Biogeography of Ordovician and Silurian gastropods, monoplacophorans and mimospirids

Janove R. Ebbestad*, Jir̂í Frýda, Peter J. Wagner, Radvan J. Horný, Mare Isakar, Sarah Stewart, Ian G. Percival, Verónica Bertero, David M. Rohr, John S. Peel, Robert B. Blodgett, Anette E S Högström

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    22 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The biogeographical distribution of Ordovician and Silurian gastropods, monoplacophorans and mimospirids has been analysed on a generic level. The dataset contains 334 genera and 2769 species, yielding 1231 records of genera with 2274 occurrences worldwide. There is a bias towards eastern Laurentia, Baltica and Perunica records. Some 53.1% of the records are Ordovician. The study demonstrates that these molluscs are well suited to being used to improve understanding of Ordovician and Silurian biogeographical provinciality. Specific points are that: a Lower Ordovician assemblage is evident in Laurentia; the fauna of the Argentinean Precordillera is Laurentian until the Darriwilian, when taxa are shared with North China; Late Silurian gastropods from the Alexander terrane (SE Alaska) are unknown in Laurentia, but support a rift origin of this terrane from NE Siberia; Perunica, Ibero-Armorica and Morocco cluster together throughout the Ordovician but Perunica and Morocco are closer; Darriwilian-Sandbian deep-water Bohemian taxa occur in Baltica; a Laurentian-Baltica proximity is unsupported until the Silurian; Siberia clusters with North China and eastern Laurentia during the Tremadocian-Darriwilian; during the Gorstian-Pridoli Siberia clusters with the Farewell and Alexander terranes; North China may have been close to Laurentia and the Argentinean margin of Gondwana; and the affinity of Tarim taxa is problematic.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)199-220
    Number of pages22
    JournalGeological Society Memoir
    Volume38
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

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