Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41 – 52

www.elsevier.com/locate/revpalbo

Late Cambrian acritarchs from the “Túnel Ordovícico del Fabar”,

Cantabrian Zone, N Spain
Roberto Albani a,⁎, Gabriella Bagnoli a , Enrique Bernárdez b ,
Juan Carlos Gutíerrez-Marco b , Cristiana Ribecai a
a
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Via S. Maria, 53-56126 Pisa, Italy
b
Instituto de Geología Económica (CSIC-UCM), Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Received 29 October 2004; received in revised form 10 March 2005; accepted 25 July 2005
Available online 14 March 2006

Abstract

A single sample from the La Matosa Member of the Barrios Formation, exposed during the excavation of the El Fabar Tunnel in
Asturias, N Spain, yielded a rich and well-preserved Late Cambrian acritarch assemblage. The Middle? to Upper Cambrian La
Matosa Member consists mainly of quartz sandstone and includes locally a thick fossiliferous intercalation of dark shale (“El Fabar
beds”) from which the acritarch sample was collected. The latter shale levels yielded also some linguliform brachiopods, olenid
trilobites and phyllocarid crustaceans.
Characteristic genera of the study sample are Acanthodiacrodium, Lusatia and Cristallinium. Other significant components are
Cymatiogalea, Timofeevia and Vulcanisphaera.
Lusatia dendroidea Burmann 1970, recorded for the first time in Spain, is a characteristic element of this assemblage. In the
study sample, the latter species is abundant, well-preserved and exhibits appreciable morphological variability.
This acritarch assemblage is correlated with the lower part of microflora RA5 of Parsons and Anderson [Parsons, M.G.,
Anderson, M.M., 2000. Acritarch microfloral succession from the Late Cambrian and Ordovician (early Tremadoc) of Random
Island, eastern Newfoundland, and its comparison to coeval microfloras, particularly those of the East European Platform. AASP
Contr. Ser. 38, 129 pp.] corresponding to the Protopeltura praecursor trilobite Zone.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: acritarchs; Late Cambrian; biostratigraphy; Cantabrian Zone; Spain

1. Introduction 2003) with a rich and diverse fossiliferous content. The

The excavation of the El Fabar tunnel of the
Cantabrian superhighway in the Asturias, northern
Spain (Fig. 1), provided the opportunity to investigate
continuous Cambrian to Ordovician successions of the
Laviana and Rioseco nappes (Gutiérrez-Marco et al.,
⁎ Corresponding author. Fax: +39 050 2215800.
E-mail address: albani@dst.unipi.it (R. Albani).
0034-6667/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2005.07.005
Cambrian to Ordovician exposure in the Cantabrian
Zone (NW Spain) is otherwise discontinuous and
sparsely fossiliferous (see Aramburu and Garcìa-
Ramos, 1993; Liñán et al., 2002; Aramburu et al.,
2004, for a more accurate regional stratigraphical setting
and previous references).
In the tunnel section, the Cambrian to Ordovician
Barrios Formation consists of ca. 800 m of white quartz
sandstone with some interbedded micaceous shale, and
conformably overlies Middle Cambrian glauconitic
42 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52

Fig. 1. Geological sketch map of the area between Caravia and Ribadesella (Asturias, N Spain) showing the northeastern ends of the Laviana (W) and
Rioseco nappes and the location of the El Fabar tunnel section (1) (modified after Gutiérrez-Marco et al., 2003).

