P. cultrijugatus (Roemer, 1844) (
type species)
=Spirifer cultrijugatus
P. acuminatus (Conrad, 1839)
P. auriculatus (Sandberger, 1856)
P. bownockeri Stewart, 1927
p. bucculentus Solle, 1971
P. chillonensis (Quintero & Revilla, 1966)
=Histerolites chillonensis[1]
P. curvatissimus Solle, 1971
P. eos Solle, 1971
P. globosa Solle, 1971
P. sandbergeri Solle, 1971
Paraspirifer is a
genus of large
brachiopods (up to about 7.5 centimetres or 3.0 inches) that lived during the late Lower and Middle
Devonian in what now are Germany, Spain, Morocco and the United States (New York State and Ohio).
Taxonomy
Paraspirifer developed from Brachyspirifer during the early upper
Emsian (cancellata-elegans/Dalehe Event).[2]
Distribution
Paraspirifer originated in the lower upper Emsian and became extinct in Europe and Northern Africa at the end of the lower
Eifelian. It survived into the Givetian in North America though.[3]
P. cultrijugatus is known from the Middle Devonian (Eifelian, Leudersdorf, near Üxheim, Eifel Hills, Germany).[4]
P. acuminatus occurs in the Middle Devonian of the United States (middle part of the Muscatatuck Group, Indiana)
P. bownockeri is known from the Middle Devonian of the United States (Givetian of the Appalachian Basin: Lower Silica Formation, Western Ohio; Mount Marion Member of the Oatka Creek Formation and Mottville Member of the Skaneateles Formation, both Eastern and Central New York State).[5]
Ecology
From the type of deposits that contain Paraspirifer bownockeri it can be deduced that this species inhabited soft clay mudflats. Shells of this species hosted a wide range of
epibionts, such as
bryozoans,
corals, echinoderms, annelid worms and other brachiopods. These epibionts are more numerous on the brachial valve than on the pedunculate valve, because this big brachiopod lay on its pedunculate valve after the degeneration of the stalk.[6][7]
^May, Andreas; Avlar, Hüseyin (1995). "Evolution of Rhenisch faunal communities during the Late Emsian and Early Eifelian: three reviews on sedimentation, brachiopods and bioevents". Geolines. 3: 50–.
^Kesling, Robert V.; Hoare, Richard D.; Sparks, Diane K. (1980). "Epizoans of the Middle Devonian brachiopod Paraspirifer bownockeri: their relationship to one another and their host". Journal of Paleontology. 54 (6): 1141–1154.
JSTOR1304240.