3-DIMENSIONAL PRESERVATION OF ARTHROPOD INTEGUMENT FROM THE MIDDLE CAMBRIAN OF AUSTRALIA

Three-dimensional preservation of arthropod soft integument occurs in Middle Cambrian sediments of the Georgina Basin, western Queensland, A ustralia. The beds are referred to the Monastery Creek Phosphorite For mation, Gowers Formation, Inca Shale Formation and Devoncourt Limeston e Formation. The finds include arthropod type-A larvae previously desc ribed by Muller & Walossek and several complete appendages, possibly o f early Palaeozoic 'ostracodes', as well as indeterminable cuticular r emains. The Australian sediments were in part deposited under high wat er-energy conditions, whereas previously known occurrences of three-di mensional soft-integument preservation have been from environments of lower water energy. Such preservation may thus be more widespread in t he Early Paleozoic than hitherto known.