A NEW EARLY DEVONIAN THELODONT FROM CELTIBERIA (SPAIN), WITH A REVISION OF SPANISH THELODONTS

:  A revision of thelodont scales from the Lower Devonian of the Iberian Chains enables their grouping into two taxa: Turinia pagei and T. nachoi sp. nov. These taxa are clearly distinguishable by morphological and histological features; they also have a different stratigraphic range (T. pagei is restricted to Lochkovian strata, whereas T. nachoi sp. nov. occurs within lower–middle Pragian rocks). The new species is represented by head, transitional (cephalopectoral) and trunk scales.

Middle Triassic conodonts from northeastern Spain: biostratigraphic implications

The facies development of the Spanish Triassic corresponds to the typical three-fold subdivision of the Germanic Facies: Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper. Two intervals interpreted as epeiric carbonate platforms: lower Muschelkalk (Anisian) and upper Muschelkalk (Ladinian) are recognized during the Middle Triassic of northeastern Spain. These carbonate intervals are separated by one siliciclastic/evaporitic interval interpreted as sabbkha and saline deposits: middle Muschelkalk facies (Lower Ladinian). In northeastern Spain (Catalonian Coastal Ranges), two Middle Triassic sections comprising lower Muschelkalk facies have yielded the following conodont taxa: Paragondolella bulgarica, P.…

New Lower Devonian Polygnathids (Conodonta) from the Spanish Central Pyrenees, with comments on the early radiation of the group

The comprehensive study of six Pragian-lower Emsian (Lower Devonian) sections from the Spanish Central Pyrenees has yielded a rich assemblage of conodont faunas, highlighting an important succession of Polygnathus species. Among them, the presence of the biostrati­graphical markers P. pireneae , P. kitabicus, P. excavatus excavatus and P. exc. 114 stands out. This conodont succession allows the identification of the Pragian/Emsian boundary and the early Emsian zones and subzones: the kitabicus Zone and the Lower and Middle excavatus subzones. It is also remarkable the presence of three new polygnathid species: P. aragonensis n. sp., P. carlsi n. sp. and P. ramoni n. sp. Additionally, P. pan…

A new highly diverse palynoflora from the Lower Devonian Nogueras Formation of the Iberian Peninsula

AbstractA new well-preserved spore assemblage has been discovered from the Lower Devonian Nogueras Formation of Mezquita de Loscos (Teruel Province, north-eastern Spain). The palynoflora includes 34 spore species belonging to 20 genera, among which 14 are new for the locality, e.g. Apiculiretusispora, Brochotriletes, Cirratriradites, Iberoespora, Knoxisporites and Verrucosisporites. The assemblage is mainly composed of trilete spores, while tripapillate and monolete forms are also observed. An early Pragian age is suggested for the fossil site. Specimens of Latosporites ovalis, a species previously well-documented only from the late Pragian–Emsian of Saudi Arabia and Brazil, are found in th…

Annotations to the Devonian Correlation Table, R 350–356 di-ds 06: Spain

Polygnathids (Conodonta) around the Pragian/Emsian boundary from the Dacun-1 section (central Guangxi, South China)

AbstractThe base of the Emsian, which is defined by the first appearance of the conodont Polygnathus kitabicus, has never been successfully demonstrated in the South China Block (including Guangxi and eastern Yunnan). As a result, we studied conodonts from the lowermost part of the Shizhou Member of the Yukiang Formation at the Dacun-1 section in the Liujing area, Guangxi. This new investigation has revealed a conodont fauna only consisting of Polygnathus pireneae, P. sokolovi, P. kitabicus, P. sp. and Pandorinellina exigua philipi, which can be assigned to the uppermost part of the pireneae Zone and the lowermost part of the kitabicus Zone in ascending order. The Pragian/Emsian boundary at…

Upper Eifelian and Givetian (Middle Devonian) conodont sequence at Renanué (Aragonian Pyrenees, Spain): a relevant section for Givetian Chronostratigraphy

Emsian (Lower Devonian) conodonts from the Daliantang Formation at Daliantang, southeastern Yunnan, China

