Click on the image to zoom
Specimens from the Warepan strata at Highfield Farm (LPC7_92 - top; and LPC7_99 - bottom)
Coenothyris is a brachiopod that belongs in the Terebratulida order. It is somewhat unassuming in appearance, so may be easily overlooked: 10-15 mm in diameter, more-or-less spherical or tear-drop in shape, and with a strong beak with a relatively large foromen. Frustratingly, although several authors name it as a component of Late Triassic Warepan strata in New Zealand, none give details and several secondary references to its occurrence are not supported by the actual papers. Trechman (1917) provides one image of a single valve, tentatively ascribed to the genus, but otherwise descriptions of New Zealand specimens seem to be lacking. All this makes firm identification extremely difficult.
|
Coenothyris
Phylum: Brachiopoda
Order: Terebratulida Genus: Coenothyris Species: Not known Location found: Highfield Farm, Wakefield Specimen LPC7_96
|
The specimens in the collection do not help greatly. Most are abraded and weathered and they lack shell, so definitive features aren't apparent. In other countries, beds composed of masses of Coenothyris have been reported; here, they seem to be scattered and sparse. For now, it remains a somewhat enigmatic genus.
|