The first belemnite of boreal ancestry from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) of the western Tethys: implications for belemnite ecology

The first occurrence of the belemnite species Liobelus acrei (formerly Acroteuthis acrei) is reported from Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian) Vocontian Basin (VB; south-east France). This record genus (Family Cylindroteuthididae), which commonly attributed to latest Jurassic and Early Boreal Realm, revises spatial distribution pattern boreal belemnites significantly. Valanginian assemblages VB are dominated by genera Tethyan ancestry, including both Duvaliidae (Berriasibelus, Castellanibelus, Duvalia, Pseudobelus) Belemnopseidae (Adiakritobelus, Hibolithes, Mirabelobelus, Vaunagites). These two groups taxa comprise more than 99.9% belemnite-rich VB. a specimen documents an isolated immigration north in early Valanginian. At same time most absent only Pseudobelus Hibolithes have been described North-East Greenland, Svalbard. Based on these diverging biogeographical patterns we establish taxonomically different faunas: Fauna 1 (Duvalia, Pseudobelus, Hibolithes), has near global, Tethyan-wide even distribution, 2 Berriasibelus, Vaunagites), less widely distributed restricted southern Europe. shed light ecology, migration evolution belemnites.