Middle Miocene Shark Teeth from the Southern Margin of the Pannonian Basin System (Serbia, Central Paratethys)

GEOLOŠKI ANALI BALKANSKOGA POLUOSTRVA Volume 80 (1), July 2019, 29–43 – DOI: 10.2298/GABP1901029J Middle Miocene shark teeth from the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin System (Serbia, Central Paratethys) GORDANA JOVANOVIĆ1, N ICOLAE TRIF2, VLAD CODREA3 & D RAGANA ĐURIĆ1 Abstract. This paper describes Middle Miocene (Badenian) shark teeth from Serbia and discusses their geographical distribution at other localities of the Central Paratethys. The shark teeth originate from Višnjica (near Belgrade), from Višnjica Clay, or the ‘Pleurotoma Clay’. The variety of sharks is very low, but according to these fossils Višnjica is the richest among Serbian localities. The sharks teeth reported in the paper belong to the following taxa: Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon (A GASSIZ, 1835), Hemipristis serra AGASSIZ, 1835 and Odontaspididae indet. The high diversity of invertebrates (molluscs, echinoids, Key words: corals etc.) and other coeval fossil assemblages indicate a warm period (the Middle Miocene, Badenian, Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum), which preceded the Middle Miocene Cli- sharks, Paratethys Sea, Serbia. matic Transition. Апстракт. У овом чланку сe описују средњомиоценски (баденски) зуби ајкула из Србије и дискутује о њиховој географској дистрибуцији на другим локалитетима Централног Паратетиса. Зуби ајкула потичу из Вишњице (недалеко од Београда), из Вишњичких глина или “Плеуротом - ских глина”. Разноврсност ајкула је врло ниска, али је по овим фосилима Вишњица најбогатија међу српским локалитетима. Описани зуби ајкула припадају следећим таксономима: Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon (A GASSIZ, 1835), Hemipristis serra AGASSIZ, 1835, и Odontaspididae indet. Кључне речи: Висока разноврсност бескичмењака (мекушаца, ехиноида, корала) као и Средњи миоцен, баден, других фосилних заједница указују на топли период (средњомиоценски ajкуле, море Паратетис, климатски оптимум), који је претходио средњомиоценској климатској Србија. транзицији. 1 Natural History Museum, Njegoševa 51, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. E-mails: [email protected];[email protected] 2 Brukenthal National Museum, Natural History Museum, Sibiu, Romania, Cetăţii Street 1, Sibiu, RO-550160, Romania. E-mail: [email protected] 3 Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology-Geology, Department of Geology 1, Kogălniceanu Str., Cluj-Napoca, RO-400084, Romania. E-mail: [email protected] 29 GORDANA JOVANOVIĆ, N ICOLAE TRIF, V LAD CODREA & D RAGANA ĐURIĆ Introduction (1958), ANĐELKOVIĆ et al. (1989) and JOVANOVIĆ & TOMIĆ (1997). In the past decades, only a few new data have Miocene shark teeth from Paratethys are men- been added to this topic. tioned in the literature since the 19th century with This paper refers to the Badenian shark fauna numerous described extinct species (e.g., AGASSIZ, from Višnjica (Belgrade, Serbia) (Fig. 1A, B, C). The 1843; PROBST, 1878; KOCH, 1903; SCHULTZ, 1971, 1979, aim of this study is to increase the knowledge about 2013). Recent research allows the evaluation of their the shark diversity and its distribution along the diversity, as well as the areal and the stratigraphic southern margin of the Central Paratethys during the distribution of these fossils. Many references deal Middle Miocene. This study of the shark teeth pills a with the taxonomy and the reassessment of these gap within this region, allowing correlations be- sharks (e.g. CAPETTA, 2012; MIKUŽ & ŠOSTER, 2013; tween Serbian fauna and the coeval well-docu- MIKUŽ et al., 2014, 2015, 2017; SZABÓ & KOCSIS, 2016; mented similar faunas reported from the various TRIF et al., 2016; TRIF & CODREA, 2017). The present other areas of the Paratethys. By analysis of the Mid- analysis points out that the shark teeth are relatively dle Miocene Serbian localities, the Višnjica fauna ap- rare in the palaeontological record of the Serbian pears to be the most diverse. In addition to the taxa Miocene localities; but it also replects a broad geo- previously reported herein, GRUBIĆ (1958) mentioned graphic distribution in the Central Paratethys Sea. the following species: Carcharodon megalodon AGAS- SIZ, Lamna cuspidata AGASSIZ and Lamna (Otodus) appen diculata AGASSIZ. The last species is one of the most frequently reported nominal shark species from the Creta- ceous and Paleocene according to SIVERSSON et al. (2015) and CAPPETTA (2012), but not from the Miocene. Therefore, it is likely to be a misidenti- pied taxon. The Miocene shark teeth from other Serbian localities, like Rakovica and Go - lubac, have generally been assigned to Lamna, or just to ‘pish teeth’ (MIKINČIĆ, 1932; Fig. 1. Location of Višnjica locality in: A. Europe; B. Serbia; C. Belgrade area. JOVANOVIĆ & TOMIĆ, 1997). With the exception of a single spe - cimen of Odontaspididae from The fossil shark teeth from Serbia have been Rakovica, no other shark teeth could be found in the poorly studied in comparison with other fossils (e.g. collections of the Belgrade Museum. ĐURIĆ et al., 2017: RADOVIĆ & BRADIĆ-MILINKOVIĆ, 