North Esk River, Pentland Hills, SW Edinburgh (Silurian of the United Kingdom)

Also known as ?Liospira simulans-?Synek sp. Assoc., low Wether Law Linn Fm., Pentland Hills

Where: Scotland, United Kingdom (55.8° N, 3.4° W: paleocoordinates 15.8° S, 20.8° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Cyrtograptus lapworthi graptolite zone, Grain Heads Siltstone Member (Wether Law Linn Formation), Telychian (438.5 - 433.4 Ma)

• I had this as Cyrtograptus lapworthi; Ebbestad & Gutierrez-Marco (2017) say Stimulograptus sedgwickii/Cyrtograptus insectus. Was "Lower" = Grain Heads Siltstone member.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; bioturbated, silty mudstone and bioturbated, sandy siltstone

• Judged to consist of disturbed neighborhood assemblages. Fossils rarely damaged, locally in life position. May be biocoenosis. Moderate fossil abundance and low intensity of bioturbation suggests rapid deposition. Burrow marins poorly defined, suggesting soft sediments. Low energy environment. Fossils slightly disturbed by bioturbation and weak currents.

•Overall sequence of sediments treated here "represents a marine regression from offshore turbidite facies, through shallow water facies with abundant flora and fauna, to terrestrial red beds, of Old Red Sandstone facies. Sediments belonging to the highest Cock Rig Formation and Lower Member of the Wether Law LInn Formation constitute part of the shallow water marine facies."

• Occurs in silty mudstones and fine-sandy siltstones...low intensity of bioturbation

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Author gives percent abundance data, averaged over numerous sampled blocks.

Primary reference: G. Robertson. 1999. Upper Llandovery fossil associations in the Pentland HIlls, Scotland. In A. J. Boucot and J. D. Lawson (eds.), Paleocommunities--a case study from the Silurian and Lower Devonian 408-418 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 23302: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 11.07.2002, edited by Pete Wagner

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Hexactinellida
 Reticulosa - Amphispongiidae
Amphispongia oblongata
unclassified
  -
Echinodermata indet.
Echinodermata indet. Klein 1754
pelmatozoan
Gastropoda
  -
Gastropoda indet.2
Gastropoda indet.2 Cuvier 1795 snail
 Murchisoniina - Loxonematidae
Loxonema sp.
Loxonema sp. Phillips 1841 snail
genus name in quotes
 Murchisoniina - Eotomariidae
? Liospira simulans
? Liospira simulans Salter 1861 snail
 Bellerophontida - Pterothecidae
Pterotheca trimerelloides n. sp.1
Pterotheca trimerelloides n. sp.1 Clarkson et al. 1995 snail
 Euomphalina - Craspedostomatidae
Spirina antiquata
Spirina antiquata Salter 1861 snail
 Euomphalina - Oriostomatidae
"? Gyronema salteri" = Hecetastoma salteri
"? Gyronema salteri" = Hecetastoma salteri Haswell 1865 snail
Bivalvia
 Nuculida - Praenuculidae
? Synek sp.
? Synek sp. Barrande 1881 clam
 Solenida - Orthonotidae
Orthonota sp.
Orthonota sp. Conrad 1841 clam
 Modiomorphida - Allodesmatidae
? Anodontopsis lucina
 Cyrtodontida - Cyrtodontidae
? Cyrtodontula sp.
? Cyrtodontula sp. Tomlin 1931 clam
 Ostreida - Pterineidae
Leptodesma (Leptodesma) sp.
Cephalopoda
 Nautiloidea -
Nautiloidea indet.
Nautiloidea indet. Agassiz 1847 nautiloid
Hyolitha
 Hyolithida - Hyolithidae
Hyolithes sp.
Hyolithes sp. d'Eichwald 1840
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Sowerbyellidae
Eoplectodonta penkillensis
 Strophomenida -
Strophochonetes (Strophochonetes) sp.
 Strophomenida - Furcitellidae
Pentlandina cf. parva
 Orthotetida - Chilidiopsidae
Coolinia pecten, Coolinia applanata
Coolinia pecten Linnaeus 1758
Coolinia applanata Salter 1846
Rhynchonellata
 Orthida - Dalmanellidae
Visbyella visbyensis
Visbyella visbyensis Lindstrom 1861
 Atrypida - Atrypidae
Atrypa (Atrypa) sp.
Atrypa (Atrypa) sp. Dalman 1828
 Atrypida - Anazygidae
Pentlandella pentlandica
 Protorthida - Skenidiidae
Skenidioides lewisii
Skenidioides lewisii Davidson 1848
Lingulata
 Lingulida - Lingulidae
Lingula sp.
Lingula sp. Bruguiére 1797
Stenolaemata
 Cryptostomata - Arthrostylidae
? Helopora sp.
? Helopora sp. Hall 1851
 Trepostomata - Aisenvergiidae
? Eridotrypa sp.
? Eridotrypa sp. Ulrich 1893
Polychaeta
  -
Machaeridia indet.
Trilobita
 Phacopida - Phacopidae
Acernaspis (Eskaspis) sufferta
Acernaspis (Eskaspis) sufferta Lamont 1947 trilobite
 Phacopida - Encrinuridae
Encrinurus expansus
Encrinurus expansus Haswell 1865 trilobite
Malacostraca
 Archaeostraca -
Dictyocaris sp.
Dictyocaris sp. Salter 1860
Ostracoda
 Palaeocopida - Craspedobolbinidae
Craspedobolbina (Mitrobeyrichia) impendens
1Clarkson et al. 1995; 2Wagner 2023