Abstract The lower/upper Emsian boundary witnessed prominent diversification of biostratigraphically important genera Polygnathus Hinde, Caudicriodus Bultynck, and Latericriodus Muller. In contrast, conodonts previously reported around this boundary from the South China Block were characterized by relatively low species or subspecies diversity, and only a few widely distributed and extensively studied zone-defining taxa were recorded. In this paper, conodonts from the Daliantang Formation at the Daliantang section (Guangnan, southeastern Yunnan), one of the representative sections of the transitional facies between the benthic Xiangzhou facies and the pelagic Nandan facies, are investigated…

Sucesión de Polygnátidos (Conodontos) del Emsiense (Devónico Inferior) en los Pirineos Centrales Españoles

A comprehensive conodont study of five sections of Emsian age, carried out in the Spanish Central Pyrenees, has revealed an important succession of polygnathids that can be used for identifying basal boundaries of globally recognized biozones. This succession consists of Polygnathus excavatus excavatus, Po. gronbergi, Po. nothoperbonus, Po. mashkovae, Po. laticostatus, and the new species Polygnathus luciae that allows the identification of the excavatus, nothoperbonus and laticostatus Zones. The nothoperbonus Zone is further subdivided into Lower and Upper nothoperbonus subzones, relying upon the lowest occurrence of Po. mashkovae. These biostratigraphic data from the Spanish Central Pyren…

Givetian (Middle Devonian) historical bio- and chronostratigraphical subdivision based on conodonts

The conodont record supports the intended threefold subdivision of the Givetian as envisaged by the International Subcommision on Devonian Stratigraphy into Lower, Middle and Upper Givetian substages. The lower boundary of the Lower Givetian Stage coincides with the lower boundary of the Givetian and it is recognized with the entry of Polygnathus hemiansatus. The lower boundary of the Middle Givetian is identified with the entry of either P. varcus or P. rhenanus. The base of the Upper Givetian is defined with the entry of Schmidtognathus hermanni. The historical review shows the conceptual evolution from a stage with just one and a half zones to one with ten zones that are the basis for th…

Conodonts from Late Devonian island arc settings (Baruunhuurai Terrane, western Mongolia)

Abstract Upper Devonian marine deposits of the Baruunhuurai Terrane in western Mongolia represent island arc settings, which yielded a diverse conodont assemblage of 30 taxa, including species of Ancyrognathus (as well as one new species), Icriodus, Mehlina, Polygnathus and Palmatolepis. Biodiversity analysis of Ancyrognathus, Pelekysgnathus, Mehlina and Icriodus shows that the Mongolian conodont assemblage consists of two endemic and few cosmopolitan taxa. Representatives of the otherwise globally distributed genus Pelekysgnathus are absent. An important factor influencing the regional distribution of conodont taxa seems to be the siliciclastic-dominated sedimentation of the Baruunhuurai T…

Chondrichthyan microremains from the Givetian of the Aragonian Pyrenees (Spain)

Keywords .-L owervarcus Zone, Middle varcus Zone, Teeth, Scales, Squamation pattern, Phoebodus fastigatus. Abstract .-AL ower andbasal Middle varcus Zone (Givetian, Middle Devonian) vertebrate association consisting of chondrichtyan teeth and scales of the genus Phoebodus is documented for the first time from the Aragonian Pyrenees of Spain. This record suggests that different teeth morphologies that were previously treated as separate taxa could be grouped in Phoebodus fastigatus. Moreover, the teeth and scales association is in agreement with the previously recons- tructed squamation pattern of this taxon.

Conodont biostratigraphy of the Yujiang Formation (Emsian, Lower Devonian) at Shizhou, Guangxi, South China

Abstract We study conodonts from the upper part of the Shizhou Member of the Yujiang Formation in Liujing area for the first time. Relatively abundant conodonts were collected from six sampling levels located between the uppermost part of the Shizhou Member to the lowermost part of the Daliancun Member at the Shizhou section, Liujing, Guangxi. The material includes Polygnathus excavatus excavatus Carls and Gandl, P. excavatus ssp. 114 Carls and Valenzuela-Rios, P. nothoperbonus Mawson, P. perbonus (Philip) as well as “ Ozarkodina ” midundenta (Wang and Ziegler) and “ O. ” prolata Mawson. The lowest record of P. nothoperbonus is documented 0.35 m below the boundary between the Shizhou and Da…

Warming or cooling in the Pragian? Sedimentary record and petrophysical logs across the Lochkovian–Pragian boundary in the Spanish Central Pyrenees

