ABSTRACT
The published literature on the taphonomy of Recent and fossil lingulides (those infaunal brachiopods with a thin organo-phosphatic shell) was surveyed to evaluate changes in the group’s fossilization potential through the Phanerozoic. The available lines of evidence include: (1) quality of shell preservation; (2) presence of original shell material; (3) mode of shell occurrence; and (4) taphonomic distribution. They consistently suggest that the fossilization potential of lingulides increased slightly by the end of the early Paleozoic, and was at a relative peak in the late Paleozoic, Triassic, and Jurassic. It was considerably lower in the Cretaceous and especially in the Tertiary when it was comparable with the very low fossilization potential of Recent lingulides. Causes for the changes in fossilization potential may have included changes in shell thickness, shell mineralization, habitat and behavior, and the intensity of extrinsic taphonomic agents. The decrease in the fossilization potential of lingulides may have generated an important megabias in their fossil record. The Phanerozoic record of taxonomic diversity, morphologic disparity, and ecological importance of lingulides may, to some extent, reflect changes in the quality of their fossil record.
