Homalonotid trilobites from the Silurian and Lower Devonian of south-eastern Australia and New Zealand (Arthropoda: Trilobita: Homalonotidae)
Author
Sandford, Andrew C.
text
Memoirs of Museum Victoria
2005
2005-12-31
62
1
1
66
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/collections-research/journals/memoirs-of-museum-victoria/volume-62-issue-1-2005/pages-1-66/
journal article
10.24199/j.mmv.2005.62.1
1447-2554
12209508
Homalonotus williamsi
sp. nov.
Figures 10.1–10.4
Type material.
Holotype NMV P308674 (cephalon) from PL6615, Jutson locality VII, Eden Park, Victoria (Fig. 10.1). Paratypes NMV P308675 (pygidium), NMV P308676 (cephalon) from PL6615. Paratype NMV P304511 (pygidium) from PL6614, Jutson locality VI, Eden Park. For localities see Fig. 11.
Figure 10.1–10.4
Homalonotus williamsi
sp. nov.
1a, holotype NMV P308674, cephalon, dorsal view X 2.1 (internal mould) from PL6615. 1b, same, anterior view. 1c, same, oblique view X 2.3 (latex cast). 1d, same, dorsal view. 2a, paratype NMV P308676, cranidium, dorsal view X 1.3 (internal mould) from PL6615. 2b, same, lateral view X 1.2. 2c, same, anterior view X 1.3. 3, paratype NMV P308675, pygidium, oblique view X 3.0 (latex cast) from PL6615. 4a, paratype NMV P304511, pygidium, oblique view X 1.35 (internal mould) from PL6614. 4b, same, dorsal view X 1.45.
Figure 10.5–10.11,
Homalonotus talenti
sp. nov.
5a, paratype NMV P304952, pygidium, dorsal view X 1.1 (latex cast) from PL6651. 5b, same, posterodorsal view. 6, paratype NMV P304953, pygidium, oblique view X 1.2 (latex cast) from PL6651. 7a, paratype NMV P304921, pygidium, lateral view X 1.6 (internal mould) from PL6650. 7b, same, dorsal view. 7c, same, posteroventral view. 7d, same, posterior view. 7e, same, ventral view (doublure). 8a, paratype NMV P304917, pygidium, posteroventral view X 1.2 (internal mould) from PL6650. 8b, same, dorsal view X 1.6. 8c, same, lateral view X 1.4. 9, paratype NMV P304918, pygidium, dorsal view X 2.6 (latex cast) from PL6650. 10, paratype NMV P304920, pygidium, lateral view X 2.7 (internal mould) from PL6650. 11, paratype P304922, pygidium, dorsal view X 1.5 (internal mould) from PL6650.
Figure 11. Geological sketch map of the Springfield-Kinglake West area showing Llandovery-Lochkovian fossil localities yielding homalonotids. For other fossil localities see also
Jutson (1908
, pl. 3),
Thomas (1960)
,
Talent (1964
, fig. 1),
Williams (1964
, fig. 2),
Garratt (1972
,
1977
),
Rickards and Sandford (1998
, fig. 6),
Sandford (2002
, fig. 1C; 2005, figs 2–3).
Other material.
NMV
P304512 from
PL
6614.
Stratigraphic distribution.
Macropleura
band, Eden Park Formation (130–140 metres above base of unit), lowermost
Notoparmella plentiensis
Assemblage Zone
, early-mid Ludlow.
Derivation of name
. For George E. Williams, for his contribution to Victorian stratigraphy.
Diagnosis
. Cephalon wide, length 0.6 times width. Glabella long, length 1.15 times width, sides more or less straight, tapering at about 15º, anterior margin broadly rounded, arc centred at 0.55 glabellar length. Glabellar length 0.92 times cranidial length. Glabellar lobation distinct, S1 and S2 expressed as deep notches adjacent to the axial furrows but very shallow abaxially, placed opposite 0.43 and 0.63 glabellar length respectively. Axial furrows moderately impressed on internal moulds (shallow on external moulds), preglabellar furrow very deeply impressed. Rostral plate with length of dorsal surface 0.11 times cephalic length, width (across rostral suture) 1.9 times length, triangular. Genae moderately swollen, lateral border furrow moderately impressed. Eye placed with midline of palpebral lobe opposite 0.67 glabellar length. Anterior branch of facial suture with posterior section straight and strongly convergent (at about 90º), anterior section evenly curving to the transverse. Rostral suture weakly convex. Pygidium triangular in outline, sides straight, converging posteriorly at about 100º. Axial furrows moderately impressed. Pygidial axis strongly convex, raised, sides converging at about 25º, continuous posteriorly with wide postaxial ridge. Pleural field with 7 ribs. Pleural and ring furrows moderately impressed, of subequal depth.
Discussion.
Homalonotus williamsi
closely resembles
H. talenti
from the lower Ludlow-lower Pr˘ídolí strata of the Heathcote area. Differences in cephalic morphology are subtle, but
talenti
can be distinguished in that the glabella is less elongate (glabellar length 1.1 times width) S1-S3 are extremely weakly impressed to indistinct, the axial furrows are much shallower, the preglabellar furrow and preglabellar field are notably shorter (exsag. and sag., glabellar length 0.95 times cranidial length), the eyes are more posteriorly placed (midline of palpebral lobe opposite 0.55 glabellar length), and the rostral process is wider posteriorly and only weakly convex downwards. The pygidium of
williamsi
is known only from fragments, but differs from that of
talenti
in having deeper axial, ring and pleural furrows.
In addition to the pygidial characters and the very deep, trench-like preglabellar furrows distinguishing the two Australian species from the northern-hemisphere species,
Homalonotus talenti
and
H. williamsi
also share straight and strongly convergent anterior branches of the facial sutures, in contrast to the convex outwards course of the sutures in
H. knightii
,
H. dawsoni
and
H. rhinotropis
. The Australian species and
rhinotropis
share a rounded anterior glabellar margin, differing from the transverse margin of
knightii
and
dawsoni
.
Environmental notes.
See
Dipleura garratti
sp. nov.