Trilobites From The Giles Creek Dolostone (Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5; Templetonian) Amadeus Basin, Central Australia

Twelve trilobite species, plus rare agnostid arthropods, are described from the Giles Creek Dolostone (Cambrian Series 3, Stage 5; Templetonian) at Ross River Gorge and Gaylad Dam in the north-eastern Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory, central Australia. 'Amphoton krusei' sp. nov., 'Nepea ommacrada' sp. nov., 'Penarosa oepiki' sp. nov. and 'Schopfaspis shergoldi' sp. nov. are described in association with 'Deiradonyx toddi' Öpik, 1982, 'Dinesus' sp., 'Kootenia' sp., 'Pagetia silicunda' Jell, 1975, 'Solenoparia' sp., 'Tonkinella?' sp., 'Xystridura filifera' Öpik, 1975a, and 'Xystridura gayladia' Öpik, 1975a, in addition to indeterminate agnostids. 'Pagetia silicunda' and 'Xystridura filifera' suggest an early Templetonian age, within the 'Pentagnostus anabarensis' or 'Pentagnostus praecurrens' Zone. This is supported by the co-occurrence of 'Amphoton' Lorenz, 1906, 'Deiradonyx', Öpik, 1982, 'Dinesus' Etheridge, 1896 and Kootenia Walcott, 1889, all of which occur in Templetonian successions in the Georgina Basin (Northern Territory and Queensland), Gnalta Shelf (western New South Wales) and the Heathcote Greenstone Belt (Victoria). We argue that the Tempe Formation (central Amadeus Basin) and the Giles Creek Dolostone are not contemporaneous as previously suggested, indicating that regional stratigraphical schemes need to be amended.