%0 Journal Article
%T The distribution of worm borings in brachiopod shells from the Caradoc Oil Shale of Estonia
%A Vinn Olev
%J Carnets de G¨Ļologie
%D 2005
%I Carnets de G¨Ļologie
%X Abundant worm borings were found in some brachiopod shells (Clitambonites, Estlandia, Nicolella) from the Ordovician (Caradoc) oil shale in North Estonia. 9 of 21 brachiopod genera (43 %) have been bored. Excluding the size and thickness of valves, no common morphological feature discriminates the brachiopods with borings from those without them. The Trypanites are host-specific, and the frequency of bored valves varies from 6.5 % in Bekkerina to 51 % in Estlandia. The worm larvae preferred hosts with thick lamellose shells, such as those of the clitambonitids, especially Clitambonites schmidti. The boring organisms were size-selective; they preferred large adult specimens. The majority of the borings are oriented, and living hosts were preferred to dead shells. Some clitambonitidine brachiopods, like C. schmidti tolerated a large number of the borer's shafts in their valves. Few bored valves have the blister-like shell-repair structures in their interior.
%K Ordovician
%K Estonia
%K oil shale
%K Brachiopoda
%K Trypanites
%K palaeoecology
%U http://paleopolis.rediris.es/cg/CG2005_A03/index.html