Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980

Skovsted, Christian B. & Peel, John S., 2007, Small shelly fossils from the argillaceous facies of the Lower Cambrian Forteau Formation of western Newfoundland, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52 (4), pp. 729-748 : 737

Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980

Fig. 4K, L.

1980 Pojetaia runnegari sp. nov.; Jell 1980: 234, figs. 1A–F, 2A–I, 3C–K.

1996 Fordilla troyensis Barrande, 1881 ; Landing and Bartowski 1996: fig. 6.8.

2001 Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 ; Parkhaev in Gravestock et al. 2001: 201, pls 49, 50. (Synonymy to date).

2002 Fordilla troyensis Barrande, 1881 ; Landing et al. 2002: fig. 8.5.

2004 Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 ; Skovsted 2004: 32, fig. 8K–Q.

Type species: Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 (by monotypy).

Material.— NFM− 692, NFM− 693, and about 100 additional specimens from samples ICS 1422 and JSP1982−01.

Discussion.—Numerous internal moulds of articulated bivalves occur mainly in sample ICS 1422 from western Newfoundland. The moulds frequently preserve imprints of two hinge−teeth between the umbones; imprints of numerous small pallial muscle scars are sometimes preserved ( Fig. 4K).

All available specimens are referred to Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980 , the most widespread of Early Cambrian bivalves (see review by Parkhaev in Gravestock et al. 2001). The Newfoundland material includes larger specimens (up to 2.8 mm long) than collections of P. runnegari from its type area of in South Australia (about 1.6 mm; Jell 1980; Runnegar and Bentley 1983), and the hinge−line of many specimens is also longer. However, the Newfoundland specimens fall within the range of variation documented for P. runnegari from other localities (Skovsted 2004). Specimens referred to Fordilla Barrande, 1881 from the Browns Pond Formation of New York State ( Landing and Bartowski 1996) and “Anse Maranda Formation of Quebec” ( Landing et al. 2002) probably represent P. runnegari .

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Early Cambrian of Australia, Mongolia, North China, South China, Transbaikalia, Germany, North−East Greenland and western Newfoundland (see also Parkhaev in Gravestock et al. 2001).