Paleontología Mexicana

Ulrichospira Donald (Gastropoda – Phanerotrematidae) from the Middle Ordovician of central Sonora, Mexico: Paleobiogeographical considerations

Ulrichospira Donald (Gastropoda – Phanerotrematidae) del Ordovícico Medio del centro de Sonora, México: consideraciones paleobiogeográficas

Cuen-Romero, Francisco Javiera,* ; Rohr, David M.b ; Noriega-Ruiz, Héctor Arturoa ;
Monreal, Rogelioa ; Blodgett, Robert B.c ; Palafox-Reyes, Juan Joséa ;
Ochoa-Granillo, José Alfredoa

a Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Sonora, Blvd. Luis Encinas y Rosales, CP. 83000, Hermosillo, Sonora, México. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8061-5600; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6411-2832; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5718-7660

b Department of Biology, Geology and Physical Sciences, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas 79832, USA.

c Consulting Geologist, 2821 Kingfisher Drive, Anchorage, AK 99502, USA.

* francisco.cuen@ciencias.uson.mx

Abstract

The Ordovician gastropod Ulrichospira Donald is described from a stratigraphic sequence exposed in the area of Rancho Las Norias in central Sonora, Mexico. This is the first record of the genus from Mexico, and it was associated with abundant fauna composed of bryozoans, brachiopods, gastropods, and trilobites. This gastropods Ordovician association from Las Norias formation displays a clear affinity with the North American craton, including the United States and Canada.

Keywords: Gastropods, Ordovician, Mexico, Paleozoic, Sonora.

Resumen

Se describe el gasterópodo del Ordovícico Ulrichospira Donald de una secuencia estratigráfica expuesta en el área del Rancho Las Norias en el centro de Sonora, México. El presente trabajo constituye el primer registro del género para México, el cual se encuentra asociado con una abundante fauna constituida por briozoarios, braquiópodos, gasterópodos y trilobites. La asociación de gasterópodos del Ordovícico de la formación Las Norias muestra una marcada afinidad con el cratón de Norteamérica, incluyendo los Estados Unidos de América y Canadá.

Palabras clave: Gasterópodos, Ordovícico, México, Paleozoico, Sonora.

1. Introducción

In Mexico, Ordovician outcrops are mainly distributed in the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Oaxaca (Buitrón, 1992; Cuen-Romero et al., 2020). Paleontological studies of Ordovician sedimentary sequences are scarce, recording a relatively well-preserved fossil biota made up of algae, sponges, bryozoans, brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, trilobites, echinoderms, graptolites, and conodonts (Robison and Pantoja-Alor, 1968; Poole et al., 1995a; 1995b; Almazán-Vázquez et al., 2006; Beresi et al., 2012; Cuen-Romero et al., 2022).

Of these faunas, gastropods are important because they are the most abundant and diverse group of mollusks, present in the fossil record from the Cambrian to recent times. These are adapted to a numerous environments, both marine and terrestrial (Milsom and Rigby, 2010).

Knowledge of gastropods from Ordovician of Mexico is limited, so that there are only two systematic works focused on the group. First one in the state of Oaxaca, the species Eobucania mexicana (Yochelson, 1968), is known in the Tiñú Formation from Lower Ordovician, and was associated with bellerophontiform gastropods` fragments, which are considered Tremadocian in age (Yochelson, 1968). Second one, writen by Cuen-Romero et al. (2022) in the state of Sonora, who describes several species of gastropods from the Middle Ordovician of the Rancho Las Norias area, including Maclurites acuminatus (Billings, 1865), ?Monitorella sp., Lecanospira sp., Malayaspira aff. M. rugosa Kobayashi, 1958, Lophospira perangulata (Hall, 1847), and Hormotoma? sp. Based on the above, and considering the abundance of gastropods from this area, which corresponding to the highest diversity Ordovician gastropod association in the country, a second collection of specimens from the Rancho Las Norias sequence was carried out. The objective of the present work is to describe and illustrate for the first time the species Ulrichospira? sp. in Mexico, which allows us to understand the distribution and early evolution of the Ordovician gastropods of Mexico and their affinity with the North American craton.

2. Location of the study area

The study area is located 5 km south of Rancho Las Norias, 30 km east of the Hermosillo city, at 29°1.064N, 110°39.052’W; 28°58.347’N and 110°35.982’W (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Location map of the study area.

