Miraspis-Mezouina Community, Prague Basin (Silurian of Czech Republic)

Where: Czech Republic (50.0° N, 17.8° E: paleocoordinates 54.5° S, 63.9° E)

• coordinate based on political unit

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Monograptus belophorus zone, Motol Formation, Sheinwoodian (433.4 - 430.5 Ma)

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; gray grainstone

• "The presence of numerous disarticulated small brachiopods with abundant, commonly articulated trilobites suggests a moderately quiet water environment. The associated graptolites and trilobites suggest a BA 4-5 position. The absence of such taxa as Dicoelosia [and others] may reflect the presence of a lower than normal oxygen level, or some other, unrecognized environmental factor such as a soft, soupy substrate."
• [At type locality] "...basaltic tuff...overlain by an approximately 10 m thick sequence of gray, biosparitic, commonly laminated limestone...[Most elements are benthic.] The pelagic community is represented by [list], which indicates a position transitional into graptolitic shales of the same age occurring elsewhere in the Barrandian."

Collection methods: Authors give relative abundance data (very rare, more frequent, frequent) for brachiopods.

Primary reference: V. Havlicek and P. Storch. 1999. Silurian and Lochkovian communities in the Prague basin (Barrandian area, Czech Republic). in A. J. Boucot and J. D. Lawson, eds. Paleocommunities--a case study from the Silurian and Lower Devonian. Cambridge University Press, Cambrdige. 200-228 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 14093: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 13.05.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Pterobranchia
 Graptoloidea - Cyrtograptidae
 Graptoloidea - Monograptidae
 Graptoloidea - Retiolitidae
Trilobita
 Lichida - Lichidae
Trochurus speciosus Beyrich 1845 trilobite
 Odontopleurida - Odontopleuridae
Miraspis mira Barrande 1846 trilobite
 Phacopida - Encrinuridae
Staurocephalus murchisoni Barrande 1846 trilobite
 Phacopida - Cheiruridae
Rhynchonellata
 Atrypida - Septatrypidae
"Hircinisca sp." = Septatrypa (Hircinisca)
"Hircinisca sp." = Septatrypa (Hircinisca)
 Atrypida - Atrypidae
Atrypa sp. Dalman 1828
genus name in quotes
 Spiriferida - Cyrtiidae
 Orthida - Giraldiellidae
 Rhynchonellida - Niorhynicidae
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Strophochonetidae
 Strophomenida - Aegiromenidae
 Strophomenida - Sowerbyellidae
 Strophomenida - Amphistrophiidae
Inarticulata
  -
Gastropoda
  -
Gastropoda indet. Cuvier 1795 snail