A new species of Lambdarina (Rhynchonellida, Brachiopoda) from the Viséan of central Sudetes (Poland) and its phylogenetic position

Abstract

A new species of micromorphic articulate brachiopod (Rhynchonellida) Lambdarina jugowiensis sp. nov., from the upper Viséan (Sokolec Beds) of central Sudetes, SW Poland, is described. The studied specimens are calcified, what makes them unique in respect of their state of preservation. The material is represented by a full range of growth stages; from brephic to gerontic. Based on its morphological features and the palaeogeographical distribution of all its known species, two main evolutionary lines are proposed for the genus; the Australian and the European ones. Lambdarina was widely distributed in the equatorial-tropical waters of marginal seas of the Palaeotethys Ocean, mostly during Mississippian time.