New and Revised Llandovery (Early Silurian) Rugose Corals from Central Western New South Wales

Abstract

Revision of some of the early Silurian rugose coral faunas from central western New South Wales and study of additional new collections warrants the introduction of a number of new taxa and some previous generic assignments need to be updated. The new cystiphyllinid genus Gephyrelasma  McLean is proposed, comprising type species  Dentilasma ramosum  McLean and  G. stevensi  McLean sp. nov. The new kodonophyllid genus  Vitiliphyllum   McLean, with type species  V. jenkinsi   McLean sp. nov., and the new arachnophyllid genus  Latomiphyllum  McLean, with type species  Arachnophyllum  ?  epistomoides  Etheridge, are introduced. Additional new species include the tryplasmatids  Aphyllum ulahense  McLean and  A. picketti  McLean, as well as the ptychophyllinid  Ptychophyllum sutorense  McLean.  Grewingkia neumani   McLean is now regarded as a probable representative of the kodonophyllid  Cyatholasma  Ivanovskiy, while  Dentilasma honorabile  Ivanovskiy sensu McLean is now only tentatively assigned to that species. Since the original studies of the coral faunas, there has been considerable revision of the lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the relevant sequences. The most current interpretations are reviewed and summarized here.