| Abstract: | Calcareous microflora occur commonly in the early Serpukhovian (late Mississippian) rocks from the Guadiato Area (southwestern Spain) despite the fact that this area contains mostly siliciclastic sediments. The microflora recorded in the carbonate beds is regarded as representative of both relatively deep‐water and shallow‐water facies and can be compared with the slope and shelf facies environments distinguished in the Guadiato Area. Up to 45 algal taxa have been identified in the carbonate beds, of which 26 taxa occur in the relatively deep‐water assemblages, whereas the shallow‐water assemblages are composed of up to 43 taxa. The entire algal assemblage is dominated by calcifoliids, common cyanobacteria and incertae sedis, but the shallow‐water assemblages contain more commonly dasyclads, red algae and aoujgaliids. Most of these taxa are present, but poorly known, in other Serpukhovian carbonate platforms in the western Palaeotethys. Some algae (Hortonella uttingii, Kamaenella tenuis and Koninckopora inflata), usually regarded as being restricted to the Viséan, have been found in Serpukhovian rocks in the Guadiato Area, and also in Algeria, thus their stratigraphic ranges might be extended up to the Serpukhovian. Other important taxa include: Archaeolithophyllum, Cabrieropora, Calcifolium, Falsocalcifolium, Fourstonella, Frustulata, Kulikia, Neoprincipia and ‘Windsoporella’, which are exceptionally recorded in Serpukhovian rocks, or not recorded at all, because they are typically recorded in the Pennsylvanian (cf. Clavaporella), although some of them show earlier occurrences in Viséan rocks (Claracrusta, Paraepimastopora and Sparaphralysia). Some of the algal taxa can be considered as potential regional markers for the Serpukhovian, such as Archaeolithophyllum, cf. Clavaporella, Frustulata and Girvanella (?) sp. The algal assemblages found in the Guadiato Area show the greatest similarities with those in the Béchar‐Mézarif (Algeria), Pyrenees and Montagne Noire (southern France). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
