A NEW CONODONT FROM THE UPPERMOST LAMAR LIMESTONE OF THE DELAWARE BASIN OF WEST TEXAS

Clarkina crofti is described from the deepwater pelagic facies of the uppermost Lamar Limestone of the Delaware Basin of west Texas. This ne w species of conodont is characterized by the presence of a reduced pl atform. This feature is considered ancestral to the evolutionary line that gave rise to the genus Neospathodus which is characterized by the absence of a platform. Clarina crofti appears to exhibit a high poten tial for the correlation of the post-lamar/pre-Castile level of the Gu adalupian type area with deepwater deposits of Tethys origin.