A possible annelid from the Trenton Limestone (Ordovician) of Quebec, with a review of fossil oligochaetes and other annulate worms

Abstract

A single specimen of fossil worm from the Trenton Limestone, recovered from a quarry northeast of Quebec City, may represent a new form that cannot be directly compared with any other known fossil or recent worm. The specimen is incomplete and shows evidence of decay, but the remarkable preservation of the surviving portion shows well defined transverse lines, interpreted as segmentation, and traces of internal organs. There is, however, no evidence for either setae or parapodia. In certain respects the anatomy of this worm is reminiscent of the annelids, and in particular the oligochaetes, but any similarity may be superficial. Other fossil worms that have been interpreted as oligochaetes are reviewed briefly, and a redescription of the worm Protoscolex covingtonensis Ulrich from the Eden Group (Ordovician) of Kentucky is given.