Elsevier Editorial System(tm) for Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Manuscript Draft Manuscript Number: PALAEO9216 Title: Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian) brachiopod biogeography in the western Tethys: the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean faunal provinces revised Article Type: Research Paper Keywords: Early Jurassic; Tethys; Brachiopoda; biochores; palaeogeography Corresponding Author: Dr. A. Vörös, Corresponding Author's Institution: Hungarian Natural History Museum First Author: A. Vörös Order of Authors: A. Vörös Abstract: Abstract The Pliensbachian brachiopod biogeography of the western Tethyan region and the Euro-Boreal vs. Mediterranean faunal provinciality is evaluated. The data base was developed from improved and mostly revised taxonomical data of 25 Pliensbachian brachiopod occurrences selected from Europe and North Africa. The revised list and presence-absence data of 405 Pliensbachian brachiopod species formed the taxonomic units of the numerical analysis based on similarity coefficients. Cluster analysis (hCA) carried out from the Jaccard and Raup-Crick coefficient data showed clear dichotomy between the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean brachiopod biochores. Principal coordinates (PCO) technique and non-metric multi- dimensional scaling (NMDS), complemented with the minimal spanning trees, resulted in similar grouping of the Pliensbachian brachiopod faunas. In de-trended correspondence analysis (DCA), besides the clearly separated Euro-Boreal and Intra-Mediterranean units, the Peri-Mediterranean assemblage formed a discrete scatter between the two major biochores. The three Algerian faunas (Ouar, Trar, Ksou) appear in a somewhat marginal position within the Euro-Boreal province. The above Pliensbachian brachiopod biochores reveal very high degree of endemicity, probably related to the limited dispersal potential of brachiopods. From the complete data set distinctive Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean species, ten from both provinces, were selected. Distinctive Euro-Boreal morphological groups are the ribbed spiriferinids, whereas some rhynchonellid and terebratulid morphotypes with expanded anterior margins characterize the Mediterranean Province. In the Early Jurassic Tethyan palaeogeography, the marked dichotomy between the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean provinces is interpreted in terms of deep-sea/oceanic barriers, which isolated the intra-Tethyan microcontinent from the European and African shelf regions. Geographical position and local environmental factors caused the differentiation of the Peri-Mediterranean subprovince along the north- western margin of the microcontinent. This palaeobiogeographical unit formed an interface between the Intra-Mediterranean and the Euro-Boreal biochores. Suggested Reviewers: Fernando Garcia Joral Prof. Dpto. de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas (UCM) [email protected] Expert in Jurassic brachiopods and palaeobiogeography Miguel O Mancenido Prof. Division Paleontologia Invertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Univ. Nac. La Plata [email protected] Expert in Jurassic brachiopods and palaeobiogeography. Jean-Louis Dommergues Prof. Laboratoire Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne [email protected] Expert in Jurassic palaeobiogeography. Christian Meister Dr. Département de Géologie et de Paléontologie, Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève [email protected] Expert in Jurassic palaeobiogeography Heinz Sulser Dr. Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich [email protected] Expert in Jurassic brachiopods. Manuscript Click here to download Manuscript: Voros_Text_New_provinces_line numbers.doc Click here to view linked References 1 Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian) brachiopod biogeography in the western Tethys: the 2 Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean faunal provinces revised. 3 4 5 Attila Vörös 6 Department of Palaeontology and Geology; Hungarian Natural History Museum; H-1431 7 Budapest, P.O.B. 137; 8 Phone: +36 1 338-3905; e-mail: [email protected] 9 10 11 Abstract 12 The Pliensbachian brachiopod biogeography of the western Tethyan region and the Euro- 13 Boreal vs. Mediterranean faunal provinciality is evaluated. The data base was developed from 14 improved and mostly revised taxonomical data of 25 Pliensbachian brachiopod occurrences 15 selected from Europe and North Africa. The revised list and presence-absence data of 405 16 Pliensbachian brachiopod species formed the taxonomic units of the numerical analysis based 17 on similarity coefficients. Cluster analysis (hCA) carried out from the Jaccard and Raup-Crick 18 coefficient data showed clear dichotomy between the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean 19 brachiopod biochores. Principal coordinates (PCO) technique and non-metric multi- 20 dimensional scaling (NMDS), complemented with the minimal spanning trees, resulted in 21 similar grouping of the Pliensbachian brachiopod faunas. In de-trended correspondence 22 analysis (DCA), besides the clearly separated Euro-Boreal and Intra-Mediterranean units, the 23 Peri-Mediterranean assemblage formed a discrete scatter between the two major biochores. 