Hercynella gigantea Community, Early Emsian, Polar Urals (Devonian of Russian Federation)

Also known as Reef 2249

Where: Russian Federation (67.0° N, 65.0° E: paleocoordinates 6.3° N, 6.3° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Early/Lower Emsian (409.1 - 402.5 Ma)

• Late Early Emsian.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: perireef or subreef; shelly/skeletal limestone

• "[Occurrence] indicates that the H. Community formed after the cessation of reef activity, and is a level bottom rather than a reef community. The [specimens] form unevently distributed banks [0.3 to 0.5 m thick and 1-3 m long.] [Most specimens disarticulated.] Condition of ...shells suggests quiet water conditions near wave base, and an assignment to BA 4 is made. It is concluded that bioherm formation ceased, following which there was some basin deepening consequent with the establishement of the H. Community."
• "Occurs in a 3 m thick, algal-coral, organogenic and bioclastic crinoidal limestone patch directly overlying reef limestone belonging to the Fistulella-Ikella Community."

Primary reference: V. P. Sapelnikov, O. V. Bogoyavlenskaya, L. I. Mizens and V. P. Shuysky. 1999. Silurian and Early Devonian benthic communities of the Ural-Tien Shan region. In A. J. Boucot and J. D. Lawson (eds.), Paleocommunities--a case study from the Silurian and Lower Devonian 510-544 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 24775: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 20.08.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Anthozoa
 Favositida - Favositidae
Pachyfavosites sp. Sokolov 1952 tabulate coral
Squameofavosites sp. Chernyshev 1941 tabulate coral
Favosites stellaris tabulate coral
Xiphosura
 Xiphosurida - Belinuridae
Belinurus sp. Bronn 1839
Bivalvia
 Cyrtodontida - Antipleuridae
Gastropoda
 Murchisoniina - Palaeozygopleuridae
Palaeozygopleura sp. HornĂ½ 1955 snail
Cephalopoda
 Pseudorthocerida - Spyroceratidae
 Pseudorthocerida - Pseudorthoceratidae
Pseudorthoceratidae indet. Flower and Caster 1935
 Orthocerida - Orthoceratidae
Crinoidea
  -
Pentagonocyclicus sp. Yeltysheva and Shevchenko 1960 Sea lily
 Cyathocrinida - Cupressocrinitidae
Cupressocrinites sp. Goldfuss 1831 Sea lily
includes crowns
  -
Cyclocyclicus sp. Yeltysheva 1955 Sea lily