Restudy of the Cambrian–Ordovician boundary beds, traditionally assigned to the Mila Formation Member 5 in Mila-Kuh, northern Iran, for the first time provides convincing evidence of the Early Ordovician (Tremadocian) age of the uppermost part of the Mila Formation. Two succeeding trilobite assemblages typifying the Asaphellus inflatus–Dactylocephalus and Psilocephalina lubrica associations have been recognized in the uppermost part of the unit. The Tremadocian trilobite fauna of Mila-Kuh shows close similarity to contemporaneous trilobite faunas of South China down to the species level, while affinity to the Tremadocian fauna of Central Iran is low. The trilobite species Dactylocephalus levificatus and brachiopod species Tritoechia tenuis from the Tremadocian of Mila-Kuh are new to science.
Ahlberg, P. 1992. Agnostid trilobites from the Ordovician of southern Sweden. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Earth Sciences, 83, 539–570.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0263593300005873
Angelin, N. P. 1851–1878. Palaeontologia Scandinavica. Pars 1. Crustacea formationis transitionis (Palaeontologia Suecica, fasc. 1, 1851, 1–24); (Palaeontologia Scandinavica, fasc. 2, 1854, i–ix, 21–29). Lindström, G. (ed.), republished in combined and revised form (1878); Norstedt and Söner, Stockholm, x + 1–96.
Assereto, R. 1963. The Paleozoic formations in Central Elburz (Iran) (Preliminary notes). Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, 69, 503–543.
Benedetto, J. L. 1987. Braquiopodos clitambonitaceos de la Formacion San Juan (Ordovicico temprano), Precordillera de San Juan, Argentina. Ameghiniana, 24, 95–108.
Benedetto, J. L. 2001. Silicified Early Ordovician (Arenig) brachiopods from the San Juan Limestone, Argentine Precordillera. Geologica et Palaeontologica, 35, 1–29.
Benedetto, J. L., Cech, N. & Esbry, C. 2003. New late Tremadoc–early Arenig (Early Ordovician) silicified brachiopods from the lower part of the San Juan Formation, Argentine Precordillera. Ameghiniana, 40, 513–530.
Brøgger, W. C. 1896. Über die Verbreitung der Euloma-Niobe-Fauna (der Ceratogypenkalkfauna) in Europa. Nyt Magazin for Natuvidenskaberne, Christiana, 35, 164–240.
Brown, I. A. 1948. Lower Ordovician brachiopods from Junee district, Tasmania. Journal of Paleontology, 22, 35–39.
Bruton, D. L., Wright, A. J. & Hamedi, M. A. 2004. Ordovician trilobites of Iran. Palaeontographica, A271, 111–149.
Burmeister, H. 1843. Die Organisation der Trilobiten aus ihren lebenden Verwandten entwickelt; nebst einer systematischen Uebersicht aller zeither beschreibenen Arten. Berlin, i–xii, 147 pp.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.9086
Callaway, C. 1877. On a new area of Upper Cambrian rocks in south Shropshire, with description of a new fauna. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, 33, 652–672.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/GSL.JGS.1877.033.01-04.37
Cooper, R. A. & Sadler, P. M. 2012. The Ordovician Period. In The Geologic Time Scale 2012 (Gradstein, F. M., Ogg, J. G., Schmitz, M. & Ogg, G., eds), pp. 489–523. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-59425-9.00020-2
Ebbestad, J. O. R. 1999. Trilobites of the Tremadoc Bjørkåsholmen Formation in the Oslo Region, Norway. Fossils and Strata, 47, 1–118.
Gansser, A. & Huber, H. 1962. Geological observations in the Central Elburz, Iran. Schweizerische Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen, 42, 593–630.
Geyer, G., Bayet-Goll, A., Wilmsen, M., Mahboubi, A. & Moussavi-Harami, R. 2014. Lithostratigraphic revision of the middle Cambrian (Series 3) and upper Cambrian (Furongian) in northern and central Iran. Newsletters on Stratigraphy, 47, 21–59.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0078-0421/2014/0039
Ghobadi Pour, M. 2006. Early Ordovician (Tremadocian) trilobites from Simeh-Kuh, Eastern Alborz, Iran. In Studies in Palaeozoic Palaeontology (Bassett, M. G. & Deisler, V. K., eds), National Museum of Wales Geological Series, 25, 93–118.
Ghobadi Pour, M., Vidal, M. & Hosseini-Nezhad, M. 2007. An Early Ordovician trilobite assemblage from the Lashkarak Formation, Damghan area, northern Iran. Geobios, 40, 489–500.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2005.04.007
Ghobadi Pour, M., Popov, L. E., Kebria-ee Zadeh, M. R. & Baars, C. 2011a. Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian) brachiopods associated with the Neseuretus bio-facies, eastern Alborz Mountains, Iran. Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists, 42, 263–283.
