Reef corals from the lower Cambrian of the flinders ranges, South Australia

Abstract

The Early Cambrian tabulate-like corals Flindersipora cancelli sp. nov. and Blinmanipora hawkerensis gen. et sp. nov. occur together with Flindersipora bowmani Lafuste, Moorowipora chamberensis Fuller and Jenkins, and Arrowipora fromensis Fuller and Jenkins in the Moorowie Formation of the eastern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Some of the corals occur in growth position in large allochthonous clasts of calcimicrobe-archaeocyathan boundstones considered to have slid as talus from the frontal slope of a zoned reef complex into relatively deep water. Flindersipora cancelli has some morphological characteristics in common with F. bowmani, but also has skeletal structures that differ; these include generally horizontal tabulae that are commonly evenly spaced and larger corallites. The skeletal structures of Flindersipora and Moorowipora have some characteristics in common; however, Blinmanipora hawkerensis with its randomly orientated tabulae and sparse septa is unlike any other Moorowie coral. Flindersipora , Arrowipora and Moorowipora show similarities to Yaworipora khalfinae Zhuravlev from the upper Botomian of the Altai-Sayan Region of Siberia. Recent Russian opinion places corals showing the general characteristics of those described herein within the single order Tabulaconida Scrutton, which resembles the later Tabulata sensu stricto , but the similarities between these divisions may well be iterative. Statistical analysis of Flindersipora bowmani and F. cancelli based on corallite diameter supports the fact that these two taxa are separate species, while the analysis of the four Moorowie genera, support their assignment as separate taxa. © 2007 The Palaeontological Association.