Trilobites from the Giles Creek Dolostone (Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5; Templetonian) Amadeus Basin, central Australia

Twelve trilobite species, plus rare agnostid arthropods, are described from the Giles Creek Dolostone (Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5; Templetonian) at Ross River Gorge and Gaylad Dam in the north-eastern Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory, central Australia. Amphoton krusei sp. nov., Nepea ommacrada sp. nov., Penarosa oepiki sp. nov. and Schopfaspis shergoldi sp. nov. are described in association with Deiradonyx toddi Öpik, 1982, Dinesus sp., Kootenia sp., Pagetia silicunda Jell, 1975, Solenoparia sp., Tonkinella? sp., Xystridura filifera Öpik, 1975a, and Xystridura gayladia Öpik, 1975a, in addition to indeterminate agnostids. Pagetia silicunda and Xystridura filifera suggest an early Templetonian age, within the Pentagnostus anabarensis or Pentagnostus praecurrens Zone. This is supported by the co-occurrence of Amphoton Lorenz, 1906, Deiradonyx, Öpik, 1982, Dinesus Etheridge, 1896 and Kootenia Walcott, 1889, all of which occur in Templetonian successions in the Georgina Basin (Northern Territory and Queensland), Gnalta Shelf (western New South Wales) and the Heathcote Greenstone Belt (Victoria). We argue that the Tempe Formation (central Amadeus Basin) and the Giles Creek Dolostone are not contemporaneous as previously suggested, indicating that regional stratigraphical schemes need to be amended.