Linking southern Poland and northern Germany: Campanian cephalopods, inoceramid bivalves and echinoids

Abstract

The Campanian strata in the Wolbrom-Miechów area at Wierzchowisko, Jeżówka and Rzeżuśnia (i.e., the southwestern part of the Miechów Trough, southern Poland) have been studied in some detail. Collections of macrofossils available to date include generally well-preserved and diverse cephalopods (ammonoids, coleoids), inoceramid bivalves and irregular echinoids of considerable stratigraphic and correlative value. For the present paper, taxa which allow a preliminary correlation with northern Germany (Lägerdorf, Lehrte West Syncline and Münsterland Basin) are singled out for brief discussion. Stratigraphically useful taxa include the ammonites Pachydiscus (P.) haldemsis (SCHLÜTER), Lewyites elegans (MOBERG), Scaphites (S.) hippocrepis III sensu COBBAN, S. (S.) gibbus SCHLÜTER and Trachyscaphites spiniger spiniger (SCHLÜTER), the coleoids Belemnitella ex gr. mucronata (VON SCHLOTHEIM) and Gonioteuthis quadrata (DE BLAINVILLE), the inoceramids Cataceramus dariensis (DOBROV & PAVLOVA), ‘Inoceramus’ azerbaydjanensis ALIEV and ‘I.’ agdjakendsis ALIEV, and the echinoids Offaster pilula (LAMARCK), Galeola papillosa (LESKE), Echinocorys ex gr. subglobosa/turrita, E. ex gr. conica, Micraster (Gibbaster) ex gr. fastigatus/stolleyi and M. (M.) ex gr. schroederi/glyphus. The ammonite fauna, which is dominated by pachydiscids and diplomoceratids, is closely comparable to that from the Busko Zdrój area (i.e., the southeastern part of the Miechów Trough), but hoplitoplacenticeratids are still unknown from the Wolbrom-Miechów area which, taken together with inoceramid data, may point to a gap in the upper Lower Campanian (equivalent of conica/mucronata Zone).