Parascolymia (Scleractinia: Lobophylliidae) in the Central Paratethys Sea (Vienna Basin, Austria) and its possible biogeographic implications
نویسندگان
چکیده
Palaeobiogeographical and palaeodiversity patterns of scleractinian reef corals are generally biased due to uncertain taxonomy and a loss of taxonomic characters through dissolution and recrystallization of the skeletal aragonite in shallow marine limestones. Herein, we describe a fossil lobophylliid coral in mouldic preservation from the early middle Miocene Leitha Limestone of the Central Paratethys Sea (Vienna Basin, Austria). By using grey-scale image inversion and silicone rubber casts for the visualization of the original skeletal anatomy and the detection of distinct micromorphological characters (i.e. shape of septal teeth, granulation of septocostae) Parascolymia bracherti has been identified as a new species in spite of the dissolved skeleton. In the recent era, Parascolymia like all Lobophylliidae is restricted to the Indo-Pacific region, where it is represented by a single species. The new species proves the genus also in the Miocene Mediterranean reef coral province. A review of the spatio-temporal relationships of fossil corals related to Parascolymia indicates that the genus was probably rooted in the Eastern Atlantic‒Western Tethys region during the Paleocene to Eocene and reached the Indo-Pacific region not before the Oligocene. The revealed palaeobiogeographical pattern shows an obvious congruence with that of Acropora and tridacnine bivalves reflecting a gradual equatorwards retreat of the marine biodiversity center parallel to the Cenozoic climate deterioration.
منابع مشابه
Nitrogen yield and nitrogen use of chickpea compared to pea, barley and oat in Central Europe
European agriculture suffers from a substantial deficit of protein sources forlivestock and the projected changes in agro-climatic conditions in Central Europeinclude a higher risk of drought. To address these challenges, the drought resistantlegume crop chickpea was compared with pea, barley and oat regarding its nitrogen(N) yield, protein yield and N use and utilization efficiency under Centr...
متن کاملImproved quantification of salivary gland scintigraphy by means of factor analysis
Introduction: In this study the automatic separation of oral and salivary gland activity and spontaneous secretion by means of factor analysis for quantitative salivary gland scintigraphy is introduced. Methods: After intravenous administration of 99mTc sodium pertechnetate, dynamic scintigraphy was performed. 20 minutes after tracer application 2 ml of lemon juice was delivered to stimulate t...
متن کاملTaxonomic classification of the reef coral family Lobophylliidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia)
DANWEI HUANG*, ROBERTO ARRIGONI*, FRANCESCA BENZONI, HIRONOBU FUKAMI, NANCY KNOWLTON, NATHAN D. SMITH, JAROSŁAW STOLARSKI, LOKE MING CHOU and ANN F. BUDD Department of Biological Sciences and Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah Uni...
متن کاملMediterranean and Paratethys. Facts and Hypotheses of an Oligocene to Miocene Paleogeography (short Overview)
Paleogeographical considerations on the development of the Paratethys and the Mediterranean during Oligocene and Miocene are presented in twelve time-slices. Plate tectonic activities and the collision of India with Asia caused the destruction of the Western Tethys Ocean in the Late Eocene. The Mediterranean and the intracontinental Paratethys basins came into existence as new marine realms. In...
متن کامل