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The putative Ordovician annelid worm Haileyia adhaerens Ruedemann, 1934 is not a recognizable fossil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2019

Lucy A. Muir Open the ORCID record for Lucy A. Muir [Opens in a new window]  and
Joseph P. Botting
Lucy A. Muir
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, CardiffCF10 3NP, UK
Joseph P. Botting
Affiliation:
Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, CardiffCF10 3NP, UK Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing210008, China
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Abstract

A number of putative annelid worms have been described from Ordovician strata, and these records are included in large-scale compilations of paleontological data. If these fossils are worms, they may yield important phylogenetic information; conversely, if they are not worms, they should not be included in large-scale databases. In either case, restudy of the type material of these supposed annelids is useful. The type material (holotype and one paratype) of one of these putative annelids, Haileyia adhaerens Ruedemann, 1934, from the Middle Ordovician Normanskill Shale of Idaho, USA, is re-described and re-illustrated. The original description stated that the species is segmented, with parapodia, papillae, and setae, and lived attached to graptolites. Upon re-examination, the setae could not be detected, and the segmentation, parapodia, and papillae are herein re-interpreted as taphonomic, rather than biological, features. The supposed attachment of Haileyia to graptolites is likely to represent fortuitous bedding-surface associations. There is no evidence that Haileyia adhaerens is an annelid, or even a recognizable fossil.

Type
Taxonomic note
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 94 , Issue 3 , May 2020 , pp. 589 - 591
Copyright
Copyright © 2019, The Paleontological Society

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