Research paper
Carboniferous trace fossils from Vélez-Málaga (Maláguide Complex, Betic Cordillera, SE Spain)
EDUARDO J. MAYORAL
Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra y Centro de Investigación Científi co Tecnológico, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Campus de El Carmen, Universidad de Huelva, Avda. 3 de marzo s/n, 21071 Huelva, Spain. mayoral@uhu.es
Corresponding author
JOSÉ A. GÁMEZ VINTANED
Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Sciences & Information Technology, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Bandar Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia. jose.gamez@utp.edu.my
JOSÉ B. DIEZ
Departamento de Geociencias Marinas y Ordenación del Territorio, Universidad de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36200 Vigo, Spain. jbdiezf@gmail.com
ELADIO LIÑÁN
Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra-IUCA. Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. linan@unizar.es
ABSTRACT
A stratigraphic section of the Maláguide Complex cropping out at the easternmost part of the Málaga Province (SE Spain) is studied. Previous palaeontological data were unknown in this area. A lower stratigraphic Interval I has yielded fossil Equisetales plants, probable ferns and centrimetric xylic fragments at several centimetric slate levels interspersed between the dominating micaceous, brown, medium to coarsegrained sandstone. The ichnofossil Planolites annularis occurs at numerous levels of Interval I. An upper stratigraphic Interval II has yielded two particularly rich ichnoassemblages at its lower part, which are the main object of our study. The upper ichnoassemblage also contains skeletal remains of metazoans or moulds, namely remains of crinoid stalks, trilobites, and bivalves, as well as probable microbial mats. The two main ichnoassemblages belong to the Cruziana ichnofacies and have provided, overall, eleven ichnogenera including fourteen ichnotaxa: Bergaueria aff. perata, Dactyloidites aff. cabanasi, Diplichnites ichnosp. A, Diplichnites ichnosp. B, Dolopichnus ichnosp. indet., Monocraterion ichnosp. indet., Monomorphichnus aff. lineatus, Monomorphichnus ichnosp. indet., Palaeophycus tubularis, Planolites annularis, aff. Psammichnites, Rusophycus ichnosp. A, Rusophycus ichnosp. B. and aff. Treptichnus. It is concluded that 1) the study stratigraphic succession belongs to the upper member of the Almogía Formation, post-Visean Carboniferous in age, and 2) it was deposited under palaeoenvironments that evolved from proximal shallow marine (nearshore; Interval I) up to shallow sublittoral (i.e., infralittoral) in a siliciclastic continental shelf (Interval II).
Key words: Trace fossils, systematic palaeoichnology, Almogía Formation, lower Carboniferous, Maláguide Complex.
How to cite: Mayoral, E.J., Gámez Vintaned, J.A., Diez, J.B. & Liñán, E. 2018. Carboniferous trace fossils from Vélez-Málaga (Maláguide Complex, Betic Cordillera, SE Spain). Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 33 (1), 89-104.
Received 26 January 2018, Accepted 22 February 2018, Published 30 June 2018
https://doi.org/10.7203/sjp.33.1.13244
