First record of the Carboniferous trilobite Bollandia from the Moravian Karst (Czech Republic) and its significance

Abstract

The presence of bollandiine trilobites is reported for the first time in the early Carboniferous of Moravia, the Czech Republic. Bollandia persephone (Hahn & Hahn, 1970) and B. cf. megaira (Hahn & Hahn, 1970) were recovered from pelitic shales of late Tournaisian age within the Březina Formation exposed in Mokrá quarry, near Brno. Along with other taxa, these two species constitute a trilobite assemblage with few affinities to other Carboniferous associations known from the Czech Republic, but resemble an assemblage from the late Tournaisian of the Harz Mountains. Morphological characters of Bollandia species are interpreted as being indicative of an epibenthic mode of life, with possible adaptations for digging and for predatory/scavenging feeding habits.