Waterhouse, J.B. 1964 Permian brachiopods of New Zealand. Wellington: New Zealand Geological Survey. New Zealand Geological Survey paleontological bulletin 35 212 p.
Abstract: The Permian brachiopods from the faunas of the South Island, New Zealand, are described. Fifty species are known, and 22 new species are named. Two new genera are erected. Almost half of the species from New Zealand also occur in the Permian of New South Wales or Queensland. Tethyan affinities are also strong; a few Himalayan, Asian and West Australian species are represented, and several species have close affinities with forms from Timor and the Salt Range, India, and to a lesser extent with the Urals and China. There are in addition some links with the faunas of North America. Well over a third of the species are endemic. The oldest Permian faunas come from the lower Takitimu Group of western Southland, and are correlated with the faunas of the Cattle Creek Shale and Dilly beds of Queensland, and the Dalwood Group of New South Wales: they are considered to be Sakmarian. Higher faunas in the Takitimu Group show Artinskian affinities. Above the Takitimu Group lies the Productus Creek Group, the lower part of which contains comparatively rich and well preserved faunas in the Letham and Mangarewa formations. The brachiopods of the Letham Formation compare with those of the Ingelara Shale and the Branxton Subgroup of Queensland and New South Wales respectively, and are considered to be Upper Artinskian. The Mangarewa brachiopods are closely related to those of the Mantuan and younger Branxton faunas of Queensland and New South Wales, and are considered to be Kungurian. The overlying beds are most fossiliferous in the vicinity of Arthurton and Clinton, south Otago. The brachiopods of the Arthurton Group show few resemblances to those of the Productus Creek Group, but have strong Tethyan and American affinities. They appear to be Kazanian in age. The fauna near the top of the Maitai Group, Nelson, appears to be still younger, and is probably Tatarian. It has a Neospirifer close to a species from the top of the Productus Creek Group. (auth)
