Abstract

New material of the cirripede genus Concinnalepas is described from the Kimmeridge Clay (Tithonian) of Dorset (UK) and the Marnes de Port (Bathonian) of Port-en-Bessin in Normandy (France). Articulated specimens of C. costata (Withers, 1928), attached to driftwood from Kimmeridge, provide hitherto unknown details of tiered lateral plate formation in the species, and Concinnalepas bessinensis sp. nov. and C. rugosa sp. nov. are described from Normandy and Dorset, respectively. Concinnalepas bessinensis sp. nov. is the oldest calcite-shelled cirripede known to date. A review of the distribution of Jurassic calcareous cirripedes demonstrates that pre-Kimmeridgian records are very sparse and scattered and the early evolutionary history of the group is poorly known. The late Kimmeridgian and Tithonian saw a radiation of the Family Zeugmatolepadidae and a great increase in abundance of cirripedes that mostly lived as epiplankton, attached to driftwood and ammonite shells.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call