Ghobadi Pour, M., Kebria-ee Zadeh, M. R. & Popov, L. E. 2011b. Early Ordovician (Tremadocian) brachiopods from the Eastern Alborz Mountains, Iran. Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60, 65–82.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3176/earth.2011.2.01
Harrington, H. J. & Leanza, A. F. 1957. Ordovician trilobites of Argentina. Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Special Publication, 1, 1–276.
Hawle, I. & Corda, A. J. S. 1847. Prodrom einer Monographie der böhmischen Trilobiten. Abhandlungen Koeniglichen Boehmischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften. J. G. Calve, Prague, 176 pp.
Howell, B. F. 1935. Cambrian and Ordovician trilobites from Hérault, southern France. Journal of Paleontology, 9, 222–238.
Hsü, S. C. 1948. Part III, The I-Changian trilobites and other fossils. In The I-Chang Formation and the Ichangian fauna (Hsü, S. & Ma, C., eds), Contributions from the Institute of Geology, 8, 1–51.
Hupé, P. 1955. Classification des trilobites II. Annales de Paléontologie, 41, 91–304.
Jaekel, O. 1909. Über die Agnostiden. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 61, 380–401.
Jell, P. A. & Adrain, J. M. 2002. Available generic names for trilobites. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 48, 331–553.
Kaesler, R. L. (ed.). 1997. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part O. Arthropoda 1. Trilobita, Revised. Volume 1: Introduction, Order Agnostida, Order Redlichiida. Geological Society of America, Boulder, and University of Kansas, Lawrence, xxiv + 530 pp.
Kaljo, D., Borovko, N., Heinsalu, H., Khazanovich, K., Mens, K., Popov, L., Sergeyeva, S., Sobolevskaya, R. & Viira, V. 1986. The Cambrian–Ordovician boundary in the Baltic–Ladoga clint area (North Estonia and Leningrad Region, USSR). Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian SSSR, Geology, 35, 97–108.
Kobayashi, T. 1936. Three contributions to the Cambro-Ordovician faunas. I. The Dikelokephalininae (nov.), its distribution, migration and evolution. Japanese Journal of Geology and Geography, 13, 163–178.
Kushan, B. 1973. Stratigraphie und trilobiten Fauna in der Mila-Formation Mittelkambrium-Tremadoc) im Alborz-Gebirge (N-Iran). Palaeontographica, A144, 113–165.
Lake, P. 1907. A monograph of the British Cambrian trilobites. (2). Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, 246, 29–48.
Laurie, J. R. 1980. Early Ordovician orthide brachiopods from southern Tasmania. Alcheringa, 4, 11–23.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03115518008558976
Linnarsson, J. G. O. 1869. Om Vestergötlands Cambriska och Siluriska aflagringar. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps–Akademiens Handlingar, 34, 1–86.
Lu, Y. 1962. Early Ordovician trilobites. In A Handbook of Index Fossils of Yangtze District (Wang, Y., ed.), pp. 42–47. Science Press, Beijing [in Chinese].
Lu, Y. 1975. Ordovician trilobite faunas of central and southwestern China. Palaeontologica Sinica, New Series B, 11, 1–463 [in Chinese and English].
Männik, P. & Viira, V. 2012. Ordovician conodont diversity in the northern Baltic. Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences, 61, 1–14.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3176/earth.2012.1.01
Matthew, G. F. 1887. Illustration of the fauna of the St. John Group. II. The smaller trilobites with eyes (Ptychoparidae and Ellipsocephalidae). Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, 5(4), 123–166.
M’Coy, F. 1849. On the classification of some British fossils Crustaceae, with notices of new forms in the University collection at Cambridge. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 2, 4, 161–179, 330–335, 392–414.
Miller, J. F. 1984. Cambrian and earliest Ordovician conodont evolution, biofacies and provincialism. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 196, 43–68.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/SPE196-p43
Müller, K. 1959. Kambrische Conodonten. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 111, 434–485.
Müller, K. 1973. Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician conodonts from northern Iran. Reports of the Geological Survey of Iran, 30, 1–77.
Öpik, A. 1934. Über Klitamboniten. Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Tartuensis (Dorpatensis), A26, 1–239.
Peng, S. 1990a. Trilobites from the Nantsinkwan Formation of the Yangtze Platform. Beringeria, 2, 3–53.
Peng, S. 1990b. Trilobites from the Panjiazui Formation and Madaoyu Formation in Jiangnan Slope Belt. Beringeria, 2, 55–171.
Peng, S., Geyer, G. & Hamdi, B. 1999. Trilobites from the Shahmirzad section, Alborz Mountains, Iran: their taxonomy, biostratigraphy and bearing for international correlation. Beringeria, 25, 3–66.
