Ammonite families Phylloceratidae, Gaudryceratidae, Oppeliidae and Desmoceratidae from Kopet Dagh Basin NE of Iran; Palaeobiogeographical and palaeoecological application

Abstract

The Kopet Dagh sedimentary basin is situated in the northeast of Iran and the south of Turkmenistan. The present work focuses on the systematic representative's species of the Family Phylloceratidae Zittel, 1884, of the Family Gaudryceratidae Spath 1927, of the Family Oppeliidae H. Douvillé, 1890, and of the Family Desmoceratidae Zittel, 1895, all of which are for the first time in the basin. Based on previous studies and assemblage fauna in this study, a late Barremian-early Aptian age is suggested for the measured sequences. The palaeobiogeographical distribution of the ammonites indicates that during the late Barremian to the late Aptian the basin formed part of the Tethyan realm, Mediterranean-Himalayan Province. The studied fauna and other reported ammonites in previous publication might suggest nearshore to offshore an epipelagic to pelagic environment. There is also a relation between the lithology and the morphotype of ammonites.