The helcionelloid mollusc Chuiliella elenae gen. et sp. nov. is described f
rom the Lower Ordovician of Kazakhstan. It represents the geologically youn
gest record of a group of mainly bilaterally symmetrical ancient molluscs w
hich originated in the earliest Cambrian, flourished during the early-mid C
ambrian and was thought to have become extinct during the late Cambrian. Ch
uiliella is a typical helcionelloid in terms of shell shape, although the c
omarginal ornamentation characteristic of many helcionelloids is lacking. I
nterpretation of the raised margin of the aperture adjacent to the earlier
coiled whorl as exhalant channels favours reconstruction of helcionelloids
as endogastrically coiled, i.e., with the apex posterior.