2018 ). The Middle Miocene (Badenian) sediments from Serbia are exposed in various regions of the country. Geological setting These sediments are rich in fossils, mainly inverte- brate fossils. Shark teeth are mentioned only in a In the Paleogene, the collision between the small number of localities, such as Višnjica and Rako- African and the European plates has resulted in divi- vica, from the vicinity of Belgrade, and in eastern Ser- sion of the Tethyan Realm into two different paleo- bia (Golubac), according to MIKINČIĆ (1932), GRUBIĆ geographical realms - the circum-Mediterranean in 30 Geol. an. Balk. poluos., 2019, 80 (1), 29–43 Middle Miocene shark teeth from the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin System (Serbia, Central Paratethys) the south and the Paratethys in the north (LASKAREV, The Badenian age of the deposits near Belgrade 1924; RÖGL & STEININGER, 1984; RÖGL, 1998; POPOV et is based on the study of foraminiferal assemblages. al., 2004). On its turn, the Paratethys can be divided It comprises three units: the Early Badenian (the La- into three distinct regions: Western, Central, and genidae Zone), the Middle Badenian (the Spirorutilus Eastern Paratethys (PILLER et al., 2007). Each region carinatus Zone) and the Late Badenian (Elphidium had specipic developments in terms of facies and dis- crispum and Ammonia beccarii Zone) (PETROVIĆ, 1970; Fig. 2. A. Geological map of the Višnjica area (after the map 1:100.000 of Serbia, sheet Pančevo, according to IVKOVIĆ et al. 1966, modiFied); B. The map of Central Paratethys (after RÖGL & S TEININGER, 1984, modiFied). tribution. The former Central Paratethys region is 1985). The VCF exposures have been reported in the congruent with the area of nowadays Austria, Slove- Ramadan stream, at its conpluence with the Danube. nia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and The outcrops from the banks of the Danube studied Herzegovina, Ukraine and Romania. Several Middle in the 19th and 20th centuries allowed the collection Miocene sedimentary basins from Serbia have been of these fossils. However, after the construction of the closely connected to this area, which allowed faunal dam at hydroelectric power plant “Đerdap” (Iron exchanges. In the Middle Miocene, in the vicinity of Gates), the Danube level rose and these outcrops are Belgrade, the Paratethys Sea plooded different types currently plooded. of basement and a normal marine regime occurred in the area. The related sedimentary deposits are very rich in fossils. The pirst geological studies in the Material and methods area enabled a large number of typical marine taxa to be reported. In the Višnjica site, the largest group This study is based on the review of pifteen fossil of taxa is represented by Badenian gastropods from shark teeth collected during several past pield works. the so-called ‘Pleurotoma Clay’, or ‘Višnjica Clay’ The studied shark teeth originate from three distinct (LUKOVIĆ, 1922; STEVANOVIĆ, 1977; ANĐELKOVIĆ et al., collections, all obtained from the same Badenian de- 1989) assigned to the Višnjica Clay Formation (ab- posits. The collectors were: Petar Pavlović, at the end breviated VCF). of the 19th century, Petar Stevanović, in 1959, and Ve- Geol. an. Balk. poluos., 2019, 80 (1), 29–43 31 GORDANA JOVANOVIĆ, N ICOLAE TRIF, V LAD CODREA & D RAGANA ĐURIĆ limir Milošević, around the mid-20th century. Mor- well preserved, pine and regular. The neck is frag- phological features have been used to provide de- mented, but it can be noticed in the central part, on tailed taxonomic data. We considered the shape and the lingual side of the tooth. The lingual side is mode - size of the main cusp and the serration, where avail- rately convex, while the labial one is plat. The shape able. The photos of the specimens have been taken of the crown suggests an antero-lateral position of with an OLYMPUS Z4001 camera and a PANASONIC this tooth. DMC-FZ50 camera, respectively, attached to a BIOOP- The tooth in the Figs. 3h-j is also of a rather mod- TICA 100 stereomicroscope. est size, with a height of 61 mm and a preserved The shark teeth found in the VCF range in size width of 48 mm. The general shape is similar to the from less than 8 mm to over 80 mm. These have been other two teeth already described. The cutting edge collected directly by hand, without sieving the sedi- is strongly worn-out and the serration is only pre- ment. The fossils are housed at the Natural History served in a small portion. It is interesting to note the Museum in Belgrade, Serbia (abbreviated as NHMB; bio-erosion marks on the enamel of this tooth. Both collection numbers: K 7050; PS 23-26; KV-P 282- sides of the crown bear hundreds of indentations 291). Some of the shark teeth are poorly preserved caused by an unknown organism. Based on the gene - and eroded with exposed enamel cracks. The roots ral shape, it is likely that this tooth had an upper an- are damaged too. This state of preservation suggests terior position. that some teeth have been exposed to wave action, Discussions. The taxonomy of the Otodontidae which led to fragmentations, abrasion and polishing.

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