Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T04:29:11.275Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The coral fauna of the Pitkin Formation (Chesterian), northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2016

Gregory E. Webb*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman 73019

Abstract

The Upper Chesterian Pitkin Formation of the Ozark Dome region contains a large and diverse, yet highly endemic, coral fauna consisting of 10 genera of rugose corals and three of tabulate corals. Coral distribution within the formation is affected by stratigraphic, paleoecologic, and possibly paleogeographic controls. Although it is impossible at this time to fully evaluate the importance of stratigraphic controls on the coral distribution, the occurrence of two types of carbonate bioherms within the formation provides substantial paleoecologic control on the distribution of certain corals. Despite the high endemism and facies restriction, the coral fauna has proven to be biostratigraphically sensitive, correlating with middle and upper Chesterian coral zones in the Western Interior Province of North America. Among the Pitkin corals herein described are the new genera: Lesliella n. gen. (L. amplexa n. sp., type species) and Parvaxon n. gen. (P. minutum n. sp., type species). Other newly described species are: Amplexizaphrentis browni n. sp., Barytichisma clubinei n. sp., B. ozarkana n. sp., and Leonardophyllum arkansanum n. sp., which represents the first reported occurrence of the genus in strata below the Pennsylvanian boundary.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Carruthers, R. G. 1910. Evolution of Zaphrentis delanouei . Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 66:523538.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easton, W. H. 1942. The Pitkin Limestone of northern Arkansas. Arkansas Geological Survey Bulletin, 8, 115 p.Google Scholar
Easton, W. H. 1943. The fauna of the Pitkin Formation of Arkansas. Journal of Paleontology, 17:125154.Google Scholar
Easton, W. H. 1945. Kinkaid corals from Illinois. Journal of Paleontology, 19:383389.Google Scholar
Fedorowski, J. 1970. Some Upper Visean columnate tetracorals from the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 15:549626.Google Scholar
Girty, G. H. 1910. New genera and species of Carboniferous fossils from the Fayetteville shale of Arkansas. New York Academy of Science Annals, 20:189238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, M. Jr. 1964 [1965]. Carboniferous cephalopods of Arkansas. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 460, 322 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, M. Jr., and Stone, C. G. 1977. Correlation of the Carboniferous rocks of the Ouachita trough with those of the adjacent foreland, p. 7091. In Stone, C. G. (ed.), Symposium on the Geology of the Ouachita Mountains. Arkansas Geological Commission, 1.Google Scholar
Heckel, P. H. 1972. Recognition of ancient shallow marine environments, p. 226286. In Rigby, J. K. and Hamblin, W. K. (eds.), Recognition of Ancient Sedimentary Environments. Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Special Publication 16.Google Scholar
Jull, R. K. 1967. The hystero-ontogeny of Lonsdaleia McCoy and Thysanophyllum orientate Thompson. Palaeontology, 10:617628.Google Scholar
Kato, M. 1966. Note on some Carboniferous coral genera: Clisaxophyllum, Clisiophyllum, (Neoclisiophyllum), Zaphrentoides, Stylidophyllum and Actinocyathus . Japanese Journal of Geology and Geography, 37:93104 Google Scholar
Lane, H. R. 1967. Uppermost Mississippian and Lower Pennsylvanian conodonts from the type Morrowan region, Arkansas. Journal of Paleontology, 41:920942.Google Scholar
Moore, R. C., and Jeffords, R. M. 1941. New Permian corals from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Kansas State Geological Survey, Bulletin 38(3):65120.Google Scholar
Moore, R. C., and Jeffords, R. M. 1945. Description of Lower Pennsylvanian corals from Texas and adjacent states. University of Texas Publication 4401:77208.Google Scholar
Rodriguez, S. 1984. Corales rugosos del Carbonifero del este de Astuias. Tesis doctoral, Editorial de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 528 p.Google Scholar
Ross, C. A., and Ross, J. P. 1962. Pennsylvanian, Permian rugose corals, Glass Mountains, Texas. Journal of Paleontology, 36:11631188.Google Scholar
Rowett, C. L., and Sutherland, P. K. 1964. Wapanucka rugose corals. Oklahoma Geological Survey Bulletin, 104, 124 p.Google Scholar
0 Sando, W. J. 1965. Revision of some Paleozoic coral species from the western United States. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 503-E, 37 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sando, W. J. 1969. Revision of some of Girty's invertebrate fossils from the Fayetteville Shale (Mississippian) of Arkansas and Oklahoma—corals. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 606-B:914.Google Scholar
Sando, W. J. 1975. Coelenterata of the Amsden Formation (Mississippian and Pennsylvanian) of Wyoming. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 848-C:C1-C31.Google Scholar
Sando, W. J. 1984. Biostratigraphic utility of Upper Paleozoic syringoporoid corals, Western Interior region, conterminous U.S.A. Palaeontographica Americana, 54:453458.Google Scholar
Sando, W. J., and Bamber, E. W. 1985. Coral zonation of the Mississippian System in the Western Interior Province of North America. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 460, 61 p.Google Scholar
Sando, W. J. and Armstrong, A. K. 1975. Endemism and similarity indices: clues to the zoogeography of North American Mississippian corals. Geology, 3:661664.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scrutton, C. T. 1983. New offset-associated structures in some Carboniferous rugose corals. Lethaia, 16:129144.Google Scholar
Smith, S. 1916. The genus Lonsdaleia and Dibunophyllum rugosum . Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 71:218272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, G. E. 1984. Columella development in Lophophyllidium n. sp., and its taxonomic implications, Imo Formation, latest Mississippian, northern Arkansas. Palaeontographica Americana, 54:509514 Google Scholar
Wang-shi, Wu, and Cai-lin, Zeng. 1982. Early Carboniferous corals in the ammonoid facies from Barkol, Xinjiang. Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, 21:141151.Google Scholar