The Bertie Waterlime - Fossil Ecosystems of North America: A Guide to the Sites and their Extraordinary Biotas - page 67

brachiopod Whitfieldella and the ostra-
code Leperditia . Trace fossils are also
more abundant in this environment,
which is represented by the Victor
Member

(Kluessendorf and Mikulic, 1991). These
authors suggested that the eurypterid
remains were introduced into the lagoon
as molts (exuviae), rather than live or
dead animals, and therefore the anoxia
was responsible for the preservation of
the remains rather than death of the
animals.

of the Fiddlers Green

Formation.
The superb preservation of the non-
biomineralized biota in this Konservat-
Lagerstätte has been attributed to
rapid burial of their remains in very
fine carbonate muds with a lack of
benthic scavengers and bioturbators
due to a combination of periodically
elevated salinities and bottom anoxia

D ESCRIPTION OF THE B ERTIE
W ATERLIME BIOTA
Eurypterids
Commonly known as sea scorpions, the
body of eurypterids ( 69 , 70 ) is divided into

69

69 Eurypterus
lacustris,
Williamsville
Formation,
Ridgemount
Quarries, Ontario
YPM. Annotated
to show the dorsal
morphology of
eurypterids.

spiny appendages

eyes

walking leg

carapace

swimming paddle

tergite

1 cm

1 inch

telson