Recent discoveries of Tithonian ammonites in the Štramberk Lime stone (Kotouč Quarry, Outer Western Carpathians)

Abstract

Re cent dis cov er ies of ammonites in the Štramberk Lime stone in the type area of their oc cur rence near the town of Štramberk sup ple ment ex ist ing data on the Tithonian age of the lime stones. Franconites cf. fascipartitus oc curs in the lower part of the Lower Tithonian (Neochetoceras mucronatum Zone). Lemencia ciliata has a zonal char ac ter in the up per part of the Lower Tithonian. Richterella richteri is a subzonal spe cies of the up per part of the Lower Tithonian in the Med i ter ra nean and Submediterranean ar eas (Semiformiceras fallauxi Zone). All of the new dis cov er ies are re fer able to the fau nal as so ci a tions of the Submediterranean bioprovince, and are in agree ment with ex ist ing knowl edge of it. Sex ual di mor phism was seen in the ge nus Richterella, with the rec og ni tion of both macroconchs and microconchs in the type spe cies of Richterella, i.e. R. richteri. The strati graphic po si tion of these re cent ammonite dis cov er ies in the Štramberk Lime stone at the Kotouè Quarry does not sup port the stra tig ra phy of the lime stones based on the dis tri bu tion of calpionellids, as pre vi ously as sumed by other au thors. The re cent col lec tion of ammonites con firms that the Štramberk Lime stone be longs to the lower Tithonian and lower Berriasian and also rep re sents the lower Tithonian as a shal low-wa ter fa cies.