Peter Cederström

Cenomanian—Campanian (Late Cretaceous) Mid-Palaeolatitude Sharks of Cretalamna appendiculata Type

The type species of the extinct lamniform genus Cretalamna, C. appendiculata, has been assigned a 50 Ma range (Albian—Ypresian) by a majority of previous authors. Analysis of a partly articulated dentition of a Cretalamna from the Smoky Hill Chalk, Kansas, USA (LACM 128126) and isolated teeth of the genus from Cenomanian to Campanian strata of Western Australia, France, Sweden, and the Western Interior of North America, indicates that the name of the type species, as applied to fossil material over the last 50 years, represents a large species complex. The middle Cenomanian part of the Gearle Siltstone, Western Australia, yielded C. catoxodon sp. nov. and “Cretalamna” gunsoni. The latter, reassigned to the new genus Kenolamna, shares several dental features with the Paleocene Palaeocarcharodon. Early Turonian strata in France produced the type species C. appendiculata, C. deschutteri sp. nov., and C. gertericorum sp. nov. Cretalamna teeth from the late Coniacian part of the Smoky Hill Chalk in Kansas are assigned to C. ewelli sp. nov., whereas LACM 128126, of latest Santonian or earliest Campanian age, is designated as holotype of C. hattini sp. nov. Early Campanian deposits in Sweden yielded C. borealis and C. sarcoportheta sp. nov. A previous reconstruction of the dentition of LACM 128126 includes a posteriorly situated upper lateroposterior tooth, with a distally curved cusp, demonstrably misplaced as a reduced upper “intermediate” tooth. As originally reconstructed, the dentition resembled that of cretoxyrhinids (sensu stricto) and lamnids. Tooth morphology, however, indicates an otodontid affinity for Cretalamna. The root is typically the most diagnostic feature on an isolated Cretalamna tooth. This porous structure is commonly abraded and/or corroded and, consequently, many collected Cretalamna teeth are indeterminable at species level.

Bradoriid Arthropods from the Lower-Middle Cambrian of Scania, Sweden

Three species of bradoriid arthropods from the lower to middle Cambrian transitional interval of Scania, southern Sweden, are described and illustrated: Beyrichona tinea from the top of the traditional lower Cambrian (Gislöv Formation; Ornamentaspis? linnarssoni Zone), and Hipponicharion eos and Alutella sp. from the basal portion of the traditional middle Cambrian (lowermost part of the Alum Shale Formation). The bradoriid fauna compares most closely with others previously described from western and eastern Avalonia (New Brunswick and England). The record of B. tinea suggests a correlation between the “Protolenus Zone” (Hupeolenus Zone) of western Avalonia and the O.? linnarssoni Zone of Scandinavia. Hipponicharion eos appears to be a fairly long-ranging species as it has previously been recorded from upper lower Cambrian or lower middle Cambrian strata in New Brunswick, Poland, and probably Sardinia. The record of H. eos from the lowermost part of the Alum Shale Formation suggests that this largely unfossiliferous interval in the Scanian succession is not younger than the Acadoparadoxides oelandicus Superzone. The genus Alutella has not previously been recorded from the Acado-Baltic Province.

A new lower Cambrian eodiscoid trilobite fauna from Swedish Lapland and its implications for intercontinental correlation

A lower Cambrian eodiscoid trilobite fauna and an associated holmiid trilobite, Holmia sp., are described from a bioclastic limestone at the top of the Tornetrask Formation in the Luobakti section, south of Lake Tornetrask, northern Sweden. Other associated polymerid trilobites include Orodes ? lapponica and Strenuaeva inflata . The precise age of the trilobite fauna cannot be determined, but its generic composition and stratigraphical position at the top of the lower Cambrian suggest that it was recovered from the Ornamentaspis ? linnarssoni Assemblage Zone. Two species of eodiscoids are present: Neocobboldia aff. dentata and Chelediscus acifer . The latter species is known previously from England and southeastern Newfoundland, and provides a novel link between upper lower Cambrian successions in Baltica and Avalonia.

Morphology, ontogeny and distribution of the Cambrian Series 2 ellipsocephalid trilobite Strenuaeva spinosa from Scandinavia

The ellipsocephalid trilobite Strenuaeva spinosa occurs widely in Scandinavia in the lower part of the Ornamentaspis? linnarssoni Zone (Cambrian Series 2). Its first appearance is a readily recognisable, widespread biohorizon in Scandinavia. During ontogeny, intergenal spines are lost and the librigenae develop from a generative zone in the genal region. The palpebro-ocular ridges are distinct and connected to the posterior part of the frontal glabellar lobe in the early meraspid period, but eye ridges become separate from the palpebral lobes and the glabella in the late meraspid period. S. spinosa is characterised by large genal spines, distinct axial spines and falcate pleural tips. The spines may have functioned in predation resistance. S. spinosa also has a small pointed projection at the anterolateral corners of some thoracic pleurae, the function of which is unknown. The presence of five furrows in the cephalic axial lobe of S. spinosa, best expressed in meraspides, suggests that the head of this ellipsocephalid trilobite was composed of six fused primary segments.

Early post-embryonic development in Ellipsostrenua (Trilobita, Cambrian, Sweden) and the developmental patterns in Ellipsocephaloidea

Abstract. This study documents the early post-embryonic developmental stages (protaspides and early meraspides) of the Cambrian trilobite Ellipsostrenua granulosa (Ahlberg, 1984) from the Gärdsjön Formation of Jämtland, Sweden. The early protaspid stage is characterized by a circular outline of the exoskeleton, two pairs of fixigenal spines, a short preglabellar field, a genal swelling, and prominent bacullae. The late protaspid stage differs only in having the trunk portion discernible. Early meraspid cranidia are sub-rectangular with prominent palpebral lobes, a wide anterior margin, a proportionally long anterior branch of the facial suture, and intergenal spines. Meraspid pygidia tentatively assigned to this species possess comparatively long macrospines. Small hypostomes associated with E. granulosa bear at least four pairs of marginal spines. A comparison of the early developmental stages of E. granulosa with some other species of Ellipsocephalidae and with species of the closely related Estaingiidae reveals several similarities. The conservative morphology of the early protaspid stage with only two pairs of fixigenal spines, the timing of the development of the trunk portion, and the presence of genal swellings and prominent bacullae could be phylogenetically informative. The range of size variation of the early protaspid stages in two families may be related either to taxonomical differences between Ellipsocephalidae and Estaingiidae, or to environmental differences in various paleogeographic settings.