The Somerset Shale Member (Salem Limestone) of Kentucky: Brachiopoda

by Don R. Chesnut (chesnut<at>uky.edu)
©DRC 2014


Phylum Brachiopoda Duméril, 1806

Class Inarticulata Kuhn, 1949 [using traditional classification]

Order Acrotretida Kuhn, 1949


Suborder Craniidina Waagen, 1885

Superfamily Craniacea Menke, 1828

Family Craniidae Menke, 1828

Genus Crania Retzius, 1781


?Crania sp.
[cited by Feldman, 1984]


Class Articulata Huxley 1896 [using traditional classification]

Order Orthida Schuchert and Cooper, 1932

Suborder Orthidina Schuchert and Cooper, 1932

Superfamily Enteletacea Waagen, 1884

Family Rhipidomellidae Schuchert, 1913

Genus Perditocardina Schuchert and Cooper, 1931


Perditocardina dubia (Hall, 1856)
[cited as Rhipidomella dubia (Hall) by Butts, 1922]
[cited by Feldman, 1984]
Click to see IMG_0141ac.jpg


Order Strophomenida Opik, 1934


Suborder Productidina Waagen, 1883

Superfamily Productacea Gray, 1840

Click to see IMG_0134ac.jpg

Family Overtoniidae Muir-Wood and Cooper, 1960

Subfamily Overtoniinae Muir-Wood and Cooper, 1960

Genus Setigerites Girty, 1939


Setigerites setiger (Hall, 1858)
[cited as S. setigerus by Feldman, 1984 in Errata]
 Click to see IMG_0114ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0115ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0116ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0117ac.jpg
Click to see IMG_0118ac.jpg


Family Echinoconchidae Stehli, 1954

SubfamilyEchinoconchinae Stehli, 1954

Genus Echinoconchus Weller, 1914

Echinoconchus biseriatus (Hall, date?)
[cited as Pustula biseriata by Butts, 1922]


Family Linoproductidae Stehli, 1954

Subfamily Linoproductinae Stehli, 1954

Genus Linoproductus Chao, 1927

Linoproductus altonensis (Norwood and Pratten, date?)
[cited as Productus altonensis by Butts, 1922]


Suborder Strophomenidina Opik, 1934

Superfamily Davidsoniacea King, 1850

Family Orthotetidae Waagen, 1884

Subfamily Orthotetinae Waagen, 1884

Genus Orthotetes Fischer de Waldheim, 1829


Orthotetes new species
[cited by Feldman, 1984 in Errata]
Click to see IMG_0135ac.jpg

Orthotetes?
[cited by Butts, 1922]


Order Rhynchonellida Kuhn, 1949

Superfamily Rhynchonellacea Gray, 1848

Family Camarotoechiidae Schuchert and LeVene, 1929

Subfamily Camarotoechiinae Schuchert and LeVene, 1929

Genus Camarotoechia Hall and Clarke, 1893


Camarotoechia mutata (Hall, 1856)
[cited by Feldman, 1984]


Family Pugnacidae Rzhonsnitskaya, 1956

Genus Pugnax Hall and Clarke, 1893

Pugnax grosvenori (Hall, 1856)
[cited as Camarotoechia grosvenori by Butts, 1922]


Family Tetracameridae Likharev in Rzhonsnitskaya, 1956

Genus Tetracamera Weller, 1910


Tetracamera subcuneata (Hall, 1858)
[cited by Butts, 1922]
 Click to see IMG_0119ac.jpg



Order Spiriferida Waagen, 1883

Suborder Athyrididina Boucot, Johnson, and Staton, 1964

Superfamily Athyridacea M'Coy, 1844

Family Athyrididae M'Coy, 1844

Subfamily Athyridinae M'Coy, 1844

Genus Athyris M'Coy, 1844

Athyris densa Hall, date?
[cited by Butts, 1922]

Genus Eumetria Hall, 1864

Eumetria verneuiliana (Hall, 1856)
[cited by Butts, 1922] 
[cited by Feldman, 1984]
Click to see IMG_0136ac.jpg


