The Early Cambrian worm tube Onuphionella from California and Nevada

Two new species of worm tubes referable to the genus Onuphionella occur in Lower Cambrian strata in eastern California and western Nevada. Onuphionella durhami n.sp. is found in the Campito Formation (in pre-trilobite strata, in the Fallotaspis and, possibly, the Nevadella Zones) and O. claytonensis n.sp. occurs in the Middle Member of the Poleta Formation (Nevadella Zone). The unusual tubes are armored with an imbricated coat of mica flakes, reminiscent of the modern genus Owenia. The lowest occurrence of Onuphionella in western North America corresponds closely with the lowest occurrence of the genus in the Baltic region, indicating that correlations between the two regions are not greatly in error.