Diversity of vertebrate remains from the Lower Gogolin Beds (Anisian) of southern Poland

Abstract

Middle Triassic (Muschelkalk) limestones and dolostones of southern Poland contain vertebrate remains, which can be used for palaeoecological and palaeogeographical analyses. The results presented concern vertebrate remains uncovered at four localities in Upper Silesia and one on Opole Silesia, a region representing the south-eastern margin of the Germanic Basin in Middle Triassic times. The most abundant remains in this assemblage are fish remains, comprising mostly actinopterygian teeth and scales. Chondrichthyan and sauropsid remains are less common. Reptilian finds include vertebrae, teeth and fragments of long bones, belonging to aquatic or semi-aquatic reptiles, such as nothosaurids, pachypleusorosaurids, and ichthyosaurids. Also, coprolites of possibly durophagous and predacious reptiles occur. In the stratigraphic column of Mikolow, actinopterygian remains are the most numerous and no distinct changes of the taxonomic composition occur. Although this assemblage differs from those described at other localities (Ząbkowice with numerous chondrichthyans, Żyglin, and Plaza with common sauropsid fossils), sampling bias has to be considered.