Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement No. 58: 241-247 (2000). Devonian vertebrate biostratigraphy of central Iran V. Hairapetianl, M. YazdP and J.A. Long2 1 Department of Geology, University of Esfahan, Iran 2 Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia Abstract Middle to Late Devonian fish faunas are known from different parts of central Iran. These faunas comprise thelodonts, acanthodians, actinopterygians, chondrichthyans, sarcopterygians, thelodonts and placoderrns which are predominantly found in marine deposits. This study surveys previous and current work done on the biostratigraphy of micro and macro vertebrates from ten localities. These localities are: Soh limestone beds, north of Esfahan (hemiansatus to Early and Middle varcus Zones); Ab-e-Morad, Chanaruh (Bidou), Hutk and Tangile-ab-Garm (Ravar) localities in Kerman Province (Early varcus Zone to Early Frasnian); Chahriseh area of northeastern Esfahan (probably Late Givetian or Early Frasnian, jamieae, crepida to rhomboidea and postera to expansa Zones); Howz-e-Dorah and Niaz sections at the Shotori Range, Tabas region ifalsiovaiis, iinguiformis, crepida, expansa to Middle praesulcata Zones); and the Garigoon Mountains in the Dalmeh area, northeastern Ardekan (triangularis to crepida and postera to Early expansa Zones). Faunal assemblages with their age constraints from these localities are described throughout the Bahram, Shishtu and other equivalent Formations. INTRODUCTION THE VERTEBRATE FAUNAS Rieben (1935) first recorded Devonian vertebrates from northwestern Iran (Zonus area, Azerbaijan), 1. Kerman fauna but the first report on Devonian vertebrates made One of the most important vertebrate faunas in in central Iran (Kerman) was by Huckriede et al. the Middle East comes from the southeastern part (1962), near thirty years later. The fish of central Iran, named by Lelievre et al. (1993), as palaeontology was first studied by Golshani et al. the Kerman fauna. They gave a summary of the (1972) and continued with many joint French ­ fauna of Tangile - ab - Garm, Hutk, Ab - e - Morad Iranian projects (e.g. Blieck and Goujet 1978; Janvier and Chanbaruh (Bidou) localities (Figure 1). The and Martin 1978, 1979; Lelievre et al. 1981). In recent component taxa of these areas seems to be as a years other workers have collected and studied mixture of Baltican and Gondwanan forms, with a Middle to Late Devonian fish materials from larger number of widespread taxa (Lelievre et al. various localities (Figure 1), especially the Late 1993). Lelievre et al. (1993) gives the faunallist from Devonian successions of central, western and these localities as: eastern central Iran (e.g. Hairapetian and Thelodonti: Gholamalian 1998; Long and Adhamian 2000; Long Turinia hutkensis Blieck and Goujet 1978 and Hairapetian 2000; Yazdi and Turner 2000). These studies have provided new data on micro Acanthodi: and macrovertebrates from central Iran with well Persacanthus kennanensis Janvier 1977 constrained ages, useful for international ? Climatiida gen. et sp. indet. correlation, based on fishes, specially in former ?Acanthodida gen. et sp. indet. Gondwana lands (Figure 2). Here, we provide a Placodermi: summary of micro and macrovertebrate faunas with Golshanichthys asiatica Lelievre, Janvier and Goujet their ages in order to increase our knowledge of 1981 Devonian vertebrates from northern Gondwana Holonema cf. H. radiatum Obruchev 1933 (Figure 3). Unpublished reports have not been Eastmanosteus sp. included in this survey. The Late Devonian zonal Plourdosteus sp. scheme of Ziegler and Sandberg (1984, 1990) and Asterolepis sp. the Devonian correlation chart of Weddige (1996) ? Byssacanthus sp. are used herein. ? Aspidicilthys sp. 242 v. Hairapetian, M. Yazdi, I.A. Long N Turkmenistan t Iraq Afghanistan Saudi Arabia Figure 1 Map of Iran showing major localities for Devonian vertebrates. Ptyctodontida aff. Ptyctodus sp. Dipnoi: Ptyctodontida aff. Rhynchodus sp. Iranorhynchus seyedemanii Janvier and Martin 1978 ? Petalichthyida gen. et sp. indet. Rhinodipterus sp. Dinichthidae gen. et sp. indet. ? Dipterus sp. ? Chirodipterus sp. Chondrichthyes: ? Rhynchodipteridae gen. et sp. indet. Ctenacanthus sp. 