Acritarchs are reported from units of the basal Cambrian sequences in Denmark (Bornholm), southern Sweden (Scania and Västergötland), and southern Norway (Lake Mjøsa area). The acritarch assemblages recovered indicate aHolmiaage for the rock units investigated. Correlations are suggested with theHolmia‘stage’ of the Russian Platform and Poland, which have previously yielded abundant and biostratigraphically diagnostic acritarch assemblages. The stratigraphical ranges of certain Lower Cambrian fossils are discussed in the light of currently available micropalaeontological evidence. It is concluded that in the past the biostratigraphical importance of some of these fossils has been overestimated.