A jawed polychaete fauna from the late Ludlow Kozlowskii event interval in the Prague Basin (Czech Republic)

 

Authors: Tonarova P, Eriksson ME, Hints O

Published in: Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 87, issue 4; pages: 713 - 732; Received 19 September 2011; Accepted in revised form 27 March 2012; Online 3 May 2012

Keywords: scolecodonts, palaeobiogeography, Kozlowskii/Lau event, Silurian, Ludlow, Kopanina Formation, Prague Basin,

full text (PDF, 3.44 MB)

Export to RIS

 

Abstract

This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the late Silurian Kopanina Formation of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic). The most common genera are Kettnerites, Oenonites and Pistoprion; the entire collection contains at least 16 genera. This is in stark contrast to the four genera recorded from this region by previous authors. The fauna described shows great similarities with coeval ones reported from the Baltic area (Gotland and Estonia), Siberia, Arctic Canada and the British Isles. These new data thus extend the palaeobiogeographical and palaeolatitudinal distribution of several taxa, particularly at the genus but also the species level. The sampled interval embraces the Kozlowskii event and its effects on the polychaetes are briefly discussed. Although the collections are relatively small, particularly from post-event strata, a faunal reorganisation is apparent. The studied collection enabled the stratigraphical ranges of some taxa, including tretoprionids and possibly polychaeturids, to be extended into the late Ludlow. One new species, “Mochtyella” pragensis, is described.

References

CALNER, M. 2008. Silurian global events at the tipping point of climate change, 21–57. In ELEWA, A.M.T. (ed.) Mass Extinction. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.View article

GRUBE, A.E. 1855. Beschreibungen neuer oder wenig bekannter Anneliden. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, Berlin 21(1), 81–128.View article

HINDE, G.J. 1882. On annelid remains from the Silurian strata of the Isle of Gotland. Bihang till Kunliga Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar 7(5), 1–28.View article

HINTS, O., KILLING, M., MANNIK, P. & NESTOR, V. 2006. Frequency patterns of chitinozoans, scolecodonts, and conodonts in the upper Llandovery and lower Wenlock of the Paatsalu core, western Estonia. Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences 55(2), 128–155.View article

JEPPSSON, L. 1993. Silurian events: the theory and the conodonts. Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Geology 42, 23–27.View article

KŘÍŽ, J. 2008. A new bivalve community from the lower Ludlow of the Prague Basin (Perunica, Bohemia). Bulletin of Geosciences 83(3), 237–280.View article

SLAVÍK, L., KŘÍŽ, J. & CARLS, P. 2010. Reflection of the mid-Ludfordian Lau Event in conodont faunas of Bohemia. Bulletin of Geosciences 85(3), 395–414.View article

STAUFFER, C.R. 1933. Middle Ordovician Polychaeta from Minnesota. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 44, 1173–1218.View article

STRICKANNE, L., MUNNECKE, A. & PROSS, J. 2006. Assessing mechanisms of environmental change: palynological signals across the late Ludlow (Silurian) positive isotope excursion (?13C, ?18O) on Gotland, Sweden. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 230, 1–31.View article

TAUGOURDEAU, P. 1967. Scolecodontes du Siluro-Devonien du Cotentin. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France 9(3), 467–474.View article