A Review of the Crinoid Columnals (Echinodermata-Crinoidea) from the Carboniferous of Mexico
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A review of the crinoid columnals (Echinodermata-Crinoidea) from the Carboniferous of Mexico B.E. Buitrón Sánchez1, C. Gómez Espinosa1, E. Almazán Vázquez2, D. Vachard3, A. Laguarda-Figueras4 & F. Solís-Marín4 1. Departamento de Paleontología, Instituto de Geología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, 04510, México D.F.; [email protected]. 2. Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Sonora, Boulevard Luis Encinas y Rosales, 83 000, Hermosillo, Sonora, México; almazan@geologia,uson.mx, 3. UFR des Sciences de la Terre, UMR 8014 du CNRS, Université de Lille1, 59655 Villeneuve d´Ascq Cédex, France; [email protected]. 4. Laboratorio de Sistemática y Ecología de Equinodermos, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, 04510, México D.F.; [email protected]. Received 10-VIII-2007. Corrected 05-XII-2007. Accepted 17-IX-2008. Abstract: The fossil crinoids and associated fauna from the Carboniferous (Mississippian–Pennsylvanian) of Mexico (Sonora, Tamaulipas, Hidalgo, Puebla, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas States) are described. Data are based on a combination of field and published sources, including seven previously studied localities from the central and southern areas, and four new localities from the northwestern part of the country. A total of 28 morphospecies are reported, seven from the Mississippian and 21 from the Pennsylvanian. Eleven are recorded for the first time in Mexico. These crinoid columnal morphospecies have been reported from the United States of America (Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas), and there are doubtful reports from Poland, and several Eurasian provinces (Western Siberia, Southern Kazakhstan, Pribalkhash and the Czech Republic). Taxa distribution falls within the northwestern Mid-Continent Realm Tropical Climate Zone. The faunal assemblage comprises fusulinids, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, trilobites, ammonites and cono- donts. Fusulinids (e.g. Fusullinella, Triticites, and Parafusulina) have a Tethyan distribution, are also typical of the American Mid-Continental region, and are similar to fauna of the Eurasian-Arctic Province. Corals (Lophophyllidium, Neozaphrentis, Caninia, Caninophyllum, and Lithostrotionella) are present in the Cordilleran province of North America, and in various Eurasiatic provinces. Whereas fenestellid bryozoans (Fenestella) and brachiopods (Neospirifer, Avonia, Wellerella, Composita, and Hustedia) have a cosmopolitan distribu- tion, the ammonite Peritrochia is distributed in the USA, Sicily, Crimea-Urals- central Asia-Timor. Trilobites (Griffithides) and conodonts (Idiognathoides and Neognathodus) are common in Europe, Australia, and Asia. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (Suppl. 3): 1-12. Epub 2009 January 05. Key words: crinoid columnals, Carboniferous, Mexico, palaeogeographical distribution. Benthic stalked crinoids were highly suc- use of a separate classification based on the cessful animals during the Paleozoic. Remains crinoid columnals and pluricolumnals. of Paleozoic crinoid columnals are very com- The study of crinoid remains is impor- mon worldwide and, in some instances, rep- tant, due to the extraordinarily large variety resent the major macrobenthic fossils in the of fossils, their usefulness for biostratigraphic strata at many localities. In traditional tax- purposes, and because regional encrinites have onomy, dissociated stem remains are neglected been amply studied in sedimentology. Recent (Gluchowski 2002). This fact necessitates the comments of the use of the classification of Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 56 (Suppl. 3): 1-12, December 2008 1 crinoids, on the basis of disarticulated ossicles, (1987), from Calnali, Hidalgo State; Velasco has been performed by Stiller (2000) and and Buitrón (1992) and Esquivel-Macías et al.( Donovan (2001). 2004), from San Salvador Patlanoaya, Puebla The classification for crinoid columnals state; Buitrón, et al. (1998) from Cañon de was developed, independently, by Yeltysheva la Peregrina, Tamaulipas State; Buitrón, et al. (1956), Stukalina (1966, 1988) and Moore (2000) from Nochixtlan-Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, and Jeffords (1968). Historically, the former State; Esquivel et al. (2000, 2004) from was used more in Asia, and the latter in North Olinalá, Guerrero State; López-Lara (2002), America, for this reason, it is very difficult to from Pemuxco, Hidalgo State, and Buitrón et estimate the approximate geographical dis- al. (2004, 2007), from Sonora State. tribution based on the columnal fragments. The present paper includes four new local- Moore and Jeffords’ classification follows the ities, thus extending the studies of crinoi- ICZN rules. The