Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 44 (2), 2005, 81-115. Modena, 30 settembre 200581 Early Pliensbachian ammonites from the Furlo Pass (Marche, Italy): two new faunas for the middle-western Tethys Federico VENTURI, Carlo NANNARONE & Massimiliano BILOTTA F. Venturi, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Piazza Università 1, I-06123 Perugia, Italy;
[email protected] C. Nannarone, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Piazza Università 1, I-06123 Perugia, Italy. M. Bilotta, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Piazza Università 1, I-06123 Perugia, Italy;
[email protected] KEY WORDS - Ammonites, Taxonomy, Biostratigraphy, Tethys, Early Jurassic. ABSTRACT - Fu1 and Fu2 faunas, represented by the spathic lumachella horizons of the Grilli Quarry (Furlo Pass, Umbria- Marche Apennines), contain two highly biodiversified assemblages. They follow chronologically the “Venturi ’78” bed from the Pallareto Quarry (Catriceras catriense bioevent), which is considered the first post-Sinemurian record to be found in the Apennines: as a whole, these three faunas characterize the lower part of the Early Pliensbachian (Carixian) in our area. The material collected at the Furlo Pass enabled us to recognize an unexpected wealth of forms, including some completely new taxa. Within the Psiloceratida (order comprising the taxa traditionally placed in the Lytoceratina and Ammonitina), the new family Holcolytoceratidae is proposed here for Audaxlytoceras together with Holcolytoceras. Among the Eoderoceratoidea, we describe the new species Omoderoceras latispira (a Paramicroderoceratinae with monospinate inner stage, formerly found in the “Venturi ’78” bed), and we note the discovery of the first Apennine ammonoid ascribable to Apoderoceras.