PROTORICHTHOFENIOID BRACHIOPOD FROM URALS 
SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS 
The material described here is housed in the BMNH collections 
of The Natural History Museum, London. Specimens are 
uniquely recognised by BD registration numbers. 
Order PRODUCTIDA Waagen, 1883 
Suborder STROPHALOSIIDINA Schuchert, 1913 
DIAGNOSIS. Productida retaining ventral 
commonly, toothed articulation. 
interareas and, 
Superfamily RICHTHOFENIOIDEA Waagen, 1885 
DIAGNOsIs. Ventral valve conical or sphenoidal, dorsal valve 
recessed below the ventral margins. Normally attached by 
cicatrix and/or spines. 
Family ZALVERIDAE nov. 
DIAGNOsIs. Richthofenioids lacking external body spines, with 
shallow body cavities and short subparallel ventral ridges 
associated with a near apical chamber involved in the 
articulation of the valves; marginal ventral valve protective 
structures absent. 
COMMENTS. Currently only the one genus is known. The family 
differs from the Richthofeniidae most clearly in its lack of 
external spines and attachment to the substrate. Although 
Collumatus Cooper & Grant, 1969, lacks spines this Permian 
genus is attached to the substrate by concentric sheets of shell 
| surrounding the base of the ventral valve. 
Genus ZALVERA nov. 
/DIAGNOsIs. Zalveridae retaining small juvenile ventral valve at 
japex and with strong brachial impressions. 
\EtyMo.ocy. Anagram of the letters of the name Lazarev. 
as Teguliferina(?) uralica and by Likharev, (1932) as 
Keyserlingina caucasica. Unfortunately, little is known of the 
uncertain. Likharev (1931, 1932) specifically noted the absence 
of internal dorsal valves, wondering if they ever existed. 
xternally both these species seem to fit better here than in 
rorichthofenia, which is a true teguliferinine with external 
pines. In addition, two specimens referred to as Proteguliferina? 
y Winkler Prins in Sanchez de Posada et al. (1993) belong in 
alvera. See further discussion under the species description. 
alvera sibaica sp. nov. Figs 10-24 
YPE SPECIMEN. Holotype, BD9653, from the Kordailovskaya 
ormation of late Bashkirian to early Moscovian, mid Upper 
arboniferous age, 6km up-stream from Pokrovka, Ural River 
nthe southern Urals, Russia (Figs 20a—c). 
53 
Figs 10-13 Zalvera sibaica gen. et sp. nov. from late Bashkirian to 
early Moscovian rocks in the southern Urals, Russia. 10, apical view 
of a slightly crushed specimen including the small regular looking 
initial growth stages of the ventral valve (arrow). The umbo is to the 
left. BD9671, <3. 11, side view of a specimen showing the inferred 
subparallel ridges as white lines on the shell (arrow) and rounded 
apex. BD9669, <1.5. 12, part external mould of a specimen viewed 
towards the apex, in which parts of the subparallel ridges are visible. 
The rock surface to the left cuts a nodose outgrowth (arrow), 
BD966la, 2. 13, apical view of a specimen associated with the exter- 
nal mould of figure 12 showing partially exposed subparallel ridges, 
BD9661b, x2. 
DIAGNOSIS. Za/vera with irregular rounded dorsal outline and 
apex profile, rugae relatively prominent. 
ETYMOLOGY. Species named from the Sibay stream, where the 
specimens were found. 
MATERIAL. Allspecimens of Z. sibaica are from the one locality 
in the southern Urals (BMNH BD9653 (the holotype), 
BD9654-9672). A few other fragments occur with specimens of 
other species. 
DESCRIPTION. In one specimen (BD9671) the earliest growth 
stage of the subconical valve resembles a tiny (ca. Smm 
diameter) productid valve (Fig. 10). This consists of a 
subtriangular, gently convex valve exterior, which appears to be 
covered by closely spaced, but fine spine bases. There is, 
therefore, a question as to the reliability of this small valve being 
part of the species. The specimen was cut medianly and appears 
to show continuous shell between the small spinose valve, its 
thick-shelled gutter-like surround and the remaining 
