Fossil Holothurian Ossicles from the Lower Toarcian of the Balkan Mts, Bulgaria
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GEOLOGICA BALCANICA, 49 (3), Sofia, Dec. 2020, pp. 3–12. Fossil holothurian ossicles from the lower Toarcian of the Balkan Mts, Bulgaria Lubomir Metodiev, Silviya Petrova, Elena Koleva-Rekalova, Georgi Granchovski Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 24, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; e-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] (Accepted in revised form: October, 2020) Abstract. Fossil holothurian ossicles from three localities of the lower Toarcian in the Balkan Mts (Bulgaria), assigned to the family Chiridotidae and the parafamilies Theeliidae, Priscopedatidae and Calclamnidae, were studied. Two types of ossicles and four morphogenera were described: 1) wheels, among which Palaeotrochodota (abundant) and Theelia (single specimens); and 2) perforated ossicles, including Priscopedatus and Cucumarites (both in single specimens). These fossils are well known in Europe but have not been recorded in Toarcian rocks from Bulgaria to date. The studied fauna remains of undeter- mined palaeoenvironmental significance, although the high morphological variability and abundance of Palaeotrochodota seem potentially informative. Metodiev, L., Petrova, S., Koleva-Rekalova, E., Granchovski, G. 2020. Fossil holothurian ossicles from the lower Toarcian of the Balkan Mts, Bulgaria. Geologica Balcanica 49 (3), 3–12. Keywords: holothurian ossicles, lower Toarcian, Balkan Mts, Bulgaria. INTRODUCTION matter and reworking of sea-bottom sediments. Feeding experiments with modern holothurians The Class Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers, holo- have demonstrated that the organic component in thurians) comprises over 1700 known species and the sediments can substantially be changed, both in includes deposit-feeding and suspension-feeding quality and in amount, as a result of their activity animals of worldwide distribution that, to date, have (Xu et al., 2015). been found in both shallow warm waters and the Sea cucumbers are animals of ancient origin, deep sea (e.g., Miller et al., 2017). It is known that characterized by worldwide distribution, richness of sediment systems may demonstrate different lev- forms and high adaptability. Being creatures with an els of primary production, which usually decreases endoskeleton, however, holothurians are extremely with depths (e.g., Roberts et al., 2000, and referenc- rare as body fossils, and thus their history in the ge- es therein). It is also known that most sedimentary ological past is still poorly known. The fossil record environments have little or no primary production of holothurians predominantly consists of isolated and receive organic matter mainly by sinking or by calcified structures (ossicles), which may compose horizontal transfer (e.g., Valiela, 2015; Middelburg, abundant microfossil assemblages. In recent sum- 2019). Sea cucumbers have to ingest large amounts maries on the species diversity of fossil holothuri- of sediments to meet their vital needs. Thus, the oc- ans, more than 960 published paraspecies/species currence of holothurians is largely determined by names have been listed (Reich, 2012, 2013, 2014, the composition of the bottom sediments as sources 2015). Albeit with significant gaps, the holothurian of food material. Modern sea cucumbers may play fossil record has generally been drawn, and it has an essential role in marine ecosystems, as they are been assumed that those animals have a long total actively involved in the decomposition of organic chronostratigraphical extent, from the Ordovician 3 to the Quaternary (ibid.). As stated by Reich (2013), the late Hettangian to the early Bajocian, and their more than two-thirds of the available names can be general lithostratigraphy was summarized by Sa- considered valid. Of these, the Triassic and Jurassic punov and Metodiev (2007). They have long been taxa are the most numerous, and thus dominate the known for their abundant fossils. Locally, two fos- holothurian fossil data from the Phanerozoic. sil fields from the Western Balkan Mts area, called In Bulgaria, only a few holothurian ossicles from Dobravitsa-1 and Bov (Fig. 1b), and one field from the Middle Triassic (Stefanov, 1970) and from re- the Central Fore-Balkan Mts, called Varbanchovets worked Devonian carbonates (Ebner et al., 1976; (Fig. 1c), supplied the material for this study. These Ebner and Fenninger, 1980) have been described fields are parts of previously studied sections that and figured to date. The presence of ossicles has refer to the Bukorovtsi Member of the Ozirovo For- sporadically been noted in previous Bulgarian sedi- mation (Metodiev and Koleva-Rekalova, 2008; Me- mentological literature, but no one has paid special todiev et al., 