Tabulate Corals after the Frasnian/Famennian Crisis: A Unique Fauna from the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

Famennian tabulate corals were very rare worldwide, and their biodiversity was relatively low. Here we report a unique tabulate fauna from the mid- and late Famennian of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains (Kowala and Ostrówka), Poland. We describe eight species (four of them new, namely ?Michelinia vinni sp. nov., Thamnoptychia mistiaeni sp. nov., Syringopora kowalensis sp. nov. and Syringopora hilarowiczi sp. nov.); the whole fauna consists of ten species (two others described in previous papers). These corals form two assemblages-the lower, mid-Famennian with Thamnoptychia and the upper, late Famennian with representatives of genera ?Michelinia, Favosites, Syringopora and ?Yavorskia. The Famennian tabulates from Kowala represent the richest Famennian assemblage appearing after the F/F crisis (these faunas appear some 10 Ma after the extinction event). Corals described here most probably inhabited deeper water settings, near the limit between euphotic and disphotic zones or slightly above. At generic level, these faunas show similarities to other Devonian and Carboniferous faunas, which might suggest their ancestry to at least several Carboniferous lineages. Tabulate faunas described here represent new recruits (the basin of the Holy Cross mountains was not a refuge during the F/F crisis) and have no direct evolutionary linkage to Frasnian faunas from Kowala. The colonization of the seafloor took place in two separate steps: first was monospecific assemblage of Thamnoptychia, and later came the diversified Favosites-Syringopora-Michelinia fauna

Deep in shadows, deep in time: the oldest mesophotic coral ecosystems from the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland)

This research was funded by the National Science Center of Poland, (decision No. DEC-2013/09/D/ST10/04058), a research Grant to MKZ. MKZ would like to express his sincere thanks to B. R. Rosen (London) for inspiring discussions, P. Muir (Townsville) for access to coral collections, S. Cairns (Washington), J. Stolarski (Warsaw) and N. Santodomingo (London) for information on azooxanthellates. M. Ginter (Warsaw) provided advice on the shark on the reconstruction figure. Mr. B. Waksmundzki (Warsaw) kindly drew reconstructions of Platyaxum colonies and the reconstruction of the Laskowa MCE, and we are deeply indebted to him for this work. Dr. A. Boczarowski (Sosnowiec) kindly made his specimens available for the study. The managers of Laskowa Quarry, Mr. H. Ciosmak and R. ?wi?tek, are cordially thanked for allowing access to the quarry. Separate thanks are due to J. Pickett (Sydney) for commenting on the final version of the text and linguistic corrections.Recent mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) occur at depths between 30 and 150 m and are characterized by dominance of platy corals. Such morphology is an effect of specific adaptation to efficient light harvesting. Here, we describe and analyze platy coral assemblages from two Middle Devonian localities in the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) that during this time were located on the southern shelf of Laurussia at tropical latitudes. The Eifelian argillaceous sediments of Skały are dominated by platy and encrusting tabulate corals (Roseoporella, Platyaxum and Alveolites). Coeval faunas from the shallow-water parts of the Holy Cross Mountains basin display bulbous and branching morphology, thus indicating a Paleozoic coral zonation similar to that known in the Recent. Hence, the Skały site seems to be the oldest known MCE (ca. 390 Ma). A Givetian biostrome from Laskowa Quarry is a second example dominated by platy corals, with abundant branching forms; this site can be recognized as another Devonian MCE. Frondescent Platyaxum, common at both sites, had a growth habit similar to that of Recent Leptoseris, Mycedium or Pavona. Platy morphology is photoadaptive and may evidence photosymbiosis in tabulate (Alveolites, Roseoporella, Platyaxum) and rugose corals (Phillipsastrea). Furthermore, it may serve as a tool for recognition of the lower euphotic zone in the fossil record.National Science Center of Polan

Unusual shallow water Devonian coral community from Queensland and its recent analogues from the inshore Great Barrier Reef

