The faunas of the Tournaisian Tulcumba Sandstone and its members in the Werrie and Belvue synclines, New South Wales

Abstract

The faunas of the Tulcumba Sandstone and its member, the Rangari Limestone, from the western edge of the Werrie and Belvue synclines of western New England are described. The stratigraphical and palaeontological data are considered to indicate a Tournaisian (Kinderhookian) age. The gastropods and lamellibranchs include several Devonian holdovers, and the affinities of the brachiopods are as much with late Devonian as with Carboniferous forms. The trilobite genus Australosutura is shown to be much longer ranging than was previously thought to be the case. Most of the species described are new and are not known from units higher in the Carboniferous in New South Wales. One new chonetoid brachiopod genus, Tulcumbella with type species T. microstriata n.sp., and one new trilobite genus Weania, with type species W. goldringi n.sp., are described. Other new brachiopods are Acanthatia rangariensis, Spirifer lirellus sol, Tylothyris minima, Brachythyris solida and Cranaena concava. New polyzoans are Evactinopora vesicularis, Fenestella cystica, and Fenestella swaini. New molluscs are Prionoceras (Imitoceras) werriense, Retispira culleni, Sinuitina portulacoides, Euphemites labrosa, Ruedemannia bembexiformis, Angyomphalus depressus, Euchondria weanensis, Polidevcia tulcumbensis, Nuculopsis triangularis, Palaeoneilo subcarinata, P. acarinata, Cypricardinia fossa and Chaenocardiola triangulata.