Late Viséan (Mississippian) ammonoids (Cephalopoda) from the Central Moroccan Meseta
Abstract
Late Viséan (Mississippian) ammonoids (Cephalopoda) from the Central Moroccan Meseta are described monographically for the first time. Several localities have yielded low-diversity assemblages, consisting mainly of species already known from southern Portugal, Ireland, northern England and the Rhenish Mountains. This clearly places the Moroccan Meseta within the Rhenohercynian-Subvariscan Province. The assemblages from the Moroccan Meseta are confined to a narrow stratigraphic interval, likely representing the Goniatites crenistria Zone, Goniatites sphaericus Zone, Goniatites spirifer Zone and Arnsbergites gracilis Zone. The new species Goniatites amarensis sp. nov. is described.
References
Aretz M. & Herbig H.-G. 2010. Corals from the Upper Viséan of the southern Azrou-Khenifra Basin (Carboniferous, Central Moroccan Meseta). Palaeoworld 19: 294–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2010.08.003
Bisat W.S. 1928. The Carboniferous goniatite zones of England and their continental equivalents. Compte Rendu, Congrès de Carbonifére Stratigraphie, Heerlen: 117–133.
Chanton-Güvenc N. & Morin P. 1973. Phénomènes récifaux dans le chaînon calcaire viséen du Tabainout. Notes du Service géologique du Maroc 34: 87–91.
Delépine G. 1941. Les goniatites du Carbonifère du Maroc et des confins Algéro-Marocains du sud (Dinantien-Westphalien). Notes et Mémoires du Service géologique 56: 1–111.
Gischler E. & Korn D. 1992. Goniatiten des Ober-Viseums aus Decksedimenten des Iberger Riffes, Oberharz. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 185: 271–288. https://doi.org/10.1127/njgpa/185/1992/271
ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature). 1956. Opinion 420. Addition to the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology of the specific names for eleven species of the Class Brachiopoda and for two species of the Class Cephalopoda originally published by Martin (W.) in 1809 in the nomenclatorially invalid work entitled Petrificata Derbiensia and now available as from the first subsequent date on which they were severally published in conditions satsifying the requirements of the Regles. Opinions rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 14: 129–168. Available from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34677824 [accessed 3 Apr. 2025].
ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature). 1999. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth edition. International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, The Natural History Museum, London. Available from https://www.iczn.org/the-code/the-code-online/ [accessed 3 Apr. 2025].
Klug C., Döring S., Korn D. & Ebbighausen V. 2006. The Viséan sedimentary succession at the Gara el Itima (Anti-Atlas, Morocco) and its ammonoid faunas. Fossil Record 9: 3–60. https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-9-3-2006
Klug C., Korn D., Landman N.H., Tanabe K., De Baets K. & Naglik C. 2015. Describing ammonoid conchs. In: Klug C., Korn D., De Baets K., Kruta I. & Mapes R.H. (eds) Ammonoid paleobiology: From macroevolution to paleogeography. Topics in Geobiology 44: 3–24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9630-9_1
Kobold A. 1933. Die Gliederung des Oberharzer Kulms nach Goniatiten. Stratigraphische Beobachtungen im Kulm des nordwestlichen Oberharzes unter Berücksichtigung der Grauwacken. Jahrbuch der Preussischen Geologischen Landesanstalt 53: 450–515.
Korn D. 1988. Die Goniatiten des Kulmplattenkalkes (Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea; Unterkarbon; Rheinisches Schiefergebirge). Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen 11: 1–293.
Korn D. 1990. Weitere Goniatiten aus dem Ober-Visé des Sauerlandes (Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea; Unterkarbon; Rheinisches Schiefergebirge). Geologie und Paläontologie in Westfalen 15: 11–69.
Korn D. 1996. Revision of the Rhenish Late Viséan goniatite stratigraphy. Annales de la Société géologique de Belgique 117: 129–136.
Korn D. 1997. The Palaeozoic ammonoids of the South Portuguese Zone. Memorias do Instituto Geologico e Mineiro 33: 1–131.