Palaeozoic coral communities were dominated by two extinct coral groups: Tabulata and Rugosa. Whilst they are not closely related to modern Scleractinia, they are morphologically convergent, displaying many morphological characters that allow comparisons between recent and ancient coral reef communities. The extensive shallow-water reef communities of the Devonian were generally dominated by stromatoporoid sponges, with corals occupying deeper environments. Here, we describe an unusual, shallow water coral reef community from the Middle Devonian (Givetian, approx. 385 Ma) of the Fanning River area, Queensland, Australia. The coral community is dominated by tabulate corals, but also includes solitary and occasionally colonial rugose corals. Tabulate corals most commonly exhibit foliose and massive morphologies, but encrusting and branching growth forms also occur. The depositional environment was characterized by a shallow water depth, moderate hydrodynamic energy, high sedimentation rate, and high turbidity. Since these environmental factors influence the morphological composition of modern coral communities, we hypothesize that similar environments may result in morphologically equivalent coral assemblages throughout the Phanerozoic. To test this idea, we qualitatively compare the Fanning River reefs with modern scleractinian coral assemblages in a similar environmental setting at Magnetic Island. Both reefs are located in a shallow water less than 10 m deep, with high sediment flux, moderate wave energy, and generally high turbidity. Like Fanning River, Magnetic Island coral communities are dominated by foliose morphologies, with contributions from massive and branching forms. The Fanning River reef, together with previously identified Silurian and Devonian mesophotic coral ecosystems, suggest that Palaeozoic coral assemblages may share many functional characteristics with modern scleractinian reefs in similar environments. Therefore, the geological record of inshore, high turbidity-adapted coral communities can be traced back as far as 385 Ma

Coralliths of tabulate corals from the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland)

Tabulates, an extinct Palaeozoic group of corals, developed diverse colony morphologies during the Silurian to Devonian peak of reef development. Coralliths, or circumrotatory colonies, are passively motile coral colonies constantly overturned by wave action or currents. Such overturning allows tissue growth on all sides of the colony. They are among the most rarely reported growth forms. Recent corallith-forming scleractinian corals mostly inhabit the shallowest reef environments, but coralliths can also develop at greater depths in areas of low topographic relief, unconsolidated substratum, low coral cover and high water movement. Here, we report on Devonian (Givetian Favosites goldfussi and Frasnian Alveolites? tenuissimus) coralla from the Holy Cross Moun-tains, Poland. Our analysis suggests these colonies are coralliths, although less mature than usually reported. These corals, unlike previously described growth forms of this kind, lived in relatively deep environments: probably the upper mesophotic (Givetian, Miłoszów), or deep reef fore-slope (Frasnian, Jaźwica and Kowala). Microfacies analysis of the Ja ́zwica site suggests unconsolidated substratum and high hydrodynamic energy. We conclude that these corals lived in deeper environments where bottom currents caused their autorotation. A good modern analogue for such a corallith-forming environment is the Wistari Channel (Southern Great Barrier Reef), where bottom tidal currents at nearly 30 m of depth are strong enough to overturn colonies of Stylocoeniella cf. guentheri reaching 15 cm in diameter. Our discovery shows that the spectrum of coral growth forms during the Devonian peak of reef development was broader than previously assumed, and that tabulate corals displayed numerous adaptive strategies to various environments

Les coraux tabulés du Dévonien de la partie méridionale des Monts Sainte-Croix, Pologne