2014, 2019). attention to them. The same holds true to the sedi- Section Dobravitsa-1 comprises a 7-m thick suc- ments of the Bulgarian Jurassic. Given the relative- cession of alternating marlstones, shales and lime- ly rich data from Europe and the fact that Bulgarian stones, in which abundant ammonites and belem- Jurassic rocks have both facial and coeval European nites are the main macrofossils present (see Metodi- equivalents, the Bulgarian fossil record of holothu- ev and Koleva-Rekalova, 2008). A subordinate fau- rians should be similar to that from elsewhere. In na of brachiopods and bivalves was also found. This spite of that, Jurassic holothurians remain complete- succession was subdivided into 15 ammonite zones, ly unknown in Bulgaria. The present paper provides from the upper Pliensbachian Pleuroceras spinatum the first data on the presence of holothurian ossicles Zone at the base to the lower Bajocian Hyperli- in the Lower Jurassic strata of Bulgaria. The fossil oceras discites Zone at the top (ibid.). The holothu- material represented below was accidentally found rian ossicles came from a 0.2-m thick bed, which during the study of lower Toarcian sedimentary in- consists of grey ferruginized crinoidal wackestones tervals as potential recorders of the Early Toarcian with phosphate nodules (see Fig. 2a–c). The rocks Oceanic Anoxic Event (ETOAE). The aim of this are composed of dark brown matrix, with common account is not to go deeply into taxonomic details, fine dolomite rhombohedra, a moderate number of but to report the holothurian presence as a curious allochems (mainly crinoidal bioclasts, but also shell fact that could later be interpreted elsewhere in the fragments and benthic foraminifera, hollow spines light of the ETOAE and its impact on the marine of echinoids, sponge spicules and single ossicles of benthic communities. Holothuroidea), and a small number of terrigenous components (including silt-sized quartz and musco- vite). This bed refers to the lower Toarcian Dactyli- GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND, oceras (Orthodactylites) tenuicostatum ammonite HOLOTHURIAN LOCALITES AND MATERIAL Zone [D. (O.) crosbeyi ammonite Subzone]. Section Bov (5 m thick) consists of alternating The Balkan Mountains area, including the foot- silty carbonaceous shales and limestones (ferrugi- hills of the Fore-Balkan Mts, is a W–E trending nized bioclastic wackestones, recrystallized micro- mountain region, which consists of various folded sparite limestones and pyritized clayey limestones), and thrust Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. From a with sporadically preserved ammonites and belem- structural point of view, this region represents the nites and an ammonite zonal extent, previously de- Balkan Zone, which is the external northern part fined, from the lower Toarcian Harpoceras falcifer- of the Balkan orogen in Bulgaria (Dabovski et al., um ammonite Zone to the upper Toarcian Haugia 2002). Jurassic sediments are an integral part of the variabilis ammonite Zone (Metodiev et al., 2019). thick Mesozoic cover and have a wide outcrop oc- The holothurian ossicles were found in two concre- currence in the Balkan Zone (Fig. 1a). These rocks tionary beds, each 0.2 m thick, which are herein re- are particularly well developed in the Western Bal- ferred to the very base of the succession. The latter kan and in the Central Fore-Balkan Mts, where they beds are composed of a few centimetres in diameter take part of some prominent positive structures of subglobular nodules surrounded by a strongly al- the Balkan Zone, those of the Zimevitsa Plateau and tered iron-sulphide matrix. The rocks composing the the Teteven Arch. Mixed shallow- to moderately nodules are carbonatized ferriferous ooidal wacke- deeper-marine siliciclastic and carbonate sediments stones and they have high content of micrite matrix, represent the Lower–Middle Jurassic rocks of these a moderate number of allochems and single terrig- structures. These transgressive deposits largely cor- enous components (see Fig. 2d–f). The matrix of the respond to the Ozirovo Formation, which spans nodules is either well preserved or recrystallized into 4 Fig. 1. a) Outcrops of Jurassic rocks (blue) on the simplified tectonic map of Bulgaria (after Sapunov and Metodiev, 2007, and Dabovski et al., 2002); b) geological sketch map of the Zimevitsa Plateau and the adjacent areas (Western Balkan Mts), showing the locations of the holothurian localities Dobravitsa-1 (i) and Bov (ii); c) geological sketch map of the Teteven Arch (Central Fore- Balkan Mts) with location of the field Varbanchovets (iii). microsparite. The allochems correspond, in order of (Metodiev et al., 2014). The fossil record of the sec- decreasing abundance, to carbonatized iron ooids, tion consists of abundant ammonites, blended with sponge spicules,