Distribution of vertebrates in the Silurian of Estonia

A rich collection of Silurian vertebrate remains, including abundant thelodont and acanthodian scales, has been made from recent borings on the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Ösel). Thelodonts have been reported for the first time at the top of the Jaagarahu Stage, as have anaspids from the Rootsiküla (formerly Kaarma) Stage, and acanthodians from the Paadla Stage. Arthrodires as well as actinopterygians (?), represented by the genus Andreolepis, have been found for the first time on Saaremaa. Arthrodires appear to be the oldest known members of this group. The recent stratigraphical classification of the Silurian of Estonia has been taken into account, and the stratigraphical distribution of the vertebrate genera and species is given. The correlation between some of the vertebrate-bearing beds of Saaremaa, Gotland, and the southern Baltic is also discussed.