sandstone and green shale of the Oville Formation (Fig.
2). In the lower part of the Barrios Formation,
corresponding to La Matosa Member, a ca. 40 m.
thick intercalation of dark shale, named as “El Fabar
beds”, occurs. These beds represent a deeper marine
facies, as testified also by the presence of some
phyllocarids, obolid brachiopods and olenid trilobites
of the Parabolina (Neoparabolina) assemblage, which
unconformably overlies tidal delta sandstone (Gutiérrez-
Marco and Bernárdez, 2003; Gutiérrez-Marco et al.,
2003).
The Middle Ordovician (upper Oretanian to lower
Dobrotivian) Sueve Formation is mainly composed by
shale and unconformably overlies the Barrios
Formation.
The rich Late Cambrian acritarch assemblage
described in this study is from a single sample collected
in the La Matosa Member during the excavation of the
tunnel. This sample comes from the lowermost part of
the El Fabar beds, being derived from an horizon of dark
shale directly above a 25 cm thick conglomeratic layer,
that is the basal transgressive lag which unconformably
overlies the lower part of the La Matosa Member of the
Barrios Formation. This unconformity represents a third
or second order sequence boundary within the local
Cambrian–Ordovician succession.
Previous published data on Late Cambrian acritarchs
from the Cantabrian Zone are by Fombella (1978,
1979), Fombella Blanco (1986, 1987) and Fombella
Blanco et al. (1993), from the inferred diachronous
Oville Formation (Fombella Blanco, 1986; Aramburu et
al., 1992; Aramburu and Garcìa-Ramos, 1993). The
diachronous character of the Oville Formation and its
stratigraphic relationships with the Barrios Formation
are not discussed in this paper. The acritarch assem-
blages from the Oville Formation, reportedly of Late
Cambrian age (Fombella, 1978, 1979; Fombella Blanco,
1986, 1987; Fombella Blanco et al., 1993), cannot be
directly compared with our assemblage because only
few long-ranging taxa are shared.
The only previous record of acritarchs from the
Barrios Formation is in an abstract by Vanguestaine and
 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52
Fig. 2. Stratigraphic section of the El Fabar tunnel with significant beds
and fossils from the Barrios Formation (from Gutiérrez-Marco et al.,
2003). Asterisk indicates the study level.
Aramburu (1988) that reported acritarchs of Middle to
Late Cambrian age from La Matosa Member in the
Barrios de Luna section (NW Spain).
Among the remaining Spanish Palaeozoic areas, Late
Cambrian acritarchs are known from the Iberian
Cordillera (Aragonese Branch), where Wolf (1980)
reported a small assemblage, recorded in a single sample
from near the base of the Borrachón Formation. This
was considered to be of basal Tremadocian age at that
time (Wolf, 1980), but after the formal designation of the
global standard for the Cambrian/Ordovician boundary
in 1999, the corresponding beds are unambiguously of
terminal Late Cambrian age. Moreover, the olenid–
asaphid trilobite assemblage (Parabolina Fauna)
recorded at higher levels within the Borrachón Forma-
43
tion may be also coeval with the latest Cambrian
Cordylodus proavus conodont Biozone (Gutiérrez-
Marco et al., 2002 and references therein).
In the same area (Borovia locality), Palacios (1997)
re-examined some acritarch assemblages from the
Torcas Fm. (Acón Group), previously studied by
Gámez et al. (1991). On the presence of characteristic
acritarch species (i.e. Eliasum llaniscum Fombella in
Fombella Blanco, 1977), the latter authors assigned
these samples to the Middle Cambrian Paradoxides
paradoxissimus Trilobite Superzone. According to
Palacios (1997), the new record, in the same samples,
of specimens referred to Cristallinium randomense
Martin in Martin and Dean, 1981 emend. Martin in
Martin and Dean, 1988, and Polygonium martinae
Moczydłowska and Crimes, 1995, suggested a Late
Cambrian age.
Nevertheless in a recent paper Gozalo et al. (2004)
revised data on Cambrian successions of Iberian
Cordillera and assigned the entire Torcas Fm to the
Middle Cambrian, thus supporting the previous (Gámez
et al., 1991) dating.
Late Cambrian acritarchs have also been recorded in
the Ossa Morena Zone, in an assemblage comprising,
among others, Dasydiacrodium obsonum Martin in
Martin and Dean, 1988 and Trunculumarium revinium
(Vanguestaine, 1973) Loeblich and Tappan, 1976, from
the upper “El Playón Beds” of the Alconera basin
(Palacios, 1993). The acritarch assemblage reported by
Mette (1989) from the Umbría–Pipeta Fm cropping-out
farther south, in the Barrancos–Hinojales area, was
considered by Palacios (1997) to be also of Late
Cambrian age, but comparison with the original illustra-
tions by Mette (1989) of the most important taxa was
inconclusive and the assemblage seems to fit better in the
Middle Cambrian, as stated originally by Mette.
2. Materials and methods
Forty-five grams of shale were processed using
standard palynological methods. After treatment with
hydrochloric acid (33%) and hydrofluoric acid (40%),
the residue was sieved in absolute ethanol, and then
concentrated by treatment with zinc bromide solution
(S.G. 2.5). Neither oxidative nor alkali treatments were
applied. The residue was studied using light microscopy
and scanning electron microscopy. The acritarchs are
abundant, well preserved and light brown in colour (TAI
3−–3+, Traverse, 1988, pl. 1). The figured specimens are
housed at the Museo Geominero of Madrid of the IGME
(Instituto Geológico y Minero de España); repository
MGM 1050K–MGM 1079K.
44 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52