Genus Composita Brown, 1849

Composita trinuclea (Hall, 1856)
[cited by Butts, 1922]
[cited by Feldman, 1984]
 Click to see IMG_0138ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0139ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0140ac.jpg


Genus Cleiothyridina Buckman, 1906

Cleiothyridina hirsuta (Hall, 1856)
[cited by Butts, 1922]
[cited by Feldman, 1984]
Click to see IMG_0113ac.jpg
Click to see IMG_0122ac.jpg



Suborder Spiriferidina Waagen, 1883

Superfamily Spiriferacea King, 1846

Family Spiriferidae King, 1846

Click to see IMG_0142ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0157ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0157bac.jpg Click to see IMG_0158ac.jpg
Click to see IMG_0159ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0133ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0120ac.jpg 

Genus Spirifer Sowerby, 1816

[The following species need to be reassigned to the proper genera.]

Spirifer bifurcatus Hall, 1856
[cited by Feldman, 1984]

Spirifer? forbesi Norwood and Pratten, ??
[cited by Feldman, 1984]

Spirifer keokuk Hall
[cited by Butts, 1922]

Spirifer keokuk Hall?
[cited by Butts, 1922]

Spirifer washingtonensis Weller, 1914
[cited by Butts, 1922]
[cited by Feldman, 1984]


Genus Tegulocera author

Tegulocera tenuicostata (Hall, 1858)
[cited as Spirifer tenuicostatus Hall  by Butts, 1922]
[cited as Spirifer? tenuicostatus Hall  by Feldman, 1984]
Click to see IMG_0161ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0162ac.jpg 


Genus Warsawia Carter, 1974

Warsawia lateralis (Hall, 1858)
[cited as Spirifer lateralis and S. lateralis? by Butts, 1922]


Family Brachythyrididae Frederiks, 1919 (1924)

Genus Skelidorygma author

Skelidorygma subcardiiformis (Hall, ??)
[cited as Brachythyris subcardiformis by Butts, 1922]

 Click to see IMG_0129ac.jpg
Click to see IMG_0130ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0131ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0132ac.jpg



Genus Spiriferella Chernyshev, 1902
[This species needs to be reassigned to the proper genus and family.]

Spiriferella neglecta (Hall, date?)
[cited by Butts, 1922]


Superfamily Spiriferinacea Davidson, 1884

Family Spiriferinidae Davidson, 1884

Genus Reticulariina Frederiks, 1916


Reticulariina? ssp.
[cited as Reticularia setigera (Hall) by Butts, 1922]

[cited as Spiriferina aff. transversa (McChesney, date?) by Butts, 1922]

Reticulariina salemensis
(Weller, 1914)
[cited as Spiriferina salemensis Weller? by Butts, 1922] 
[cited by Feldman, 1984]


Genus Dimegelasma Cooper, 1942

Dimegelasma neglecta (Hall, 1858)
[cited as Brachythyris? by Feldman, 1984 and then redescribed as D. neglecta  in his Errata]



Superfamily Reticulariacea Waagen, 1883

Family Elythidae Frederiks, 1919

Genus Torynifer Hall and Clarke, 1894


Torynifer pseudolineatus (Hall, 1858)
[cited by Feldman, 1984]
 Click to see IMG_0121ac.jpg



Order Terebratulida Waagen, 1883

Suborder Terebratulidina Waagen, 1883

Superfamily Dielasmatacea Schuchert, 1913

Click to see IMG_0128ac.jpg 

Family Cranaenidae
Cloud, 1942

Subfamily Girtyellinae Stehli, 1965

Genus Girtyella Weller, 1914


Girtyella turgidum (Hall, 156)
[cited as G. turgida by Butts, 1922]
[cited as G. turgida by Feldman, 1984]
Click to see IMG_0124ac.jpg Click to see IMG_0125ac.jpg


Family Heterelasminidae Likharev, 1956

Genus Beecheria Hall and Clarke, 1893


Beecheria formosa (Hall, date?)
[cited as Dielasma formosa by Butts, 1922]