The Silurian Eramosa Lagerstätte of southern Ontario

The Eramosa Formation of southern Ontario preserves a mid-Silurian (431 Ma) Konservat Lagerstätte with a diverse assemblage of soft-bodied and biomineralized taxa that differ based on depositional environment and preservational pathways, offering a rare chance to untangle their influences on the paleocommunities. Despite limited study, the Lagerstätte contains eleven phyla and >50 taxa, with numerous groups left to be described. Ranging from scorpions with terrestrial adaptations, to conodonts with soft tissue preservation, the Eramosa is a rare glimpse at an arthropod-dominated, shallow-water ecosystem in the midst of one of the most fundamental shifts in earth history: terrestrialization. While taphonomically similar to the Waukesha Biota (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), it differs in biotic composition, offering a direct comparison of two Silurian communities. Despite years of inattention, the Eramosa and other Silurian Lagerstätten are coming into prominence as important contributors in the fields of evolutionary development and paleoecology.