Cainozoic Research, 14(1), pp. 35-69, July 2014 35 Otoliths from the middle Miocene (Serravallian) of the Karaman Basin, Turkey Werner Schwarzhans Ahrensburger Weg 103, D-22359 Hamburg, Germany, and Natural History Museum of Denmark, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 København, Denmark; e-mail: [email protected] Received 26 February 2014, revised version accepted 26 April 2014 Otoliths are described from middle Miocene, Serravallian rocks of the Karaman Basin of southeastern Turkey. Nearly 1100 specimens were identified representing a total of 47 species, thereof 27 fossil species, 6 extant species and 14 species left in open nomenclature. 11 species are new: Mascarenichthys exilis n. sp., Scorpaena? landaui n. sp., Serranus? ariejansseni n. sp., Lethrinus anatolicus n. sp., Spicara pamphyliensis n. sp., Gobius mustus n. sp., Gobius reichenbacherae n. sp., Gobius vandervoorti n. sp., Knipowitschia suavis n. sp., Pomatoschistus rueckertae n. sp. and Thorogobius iucundus n. sp. The predominant group represented by otoliths are the Gobiidae, a family typical for shallow marine to brackish environments, followed by Sparidae and Lethrinidae. The teleost association is typical for warm, shallow, sheltered seas without any significant open marine influence, which is corroborated by other fossil groups previously studied from the area. The faunal correlation of the Serravallian otoliths from the Karaman Basin shows the nearest relationship to the fish fauna of the slightly older Badenian (Langhian to early Serravallian) of the Vienna Basin of the Central Paratethys, which is similar to the conclusions recently also reached for molluscs. Twelve of the 16 previously known fossil species have also been recorded from the Badenian of the Paratethys and four exclusively so, while two species are of NE Atlantic affinities. However, comparative and time equivalent shallow marine otolith data from the Mediterranean are still poorly known. A few species indicate relation to the present-day Indo West-Pacific fish fauna, namely of the genera Mascarenichthys, Sillago and Lethrinus, and are indicative of an earlier faunal interchange between the two areas, which terminated only during the Langhian to Serravallian interface. Certain species of the Gobiidae are interpreted to represent derived forms from earlier, Badenian and older gobiid species from the Paratethys and thus indicate potential for a local biostratigraphic application. KEY WORDS: Otoliths, middle Miocene, Serravallian, Karaman Basin, Turkey, Teleostei, Gobiidae, systematics, paleobiogeography. Introduction Six species represent species still extant in the Mediter- ranean and/or eastern Atlantic, 11 species are new and The otoliths described in the following were obtained further 14 species are left in open nomenclature, indicat- from predominantly marls and clays of middle Miocene, ing that many more elements of this ancient fish fauna are Serravallian age along a number of surface outcrops still to be recovered. in the Karaman Basin of SE Turkey. A total of about 1100 otolith specimens were collected in the course of sampling primarily for molluscs during several field trips Localities and geology undertaken by J. van der Voort and A.W. Janssen. Previous studies of fossil otoliths from marine strata in The otoliths described in the following have been ob- Turkey have been published by Rückert-Ülkümen (1992, tained from 8 localities in the Karaman Basin, S-Turkey. 1996) and Rückert-Ülkümen et al. (1993). They mainly For detailed descriptions of the localities reference is deal with faunas from western Turkey and appear to be made to Landau et al. (2013). The localities sampled for all from younger sediments (late Miocene). Thus, this otoliths are (Fig. 1): localities 2 and 3 at road cuts near fossil otolith assemblage now represents the first one Lale, locality 6 on hill slopes NW of Lale, locality 7 Ak- from southern Turkey. A total of 47 teleost species are bogazi on slopes along Lale river, locality 11 on south- identified from the Serravallian of the Karaman Basin, west bank of Gödet Creek across from Tilkikaya, locality thereof 16 previously described from other southern 13 south of Akpinar - Pinarlar Yaylasi, locality 17 fields European locations ranging from the Aquitaine Basin in south of Seyithasan and locality 19 on road to Mut about southern France to the basins of the former Paratethys. 