3. Previous works

The geological works made in this area are scarce, and have been focused mainly on stratigraphic, paleontological, and microfacies studies. (Vega-Granillo and Araux-Sánchez, 1987; Page et al., 2003; Almazán-Vázquez et al., 2006; Beresi et al., 2012; Cuen-Romero et al., 2022). Stratigraphy for the study area was established by Vega-Granillo and Araux-Sánchez (1987), who described a succession of limestone with intraclasts, shale, fossiliferous limestone, dolomite and quartzite. Fauna at this unit was very abundant and composed of brachiopods, gastropods and trilobites, which was assigned to the Ordovician (Vega-Granillo and Araux-Sánchez, 1987).

Page et al. (2003), made a biostratigraphical study of the sequence, reporting the presence of an abundant biota made up by brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, trilobites, and conodonts from the Histiodella donnae to Histiodella holodentata Zone (Floian, Darriwillian). The above enabled dating the sequence for the first time with high precision. Then, Almazán-Vázquez et al. (2006) extended the geographic occurrence of this sequence to Rancho Pozo Nuevo, central Sonora.

After that, Beresi et al. (2012) made an Ordovician microfacies study in El Salazar hill at Rancho Las Norias. In this study, the authors documented the presence of abundant biota, in addition to conodonts from the Oepikodus communis to Tripodus laevis zones (Floian, Dapingian).

Recently, Cuen-Romero et al. (2022) made the first systematic study of Ordovician gastropods from the Rancho Las Norias sequence, documenting the presence of the species Maclurites acuminatus, ?Monitorella sp., Lecanospira sp., Malayaspira aff. M. rugosa, Lophospira perangulata, and Hormotoma? sp., and also relates these species to the North American craton and the Argentine Precordillera.

4. Stratigraphy

The studied sequence is composed mainly of limestone, silty and sandy limestone with dolomite and chert horizons, with abundant fossil fauna including brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, trilobites and conodonts from the Early–Middle Ordovician (Vega-Granillo and Araux, 1987; Page et al., 2003; Cuen-Romero et al., 2022). This unit overlies a Cambrian sequence consisting of sandstone and orthoquartzite, and discordantly underlies a Middle Devonian sequence (Vega-Granillo and Araux-Sánchez, 1987).

Intraclastic limestone package with intercalations of calcareous shale and massive limestone, which contains silicified annelid tubes and gastropods are placed at the base of the sequence (Cuen-Romero et al., 2022). The middle part is composed of highly fossiliferous intraclastic limestone intercalated with calcareous shale moderately bioturbated while fossiliferous content is depicted by the presence of gastropods (Maclurites acuminatus, ?Monitorella sp., Lecanospira sp., Malayaspira aff. M. rugosa, Lophospira perangulata, Hormotoma? sp.), and abundant orthid brachiopods (Orthidiella sp.) (Cuen-Romero et al., 2022). The upper part of the sequence consists of sandy limestone and sandy dolomite with horizons of silty limestone and cross-bedded quartz sandstone lenses (Cuen-Romero et al., 2022). According to Page et al. (2003) there are abundant orthid brachiopods, the gastropods Maclurites and Palliseria, and cephalopods (e.g., Endoceras) in the upper part of this unit (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Stratigraphic column of the study area (Modified from Cuen-Romero et al., 2022).

5. Material and methods

The specimens were mechanically cleaned with a chisel and air hammer pen (34000 bpm, 0.1/*0.2 /0.3 mm, steel casing). Subsequently, analysis and photography were carried out at the Paleontology Laboratory, Department of Geology, University of Sonora, to complete the description of the material studied. First, it was necessary to apply colloidal graphite to each specimen and then stain the surface of the fossil with a thin white film of ammonium chloride. The previously applied colloidal graphite absorbs the ammonium chloride and progressively the appropriate staining point for the sample is obtained.

Repository and institutional abbreviation: The material studied is deposited in the Paleontology Collection, Department of Geology, University of Sonora, with the acronym USDG. Classification of gastropods was based on the nomenclatural work of Bouchet et al. (2017).

6. Systematic Paleontology

Class Gastropoda Cuvier, 1795

Order Murchisoniina Cox and Knight, 1960

Superfamily Eotomarioidea Wenz, 1938

Family Phanerotrematidae Knight, 1956

Genus Ulrichospira Donald, 1905

Type species. Ulrichospira similis Donald, 1905. Silurian of Wales.

Ulrichospira? sp.

Figure 3.1–3.

Figure 3. Ulrichospira? sp. from Las Norias formation. All specimens are from Las Norias area, central Sonora. (1–4) Ulrichospira? sp. USDG 401; (5) Ulrichospira? sp. USDG 402 and USDG 403.

Description. Apical angle about 75 degrees, sharp midwhorl angulation, upper whorl broadly convex from impressed suture to outer edge, outer margin appears to support a cord, base of shell unknown, no ornament present. Nature of aperture unknown.

