A new Early Devonian spinose phacopid trilobite from Limekilns, New South Wales: morphology, affinities, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment

Abstract

Paciphacops (Paciphacops) crawfordae n.sp. is a distinctive spinose phacopid trilobite of late Pragian (Early Devonian) age from the deepwater, dysaerobic Rosedale Shale, Limekilns district, New South Wales. It is characterised by short occipital, genal and intergenal spines on the cephalon, and short thoracic spines on the axial rings and pleurae. Various combinations of such spines are developed in P. (Paciphacops) serratus Foerste (Lochkovian, New South Wales; Ludlovian, Kazakhstan?) and P. (Paciphacops) claviger Haas (Siegenian, Nevada), but the three species cannot be shown to be related.