27 km S of Karaman. The numbering and naming of the 36 Schwarzhans. Otoliths from the middle Miocene (Serravallian) of the Karaman Basin, Turkey localities follows Landau et al. (2013). sampled intervals is considered to be of middle to late Ser- The Karaman Basin represents a relatively small intra- ravallian according to the holoplanktonic-mollusc-based montaneous Neogene basin located between the high biostratigraphy of Janssen (1999, 2012) and as discussed plain of central Anatolia and the Taurus Mountains to the in Landau et al. (2013). It is therewith slightly younger south. Since the deposition of the sediments of the Kara- than the rich Badenian (Langhian to early Serravallian) man Basin in the Miocene it has been uplifted to 1100 to fauna of the well-known Vienna and Carpathian Fore- 1300 m above sea level. The stratigraphic position of the deep basins. Figure 1. Location map depicting localities in the Karaman Basin from which otolith were obtained (locality 19, road to Mut, south of map, not shown). Map compiled after Landau et al., 2013; insert map created from Microsoft Encarta 2006. Depository and methods deepest point of incision of the excisura and calculated as percentage of OL. For optimal comparison purposes, all figures show oto- All specimens including holotypes and paratypes are liths of the right side. Drawings of left otoliths have been deposited at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Paleon- mirror imaged and are marked with an (r) for reversed. tology Department, Leiden, The Netherlands, formerly The following abbreviations are used in the descrip- Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie (RGM regis- tions: otolith length = OL, otolith height = OH, otolith tration numbers). thickness = OT, ostium length = OsL, cauda length = The morphological terminology of otoliths was estab- CaL, ostial colliculum length = OCL, caudal colliculum lished by Koken (1891) with amendments by Weiler (1942) length = CCL, total colliculum length = CoL, ostial col- and Schwarzhans (1978) (Fig. 2 upper left). The morpho- liculum height = OCH, caudal colliculum height = CCH, metric measurements of otoliths follows Schwarz hans total colliculum height = CoH, sulcus length = SuL, sul- (2013b) (Fig. 2 upper right). cus height = SuH. Other abbreviations used in the text: FM = formation. The curvature index of the inner face Gobiid otoliths are particularly common in the Karaman is calculated as percentage of OL. The rostrum length is Basin and therefore I have considered it useful to pro- measured from the tip of the rostrum to the level of the vide certain specific measurements to support a better Cainozoic Research, 14(1), pp. 35-69, July 2014 37 Figure 2. Otolith terminology and explanation of morphometric measurements. The upper row shows a typical heterosulcoid percoid otolith. The lower row shows a gobioid otolith and explains newly established specific characters used in goby otoliths such as the subcaudal iugum, angles and projections of the otolith rim and specific morphometric measurements including the inclination angle; α referring to the sulcus inclination. description of their morphological characters and allow the preventral and postdorsal projections and predorsal a more detailed analysis and comparison, as explained on and postventral angles. The curvature of inner and outer the lower row of Fig. 2. Gobiid otoliths exhibit some very face including the curvature index (Z as percentage of specific and rather unique characters, such as the sole- OL) is best seen from the dorsal view since it depends to shaped median sulcus with its ostial lobe of varying shape a large extend on the curvature of the postdorsal projec- and intensity and the inclination of the sulcus. Ostial and tion. Finally, gobiid otoliths exhibit another rather spe- caudal colliculi are always fused. A unique character of cialized feature: a long ventral furrow curving around the many, but not all gobiid otoliths is a broad patch (Latin anterior and posterior tips of the sulcus and sometimes = iugum) of varying size, usually only below the cauda joining up to a small but mostly well developed dorsal and then termed the ‘subcaudal iugum’. It appears to be depression. a widening of the crista inferior and not homologous to the caudal pseudocolliculum found in myctophids and certain batrachoidids, although sometimes the iugum ap- Acknowledgements pears to be separated from the proper rim of the sulcus by a feeble furrow. Recognition of the subcaudal iugum First and foremost, I wish to thank Arie W. Janssen requires good preservation of the otolith and cannot be (Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands) seen in every specimen. Other characters of specific im- and Jaap van der Voort (Ostercappeln-Venne, Germany) portance in gobiid otoliths include shape and intensity of for having put together this interesting collection of fossil 38 Schwarzhans. Otoliths from the middle Miocene (Serravallian) of the Karaman Basin, Turkey otoliths and having made it available to me. Further, I have been identified in the Atlantic basins of Europe and wish to thank Irene Zorn (Vienna, Austria) for informa- in the Mediterranean