Middle Ordovician crinoids from the Shelve Inlier, Shropshire, UK

A crinoid-rich horizon in the Shelve Inlier, Shropshire, that has not been exposed since the nineteenth century, has been rediscovered at a new locality, Quinton's Quarry. Identifiable crinoid taxa include the disparids Pandoracrinus mincopensis Ramsbottom and Iocrinus shelvensis Ramsbottom, the cladids Merocrinus salopiae Bather and cladid sp. nov., and the columnal morphotaxon Bystrowicrinus (col.) sp. Pandoracrinus mincopensis and M. salopiae were originally described on the basis of solitary external moulds without counterparts. Pandoracrinus mincopensis is now known from both juvenile(?) and mature specimens; one specimen is the most complete fossil crinoid known from the Ordovician of Britain. Merocrinus salopiae remains rare. Iocrinus shelvensis includes specimens preserving a multiplated tegmen and flanged columnal latera. Cladid sp. nov. has distinctive geniculate, tuberculated infrabasal plates. Bystrowicrinus (col.) sp. is the oldest member of this morphogenus known from the British Isles.