Chondrichthyan microfossils from the Famennian and Tournaisian of Armenia

Abstract

The assemblages of chondrichthyan microremains from the Famennian of Armenia show great resemblances to those from central iran. particularly, the very rich sample (almost 200 teeth) from the lower Famennian of ertych contains a fauna similar to that from the iranian section of hutk, and the sample from the upper Famennian of khor Virap has its counterpart in the sample from dalmeh, iran. only one chondrichthyan taxon definitely unknown from iran, Ertychius intermedius gen. et sp. nov., was recorded. The other newly described species, Lissodus lusavorichi sp. nov., was noted earlier from dalmeh, but at that time was left unnamed. it appears that the same type of relatively shallow marine environment predominated in the central and north-western parts of the iranian platform during the Famennian and that in a given time-interval the same type of ichthyofauna was distributed throughout the area. The single lower Tournaisian sample from the sevakavan section yielded a peculiar form of thrinacodont teeth, possibly intermediate between Thrinacodus tranquillus and Th. ferox.