Korn D. 2010. A key for the description of Palaeozoic ammonoids. Fossil Record 13: 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200900008
Korn D. 2017. Goniatites sphaericus (Sowerby, 1814), the archetype of Palaeozoic ammonoids: a case of decreasing phenotypic variation through ontogeny. PalZ 91: 337–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-017-0366-4
Korn D. & Ebbighausen V. 2008. The Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) ammonoids from the Chebket el Hamra (Jerada Basin, Morocco). Fossil Record 11: 83–156. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmng.200800004
Korn D. & Horn K. 1997. The Late Visean (Early Carboniferous) goniatite stratigraphy in the South Portuguese Zone, a comparison with the Rhenish Massif. Newsletters on Stratigraphy 35: 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1127/nos/35/1997/97
Korn D. & Tilsley J.W. 2006. Ammonoid assemblages from the Asbian B2b (Early Carboniferous: Mississippian) buildups of the Peak District, England. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 56: 111–150. https://doi.org/10.1144/pygs.56.2.111
Korn D., Klug C. & Mapes R.H. 1999. Visean and Early Namurian Ammonoids from the Tafilalt (Eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco). Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt 54: 345–375.
Korn D., Bockwinkel J. & Ebbighausen V. 2007. Tournaisian and Visean ammonoid stratigraphy in North Africa. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 243: 127–148. https://doi.org/10.1127/0077-7749/2007/0243-0127
Korn D., Titus A.L., Ebbighausen V., Mapes R.H. & Sudar M.N. 2012. Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) ammonoid biogeography. Geobios 45: 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2011.11.013
Kumpera O. & Lang V. 1975. Goniatitová fauna v kulmu Drahanské vysočiny (moravskoslezská zóna Českého masivu). Časopis Slezského Muzea A 24: 11–32.
Liang X. & Wang M. 1991. Carboniferous cephalopods of Xinjiang. Palaeontologia Sinica, Series B 180: 1–171.
Martin W. 1809. Petrificata Derbiensia: Or, Figures and Descriptions of Petrifactions Collected in Derbyshire. Vol. 1. Wigan, Lyon. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.119699
Moore E.W.J. & Hodson F. 1958. Goniatites from the Upper Viséan shales of County Leitrim, Eire. Liverpool and Manchester Geological Journal 2: 86–105.
Nicolaus H.-J. 1963. Zur Stratigraphie und Fauna der crenistria-Zone im Kulm des Rheinischen Schiefergebirges. Beihefte zum Geologischen Jahrbuch 53: 1–246.
Nikolaeva S.V. 2008. The Carboniferous ammonoids from the Gilbertson collection described by John Phillips. Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society 160: 1–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/25761900.2022.12131806
Phillips J. 1836. Illustrations of the Geology of Yorkshire, Part II. The Mountain Limestone District. John Murray, London. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.127948
Roemer F.A. 1850. Beiträge zur geologischen Kenntniss des nordwestlichen Harzgebirges. Palaeontographica 3: 1–67. Available from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33098075 [accessed 3 Apr. 2025].
Roemer F.A. 1852. Beiträge zur geologischen Kenntniss des nordwestlichen Harzgebirges. Zweite Abtheilung. Palaeontographica 3: 69–111. Available from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33098115 [accessed 3 Apr. 2025].
Said I., Somerville I.D., Rodríguez S. & Cózar P. 2013. Mississippian coral assemblages from the Khenifra area, Central Morocco: Biostratigraphy, biofacies, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography. Gondwana Research 23: 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2012.04.008
Schmidt H. 1925. Die carbonischen Goniatiten Deutschlands. Jahrbuch der Preussischen Geologischen Landesanstalt 45: 489–609.
Somerville I.D., Rodríguez S., Said I. & Cózar P. 2012. Mississippian coral assemblages from Tabainout mud-mound complex, Khenifra area, Central Morocco. Geologica Belgica 15: 308–316.
Sowerby J. 1812–1815. The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain: Or Coloured Figures and Descriptions of those Remains of Testaceous Animals or Shells, which have been Preserved at Various Times and Depths in the Earth. Vol. I. Meredith, London. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.14408
Stubblefield C.J. 1951. The Goniatites named in Martin’s “Petrificata Derbiensia, 1809”. Journal of Natural History 4: 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935108654132
Termier H. 1936. Études géologiques sur le Maroc central et le Moyen Atlas septentrional. Tome III. Paléontologie, Pétrographie. Notes et Mémoires, Service des Mines et de la Carte géologique du Maroc 33: 1–1566.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dieter Korn, Volker Ebbighausen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Copyright Notices
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are NOT PERMITTED to post their submitted work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) prior to publication, as it may lead to nomenclatural issues.