24 The three Algerian faunas (Ouar, Trar, Ksou) appear in a somewhat marginal position within 25 the Euro-Boreal province. The above Pliensbachian brachiopod biochores reveal very high 2 26 degree of endemicity, probably related to the limited dispersal potential of brachiopods. From 27 the complete data set distinctive Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean species, ten from both 28 provinces, were selected. Distinctive Euro-Boreal morphological groups are the ribbed 29 spiriferinids, whereas some rhynchonellid and terebratulid morphotypes with expanded 30 anterior margins characterize the Mediterranean Province. In the Early Jurassic Tethyan 31 palaeogeography, the marked dichotomy between the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean 32 provinces is interpreted in terms of deep-sea/oceanic barriers, which isolated the intra- 33 Tethyan microcontinent from the European and African shelf regions. Geographical position 34 and local environmental factors caused the differentiation of the Peri-Mediterranean 35 subprovince along the north-western margin of the microcontinent. This 36 palaeobiogeographical unit formed an interface between the Intra-Mediterranean and the 37 Euro-Boreal biochores. 38 39 40 Keywords: Early Jurassic; Tethys; Brachiopoda; biochores; palaeogeography. 41 42 43 1. Introduction 44 45 The principles of the Jurassic palaeobiogeography of the Tethyan region have been set 46 a century ago when the two major units have been defined by Neumayr (1883: “Boreal” 47 versus “Equatorial” Zones) and by Uhlig (1911: “Boreal Reich” versus “Mediterranean 48 Reich”). The subject, as part of a complex attempt at biochore classification, was recently 49 summarized and evaluated by Westermann (2000a; 2000b). The definition of Jurassic 50 palaeobiogeographical units were based chiefly on the distribution of ammonoid faunas and 3 51 the ammonoid matters were exhaustively documented and discussed in the last decades 52 (Donovan, 1967; Géczy, 1973, 1984; Dommergues, 1983; Cariou et al., 1985). Recently, 53 comprehensive, numerical studies on the Euro-Boreal and Mediterranean ammonoid 54 palaeobiogeography were also presented (Dommergues et al., 2009; Dera et al., 2011). The 55 middle Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian) appeared as suitable to demonstrate the provinciality of 56 the Tethyan marine fossil groups because then, at first time in the Mesozoic, the “Boreal” vs. 57 Tethyan” differentiation reached the realm level (Westermann, 2000b). 58 The remarkable patterns of brachiopod distribution in the western part of the Early 59 Jurassic Tethys and their implications to the palaeogeography were recognized long ago by 60 Ager (1967, 1971, 1973, 1986); and the subject was analyzed and discussed in details by the 61 present author in a series of former papers (Vörös, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993). 62 These works used mostly the simple occurrence data of characteristic brachiopod taxa; 63 numerical methods were only partially applied. In their conclusions, the above authors 64 separated the Mediterranean Province from the contemporaneous Euro-Boreal Province 65 (called NW-European in those publications) and outlined their area of distribution in Europe 66 and partly in North Africa. As for the Jurassic palaeogeography, Ager (1980, 1986) placed the 67 Mediterranean fauna to and around the “Adriatic microplate”, and, as a somewhat similar 68 solution; Vörös (1980, 1987, 1993) introduced the concept of the “Mediterranean 69 microcontinent” as the homeland of the brachiopods of Mediterranean faunal character. In 70 both interpretations the NW European brachiopod province was confined to the European 71 shelf and epicontinental areas, plus some regions in the Balkans and/or in North Africa in the 72 Early Jurassic. 73 Although many of the above conclusions are still regarded as valid, the more than two 74 decades progress in science gives reason to re-evaluate the subject of the Early Jurassic 75 brachiopod biogeography in the western Tethys. A revision of this kind seems to be justified 4 76 particularly by the following reasons. (1) New attempts at classification in 77 paleobiogeography, with special attention to the formal nomenclature of Mesozoic marine 78 faunal realms/biochores were published (Westermann, 2000a, 2000b; Manceñido, 2002; 79 Cecca and Westermann, 2003). (2) Comprehensive softwares of palaeontological statistics 80 (PAST) became widespread, facilitating the use of numerical methods in comparative