The problematic early Cambrian fossil Tumulduria incomperta represents the detached ventral interarea of a paterinid brachiopod
Christian B. Skovsted, Artem Kouchinsky, Stefan Bengtson, and Lars E. Holmer
The organophosphatic early Cambrian (Terreneuvian, Cambrian Stage 2) fossil Tumulduria incomperta has been problematic ever since its original description in 1969. Comparison of abundant specimens from the Lower Cambrian of Siberia with co-occurring brachiopod valves show that T. incomperta represents the central portion of the ventral interarea of a paterinid brachiopod similar to Cryptotreta neguertchenensis, and that the domed central portion of typical Tumulduria specimens represents the ridge-like pseudodeltidium of the interarea.
Key words: Brachiopoda, problematica, Tommotian Stage, Terreneuvian, Cambrian, Siberia.
Christian B. Skovsted [christian.skovsted@nrm.se], Department of Palaeozoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden; Artem Kouchinsky [artem.kouchinsky@nrm.se] and Stefan Bengtson [stefan.bengtson@nrm.se], Department of Palaeozoology and Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden; Lars E. Holmer [lars.holmer@pal.uu.se], Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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