Katian (Upper Ordovician) conodonts from Wales

Middle and Upper Katian conodonts are previously known in the British Isles from relatively small collections obtained from a few localities. The present study is mainly based on 17 samples containing more than 17,000 conodont elements from an approximately 14 m thick succession of the Sholeshook Limestone in a road cut near Whitland, South Wales that yielded a diverse fauna of more than 40 taxa. It is dominated by representatives of Amorphognathus, Aphelognathus/Plectodina, and Eocarniodus along with several coniform taxa. Representatives of Decoriconus, Istorinus and Sagittodontina are reported from the Ordovician of UK for the first time. The fauna is a typical representative of the British Province of the Atlantic Realm and includes a mixture of taxa of North American, Baltoscandic, and Mediterranean affinities along with pandemic species. Based on the presence of many elements of Amorphognathus ordovicicus and some morphologically advanced specimens of A. superbus, the Sholeshook L...