Prace Muzeum Ziemi Nr 43, 1996 Prace paleozoologiczne PL ISSN 0032-6275 ZBIGNIEW KOTAŃSKI History of discovery and age of labyrinthodont remains in the Tatra Mts, Poland* ABSTRACT. History of discovery and studies of labyrinthodont remains ammonites and daonellas as Anisian and Ladinian boundary. The beds from the Western Tatra Mts in Poland is presented. The bony material with labyrinthodonts belong to the Furkaska and Wielkie Koryciska units was collected in 1959 from the Partnach Beds in the Wielkie Koryciska attributed to the Upper Subtatric (Strazov) nappe. Such tectonic position Ravine. The age of sediments yielding the bony remains and marine indicates paleogeographical situation of the beds with amphibian remains invertebrate fossils is precisely defined on the basis of foraminifers, in the central part of the Tethys. Key words: labyrinthodonts, upper Anisian-lower Ladinian, Tatra Mts, Poland. STRESZCZENIE. Kości labiryntodontów zostały znalezione przez leżące bezpośrednio niżej warstwy z Reifling zawierają konodonty charak- autora pracy w 1959 r. w dolince Wielkie Koryciska w Tatrach Zachod- terystyczne dla górnego anizyku, a leżący powyżej dolomit z Wetterstein nich i przekazane do opracowania dr. Julianowi Kulczyckiemu z Muzeum jest wieku ladyńskiego. Pod względem tektonicznym warstwy z Partnach Ziemi. Kulczycki po wypreparowaniu materiału stwierdził, że reprezen- należą do jednostki Furkaski i jednostki Korycisk, zaliczanych przez tuje on nowy gatunek kapitozaurida. Po długiej przerwie, spowodowanej Kotańskiego do płaszczowiny reglowej górnej (strażowskiej), która jest chorobą i śmiercią Kulczyckiego, opracowaniem tych materiałów, zgodnie nasunięta na płaszczowinę reglową środkową (choczańską), ta zaś z kolei z życzeniem Kulczyckiego, zajęła się dr T. Maryańska. Szczątki labirynto- na płaszczowinę reglową dolną (kriżniańską). Taka pozycja tektoniczna dontów i towarzyszące im okruchy drewna pochodzą z warstw złożonych wyznacza położenie paleogeograficzne warstw z labiryntodontami w z margli i wapieni, zaliczanych w czasie ich odkrycia do retyku. W środku Tetydy. Labiryntodonty musiały zapewne żyć na wyspie koralowej warstwach tych zostały również znalezione amonity, daonelle i inne bez- zbudowanej z wapieni i dolomitów z Wetterstein. Kilka osobników wraz kręgowce morskie świadczące o póżnoanizyjskim-wczesnoladyńskim wie- z okruchami drewna, być może na większych jego kłodach, dostało się ku tych osadów. Na podstawie fauny bezkręgowców i analogii li- podczas burzy tropikalnej do basenu warstw z Partnach. Burze takie tologicznych do AJp Wschodnich, warstwy te uznano za odpowiednik musiały być dość częste w środkowej części oceanu Tetydy. warstw z Partnach. Wiek ten jest pośrednio potwierdzony także tym, że DISCOVERY OF LABYRINTHODONTS IN THE TATRA MTS The history of investigations of labyrinthodonts from the Wielkie Koryciska is divided into two Rhaetic synclines. Tatra Mts spans several tens of years. The discovery of the According to Guzik in the spectacular outcrops of this bony remains was connected with the preparation for the region the facies differentiation of the Rhaetian (and Het- 32nd Meeting of the Polish Geological Society which took tangian?) in the Furkaska unit can be observed. place in Zakopane in 1959. At that time I followed the route Walking southwards from the alp (1050 m above sea G2 leading through the Subtatric Series of the Chochołowska level) towards the so-called Drwal's Gully, I observed the Valley to the side Wielkie Koryciska Ravine. In the Cho- remains of rocks sliding into this gully forming a clearly chołowska Valley Guzik (1959, 1961) described the contact visible debris cone. On some surfaces of blocks of the of the Koryciska and Furkaska tectonic units which were, at thick-bedded limestones the broad stems of crinoids, sec- that time, included into the Choć nappe. According to him tions of ammonites and numerous large pelecypods were the contact is found in conjunction with the Rhaetic synclinal observed. The discovery of ammonites in the limestones belt of the Furkaska unit, which beginning.from the alp in the previously considered as Rhaetian was very interesting. Ammonites are extremely rare in the Rhaetian sediments, their relative abundance suggested that the limestones * Text edited by Teresa Maryańska were not Rhaetian but Middle Triassic. The first publica- 48 ZBIGNIEW KOTAŃSKI (Fig. 1) Professor Kozłowski confirmed my view that Warszawa,dn.9.V. 1960. we were dealing with the remains of labyrinthodont 1АК1АЛ PAUOZOOiOOłl А Им» «ми m m amphibians. The paleontological investigations of labyrintho- dont material was charged to Julian Kulczycki, who was a well-known researcher of fossil vertebrates at the Museum of the Earth, Polish Academy of Sci- Do: Pana