New Middle Ordovician hyoliths from the Ossa Morena Zone, southwestern Spain

Abstract

The record of Middle Ordovician (Oretanian, ca. Darriwilian 2) hyolithids from the Ossa Morena Zone of the Iberian Massif in southwestern Spain is increased with the recognition of Robardetlites sevillanus n. gen. n. sp., Andalucilites parvulus n. gen. n. sp., Pauxillites desolatus n. sp., Leolites malinkyi Marek and Gutiérrez-Marco n. sp., and Cavernolites sp. in that region. Andalucilites n. gen. and Robardetlites n. gen. are endemic whereas the other genera are known from coeval strata in the Barrandian region in central Europe, France, and Morocco, giving this assemblage a decidedly “Mediterranean province” character. The discovery of Pauxillites, Leolites, and Cavernolites in Iberia extends their geographic ranges to that region, and Leolites from this area extends its stratigraphic range downward, making its occurrence in Iberia the oldest known for that genus.