Taxonomy and distribution of chasmopine trilobites

The Ordovician pterygometopid subfamily Chasmopinae is considered to include not only Chasmops McCoy, 1849, and Uralops Ancigin, 1970, but also a number of other genera which encompass species previously referred to Chasmops. These are: Toxochasmops McNamara, 1979; Scopelochasmops gen.nov.; Bolbochasmops gen.nov.; and Rollmops gen.nov. A close correlation is shown to exist between distribution of chasmopines and lithofacies, which indicates habitation in ashallow water environment. A westerly spread of chasmopine species at various times from eastern Baltoscandia is considered to correspond with a similar spread of the shallow water environment. This is shown by the periodic appearance of members of the subfamily in the Oslo region and Britain. Thereis a general reduction in number of chasmopine species and genera away fromthe eastern Baltic.