A lower Cambrian protoconodont apparatus from the Placentian of southeastern Newfoundland

A cluster of three pyritized, naturally arranged, conoidal sclerites has be en found on a bedding surface in the lower Cambrian Chapel Island Formation in southeastern Newfoundland. The elements are about 4 mm in length and ar e morphologically similar to protoconodonts but neither their original chem ical composition nor internal structure is preserved. Arrangement of the el ements suggests that they belonged to an apparatus that performed a graspin g function. The specimen is described here as Protohertzina? canadia n.sp. This is the oldest hitherto described protoconodont apparatus, apart from d usters of Mongolodus described from the lower Cambrian of the Lesser Himala ya. This paper adds to the scant knowledge of early protoconodonts that we consider to be the earliest biomineralized predators. square Cambrian, Chae tognatha, Newfoundland, predation, protoconodonts, Protohertzina, pyritizat ion.