An early Cambrian faunule from the Koolywurtie Limestone Member (Parara Limestone), Yorke Peninsula, South Australia and its biostratigraphic significance

Abstract

An early Cambrian shelly faunule from the Koolywurtie Limestone Member (Parara Limestone) at Teppers Knoll on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, includes lingulate brachiopods, a variety of small shelly fossils such as tommotiids, hyolithelminth tubes and orthothecides, chancelloriid sclerites, sponge spicules, in addition to the oldest known occurrence of the redlichioid trilobite Xela. Correlation using faunas from other South Australian successions suggests that the member, in addition to the archaeocyathan fauna referred to as the 'Syringocnema favus beds', are early Botoman (pre-Pararaia janeae Zone) in age.