La Venta: middle ramp Coral Faunas, Iberian Chain (Cretaceous of Spain)

Where: Spain (40.1° N, 0.2° E: paleocoordinates 28.6° N, 8.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Benassal Formation, Late/Upper Aptian (122.5 - 113.0 Ma)

• The succession studied belongs to the depositional sequence K.1.9 in which precise biozones were defined with orbitolines..., El Palasiet succession

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: deep subtidal ramp; lithified packstone

• Corals are common and rich. The morphotypes predominantly tabular. Large, irregular, massive colonies with similar W/H ratios and domes (40 cm to 1 mwide, 40 to 60 cm high) are present. These colonies reach on average 50 cm in width. Lamellar-platy forms also occur... These forms are smaller: ca.10 cm wide and a few millimetres high. Most of the corals are found in life position.Some corals of this level are encrusted by stromatolites and coralline algae... The corals and other components display evidence of boring by sponges and lithophagous bivalves.
• The level is 10–15 m thick, and formed by a poorly sorted bioclastic packstone. Bioclasts are diverse and abundant. Lime mud is conspicuous. The main bioclasts are corals, sponges, echinoids,bivalves and coralline algae.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: S. Tomás, H. Löser, and R. Salas. 2008. Low-light and nutrient-rich coral assemblages in an Upper Aptian carbonate platform of the southern Maestrat Basin (Iberian Chain, eastern Spain). Cretaceous Research 29:509-534 [W. Kiessling/A. Girndt/M. Nimke]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 82690: authorized by Wolfgang Kiessling, entered by Antje Girndt on 31.07.2008

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Florideophyceae
 Sporolithales - Corallinophycidae
Sporolithon rude
Anthozoa
 Helioporacea - Helioporidae
Pseudopolytremacis japonica
 Scleractinia - Rhipidogyridae
Rhipidogyridae indet.
Rhipidogyridae indet. Koby 1905 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Eugyridae
"Felixigyra tenuis" = Eohydnophora tenuis, Felixigyra turbinata
"Felixigyra tenuis" = Eohydnophora tenuis Toula 1878 stony coral
Felixigyra turbinata Fromentel 1877 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Montlivaltiidae
Complexastrea aff. nobilis
 Scleractinia - Latomeandridae
Mixastraea sp., Thamnoseris fascigera, Ovalastrea sp.
Mixastraea sp. Roniewicz 1976 stony coral
Ovalastrea sp. d'Orbigny 1849 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Microsolenidae
Dimorpharaea cf. manchacanensis
 Scleractinia - Haplaraeidae
"Actinaraeopsis sp." = Camptodocis
"Actinaraeopsis sp." = Camptodocis Dietrich 1926 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Dermosmiliidae
Calamophylliopsis fotisalensis
Calamophylliopsis fotisalensis Bendukidze 1961 stony coral
questionable assignment