''Lemdadella'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of redlichiid

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

s that lived during the late

Atdabanian Cambrian Stage 3 is the still unnamed third stage of the Cambrian. It succeeds Cambrian Stage 2 and precedes Cambrian Stage 4, although neither its base nor top have been formally defined. The plan is for its lower boundary to correspond approxim ...

stage, which lasted from 521 to 514 million years ago during the early part of the

Cambrian Period The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million ...

Distribution

* ''Lemdadella'' sp. occurs in the Lower Cambrian of Morocco (Botomian, Ounein A bioherm, Lemdad 1 section, High Atlas) * ''Lemdadella linaresae'' was collected in the Lower Cambrian of Spain (Atdabanian, Pedroche Formation, Member 1, Puente de Hierro Section) * ''Lemdadella sp.'' was found in the Lower Cambrian of Antarctica (Toyonian,

Shackleton Limestone The Shackleton Limestone is a Cambrian limestone formation of the Byrd Group of Antarctica. The age of the formation is established to be Cambrian Stage 3, dated at ranging from 520 to 516 Ma. This period correlates with the End-Botomian mass ext ...

; BC-BD collections) * ''Lemdadella antarcticae'' occurs in the Lower Cambrian of Antarctica (Atdabanian, Shackleton Limestone; BC-BD collections)

Description

Glabella gently tapered forward. At the midline, a ridge between the glabella and the border of the cephalon (a so-called plectrum) may be present. Crescent-shaped eye-ridges. Thorax not divided in prothorax and opisthothorax, no macropleural segment.

Biostratigraphy

''Lemdadella'' is currently the oldest trilobite genus known, dating back to about million years ago. The

International Commission on Stratigraphy The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), sometimes referred to unofficially as the "International Stratigraphic Commission", is a daughter or major subcommittee grade scientific daughter organization that concerns itself with stratigra ...

has proposed that the

first appearance datum First appearance datum (FAD) is a term used by geologists and paleontologists to designate the first appearance of a species in the geologic record. FADs are determined by identifying the geologically oldest fossil discovered, to date, of a particu ...

trilobites Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

should be used as the lower boundary of

Cambrian Series 2 Cambrian Series 2 is the unnamed 2nd series of the Cambrian. It lies above the Terreneuvian series and below the Miaolingian. Series 2 has not been formally defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, lacking a precise lower boundary ...

and

Cambrian Stage 3 Cambrian Stage 3 is the still unnamed third stage of the Cambrian. It succeeds Cambrian Stage 2 and precedes Cambrian Stage 4, although neither its base nor top have been formally defined. The plan is for its lower boundary to correspond approxi ...

. If this proposal will be defined as a

GSSP A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is an internationally agreed upon reference point on a stratigraphic section which defines the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale. The effort to define GSSPs is conducted b ...

, it will most likely use the first appearance of ''Lemdadella'', a species of ''Lemdadella'', or a

trilobite zone Trilobites are used as index fossils to subdivide the Cambrian period. Assemblages of trilobites define trilobite zones. The ''Olenellus''-zone has traditionally marked the top of the Lower Cambrian, and is followed by the '' Eokochaspis'' zone. ...

that includes ''Lemdadella''. The age and global distribution of ''Lemdadella'' are therefore of key importance for the

Stratigraphy of the Cambrian The Stratigraphy of the Cambrian period currently has several schemes used for ordering geologic formations from the period. The International Commission on Stratigraphy−ICS scheme has set a stratotype section for the base of the Cambrian, da ...

. The following

s contain ''Lemdadella'' (Brackets contain geographic distribution): * ''Fallotaspis'' zone (Spain, Laurentia) * ''Eoredlichia-Yunnanocephalus'' zone (Antarctica)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6521107 Redlichiidae Cambrian trilobites Fossils of Antarctica Fossils of Spain Redlichiida genera