Occurrence. Rancho Las Norias area, Lower–Middle Ordovician, Sonora, Mexico.

Material. Three illustrated specimens USDG 401, USDG 402 and, USDG 403. USDG 401 is the best-preserved due to silicification of the shell, beekite rings are clearly visible (Fig. 3.1–3.4). Specimens USDG 402 and USDG 403 are preserved as an inner calcareous moulds.

Remarks. Description is based on specimen USDG 401. This shell is lower spired than the type species, U. similis. The midwhorl angulation resembles Lophospira, but Lophospira is higher spired. The Sonora specimen is similar in size, spire, shape and prominent selenizone to Ulrichospira notabilis (Ulrich in Ulrich and Scofield, 1897) which was described from the Middle Ordovician Carter’s Creek Limestone from Maury County, Tennessee and Mercer County, Kentucky. However, the Mexican specimens has no ornamentation and the aperture is not preserved, therefore, it is not possible to make a reliable determination. The shell is like Schizolopha described by Ulrich and Scofield (1897, pl. 65, fig. 30); however, Knight’s photograph (1941, pl. 33, fig. 2) of the single known specimen illustrates that Ulrich and Scofield’s drawing is not accurate. The Devonian Ulrichopsira kanekoi Kase and Nishida 1986, is similar to U. similis but it has thicker cords which are not present on the Sonora specimens. U. similis of Pitcher (1939) is higher spired.

7. Paleobiogeographic considerations

As mentioned above, the gastropod association of the Rancho Las Norias sequence is composed of Maclurites acuminatus, Monitorella sp., Lecanospira sp., Malayaspira aff. M. rugosa, Lophospira perangulata and Hormotoma? sp. In the previous faunal assemblage of the Rancho Las Norias, there is a poorly preserved specimen, which does not expose the base; however, it is identified within the genus Ulrichospira Donald due to the form of the spire. The genus Ulrichospira was distributed mainly in the Silurian of Europe.

The Rancho Las Norias gastropod association has a wide geographical distribution, and the species documented in this region have also been described from Greenland, Canada, United States, Argentina and Mexico (Table 1).

Table 1. Distribution of gastropod species of Ordovician Rancho Las Norias. GR= Greenland, CA= Canada, US= United States of America, MX= Mexico, AR= Argentina
Species	Formation	Location	Country
Maclurites acuminatus	Narwhale Sound	Greenland	GR
	Table Point	Newfoundland	CA
	Fort Cassin	Vermont
Lecanospira sp.		Quebec	CA
		Newfoundland
		Labrador
		Alberta
		Alaska
		Georgia	US
		Maryland
		Minnesota
		New York
		North Dakota
		Pennsylvania
		Texas
		Utah
	Las Norias	Sonora	MX
Malayaspira aff. M. rugosa	Skoki	Alberta	CA
	Kechika	British Columbia
	Table Point	Newfoundland
		Labrador
	Precordillera of San Juan Province	Western Argentina	AR
	Las Norias	Sonora	MX
	Narwhale Sound	Greenland	GR
Lophospira perangulata	Cape Calhoun	Province of Ontario	CA
	Gull River
	Bobcaygeon
	Verulam
	Lindsay
	Lowville
	Watertown
	Table Point	Newfoundland	CA
		Labrador
		Alaska	US
		California
		Colorado
		Illinois
		Iowa
		Indiana
		Kentucky
		Minnesota
		Missouri
		Nevada
		New York
		Ohio
		Pennsylvania
		Tennessee
		Virginia
	Las Norias	Sonora	MX
Hormotoma? sp.		Ontario	CA
		Quebec
		Manitoba
		Nunavut
		North Territories
		Alaska	US
		Arkansas
		California
		Georgia
		Illinois
		Iowa
		Indiana
		Kentucky
		Maryland
		Michigan
		Minnesota
		Missouri
		Montana
		New York
		Ohio
		Oklahoma
		Texas
		Vermont
		Virgina
		Wisconsin
		Wyoming
	Las Norias	Sonora	MX
Ulrichospira notabilis	Carter’s Creek Limestone	Tennessee	US
		Kentucky
Ulrichospira? sp.	Las Norias	Sonora	MX

8. Conclusions

The gastropod Ulrichospira sp. from the Middle Ordovician (Whiterockian) of central Sonora is reported for the first time for Mexico. The Ordovician paleocommunity of Rancho Las Norias was developed in a shallow marine environment, in the Laurentia platform. The similarity of the species documented for this region with those of Canada, United States and Argentina demonstrates the affinity of the biota of Mexico with North America during the Ordovician.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Department of Geology of the University of Sonora for providing financial support to carry out this research. The authors also thank two anonymous reviewers for improvements made to the manuscript.

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