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Article: The macro‐ and microfossil record of the Cambrian priapulid Ottoia

Palaeontology - Vol. 58 Part 4 - Cover Image
Publication: Palaeontology
Volume: 58
Part: 4
Publication Date: July 2015
Page(s): 705 721
Author(s): Martin R. Smith, Thomas H. P. Harvey, and Nicholas J. Butterfield
Addition Information

How to Cite

SMITH, M.R., HARVEY, T.H.P., BUTTERFIELD, N.J. 2015. The macro‐ and microfossil record of the Cambrian priapulid Ottoia. Palaeontology, 58, 4, 705-721. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12168

Author Information

  • Martin R. Smith - University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences Cambridge UK (Email: ms609@cam.ac.uk)
  • Thomas H. P. Harvey - University of Leicester Department of Geology Leicester UK (Email: thph2@leicester.ac.uk)
  • Nicholas J. Butterfield - University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences Cambridge UK (Email: njb1005@cam.ac.uk)

Publication History

  • Issue published online: 30 June 2015
  • Article first published online: 01 January 1970
  • Manuscript Accepted: 31 March 2015
  • Manuscript Received: 11 December 2014

Funded By

Sylvester‐Bradley Award
Clare College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Petroleum Research Fund (American Chemical Society)
Natural Environment Research Council Grant. Grant Number: NE/H009914/1

Online Version Hosted By

Wiley Online Library (Open Access)
Get Article: Wiley Online Library [Open Access]

Abstract

The stem‐group priapulid Ottoia Walcott, 1911, is the most abundant worm in the mid‐Cambrian Burgess Shale, but has not been unambiguously demonstrated elsewhere. High‐resolution electron and optical microscopy of macroscopic Burgess Shale specimens reveals the detailed anatomy of its robust hooks, spines and pharyngeal teeth, establishing the presence of two species: Ottoia prolifica Walcott, 1911, and Ottoia tricuspida sp. nov. Direct comparison of these sclerotized elements with a suite of shale‐hosted mid‐to‐late Cambrian microfossils extends the range of ottoiid priapulids throughout the middle to upper Cambrian strata of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Ottoiid priapulids represented an important component of Cambrian ecosystems: they occur in a range of lithologies and thrived in shallow water as well as in the deep‐water setting of the Burgess Shale. A wider survey of Burgess Shale macrofossils reveals specific characters that diagnose priapulid sclerites more generally, establishing the affinity of a wide range of Small Carbonaceous Fossils and demonstrating the prominent role of priapulids in Cambrian seas.

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