Peng, S., Babcock, L. E. & Cooper, R. A. 2012. The Cambrian Period. In The Geologic Time Scale 2012 (Gradstein, F. M., Ogg, J. G., Schmitz, M. & Ogg, G., eds), pp. 438–488. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-59425-9.00019-6
Popov, L. E., Vinn, O. & Nikitina, O. I. 2001. Brachiopods of the redefined family Tritoechiidae from the Ordovician of Kazakhstan and South Urals. Géobios, 32, 131–155.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0016-6995(01)80057-7
Popov, L. E., Ghobadi Pour, M., Bassett, M. G. & Kebria-ee Zadeh, M. R. 2009. Billingsellide and orthide brachiopods: new insights into earliest Ordovician evolution and biogeography from Northern Iran. Palaeontology, 52, 35–52.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00833.x
Poulsen, C. 1927. The Cambrian, Ozarkian and Canadian faunas of Northwest Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland, 70, 237–343.
Rubel, M. & Wright, A. D. 2000. Clitambonitidina. In Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part H, Brachiopoda (Revised), Vol. 3 (Kaesler, R. L., ed.), pp. H692–708. The Geological Society of America and The University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Salter, J. W. 1864. A monograph of the British trilobites from the Cambrian, Silurian and Devonian formations. Part 1. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, 16, 1–80.
Salter, J. W. 1866. A monograph of the British trilobites from the Cambrian, Silurian and Devonian formations. Part 3. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, 77, 129–176.
Schuchert, C. 1893. A classification of the Brachiopoda. American Geologist, 11, 141–167.
Schuchert, C. & Cooper, G. A. 1932. Brachiopod genera of the suborders Orthoidea and Pentameroidea. Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 4, 1–270.
Sdzuy, K. 1955. Die Fauna der Leimnitz-Schiefer (Tremadoc). Abdhandlungen von der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 492, 1–74.
Shergold, J. H. 1991. Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician trilobite faunas and biostratigraphy of the Pacoota Sandstone, Amadeus Basin, Central Australia. Bureau of Mineral Resources of Australia, Bulletin, 237, 15–75.
Stöcklin, J., Ruttner, A. & Nabavi, M. N. 1964. New data on the Lower Palaeozoic and Precambrian of North Iran. Geological Survey of Iran, Reports, 1, 1–29.
Swinnerton, H. H. 1915. Suggestions for a revised classification of trilobites. Geological Magazine (New Series), 6, 487–496, 538–545.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800203634
Tjernvik, T. E. 1956. On the early Ordovician of Sweden. Stratigraphy and fauna. Bulletin of the Geological Institutions of the University of Uppsala, 36, 107–284.
Torsvik, T. H. & Cocks, L. R. M. 2009. The Lower Palaeozoic palaeogeographical evolution of the northeastern and eastern peri-Gondwanan margin from Turkey to New Zealand. In Early Palaeozoic Peri-Gondwana Terranes: New Insights from Tectonics and Biogeography (Bassett, M. G., ed.), Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 325, 3–21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP325.2
Ulrich, E. O. & Cooper, G. A. 1936. New genera and species of Ozarkian and Canadian brachiopods. Journal of Paleontology, 10, 616–631.
Ulrich, E. O. & Cooper, G. A. 1938. Ozarkian and Canadian Brachiopoda. Geological Society of America, Special Paper, 13, 1–323.
Viira, V. 2011. Lower and Middle Ordovician conodonts from the subsurface of SE Estonia and adjacent Russia. Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60, 1–21.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3176/earth.2011.1.01
Waisfeld, B. G., Vaccari, N. E., Chatterton, B. D. E. & Edgecombe, G. D. 2001. Systematics of Shumardiidae (Trilobita), with new species from the Ordovician of Argentina. Journal of Paleontology, 75, 827–859.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/0022-3360(2001)075<0827:SOSTWN>2.0.CO;2
Walch, J. E. I. 1771. Die Naturgeschichte der Versteinerungen zur Erläuterung der Knorrischen Sammlung von Merkwürdigkeiten der Natur. Nürnberg. (Volume 3 of Knorr, G. W. & Walch, J. E. I. 1768–1774).
Wang, Y. (ed.). 1962. A Handbook of Index Fossils of Yangtze District. Science Press, Beijing, 188 pp. [in Chinese].
Zhou, Z. & Zhen, Y. (eds). 2009. Trilobite Record of China. Beijing, Science Press, 402 pp.
Zhou, T., Liu, Y., Meng, X. & Sun, Z. 1977. Trilobita. In Palaeontological Atlas of Central and South China. (1), pp. 104–266. Geological Publishing House, Beijing [in Chinese].