Stratigraphical occurrence of vertebrate remains in the Upper Devonian of Severnaya Zemlya (Russia)

Abstract

The stratigraphical distribution of vertebrate remains in the standard section of the Upper Devonian of October Revolution Island of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago has been studied. Fossil fish and agnathans were collected in 1978 and 1979 from the outcrops of the Matusevich, Vavilov and Malyutka formations along the Matusevich, Bol'shaya and other rivers. The fish fauna consists of representatives of the main taxonomic groups of Devonian vertebrates, i.e., psammosteid heterostracans, placoderms, acanthodians, chondrichthyans, porolepiform and osteolepiform "rhipidistians", and dipnoans. Summnarising all avaiable data on the distribution of vertebrates, it is possible to suggest a very late Givetian - Frasnian age for the Matusevich Formation, a late Frasnian age of the Vavilof Formation, and a latest Frasnian - early Famennian age for the Malyutka Formation of Severnaya Zemlya.