3. Composition and stratigraphic significance of the

acritarch association

Twelve taxa have been identified at species level, and

7 more are left in open nomenclature, comprising 16
genera (Appendix 1). Acanthodiacrodium Timofeev,
1958, emend. Deflandre and Deflandre-Rigaud, 1962,
Lusatia Burmann, 1970 and Cristallinium Vangues-
taine, 1978 (Fig. 3) are especially abundant.
Upper Cambrian acritarch successions from Random
Island, eastern Newfoundland have been recently
investigated and compared with coeval microfloras
from different areas by Parsons and Anderson (2000).
Based on their biostratigraphic scheme, it is possible to
correlate the studied assemblage with microflora RA5,
Orthosphaeridium? extensum–Acanthodiacrodium sp.
B, even though microflora RA5 of Parsons and
Fig. 3. Histogram showing the relative abundance (percent) of
Anderson (2000, table 1) includes several species that acritarch genera of sampled level.
are not present in the El Fabar sample. Of the two key
taxa, Acanthodiacrodium sp. B was not recorded in this
study, and some specimens of O.? extensum as sphaeridium? triangulare (Umnova, 1975) Parsons and
illustrated by Parsons and Anderson (2000) are here Anderson, 2000, here tentatively assigned to Lusatia
tentatively included in the range of variability of Lusatia dendroidea, is also confined to the same interval.
dendroidea Burmann, 1970 (see taxonomical remarks). Known stratigraphic ranges of the other identified taxa
However, these problems notwithstanding, the acritarch are consistent with this interpretation.
association from the El Fabar beds can be correlated Parsons and Anderson (2000) correlated their
with microflora RA5 considering that Cymatiogalea Microflora RA5 with the Protopeltura praecursor and
virgulta Martin in Martin and Dean, 1988 and Vulcani- Peltura minor trilobite Zones, and compared it with the
sphaera turbata Martin in Martin and Dean, 1981 do not Microflora A5 of Martin and Dean (1981, 1988) from
extend higher than microflora RA5; Poikilofusa sp. A of Random Island, eastern Newfoundland. Parsons and
Parsons and Anderson (2000) and Impluviculus multi- Anderson (2000) included in their Microflora RA5 two
angularis Umnova in Umnova and Vanderflit, 1971 samples (C-98021 and C-98022) that Martin (in Martin
make their appearance in microflora RA5; and Vulcani- and Dean, 1988) assigned to the upper part of her
sphaera spinulifera (Volkova, 1990) Parsons and Microflora A4. This was because Trunculumarium
Anderson, 2000 is restricted to this interval. Ortho- revinium (Vanguestaine, 1973) Loeblich and Tappan,

Plate I. For each illustrated specimen the following information is given: sample label, slide number, repository number and England Finder
coordinate. Scale bars: 10 μm, except where otherwise indicated.

