An Early Mississippian blastoid fauna from the Canadian Rockies

Lower Mississippian blastoids have been found at many scattered localities in Alberta and British Columbia, western Canada. Most are from the Banff Formation of Tournaisian age. They are poorly known taxonomically. Eight taxa are here recognized, of which six are new: Tholoblastus raaschi new genus new species, Cryptoblastus canadensis new species, Pentremites jasperensis new species, Strongyloblastus recurvatus new species, and Globoblastus bamberi new species. Lophoblastus neglectus (Meek and Worthen, 1869) also occurs in the Banff and represents a range and chronostratigraphic extension. There is one taxon too incomplete to be formally described. The distribution of a key species, Strongyloblastus petalus Fay, 1962, is documented. The Canadian blastoids occur on the westward-sloping outer ramp of the Banff Formation. Sedimentologically, they were contributors to the bioclastic crinoidal limestones that are common in the Mississippian of western Canada. Paleogeographically, the taxa complement but are different than the Early Mississippian Tournaisian blastoids of the Lodgepole Formation in western Montana to the south. Six new higher taxa are introduced: Cribroblastida new order; Cribroblastidae new family; Pentremitida new superfamily; Strongyloblastidae new family; Nodoblastidae new family; and Orbitremitida new order. UUID: http://zoobank.org/61a0cf5f-b7b9-4144-8e8f-2e96667cdf39