''Salterella'' is an enigmatic

Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ag ...

genus with a small, conical, calcareous shell that appears to be

septate In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatr ...

, but is rather filled with stratified laminar deposits. The shell contains grains of sediment, which are obtained selectively (with a preference for denser grains) by a manner also observed in

foramanifera Foraminifera (; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly a ...

. The genus was established by

Elkanah Billings Elkanah Billings (May 5, 1820 – June 14, 1876) is often referred to as Canada's first paleontologist. Billings was born on a farm by the Rideau River outside Bytown (Ottawa), now known as Billings Estate. His parents were named Lamira Dow an ...

in 1861, and was named after the English palaeontologist

John William Salter John William Salter (15 December 1820 – 2 December 1869) was an English naturalist, geologist, and palaeontologist. Salter was apprenticed in 1835 to James De Carle Sowerby, and was engaged in drawing and engraving the plates for Sowerby's ...

. The genus is known from multiple locations worldwide, such as

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

in Canada, Svalbard, the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

. The related fossil genus '' Volborthella'' was formerly placed in synonymy with ''Salterella'' by Ellis L. Yochelson in 1983, due to the similarities between the two genera (though ''Volborthella'' notably lacks an outer calcareous shell). However, ''Volborthella'' was later accepted as a separate genus again by Yochelson & Kisselev in 2003. Both genera are currently placed in the

Salterellidae Salterellidae is a family of enigmatic fossil genera from the Early to Middle Cambrian. It was originally created for the genus ''Salterella'' by Charles Doolittle Walcott, who placed it in the group Pteropoda. It was later placed in Agmata, a ...

family in the phylum

Agmata Agmata is a proposed extinct phylum of small animals with a calcareous conical shell. They were originally thought to be cephalopods or annelid worms. The living animals filled up to five-sixths of their shell with laminae, angled layers composed ...

Species

At least two species of ''Salterella'' are known: * †''Salterella conulata''

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educat ...

, 1924: A species that is widespread in eastern North America. * †''Salterella maccullochi'' ( Murchison, 1859) (Synonyms: ''S. mexicana'' Lochman, 1952; ''S. expansa'' Poulsen, 1927; ''S. rugosa''

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metro ...

, 1861, ''Serpulites maccullochi'' Murchison, 1859) The following species placed in the genus are poorly known: * †''Salterella pulchella''

, 1861 * †''Salterella acervulosa'' Resser & Howell, 1938: A species that is abundant in the

Kinzers Formation The Kinzers Formation is a geologic formation in Pennsylvania. It preserves fossils dating back to the Cambrian Period. The base of the Kinzers Formation is primarily a dark-brown shale. The middle is a gray and white spotted limestone and, loca ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, but specimens of it are not well preserved. * †''Salterella curvata'' Shaler &

Foerste Foerste is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * August Foerste (1862–1936), American geologist, science teacher, and paleontologist * Maxime Foerste (born 1991), German actress See also * Renata Forste Renata Tonks Forste is ...

, 1888: A species known only from the

Hoppin Formation The Hoppin Formation named for Hoppin Hill in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, contains Early Cambrian fossils associated with the explosion of multi-cellular life, beginning 539 million years ago at the start of the Phanerozoic Eon. The botto ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It was described from a single specimen, which has been lost. The following species are doubtfully placed in the genus: * ''Salterella'' (?) ''orientalis'' Kobayashi, 1935: A species described from a single specimen found in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Associated with ''

Obolella ''Obolella'' is a genus of Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized C with bar, Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the pr ...

'' cf. ''asiatica'' and a fragment of a trilobite (possibly ''

Redlichia ''Redlichia'' is a genus of redlichiid trilobite in the family Redlichiidae, with large to very large species (up to long). Fossils of various species are found in Lower Cambrian (Toyonian)-aged marine strata from China, Korea, Pakistan, the Hi ...

''). Other: * ''Salterella howitti'' Chapman, 1923: Found in Phosphate Hill Formation,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia

Former species

The following species were formerly placed in ''Salterella'', and have since been moved to other genera: * †''"Salterella" obtusa''

, 1861: This

Middle Cambrian Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

species was moved to the genus ''

Hyolithes Hyoliths are animals with small conical shells, known as fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachiopods, while others consider them as be ...

'' d'Eichwald, 1840, and renamed ''Hyolithes billingsi'' Walcott, 1886. It was later moved again to '' Linevitus'' Syssoiev, 1958. * †''"Salterella" billingsi'' Safford, 1869: A

Middle Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

species of ''Salterella'' from the

Murfreesboro Limestone The Murfreesboro Limestone is a geologic formation in Tennessee. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ordovician period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Tennessee * Paleontology in Tennessee Paleontology in Tennes ...

formation in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

described by

James M. Safford James Merrill Safford (1822–1907) was an American geologist, chemist and university professor. Biography Early life James M. Safford was born in Putnam, Ohio on August 13, 1822. He received an M.D. and a PhD. He was trained as a chemist at Ya ...

in 1869. However,

T. H. Clark Thomas Henry Clark, Doctorate, Ph.D., Royal Society of Canada, FRSC (December 3, 1893 – April 28, 1996) was a Canadians, Canadian geologist who is considered to have been one of the nation's top scientists of the 20th century. He was a profe ...

considered it distinct from other ''Salterella'' fossils, creating the genus '' Polylopia'' Clark, 1925 to encompass it. * †''"Salterella" hardmani'' Etheridge ''in'' Foord, 1890: This Middle Cambrian species was described from the Ord Basin of

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

, Australia. It was moved to the genus '' Biconulites'' Teilhard, 1931. Much later, the genus '' Guduguwan'' Kruse, 1990 was created to contain it. * †''"Salterella" planoconvexa'' Tate, 1892: A species described from

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It belongs in

Hyolitha Hyoliths are animals with small conical shells, known as fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachiopods, while others consider them as be ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7406087 Prehistoric animal genera Enigmatic prehistoric animal genera Paleozoic life of Newfoundland and Labrador Paleozoic life of Quebec Taxa named by Elkanah Billings