WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PERMIAN BRACHIOPODS 
7 
from Western Australia require critical examin¬ 
ation. 
Taeniothaerus cf. irwinensis Coleman, 1957 
Figs 3D-H, 4A-E 
cf. Taeniothaerus irwinensis Coleman 1957: 93, 
pi. 11, figs 13, 14, pi. 12, figs 1-6. 
Taeniothaerus. —Dickins 1976: 99, 100. 
Material. Two incomplete internal moulds of ventral 
valves and 4 incomplete external moulds of dorsal 
valves (CPC 28038-28041,28043, 28044) from BMR 
locality T127, Scott Bluff, Lake Blanche, collected 
from BMR field parties in 1975. One external mould 
of the anterior of a dorsal valve (CPC 28042) from 
locality TK5A, collected by W. J. Koop. 
Comments. The rounded shell outline, short 
hinge line and the external ornament of spine 
bases indicate a close comparison of the material 
with T. irwinensis from the Sterlitamakian 
Fossil Cliff Member of the Holmwood Shale 
(Perth Basin). Other Western Australian species 
assigned to Taeniothaerus by Coleman (1957) 
possess wider hinge lines and a more sub¬ 
quadrate or elongate shell outline. Some species 
such as T. miniliensis Coleman possess much 
finer ornament that T. irwinensis. 
Suborder Productidina Waagen, 1883 
Superfamily Linoproductacea Stehli, 1954 
Family Linoproductidae Stehli, 1954 
Subfamily Linoproductinae Stehli, 1954 
Genus Cancrinella Fredericks, 1928 
Type species. Productus cancrini de Verneuil, 1842. 
Discussion. Archbold (1983) discussed the type 
species and its date of authorship. 
Cancrinella irwinensis Archbold, 1983 
Fig 4F-G 
Linoproductus sp.—Thomas in Dickins 1961: 
288.—Thomas in Dickins 1976: 98. 
Cancrinella sp. —Dickins 1976: 100. 
Cancrinella irwinensis Archbold 1983:240, fig. 1C- 
P (with synonymy). 
Material. Tw r o natural casts of ventral valves, one sub¬ 
mature (CPC 19918) and one juvenile (CPC 28045), 
from BMR locality T127, Scott Bluff, collected by 
BMR field parties in 1975. 
Comments. The specimens belong to the C. 
cancriniformis species group characterised by 
distinct, relatively fine rugae across the venter of 
the shell and distinct elongate ventral spine 
bases (see Archbold 1983: 240). Such species are 
restricted to Early Permian faunas of Western 
Australia where the best known species is C. 
irwinensis Archbold from the Sterlitamakian 
Fossil Cliff Member and Callytharra Formation. 
The spacing of the spine bases on the present 
material is particularly close to that of C. 
irwinensis and so the material is referred to that 
species. 
Order Spiriferida Waagen, 1883 
Suborder Spiriferidina Waagen, 1883 
Superfamily Syringothyridacea Fredericks, 
1926 
Family Syringothyrididae Fredericks, 1926 
Subfamily Permosyrinxinae Waterhouse, 
1986 
Genus Cyrtella Fredericks, 1924 
Type species. Cyrtella kulikiana Fredericks, 1916. 
Discussion. Punctocyrtella Plodowski, 1968 is 
clearly closely related to Cyrtella and may be 
synonymous with it (Thomas 1971, Waterhouse 
1987). Thomas (1971) and Archbold & Barkham 
(1989) stressed the presence of a grooved fold in 
Cyrtella (or Punctocyrtella) but this may be a 
variable feature (Waterhouse 1987) and does 
not appear to be present in the new species de¬ 
scribed below. The relationship of Cyrtella to 
other genera was discussed by Thomas (1971), 
Grigor’yeva (1977), Waterhouse (1987) and 
Solomina (1988). 
Fig. 3. A-C, Aulosteges cf. baracoodensis Coleman. A, B, CPC 28036, natural cast of shell in ventral and dorsal 
views, x 1. C, CPC 28037, incomplete external mould of dorsal valve, x 1. D-H, Taeniothaerus cf. irwinensis 
Coleman. D, CPC 28038, natural cast of dorsal valve in internal view, x 1. E, F, CPC 28039, internal mould of 
ventral valve in ventral and posterior views, x 1. G, CPC 28028, external mould of dorsal valve, x 5. H,I, CPC 
28040, incomplete natural cast of dorsal valve, x 1. H. CPC 28041, incomplete natural cast of dorsal valve, x 
