Australosutura gardneri ( Mitchell 1922 )

Vanderlaan, Tegan A. & Ebach, Malte C., 2015, A review of the Carboniferous and Permian trilobites of Australia, Zootaxa 3926 (1), pp. 1-56 : 17

Australosutura gardneri ( Mitchell 1922)

1922 Cordania gardneri Mitchell ; p. 535–540, pl. 54.

1924 Cordania gardneri ; Mitchell, p. 53, pl.10, fig. 15.

1960 Australosutura gardneri ; Campbell & Goldring, p. 229–230, pl. 40.

Lectotype. AMF26974 (internal mould of cephalon).

Paralectotype material. AMF27345 (internal cephalon).

Locality. Brambles Farm, Myall Lakes, Eurenderee, Gloucester NSW ( Amos et al. 1960).

Emended diagnosis. Cephalon and glabella strongly inflated; glabella subcylindrical with prominent subtriangular basal lobes and deeply incised S1 furrows; S2 present; preglabellar field short and high; border furrow very broad, concave and pitted; short convex border; strongly convex eyes; long genal spines; facial suture curves strongly away from the eye; surface of librigena, fixigena, preglabellar field, glabella and occipital ring with numerous tubercles. Nine thoracic segments. Pygidium with 15 axial rings, eight or more pleural ribs; rings strongly arched and tuberculate, with a prominent median row of tubercles; ribs also tuberculate.

Remarks. Unfortunately only the lectotype and one paralectotype specimen of Australosutura gardneri could be located in the Australian Museum. According to Amos et al. (1960), a number of the figured specimens are said to have been lost in a fire. Amos et al. (1960) also do not provide the corresponding Australian Museum numbers to the numbers on the plate. It is difficult to use the figured specimens in Amos et al. (1960) as the plates do not provide much detail. Thus, the diagnosis above has been emended to reflect the specimens now available for classification. Nevertheless, Australosutura gardneri can be distinguished from the other Australian species, A. campbelli in having a shorter preglabellar field and a strongly convex glabella ( Engel & Morris 1992).