'Cladodus'sp. Protacrodus sp. Age constraints Conodonts provide some age control on the Actinopterygii: Kerman fauna. According to the conodonts Moythmasia sp. recovered by Huckriede et al. (1962), Kerman Sarcopterygii: localities have age ranges from Late Givetian to Onychodontiforrnes Early Frasnian. Dastanpour (1990, 1996) examined Onychodus jirouzi Janvier and Martin 1978 some of the mentioned sections and additional ones Strunius rolandi Gross 1956 on the basis of brachiopods and palynomorphs Osteolepiformes which he distinguished as Late Devonian Osteolepididae gen. et sp. indet. (Frasnian). Useful fish elements for marine/ Devonian vertebrate biostratigraphy of central Iran 243 Kazakhstan Armorica South America : •. '.' '._~. ~. -1'. ':. ...' '. "'•• " " Figure 2 Palaeogeographic reconstruction for the Late Devonian (Famennian), showing the position of the Iran block (in black) with respect to the northern margin of Gondwana. After Li et al. (1993). nonmarine correlation in Gondwanan lands are Age constraints thelodont scales from Latest Silurian to early Late The upper Middle Devonian sediments of Soh Devonian (Turner 1997). Blieck and Goujet (1978) was studied by Zahedi (1973), but further suggested a late Early Devonian to Middle investigation in 1999 by Adhamian provided Devonian age for the thelodont Turinia hutkensis reliable age attributions. The age of the Soh fish from limestone beds in Hutk section (part of the bearing beds can be considered as Givetian stage, Bahram Formation). The lowermost limestone layer according to Adhamian (1999). The recovered is attributed to the Givetian (Lower varclls/disparilis shallow water conodonts from Soh section here Zone) in Hutk area, based on conodonts (Wendt et indicate hemiansatus to early and middle varcus al. 1997). Zones (Adhamian 1999). 2. Soh fauna 3. Chahriseh fauna The Middle Devonian (Givetian) successions in Palaeontological studies in the Chahriseh area western central Iran are well exposed in the Soh were not reported on macro and micro vertebrates area, northern Esfahan (Figure 1). This new locality until 1998. Previous workers measured sections and has been yielded thelodonts, acanthodians and mapped the area several times (e.g. Djafarian and palaeoniscoids in a few limestone beds (Long and Brice 1973; Shirani 1995 and Hamedani 1996). The Adhamian 2000). probably Late Givetian, Frasnian and Famennian The identified microvertebrates from this area are fish-bearing beds in this section are rich in as follows: thelodonts, placoderms, sarcopterygians, Thelodonti: acanthodians and few shark microremains which Tllrinia sp. were reported and studied by Hairapetian and Acanthodi: Gholamalian (1998), and by Long and Harapetian (in press). Also recently, Golamalian et al. (2000), Cheiracanthoides cf. C. comptlls Wells 1944 reported a considerable number of thelodont and Actinopterygii: acanthodian microremains. Based on these studies, Palaeoniscoidae gen. et sp. indet. the faunallist is as follows: 244 V. Hairapetian, M. Yazdi, J.A. Long Thelodonti: These have been measured and studied, and Turinia hutkensis Blieck and Goujet 1978 dated by conodont biostratigraphy (M. Yazdi, Australolepis seddoni Turner and Dring 1981 pers. comm. 1999). The well-exposed Late Devonian sections in both localities have been Acanthodi: yielded Frasnian and Famennian vertebrates, cf. Nostolepis gaujensis Valiukevicius 1998 throughout the Bahram and Shistu Formations Placodermi: (e.g. Schultze 1973; Yazdi and Turner 2000). The Bothriolepis sp. fauna is: Ptyctodontidae gen. et sp. indet. Thelodonti: Arthrodira gen. et sp. Indet. Australolepis seddoni Turner and Dring 1981 Actinopterygii: Placodermi: Moythomasia durgaringa Gardiner and Bartram Aspidichthys cf. ingens Koenen 1883 1977 Holonema cf. H. rugosum Claypole 1883 Chondrichthyes: Eastmanosteus sp. Thrinacodus ferox (Turner 1982) Dunkleosteus sp. Phoebodus sp. (Hairapetian pers. obs.) Acanthodi: Protacrodus sp. 'Acanthodes'sp. Stethacanthus sp. Chondrichthyes: "Cladodus" sp. Phoebodus rayi Ginter and Turner 1999 Dipnoi: Protacrodus sp. Adololopas sp. Campbell and Barwick 1998 Symmoriida gen. et sp. indet. Chirodipterus sp. aff. C. australis Miles 1977 ? Stethacanthus sp. Dipteridae gen. et. sp. Indeterminate. ? "Cladodus" sp. Crossopterygii: Sarcopterygii: Onychodus sp. ? Onychodus sp. Osteolepididae gen. et sp. indet. Age constraints Age constraints The thelodont Australolepis seddoni confirms an The age of the thelodont assemblage from a Early Frasnian age (falsiovalis Zone) in the base of calcareous sandstone bed can be attributed to the Bahram Formation (e.g. Turner 2000). Large Early Frasnian on the basis of conodonts and Late Devonian arthrodires are abundant in the palynomorphs. But the presence of one Tabas fauna which can be considered as a key incomplete doubtful element of the genus bed in the linguiformis Zone, below the F/F Bippenathus suggests an older age than Early boundary. Frasnian time for this horizon (Gholamalian et al. The phoebodont teeth occur with many conodont 2000). The presence of Australolepis seddoni species/subspecies in the Shotori Range samples associated with Turinia hutkensis is a most are of confirmed crepdia Zone (Early Famannian) remarkable feature of. These new data on the through the Shishtu Formation (e.g. Yazdi and stratigraphical position of