Upper Triassic reef fauna from the Quesnel terrane, central British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Massive Upper Triassic (Norian) reef limestone at Eaglenest Mountain, Takla Group, British Columbia, contains a wide variety of shallow-water fossils in two different carbonate units. A sponge-coral facies contains the spongesFanthalamia astoma(Seilacher, 1962),Fanthalamia multicanalisnew species,Cinnabaria expansa(Seilacher, 1962), andCinnabaria? sp.Cinnabaria expansais a widely distributed North American terrane species which, along withF. astoma,was previously known from the Luning Formation of Nevada. Also included is the “disjectoporoid,”Pamiropora sonorensisStanley, 1994, and a massive spongiomorph,Spongiomorpha tenuisSmith, 1927, previously endemic to the Eastern Klamath terrane of California. Colonial corals include:Retiophyllia quesneliananew species,Chondrocoenia waltheri(Frech, 1890),Crassistellacf.juvavica(Frech, 1890),Distichomeandracf.austriaca(Frech, 1890), andAlpinophyllia flexuosaRoniewicz, 1989. A limestone conglomerate overlying these beds is dominated almost exclusively by the planktonic hydrozoan,Heterastridium conglobatumReuss, 1865. A problematic taxonLovceniporacf.chaetetiformisVinassa de Regny, 1915, is reported for the first time outside Timor and the Tethys. The faunas provide a first glimpse into the reef biota of the Quesnel terrane. They contain taxa previously known from the distant Tethys but also include endemics from other inboard terranes.