The Belemnitella stratigraphy of the Upper Campanian – basal Maastrichtian of the Middle Vistula section, central Poland

Abstract

This taxonomy and stratigraphy of the Upper Campanian and Lower Maastrichtian Belemnitella lineages, from the Middle Vistula sections, based on new collections, is presented. The correlation to the basal Maastrichtian standard GSSP at Tercis, France, is provided based on inoceramid bivalve stratigraphy. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), particularly the self-organizing Kohonen algorithm, was applied to taxonomic discrimination. Eight morphotypes within the genus Belemnitella, understood here as natural species populations, were recognised. Five of these are assigned to known taxa: Belemnitella mucronata, B. posterior, B. minor [= B. minor I and B. minor II], B. langei and B. najdini; and three, B. sp. a, B. sp. 1 and B. sp. 2, are left in open nomenclature. Four Belemnitella zones are proposed. Due to its palaeogeographic position, between Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle Vistula section is characterized by the co-occurrence of Belemnitella species from those two areas. Consequently, it enables better correlation of Belemnitella-based schemes; the East European B. najdini and B. posterior are placed next to West European B. minor chronospecies I and II. The Campanian/Maastrichtian boundary, as currently defined, is placed at the top of the najdini – posterior Zone, which is an equivalent of the Belemnella-based boundary, i.e. at the base of the Belemnella obtusa / Belemnella vistulensis zones. Within the top of the najdini – posterior Zone occurs a level (an interval of only a few metres), where nearly all of the Upper Campanian Belemnitella disappear. This level coincides with taxonomic changes observed within the co-occurring representatives of genus Belemnella.