Salterella fossil map
Where fossils of Salterella have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 525 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 525 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ediacaran & Cambrian life |
|---|---|
| Lived | 521–449.6 million years ago (Stage 3 to Katian) |
| Periods | Cambrian, Ordovician |
| Named by | Billings 1861 |
| Fossil records | 66 occurrences at 50 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Canada, Greenland, United Kingdom, Mexico, Norway, Argentina |
| Rock formations | Kinzers, Forteau, Ella Island, Harkless, Vintage Dolomite, Shady Dolomite |
About Salterella
Salterella is an enigmatic Cambrian genus with a small, conical, calcareous shell that appears to be septate, but is rather filled with stratified laminar deposits. The shell contains grains of sediment, which are obtained selectively (with a preference for denser grains) by a manner also observed in foraminifera. The genus was established by Elkanah Billings in 1861, and was named after the English palaeontologist John William Salter.
The genus is known from multiple locations worldwide, such as Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec in Canada, Svalbard, the Scottish Highlands and Argentina.
The related fossil genus Volborthella was formerly placed in synonymy with Salterella by Ellis L. Yochelson in 1983, due to the similarities between the two genera (though Volborthella notably lacks an outer calcareous shell). However, Volborthella was later accepted as a separate genus again by Yochelson & Kisselev in 2003. Both genera are currently placed in the Salterellidae family in the phylum Agmata.
A 2025 study suggested that agmatans including Salterella represent a group of cnidarians.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Salterella (revision 1364325393), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q7406087.
