Dactylioceratidae (Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea) from the early Jurassic of New Zealand

Abstract

Dactylioceratidae are recorded from New Zealand from two localities in strata of Early Ururoan age. Catacoeloceras grangei n.sp. is recorded from north of the North Island and Zugodactylites braunianus (d'Orbigny, 1845) from south of the South Island. Catacoeloceras grangei has a very close affinity with Catacoeloceras species from the Crassum Subzone (latest part of the Early Toarcian) in southern Europe. Zugodactylites braunianus occurs in Europe in the lower (but not basal) and middle parts of the Fibulatum Subzone and therefore is one subzone older than C. grangei and is of comparable age to the occurrences of Harpoceras subplanatum (Oppel, 1856) in the North Island. Catacoeloceras grangei, Z. braunianus, and H. subplanatum are part of a migration that took place primarily in the Crassum and Fibulatum Subzones, presumably in response to a major eustatic rise in sea level that opened up new migration routes and areas to colonise for Tethyan taxa.

Oxygen and carbon isotope and Sr/Ca signatures of high-latitude Permian to Jurassic calcite fossils from New Zealand and New Caledonia

“…Zealandian sedimentary successions were situated in high (> 60°S) latitudes in the case of New Zealand and in intermediate (30 -60°S) latitudes in the case of New Caledonia throughout the Permian to Jurassic (Adams et al, 2007;Stevens, 2008). Zealandia therefore represents a key region for investigating high latitude climates of the past.…”

Record ofJuraphyllitesex gr.libertus(Gemmellaro 1884) from the Ururoan Stage (Early Jurassic, New Zealand) and observations on the paleoenvironmental dynamics of the Ururoan ammonite fauna

“…As with the appearances in New Zealand of the Tethyan taxa Harpoceras subplanatum, Catacoeloceras grangei and Zugodactylites braunianus (see Stevens 2007Stevens , 2008 in the Early Toarcian, the occurrence of Juraphyllites ex gr. libertus in the Pliensbachian was probably also related to a phase of high sea level.…”

“…Also, compared with most European assemblages, for example, they are very poorly preserved. Three of these taxa have been documented previously: Harpoceras subplanatum (Oppel 1856) (Stevens 2007), Zugodactylites braunianus (d' Orbigny 1845) and Catacoeloceras grangei Stevens (Stevens 2008). They all occur in the Ururoa Formation of Late Ururoan age.…”

Latest Triassic and Early Jurassic Spiriferinida (Brachiopoda) of Zealandia(New Zealand and New Caledonia)

“…The highest locality with Ururoan brachiopods recorded is R15/ f8815, 45m stratigraphically above the Dactylioceras band, with only Herangirhynchia herangiensis of the Ururoan fauna present (MacFarlan 1992), together with "Inoceramus" ururoaensis Speden, 1970 which is one of the few fossils found in overlying beds. The correlation of the Dactylioceras band with the Crassum Subzone of the Bifrons Zone at the top of the Early Toarcian (Stevens 2008) is supported by the correlations of the outcrop at Paparoa Point on the Taharoa coast south of Kawhia and of Mantle Grove in the Mataura Valley, Southland with the underlying Fibulatum Zone (Stevens 2007(Stevens , 2008. Both of these are also some distance above the Toarcian Event at the base of the Toarcian (Fig.…”

“…Ururoa Point, between the south wall of the "Hole in the Wall" and the Dactylioceras band is an important area for the Upper Ururoan. The ammonite Catacoeloceras grangei Stevens, 2008 from R15/f8005 allows the Dactylioceras band to be correlated with the Crassum Subzone (top of the Early Toarcian) (Stevens 2008). This ammonite was identified by Spath (1923) as Dactylioceras.…”