Article: Himalayan Cambrian brachiopods

A synoptic analysis of previously published material and new finds reveals that Himalayan Cambrian brachiopods can be referred to 18 genera, of which 17 are considered herein. These contain 20 taxa assigned to species, of which five are new: Eohadrotreta haydeni, Aphelotreta khemangarensis, Hadrotreta timchristiorum, Prototreta? sumnaensis and Amictocracens? brocki. Well-preserved topotype material from the classic Parahio Valley section is described for three species that have not previously been illustrated photographically. A biostratigraphical scheme based on Cambrian brachiopod occurrence is integrated with that recently proposed for trilobites. Regional correlations based on shared taxa within and across Himalayan lithotectonic belts demonstrate that erosion of Cambrian rocks in the Kurgiakh orogeny in the Parahio Valley removed little of the Parahio Formation and that all of the fossil-bearing lithotectonic zones share similar late early Cambrian brachiopods, suggesting regional faunal continuity at the time. Palaeobiogeographical analysis of the Cambrian brachiopod faunas from the Himalaya shows that they occupied a marginal position of the Australasian segment of Gondwana.