Shallow−water occurrence of Wiwaxia in the middle Cambrian of the Barrandian area, Czech Republic

A rich record of specimens with slightly sclerotised skeletal parts or even soft−bodied fossils have been established from several well−known lower and middle Cambrian Lagerstätte, e.g., Bur− gess Shale of the Stephen Formation, Kinzers, Marjum, and Wheeler formations in North America; Buen Formation in North Greenland; Doushantuo, Chengjiang, and Kaili in China; Emu Bay Shale in Australia and Sinsk Formation in Russia (Conway Morris 1985b; Butterfield 2003, and Ivantsov et al. 2005a, b). Six major types of exceptional preservation have been recently summarised by Butterfield (2003), including the Burgess Shale− type faunas. Exceptionally preserved fossils have been recently discov− ered at several stratigraphical levels of middle Cambrian sedi− ments of the Jince and Buchava formations in Barrandian area (Czech Republic). Findings of slightly sclerotised arthropods (e.g., Tuzoia Walcott, 1912) were described by Chlupáč and Kordule (2002) from the Jince Formation of Příbram−Jince Ba− sin. Mikuláš and Kordule (1998) discussed a spectacular speci− men of unknown non−biomineralised invertebrate. Occurrence of rare graptoloids was published by Maletz et al. (2005) from both Příbram−Jince and Skryje−Týřovice basins. In this paper we describe the discovery of unmineralised, or− ganic composite invertebrates from the Skryje−Týřovice Basin. The material was collected from fine silty and shaly interlayers within the basal Cambrian clastic sequence exposed at the clas− sical locality called “Orthisový lůmek” (= Orthis small quarry) near Skryje situated next to the road between the village of Skryje and Luh at the slope above the Berounka river (Fig. 1). Isolated scales of Wiwaxia were discovered on one slabs of fine grained interlayers (siltstone to shale) originally collected by Karel Žebera in 1937 (see Bouček 1938).