Article: Coprolitic conodont assemblages from the Lower Westphalian of North Staffordshire

Coprolitic assemblages of conodonts belonging to Idiognathoides Harris and Hollingsworth have been found in a marine black shale of Lower Westphalian age, the Gastrioceras listeri marine band. The assemblages, although coprolitic, include most of the elements one would expect to find in an Upper Carboniferous assemblage which includes platform elements closely similar to Idiognathodus Gunnell. The P element corresponds to the form species element, Idiognathoides sinuatus Harris and Hollingsworth, the O1 element to Ozarkodina delicatula (Stauffer and Plummer), the A1c element to Hindeodella ibergensis, the A1c element to Hindeodella uncata (Hass) and the A2 element to Hindeodella simplex Higgins and Bouckaert. The proportions of the elements in the assemblages do not correspond to the proportions of these elements in the fauna extracted after hypochlorite treatment of the same horizon because of the breakage of fragile components during the breakdown process.