Maastrichtian and Danian species of Turkostreini (Ostreidae, Crassostreinae) from the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
Miguel Griffin 1,2 , Silvio Casadío 1 and Ana Parras 1
1 Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Uruguay 151, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. miguelgriffin@aol.com, scasadio@cpenet.com.ar, aparras@cpenet.com.ar
2 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET).
Abstract. The record of Turkostrea damboreneae nom. nov. and Cubitostrea primordialis n. sp. in the Maastrichtian Jagüel and Roca Formations and of Turkostrea argentina n. sp., in the Danian beds of the Roca Formation reveals that the two genera involved have a history that reaches back into the Late Cretaceous in northern Patagonia. Turkostrea damboreneae nom. nov. and Cubitostrea primordialis n. sp. are the two oldest representatives of the genera in which they belong. The two species of Turkostrea show clear affinities with other species of this genus that thrived in the Paleogene of the Northern Hemisphere. Cubitostrea primordialis n. sp. is closely allied to the previously known Paleocene species common in the region. While Turkostrea appears to have survived the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, it is not found in Patagonia in rocks younger than Danian. Cubitostrea also survived the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary but, although for diverse reasons absent from Eocene-Oligocene rocks in southern South America, is again common in early and late Miocene sediments exposed at various localities there. Based on these records, the possible South American origin of the Turkostreini is discussed.
Key words. Oysters. Systematics. Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Neuquén Basin. Argentina.
Ameghiniana, Mar./June 2005, vol.42, no.2, p.257-276.
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