Cadomella – still mysterious

PUBLICATION — Halamski, A.T. and Baliński, A. 2026. A contribution to the study of the genus Cadomella Œhlert and Œhlert, 1887 (Brachiopoda, Jurassic). Acta Geologica Polonica, 76 (3), e89. https://doi.org/10.24425/agp.2026.158203

Figure: A cross-section through the dorsal valve of Cadomella moorei from the Pliensbachian of Württemberg. Scanning electron microscope image. Calcite crystals, which form the shell of the brachiopod, are visible.

The Liassic brachiopod Cadomella belongs to the class Rhynchonellata, but its exact systematic position remains a mystery. This paper summarises many years of fieldwork and research in museum collections in France, England, Germany, and Portugal: available occurrence data have been compiled and verified, and biometric analysis has shown that the genus comprises a single species. The exact publication dates and authorship of two publications from 1887 (one from May, the other from June) were established, thereby confirming that the genus was first described by the palaeontologist Daniel Œhlert and his wife Pauline, and not, as previously thought, by Ernest Munier-Chalmas or Daniel Œhlert alone.