1–2a. Acanthodiacrodium achrasi Martin, 1973.

1. Tun-Filocar, slide II/1, MGM-1050K, P28.
2. Tun-Filocar, stub4, MGM-1051K, S44.
2a. Enlargement of the same specimen, showing detail of spines.
3, 4. Acanthodiacrodium sp.
3. Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, P50-2, MGM-1052K, N29/3.
4. Tun-Filocar, stub 6, K37-3, paratype; MGM-1053K, K44.
5. Cristallinium cambriense (Slavíková, 1968; Vanguestaine, 1978) Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1054K, Y28.
6–8. Cymatiogalea virgulta Martin in Martin and Dean, 1988.
6. Tun-Filocar, slide II/sn, MGM-1055K, P35/3.
7. Tun-Filocar, slide II/sn, MGM-1056K, P29/1.
8. Tun-Filocar, stub 2, MGM-1057K, R46.
9,10. Dasydiacrodium obsonum Martin in Martin and Dean, 1988.
9. Tun-Filocar, stub 2, MGM-1058K, Q44.
10. Tun-Filocar, slide II/1, MGM-1059K, Q47/3.
11. Impluviculus multiangularis (Umnova, 1971) Volkova, 1990. Tun-Filocar, slide II/1, MGM-1060K, Q44/2.
R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52 45
46 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52
 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52
1976, whose abundance characterizes Microflora A4, is
only present as a single specimen in one sample.
Leiofusa stoumonensis Vanguestaine, 1973, another
characteristic component of Microflora A4, is rare or
absent in RA5. Therefore, the upper part of Microflora
A4 of Martin (in Martin and Dean, 1988) is similar in
composition to the lower part of Microflora RA5 of
Parsons and Anderson (2000), thus corresponding to
the P. praecursor Zone. The acritarch distribution
reported by the latter authors in table 2 (section
extending from north of Weybridge to north of Elliot's
Cove) and table 3 (Section 1, from south of Bounds
Mead to north of the causeway) indicates that in this
interval Dasydiacrodium caudatum Vanguestaine,
1973 and L. stoumonensis are not present, and that
T. revinium is present only in one sample, and
Acanthodiacrodium sp. B, the index species of
Microflora RA5, makes its appearance only in the P.
minor Zone. Therefore, the composition of the study
assemblage, where D. caudatum, L. stoumonensis, T.
revinium and Acanthodiacrodium sp. B are not
present, is more likely to correlate with the lower
part of microflora RA5. On the other hand, in our
sample, Poikilofusa sp. A of Parsons and Anderson
(2000), Impluviculus multiangularis, Vulcanisphaera
spinulifera, and Orthosphaeridium? triangulare (ten-
tatively assigned here to Lusatia dendroidea) are
present, whereas they make their entry, according to
Parsons and Anderson (2000) at higher levels of
Microflora RA5. This could be explained by the scarce
acritarch content in the lower part of RA5 from Random
Island, by a different geographical distribution, or,
possibly, because of a previously uninvestigated interval
in eastern Newfoundland.
