballantrae Complex ophiolite, SW Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology, 39, 29–40.

Abstract

Reply to discussion by Maletz on: P. Stone & A.W.A. Rushton 2003. A late Arenig (early Yapeenian) graptolite fauna and the coeval tectonic development of the Ballantrae Complex ophiolite, SW Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology, 39, 29–40. We thank Dr Maletz for his comments on the graptolite fauna from the North Ballaird Borehole. In identifying the horizon as Yapeenian, we relied partly on the identification of Yutagraptusl v-deflexus. Williams & Stevens thought that their X. declinatus was, like Y.? v-deflexus, a Yapeenian fossil; they, like us, laid more weight on the presence of a supposed index for that unit than on the absence of other such local indices as Oncograptus. We agree that, if one accepts that Xiphograptus declinatus is the same as Yutagraptus? v-defiexus and that both occur in the immediately underlying Castlemainian 4 interval, our case for the presence of a Yapeenian fauna is weakened. We are grateful to him for drawing our attention to Pseudisograptus initialis and accept the suggestion that the specimens we identified as Arienigraptus gracilis (our fig. 4) are better referred …