ASGP (2008), vol. 78: 91-134

KIMMERIDGIAN-VALANGINIAN REEF CORALS FROM THE MOESIAN PLATFORM FROM BULGARIA

Ewa RONIEWICZ

Institute of Palaeobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland; e-mail: eron at twarda.pan.pl

Roniewicz, E. 2008. Kimmeridgian-Valanginian reef corals from the Moesian Platform from Bulgaria. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 78: 91-134.

Abstract: The coral fauna of the Late Kimmeridgian-Valanginian interval from the Slivnitsa Formation, Lyubash monocline, western part of the Moesian Platform, is presented. Coralliferous interbeds from a continuous, over 350 m thick sequence of well-bedded platform limestones, cropping out near the village of Lyalintsi, yielded 72 species (29 determined in open nomenclature) classified into 50 genera and 23 families belonging to the orders Scleractinia and Hexantiniaria. The following genera and/or species are described as new: Epistreptum communeformae gen. et sp.n., Lyubasha gracilis gen. et sp.n., Oedalmiopsis cretacea gen. et sp.n., Siderastreites lyalintsensis gen. et sp.n., Latomeandra obliqua sp.n., and Microphyllia elevata sp.n.; a new family Solenocoeniidae is erected. The fauna shows a mixed Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous character, with Jurassic taxa pre- vailing over Cretaceous taxa. Epithecate phaceloid (pseudocolonial), lamellar, and ramose (colonial) growth forms dominate over massive (hemispherical) and solitary corals. Rich microencrusting organisms are associated. The predominantly pelmicritic sediment of thrombolite macrofabric, and the character of the fauna show that the palaeoenvironment was situated below wave base. The stratigraphical distribution of the Cretaceous coral taxa is conformable with the micropalaeontological (foraminifera, calcareous dinocysts, diploporids) stratigraphical zonation established in the Slivnitsa Formation.