Bryozoans and brachiopods from the Lower Miocene deposits of the Qom Formation in North-East Isfahan (Central Iran)

摘要

A study of bryozoans and brachiopods from the Varton, Zefreh and Kuh-e-Charkheh sections from the Esfahan-Sirjan fore-arc basin of the Qom Formation of Central Iran has yielded 30 bryozoan taxa, including one new species Gigantopora vartonensis, and six brachiopod species. Both assemblages co-occur with large oyster shells with some of the ventral valves of brachiopods directly attached to their shells. The paleoenvironment is interpreted as an oyster bank ('oyster reef') in shallow, tropical-subtropical marine waters, producing cryptic habitats for other groups of organisms.