Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous acritarchs and prasinophytes from the Holy Cross Mountains (central Poland)

Abstract

Rich phytoplankton assemblages have been obtained from Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous deposits, from a trench and three boreholes in the Holy Cross Mountains (HCM, central Poland). Almost all samples contain both acritarchs and prasinophytes. Three phytoplankton assemblages are distinguished. The first one is from the Upper Famennian, the second from the Tournaisian and the third, poorest in specimens and taxa, is from the Viséan. The assemblages are compared with coeval phytoplankton records elsewhere in the world. Some taxa from the Holy Cross Mountains are recorded for the first time in Europe. A new species Gorgonisphaeridium aesculum sp. nov. is described, and Cavatisporites microreticulatus Jachowicz is assigned to the genus Dictyotidium and renamed Dictyotidium jachowiczii sp. nov.