Dr.Zbigniewa Kotarskiego ences in Warsaw. Kulczycki began preparation Zakład Geologii Dynamicznej U.W. works in November 1959 and continued them in Warszawa,ul.Oboźna 8 1960-1963. The preparation of bony remains in- Otreymane okazy z Tatr okazały się , zgodnie z przypuszoze- volved etching the rocks using acetic and hydroflu- nlem Pana Doktora ,szozątkami płazów tarczogłowych. oric acids, and then coating the bones with paraffins. Jest to bardzo oiekawe i na terenie Polski rzadkie znalezisko. It was soon realized that the prepared bony remains Pożądanym byłoby zebranie większej ilośoi materiału i szcze- were precious paleontological material. In the un- gółowe opracowanie paleontologiczne. Zakład Paleozoologii zwraoa się do Pana Doktora z uprzejmą published account on the studies carried out in 1961 prośbą o wskazanie punktu znalezienia ,aby umożliwić naszym Kulczycki stated that the bony remains represented pracownikom przeprowadzenie eksploatacji wyżej wspomnianych a new species of the capitosaurid labyrinthodonts. szczątków kostnyoh. Informing me about the results of his studies he stated that up till now all bony remains found "fit in the same head". In autumn 1963 Kulczycki conducted the com- Fig.l plementary field work at the Wielkie Koryciska Ra- The letter of Professor Roman Kozłowski confirming supposition concerning vine and found more bony remains. Some of them labyrinthodont bony remains. fitted into the specimen found by me earlier. We wonder in which way the terrestrial amphibians got into the marine pelagic sediments. Because of presence of the car- bonized remnants of wood in the limestones (Fig. 2) we can suppose that amphibians together with pieces of wood where pushed towards sea from land or an island after heavy storm. In 19631 carried out comparative studies in the Eastern Alps, paying attention to the lithological and paleontologi- cal analogies between the Triassic of the Tatra Mts and the East-Alpine Triassic (Kotański 1965) and I noticed that marls with intercalation of nodular limestones and cherts occurring in the Chochołowska Valley showed striking resemblance to the Partnach Beds. Their stratigraphical position also corresponds to the position of the Partnach Beds which overlie the Reifling Limestone and are under- lain by the Wetterstein Dolomite. Thus, their age should be precisely determined as upper Anisian - lower Ladinian. We can draw conclusion that the labyrinthodont amphibi- ans from the Tatra Mts should be of the same age. This Fig. 2 suggestion has been proved by later stratigraphical and Carbonized wood fragments transported together with labyrinthodonts from paleontological studies. Kulczycki had scheduled further land to the sea presumably during a tropical storm. field works for 1964, but in spring of that year he became seriously ill. At that time he told me that he did not intend tion mentioned this fact was that by Kotański (1961). In to continue his studies on the labyrinthodont from the 1959 I gathered much more paleontological material in Tatra Mts and asked me to pass the bony material to dr. Wielkie Koryciska Ravine. In addition to ammonites, nau- Teresa Maryańska for further studies. After the death of tiloids, echinoderms and pelecypods I found black bony Kulczycki I asked Maryańska to derive a species name of a remains with a characteristic wavy surface and some frag- new labyrinthodont from Kulczycki's name, we discussed ments of jaws with tiny teeth which I recognized as the also the derivation of generic name from the Tatra Mts. remains of labyrinthodonts. After a long pause, the mentioned material was studied by In autumn 1959 I delivered all the specimens to Pro- Maryańska & Shishkin and described by these authors as a fessor Roman Kozłowski who was at that time the Director new genus and species - Tatrasuchus kulczyckii - of the of the Institute of Paleozoology of the Polish Academy of cyclotosaurid capitosauroids ( Maryańska & Shishkin 1996, Sciences in Warsaw. In a letter dated the 9th of May 1960 this volume, p. 53-83). HISTORY OF DISCOVERY AND AGE OF LABYRINTHODONT REMAINS 49 STRATIGRAPHIC, TECTONIC AND PALEOGEOGRAPHIC POSITION OF THE LIMESTONES WITH LABYRINTHODONT REMAINS There was already a long history of opinions concern- found (Kotański 1961) suggested that the limestones did ing the stratigraphic position of the strata in which the not belong to Rhaetian but to Middle Triassic. Kotański labyrinthodonts were found. The opinions changed many (1965) wrote on lithological analogies between the Triassic times. These strata make a part of the unit which had been from the Tatra Mts and that from Eastern Alps. Further generally called the Choć Dolomite. In view of the fact that data concerning the discovered fauna and its Anisian-early in many places these