aim of this paper is to link dal columnals into the northwestern part of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian crinoids Mexico. Unpublished data comes from Sierra from Mexico with the knowledge regarding Las Trincheras, Sierra Agua Verde, Sierra Carboniferous crinoid faunas documented in Mesteñas, and Cerros El Tule; all located in another localities and to use the associat- Sonora State. ed biota (fusulinids, brachiopods, bryozoans, ammonoids, and conodonts) in a wider strati- graphic context. RESULTS The Carboniferous crinoid fauna in Mexico MATERIALS AND METHODS (Fig. 1, Table 1) is described by locality, gen- eral lithological features of the strata are given Marine Paleozoic outcrops in Mexico are in Table 2. scarce, because they are commonly covered by thick Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary Mississippian fossiliferous localities sequences. Nevertheless, there are some locali- Sierra Las Trincheras, Sonora. New Report ties with Carboniferous marine sediments that contain fossils such as crinoid columnals and Mississippian crinoid columnal mor- pluricolumnals. The paleontological data used phospecies from Sierra Las Trincheras are in this study come from eleven Carboniferous Rhysocamax cristata and Gilbertsocrinus Mexican localities in: Sonora and Tamaulipas aequalis. States in the northern part of the country; Rhysocamax cristata was also reported Hidalgo and Puebla States in the central portion; in Iowa and Alabama, USA (Raymond 2003), and Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas States in the and the Tournaisian of Poland (Gluchowski southern region. The data are based on a combi- 1981, 2001) and Western Siberia (Dubatolova nation of field (Sonora localities) and published and Dubatolova 1984) and the Moscovian sources. Taxonomic identification of crinoids (Pennsylvanian) of NE Pribalkhash (Duvatolova is based on the parataxonomical classification 1976); and Gilbertsocrinus aequalis, mentioned proposed by Moore and Jeffords (1968). in Kentucky, USA (Moore & Jeffords 1968). The crinoidal fauna from the Carboniferous In this assemblage are also present cor- of Mexico has been documented in several als from the species Caninia corniculum and previous reports, mostly from the central and Caninophyllum sonorense (Easton et al. 1958), southern parts of the country. Publications which are also distributed in the North America on crinoid morphospecies used in this report Cordillera, and several Euroasiatic provinces. are Buitrón (1977), from the Chicomuselo- The faunal association is typical of shallow La Concordia, Chiapas state; Buitrón et al. tropical seas. 2 Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 56 (Suppl. 3): 1-12, December 2008 114º 110º 106º 102º 98º 94º 90º Carboniferous paleogeography of Mexico 4 1. Cerros Las Trincheras, Sonora 3 2. Sierra Agua Verde, Sonora 2 3. Cierros Las Mesteñas, Sonora 28º 4. Cerros El Tule, Sonora 1 5. Cañon de la Peregrina, Tamaulipas 6. Calnal, Hidalgo 7. Pemuxco, Hidalgo 8. Olinalá, Guerrero 9. Patlanoaya, Puebla 10. Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca 24º 5 11. Chicomuselo-Concordia, Chiapas 6 20º 7 Carboniferous autcrops 9 8 10 16º 0 200 500 km 11 Fig. 1. Carboniferous crinoid localities in Mexico. Fig. 1. Localidades carboníferas con crinoideos en México. Mississippian-Pennsylvanian included: Actinoconchus squamosus, fossiliferous localities Actinoconchus planosulcatus, Martinothyris San Salvador Patlanoaya, Puebla lineatus, Sinuatella sinuata, Asyrinxia lata, Spirifer gregeri, and the genera Unispirifer, Punctospirifer, Chonetes, Ambocoelia, Mississippian fauna Barroisella, Rugauris, Rhytiophora, The crinoids identified at Basal part of Orbiculoidea, and Prospira (Villaseñor et al. the Patlanoaya Formation are: Stiberotaurus 1987). These genera have a cosmopolitan dis- aestimatus, Ampholenium apolegma, tribution (Ager et al. 1965, Muir and Alwin Cyclostelechus turritus, Lomalegnum hormid- 1965). The Mississippian strata also contains ium, and Pentagonomischus plebeius (Velasco remains of continental plants in interbedded and Buitrón 1992), which are also distributed layers (Villaseñor et al. 1987, Velasco and in Iowa, Illinois, and Kentucky, USA (Moore Buitrón 1992). and Jeffords 1968, Webster 1973, 2003). Pennsylvanian fauna From these crinoids two species were report- ed from Poland: A. apolegma from Tournaisian The Unit III of the Patlanoaya Formation (Gluchowski 1981, 2001) and P. plebeius from contains numerous Pennsylvanian crinoid Tournaisian-Namurian (Gluchowski 1981). morphospecies, such as Cyclocaudex jucun- The assemblages are dated from the Early dus, Cyclocaudex insaturatus, Mooreanteris Mississippian, based on the presence of the waylandensis, Mooreanteris perforatus, coral Neozaphrentis. Also are present sponges, Cylindrocauliscus fiski, Plumeranteris sansaba, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, mollusks, and