Bolboparia Explained

Bolboparia is an extinct genus of eodiscinid agnostid trilobites. It lived during the late Lower Cambrian in what today Canada and the United States.

Taxonomy

Bolboparia is most closely related to Acidiscus and slightly more distantly to Stigmadiscus.

Description

Like all Agnostida, Bolboparia is diminutive and the headshield (or cephalon) and tailshield (or pygidium) are of approximately the same size (or isopygous) and outline. Like all Weymouthiidae, Bolboparia lacks eyes and rupture lines (or sutures). The short, downsloping glabella and the bulging cheeks give it a very peculiar aspect.^[1]

Distribution

• Bolboparia superba and B. elongata are both known from the Lower Cambrian of the United States (unnamed formation, East Chatham Quad, Columbia County, New York State).^{[1] [2]}
• Bolboparia canadensis is only known from the Lower Cambrian of Canada (Olenellus-zone, calcarenite bed a half mile north of Elgin Station, south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec).^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology: Arthropoda 1: Trilobita, revised. Introduction, Order Agnostida, Order Redlichiida / H.B. Whittington [and others].. 1997. Geolological Society of America.
2. Web site: Paleobiology Database. East Chatham Quad, unnamed fm., NY (Cambrian of the United States) (trilobite). 19 December 2012.
3. Rasetti. Franco. 1966. New Lower Cambrian trilobite faunule from the Taconic sequence of New York. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 148. 9. 1–52.