THE LOWER ORDOVICIAN BRACHIOPOD GENUS LAMANSKYA AND THE FAMILY ELKANIIDAE

The Lower Ordovician (Oeland Series) type species of Lamanskya, L. spl endens Moberg & Segerberg 1906, was described originally as an articul ate brachiopod, but it is here redescribed and referred to the linguli d Family Elkaniidae. L. splendens ranges from the late Tremadoc to the early Arenig in Baltoscandia (Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and the St Pet ersburg district of Russia). Aulonotreta kuraganica Andreeva 1972 from the Lower Ordovician of the Ural Mountains is also redescribed and re ferred to Lamanskya. The genus Dictyobolus Williams & Curry 1985, from the Lower Ordovician of Ireland, is a junior synomym of Lamanskya. Al l species of the genus are strongly biconvex, and have a well-develope d ornamentation of elongate lenticular pits. The problematic Genus Vol borthia von Moller 1870 is also considered tentatively to belong withi n the Elkaniidae.