Weyla

Lore & Background

Weyla is an extinct genus of pectinid bivalve that belongs to the family Pectinidae (scallops). The genus had a global distribution occurring throughout the Early Jurassic period. It was likely a sedentary genus living semi-infaunally.

The genus contains numerous species, including Weyla alata, Weyla ambongoensis, Weyla bodenbenderi, Weyla domeykoi, Weyla lacazei, Weyla meeki, Weyla pradoana, Weyla rollieri, Weyla titan, Weyla unca, and Weyla yukonensis.

During the Hettangian, the only confirmed occurrence of this genus was restricted to Canada. Its range expanded to a circumpacific and southern distribution during the Sinemurian, found along the Pacific coast of the Americas including Western Canada, Mexico (Sonora), Texas, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. The Pliensbachian saw the genus occur in France, Spain, and Morocco as its range expanded into the Tethys Ocean through the Hispanic Corridor or the Proto-Atlantic Ocean as the Pangean Supercontinent broke apart. While their range continued in the Americas into the Toarcian, no recognized occurrence of Weyla is known in Europe. They persisted in North Africa and expanded further into Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kenya, and Madagascar.

Reader's Guide

Weyla is significant as an extinct genus of pectinid bivalve that demonstrates a global, cosmopolitan distribution during the Early Jurassic period. Its fossil record provides evidence of the breakup of the Pangean Supercontinent, as its range expanded from a restricted occurrence in Canada during the Hettangian to a circumpacific and southern distribution in the Sinemurian, and later into the Tethys Ocean via the Hispanic Corridor or Proto-Atlantic Ocean during the Pliensbachian. The genus persisted in the Americas into the Toarcian but is not recognized in Europe during that stage. Its expansion into North Africa, the Middle East, and Madagascar further illustrates the biogeographic patterns of Early Jurassic marine bivalves. The numerous species listed, such as Weyla alata and Weyla titan, contribute to understanding the diversity and evolutionary history of the family Pectinidae. The genus's likely sedentary, semi-infaunal lifestyle adds to its paleoecological context.

Did You Know?

• Weyla is an extinct genus of pectinid bivalve in the family Pectinidae (scallops).
• The genus had a global distribution throughout the Early Jurassic period.
• During the Hettangian, the only confirmed occurrence of Weyla was restricted to Canada.