Abstract High-resolution petrophysical correlation methods were applied, for the first time, to mid-Paleozoic rocks of the Pyrenees. The methods included magnetic susceptibility measurements (MS), gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS), and alignment of MS logs using the dynamic time-warping (DTW) algorithm. Conodont biostratigraphy provided the basic framework necessary for work with the GRS and MS logs. Despite differences in the sediment patterns and accumulation/erosion rates, the logs from two selected sections in the Spanish Central Pyrenees show a striking symmetry that correlates well with the previously published logs from the Barrandian area in the Czech Republic. The high similarity betwee…

The middle and upper Lochkovian (Lower Devonian) conodont successions in key peri-Gondwana localities (Spanish Central Pyrenees and Prague Synform) and their relevance for global correlations

Detailed correlation, based on conodont sequences, between middle and upper Lochkovian carbonate successions from two key peri-Gondwanan regions, the Spanish Central Pyrenees and the Prague Synform, is attained for the first time. This correlation facilitates the definition of tie points for further multidisciplinary studies that seek to establish high-resolution temporal subdivision and global correlation. Some intervals have a precision of less than 0.5 Ma, which is significantly greater than in previous studies. The estimated elapsed time considered herein is about 3.2 Ma and is subdivided into five major zones of global scope: transitanstrigonicus, trigonicus-kutscheri, kutscheri-pandor…

Early Pragian conodont-based correlations between the Barrandian area and the Spanish Central Pyrenees

Occurrences and distribution of extremely scarce eognathodontids do not facilitate reliable correlation across the European regions. The correlation of the traditional early Pragian of the Prague Synform (a part of the classical Barrandian area) and the Spanish Central Pyrenees (section Segre 1) is based on conodont taxa of the Icriodus steinachensis and the Pelekysgnathus serratus stocks. This correlation has the potential to be extended to other peri-Gondwanan regions where this scarcity of eognathodontid faunas exists as well. Application of the morphotype subdivision in I. steinachensis enables approximation of the beginning of the Pragian in the Pyrenees. It is based on the entry of I.…

Upper Givetian and Frasnian (Middle and Upper Devonian) conodonts from Ampriú (Aragonian Pyrenees, Spain): global correlations and palaeogeographic relations

This report describes for the first time a part of the Middle and Upper Devonian conodont sequence of the Sierra Negra Subfacies in the Aragonian Pyrenees (Spain), establishing the basis for further sound correlations both across the distinct Pyrenean facies and subfacies and on other relevant world areas. The description of 20 conodont taxa and their stratigraphical distribution permits recognition of two separate time intervals. The older one corresponds to the lower Upper Givetian (Middle Devonian), hermanni to crista- tus ectypus zones. The younger interval is uppermost Lower Frasnian to lower Middle Frasnian (Upper Devonian) and is equivalent to MN4-MN6 zones. The combination of litho-…

LOCHKOVIAN TO PRAGIAN (LOWER DEVONIAN) NERITIC OSTRACODES FROM NIGÜELLA (ZARAGOZA, IBERIAN CHAINS, NE SPAIN)

Lochkovian and Pragian ostracodes from the area of Niguella (Iberian Chains), which is a key area for supra-regional correlation in the Early Devonian, are described for the first time. 12 ostracode taxa from the sections Ni4 and Ni2 could be identified. The silicified ostracodes of Eifelian Ecotype are low in biodiversity, have few individuals, and are comparatively poorly preserved. Characteristic taxa of the Devonian occur. Thus, the faunas show general relations to most European Early Devonian ostracode faunas. Closer relations exist to the Eastern Guadarrama. Polyzygia kroemmelbeini LeFevre & Weyant, 1967 and P. grekoffi Weyant, 1980 are found in the basal Pragian for the first time. B…

Annotations to Devonian Correlation Table, R 357–360 di-ds 06: Spanish Central Pyrenees, southern part

Tooth replacement rates in early chondrichthyans: a qualitative approach

The continuous replacement of teeth throughout their lifetime is a common characteristic of most chondrichthyans. This process was already present in the earliest representatives of the group. It has been well established that different species of extant sharks show rapid tooth replacement rates; however, some authors have suggested that in early chondrichthyans this rate might have been much slower. Here we present a qualitative approach to analyse tooth replacement rates in the Early Devonian shark Leonodus carlsi, the earliest tooth-bearing shark known to date. For this, we have examined 1,103 isolated teeth from Celtiberia, Spain. Our study provides strong evidences of an extremely slow…