THE SAUCRORTHIS FAUNA (BRACHIOPODA) AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR THE ORDOVICIAN RADIATION IN SOUTH CHINA

摘要

1 INTRODUCTIONThe South China palaeoplate is one of the few palaeogeographical regions where the Ordovician brachiopod radiation occurred much earlier than most other places in the world (Zhan and Rong, 2003; Zhan and Harper, 2006). Similar to the global pattern based on the compiled data from most major Ordovician fossil groups (Webby, 2000), the brachiopod radiation in South China was marked by three diversity maxima in the early Arenig, Llanvirn, and mid Ashgill respectively.