Some Early Pragian Brachiopods from Soda Creek Limestone of West-Central Alaska

The brachiopod taxa Schizophoria (Paraschizophoria) protonevadensis Smith, 1980, Plicogypakayseri alaskensis subsp. nov., subfamily Rzhonsnitskayaellinae subfam. nov., Rzhonsnitskayaella gen. nov., Rzhonsnitskayaella lata sp. nov., Protathyris amsdeni sp. nov., and Nucleospira hecetensis Kirk and Amsden, 1952, are described and illustrated from the Soda Creek Limestone (Early Pragian) of west-central Alaska. These provide a significant increase of Pragian brachiopod taxa described to date from Alaska. The brachiopods described here are the same species or similar to species found in the basal Heceta Limestone of southeast Alaska (Plicogypakayseri Peetz and Nucleospira hecetensis Kirk and Amsden) and in the Canadian Arctic Islands Schizophoria (Paraschizophoria) protonevadansis Smith, 1980).