One of the most characteristic and well-preserved
taxa of our association is the genus Lusatia, which is
doubtfully present in the Newfoundland microfloras.
Uncertainties about taxonomic assignment derive from
Plate II. For each illustrated specimen the following information is given: sample label, slide number, repository number and England Finder
coordinate. Scale bars: 10 μm, except where otherwise indicated.
1–4,7. Lusatia dendroidea Burmann, 1970.
1. Tun-Filocar, slide II/sn, MGM-1061K, P49/2.
2. Tun-Filocar, slide II/sn, MGM-1062K, U36/3.
3. Tun-Filocar, slide II/sn, MGM-1063K, Q49/2
4. Tun-Filocar, stub 1, MGM-1064K, O44.
7. Tun-Filocar, slide II/2, MGM-1065K, J39.
5,9. Polygonium sp.
5. Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1066K, F29.
9. Tun-Filocar, stub 8, MGM-1067K, O45/4.
6. Poikilofusa sp. A, Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1068K, F29.
8. Virgatasporites rudii Combaz, 1967, Tun-Filocar, slide II/1, MGM-1069K, G28/4.
10. Saharidia sp., Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1070K, D41/4.
47
the fact that taxa herein tentatively assigned to Lusatia,
i.e. Orthosphaeridium? extensum and Orthosphaeri-
dium? triangulare of Parsons and Anderson (2000), are
poorly preserved and none of the figured specimens is
complete.
Lusatia is well-represented in assemblage VK4 of
Volkova (1990), from the Moscow syneclise, Russia.
Other shared species are Cristallinium cambriense
(Slavíková, 1968) Vanguestaine, 1978, Vulcanisphaera
(as Raphaesphaera) spinulifera, Impluviculus multi-
angularis, Veryhachium? dumontii Vanguestaine, 1973,
Timofevia phosphoritica Vanguestaine, 1978, Virgatas-
porites rudii Combaz, 1967 (as Leiosphaeridia sp. 1).
Nevertheless, according to Parsons and Anderson
(2000), the stratigraphic position of assemblage VK4
cannot be properly established, owing to possible
reworking from older beds.
The following species, namely Timofeevia phosphor-
itica, Vulcanisphaera turbata, Impluviculus multiangu-
laris, Veryhachium? dumontii, Cymatiogalea virgulta,
Dasydiacrodium obsonum Martin in Martin and Dean,
1988, Lusatia dendroidea (as Lusatia sp. 1) were
reported also from the Upper Cambrian of Belgium
and northern France (Ribecai and Vanguestaine, 1993),
from levels between Zones 5 and 6 of Vanguestaine
(1986). We can exclude correlation of the studied
assemblage with the latter zones, owing to the absence
of Trunculumarium revinium (Zone 5) and Ladogella
rommelaerei (Martin, 1981) Di Milia et al., 1989 (Zone
6). The El Fabar microflora might correspond to the cf.
Zone 5 that is said to correlate with the lower part of
microflora RA5 from Random Island by Parsons and
Anderson (2000).
4. Conclusions
The rich and well-preserved acritarch assemblage
from the El Fabar beds indicates the presence of a Late
48 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52

