SMALL CRITTERS, BIG ERRORS: CORRECTIONS TO REPORTS OF STYLIOLINA FISSURELLA (HALL) FROM THE DEVONIAN OF NEW YORK

The dacryoconarids are a group of enigmatic Devonian marine zooplankters known from small, conical, calcite shells. The poster child for the group is the first named species Styliolina fissurella (Hall), which appears in faunal lists throughout most of the world and most of the Devonian. This species has been reported from many of New York's Eifelian to Frasnian formations since the work of James Hall. An examination of Hall's illustrated syntypes for S. fissurella has shown that most can no longer be referred to the genus. For example, Hall's syntypes for S. fissurella strigata from the Oatka Creek Formation are a Costulatostyliolina while most of Hall's syntypes for S. fissurella intermittens from the Geneseo Shale are an undescribed species of Distriatostylus. Furthermore, a recent study of "S. fissurella" specimens from the Onondaga Formation has revealed that all previous reports (including this author's) are incorrect. Whereas an undescribed species of the genus is present in argillaceous beds of the Nedrow Member in central NY, virtually all other individuals are actually undescribed species of Costulatostyliolina, Striatostyliolina, and Viriatellina. It is now certain that the dacryoconarid biodiversity of New York's Devonian strata is far richer than it was previously believed to be and that the prospects for the development of a biostratigraphically useful set of dacryoconarid biozones are shining brightly.