Les coraux tabulés du Givétien et du Frasnien de la partie méridionale des Monts Sainte-Croix (Pologne) sont représentés par 52 espèces (40 espèces de Favositida, 6 espèces de Syringoporida et 6 espèces d'Auloporida). On y dénombre deux nouveaux genres [Lefeldolites gen. n. (Favositida) et Sapounofouskilites gen. n. (Syringoporida)] et cinq nouvelles espèces (Striatopora sciuricauda sp. n., ?Lefeldolites obtortiformis sp. n., Crassialveolites oliveri sp. n., Roseoporella kesickii, sp. n. et Aulopora slosarskii sp. n.). L'étude des variations intracoloniales chez les tabulés montre que les diamètres minimaux et maximaux des lumens ainsi que les diamètres des pores sont les paramètres les plus utiles pour la taxonomie des Alveolitidae et des Coenitidae ; l'épaisseur de la double paroi et l'espacement des tabulae sont en revanche moins significatifs. De plus, il y a de plus fortes variations intracoloniales chez les alvéolitidés et les coenitidés que, par exemple, chez les héliolitidés. L'étude de la croissance de corallites voisines, réalisée sur trois espèces du genre Alveolites, révèle que celle-ci est différente pour chaque individu (dans la même colonie). Ceci est contraire à ce que l'on connaît chez les favositidés. L'étude d'endobiontes de tabulés (? Chaetosalpinx plusquelleci sp. n., Helicosalpinx cf. asturiana Oekentorp et H sp.) montre que ceux-ci sont plutôt des parasites que des organismes commensaux des tabulés. L'analyse des relations paléobiogéographiques des faunes de tabulés du Givétien et du Frasnien de la région étudiée indique une plus grande affmité avec les faunes de même âge de l'Ardenne. D'autre part, si les faunes givétiennes et frasniennes des Monts Sainte-Croix sont dominées par les alvéolitidés, la situation est différente pour celles de l'Ardenne où les assemblages givétiens sont dominés par les pachyporidés.Givetian and Frasnian tabulate corals from the southem region of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) consist of 52 species (Favositida: 40 species, Syringoporida: 6 species, and Auloporida: 6 species). Two genera [Lefeldolites gen. n. (Favositida) and Sapounofouskilites gen. n. (Syringoporida)], and five species are new (Striatopora sc~uricauda sp. n., ? Lefeldolites obtortiformis sp. n., Crassialveolites oliveri sp. n., Roseoporella kesickii sp. n., and Aulopora slosarskii sp. n.). Study of the intracolonial variation in tabulates shows that minimal and maximal lumen diameters and pore diameter are the most useful in the taxonomy of Alveolitidae and Coenitidae, while the double wall thickness and tabulae spacing are less usefuI. Moreover, alveolitids and coenitids show overall higher intracolonial variation than, for example, heliolitids. Study of growth dynamics in neighbouring corallites, performed on three species of the genus Alveolites, shO\ that the growth dynamics were diferent in each individual in the same colony. This contradicts the situation known from representatives of favositids. Study oftabulate endobionts (?Chaetosalpinx plusquelleci sp. n., Helicosalpinx cf. asturiana Oekentorp and H sp) shows that these were rather parasites oftabulate corals than their c0Ill!Densals. Analysis of the palaeobiogeographical relations of the tabulate faunas from the Givetian and Frasnian of the discussed region show that these faunas were most similar to coeval faunas known from the Ardennes. Both Givetian and Frasnian tabulate faunas from the region under study are dominated by alveolitids; such a situation is different from tabulate fauna of the Ardennes, where the Givetian assemblage is dominated by pachyporids

Enigmatic Fossils from the Lower Carboniferous Shrimp Bed, Granton, Scotland.

The Lower Carboniferous (Visean) Granton Lagerstätte (Edinburgh, Scotland) is principally known for the discovery of the conodont animal, but has also yielded numerous crustaceans and other faunas. Here we report on small branching colonies, reaching 10 mm in length. They are small, erect, arborescent, and irregularly branched with predominant monopodial and dichotomous growth. They bud in a single plane. In one specimen the wall microstructure is well preserved and it is composed of evenly spaced, linear fibers, running parallel to the axis of the stems, and connected by transverse bars. We discuss possible biological affinities of these organisms; we consider algal, poriferan, hydrozoan and bryozoan affinities. The general pattern of branching, presence of fan-like structures (interpreted here as possible gonophores) and microstructure suggests affinity to Hydrozoa, affinity to non-calcifying algae is less likely. Assuming hydrozoan nature; the microstructure might suggest affinities with the extant family Solanderiidae Marshall, 1892 that possess an internal chitinous skeleton. The EDS analysis shows that fossils discussed here are preserved as phosphates. The skeletons were probably not mineralized, the presence of phosphorus suggests that the colonies were originally composed of chitin. We describe these organisms as Caledonicratis caridum gen. et sp. nov. (Solanderiidae?, Capitata?). Colonies of C. caridum gen et. sp. nov. sometimes encrust the exuviae of crustaceans, which very probably lived in fresh to brackish water thus indicating a likely habitat of Caledonicratis

Les schistes à brachiopodes de Skaly : un niveau exceptionnel. Première partie : inventaire faunistique. Compte rendu de la conférence du 9 décembre 2004

Halamski Adam Tadeusz, Zapalski Mikołaj k. Les schistes à brachiopodes de Skaly : un niveau exceptionnel. Première partie : inventaire faunistique. Compte rendu de la conférence du 9 décembre 2004 . In: Bulletin mensuel de la Société linnéenne de Lyon, 75ᵉ année, n°3, mars 2006. pp. 145-150

Koralowce denkowe z dewonu południowej części Gór Świętokrzyskich

LILLE1-BU (590092102) / SudocSudocFranceF