Cambrian palynoflora in the La Matosa Member of the trilobite Zone. This interval is here reported for the first
Barrios Formation, allowing precise palynological time in Spain and it is characterized by the high
dating of the El Fabar beds. The acritarch association variability of representatives of the genus Lusatia
has been correlated with the Protopeltura praecursor Burmann, 1970.
 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52 49

The studied acritarch assemblage and the presence of
articulate carapaces of olenid trilobites and phylloarids
in the El Fabar beds support the interpretation of a
deeper environmental setting for this level within La
Matosa Member (Gutiérrez-Marco et al., 2003).
5. Taxonomical notes
Identified taxa are all figured and listed in alphabet-
ical order. Well known taxa are only listed and figured
and not discussed further.
Genus Acanthodiacrodium Timofeev, 1958, emend.
Deflandre and Deflandre-Rigaud, 1962.
Type–species — Acanthodiacrodium dentiferum Timo-
feev, 1958 (fixed by monotypy).
Acanthodiacrodium sp.
(Plate I; 3, 4).
Dimensions (6 specimens): vesicle width 22.4 (24) 25.8
μm, length 25.3 (27.8) 30.4 μm; equatorial zone length
10 (12) 15 μm; process length 6.9 (12.3) 17.2 μm.
Description: Vesicle outline sub-rectangular with straight
to slightly convex sides. Processes distributed at the
opposite poles, numerous, ca. 10–15 at each pole,
homomorphic, hollow and freely communicating with
vesicle interior, subconical, with pointed tips. Eilyma psilate
to scabrate without diacrodian folds in the wide equatorial
zone. Excystment structure in form of a longitudinal split
observed only in one specimen (Plate I, 3).
Remarks: Acanthodiacrodium achrasi differs from
Acanthodiacrodium sp. by having shorter processes
and spiny ornamentation on vesicle and process eilyma.
Genus Lusatia Burmann, 1970.
Type–species: Lusatia dendroidea Burmann, 1970.
Lusatia dendroidea Burmann, 1970.
(Plate II; 1–4, 7)
1970 Lusatia dendroidea sp. n. Burmann, p. 296, Pl. VI,
figs. 1–4.
? 1978 Lusatia aff. dendroidea Burmann—Dean and
Martin, p. 8, Pl. 3, Fig. 21.
1990 Lusatia dendroidea Burmann—Volkova, p. 71, Pl.
XXI, figs. 1–2.
?1990 Lusatia triangularis (N. Umnova, 1975) comb.
nov. — Volkova, pp. 71–72, Pl. XXI, figs. 5–7.
?1990 Lusatia sp. 1 — Volkova, pp. 72–73, Pl. XXI,
figs. 3–4.
?1993 Lusatia? sp. 1 — Ribecai and Vanguestaine, Pl. I,
fig. 11.
?2000 Orthosphaeridium? extensum sp. nov. Parsons
and Anderson, pp. 61–62 (partim), Pl. 9, figs. 1,
3, 4, 10, 13 (non figs. 2, 11, 12).
?2000 Orthosphaeridium? triangulare Umnova, 1975,
comb. nov.—Parsons and Anderson, p. 62, Pl. 9,
fig. 5.
Dimensions (68 specimens): vesicle width 18.4 (26) 34.5
μm, length 23.5 (33.2) 40.2 μm; apical process length
43.7 (69.9) 90.8 μm; antapical process length 42.5
(62.7) 88.5 μm; branching length 12.6 (31.1) 49.5 μm.
Remarks: According to the original diagnosis, Lusatia
dendroidea is characterized by a vesicle with three
processes, two of which are branched. Most of studied
specimens conform with Burmann's (1970) diagnosis;
however, some forms exhibit one, two or four processes.

Plate III. For each illustrated specimen the following information is given: sample label, slide number, repository number and England Finder
coordinate. Scale bars: 10 μm, except where otherwise indicated.

1-2a. Stelliferidium? sp.

1. Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1071K, P27/1.
2. Tun-Filocar, stub 8, MGM-1072K, P46/2.
2a. Enlargement of the same specimen, showing detail of processes arranged in small polygonal fields.
3–4. Timofeevia phosphoritica Vanguestaine, 1978.
3. Tun-Filocar, stub 2, MGM-1073K, R48.
3a. Enlargement of the same specimen, showing detail of plate margins
4. Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1074K, O45/1.
5. Vulcanisphaera turbata Martin in Martin and Dean,1981. Tun-Filocar, slide II/1, MGM-1075K, J49/2.
6. Veryhachium? dumontii Vanguestaine, 1973. Tun-Filocar, slide II/1. MGM-1076K, G29.
7. Stelliferidium cortinulum (Deunff, 1961) Deunff et al., 1974. Tun-Filocar, slide > 10/1, MGM-1077K, T28/1.
8–9a. Vulcanisphaera spinulifera (Volkova, 1990) Parsons and Anderson, 2000.
8. Tun-Filocar, slide > 50/2, MGM-1078K, K48.
9. Tun-Filocar, stub 2, MGM-1079K, Q45/3.
9a. Detail of the same specimen showing the characteristic short process tuft.
50 R. Albani et al. / Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 139 (2006) 41–52
Tentatively, the present authors include them in Lusatia
dendroidea. Studies on more than one sample are
necessary to understand whether this wide morpholog-
ical variability indicates one or more species.
Previous records: Upper Cambrian: Moscow Sineclise,
East European Platform (Volkova, 1990); N France
(Ribecai and Vanguestaine, 1993); eastern Newfoundland,
Canada (Parsons and Anderson, 2000)? Tremadocian:
Saxo-Thuringia, Germany (Burmann, 1970); eastern
Newfoundland, Canada (Dean and Martin, 1978).
Genus Poikilofusa (Staplin et al., 1965) Loeblich and
Tappan, 1978.
Type–species: Poikilofusa spinata Staplin et al., 1965
(by original designation).
Poikilofusa sp. A.
(Plate II; 6).
2000 Poikilofusa sp. A—Parsons and Anderson, pp.
62–63, Pl. 9, fig. 9 (cum syn.)
Dimensions (2 specimens): vesicle width 20.7–26.4 μm;
vesicle length 136.2–149.7 μm.
Remarks: The outline of the present specimens closely
conform with that of Poikilofusa sp. A described by
Parsons and Anderson (2000), the vesicle being slightly
constricted towards either ends. The present forms have
slightly sculptured eilyma with longitudinally arranged
grana, more visible on the distal ends.
Previous records: Upper Cambrian: northwest Wales
(Young et al., 1994); Estonia (Paalits, 1992); eastern
Newfoundland, Canada (Parsons and Anderson, 2000).
Genus Stelliferidium Deunff et al., 1974.
Type–species: Stelliferidium striatulum (Vavrdová,
1966) Deunff et al., 1974 (by original designation).
Stelliferidium? sp.
(Plate III; 1–2a).
2000 Stelliferidium sp. B—Parsons and Anderson, pp.
67–68, Pl. 12, figs. 10–12.
Dimensions (6 specimens): vesicle diameter 25.8 (27.2)
28.1 μm; process length 3.4 (4.9) 6.9 μm; pylome
diameter 18.4 μm.
Remarks: Stelliferidium? sp. conforms with the descrip-
tion of Stelliferidium sp. B by Parsons and Anderson
(2000), having 40–60 short cylindrical processes with
palmate terminations, and a pattern of radiating striae
extending from the process bases. A veil connecting the
processes is frequently present (Plate III, 1,2). The
eilyma sculpture consists of irregularly arranged wrinkles
giving the appearance of a pitted surface visible also
under light microscope. However, the present forms
appear to have processes arranged in polygonal fields
(Plate III, 2,2a). Thus a tentative generic attribution of
the above specimens is herein preferred.
Previous records: Upper Cambrian: eastern Newfound-
land, Canada (Parsons and Anderson, 2000).
Acknowledgements
Stewart Molyneux and Michel Vanguestaine contrib-
uted to improve the manuscript with useful comments
and suggestions. This work was supported by a grant to
Prof. G. Bagnoli (“Cofinanziamento di Ateneo”, Pisa
University).
Appendix A. List of acritarch taxa
Acanthodiacrodium achrasi Martin, 1973.
Acanthodiacrodium sp.
Baltisphaeridium sp.
Cristallinium cambriense (Slavíková, 1968) Vanguestaine,
1978.
Cymatiogalea virgulta Martin in Martin and Dean, 1988.
Dasydiacrodium obsonum Martin in Martin and Dean,
1988.
Impluviculus multiangularis (Umnova in Umnova and
Vanderflit, 1971) Volkova, 1990.
Lusatia dendroidea Burmann, 1970.
Micrhystridium spp.
Polygonium sp.
Poikilofusa sp. A
Saharidia sp.
Stelliferidium cortinulum (Deunff, 1961) Deunff et al.,
1974.
Stelliferidium? sp.
Timofeevia phosphoritica Vanguestaine, 1978.
Veryhachium? dumontii Vanguestaine, 1973.
Virgatasporites rudii Combaz, 1967
Vulcanisphaera spinulifera (Volkova, 1990) Parsons and
Anderson, 2000.
Vulcanisphaera turbata Martin in Martin and Dean,
1981.
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