Palaeobiogeographic affinities of Late Devonian brachiopods from Iran

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 9 years ago

Abstract - A total of 34 Late Devonian brachiopod genera from north (Alborz Mountains), east (Tabas region) and central-southeast Iran were compared, using the Jaccard similarity index, with synchronous faunas from 28 localities spread across Gondwana, Euramerica, Siberia, Kazakhstan, and South China. The highest levels of similarity occur between brachiopod taxa from the three Iranian localities and terranes traditionally regarded as part of the northern margin of Gondwana (especially Afghanistan, Armenia, NW Pakistan, Libya, Cantabrian Mountains and Iberia). The distribution of benthic shelf faunas was probably strongly influenced by climatic (latitudinal) continuity, geographic proximity and open dispersal routes along the "North Gondwana Current". Jaccard analysis also reveals some biogeographic links between Iranl Afghanistan and Euramerica throughout the Late Devonian, supporting the hypothesis that a narrow « 1000 km) Prototethys Ocean separated the two super continents during this interval.