Late Turonian polychaete communities recorded in the hemipelagic sediments of the bohemian cretaceous basin (Teplice formation, Ohře and Dresden districts)

Abstract

The relatively rich sabellid and serpulid polychaete oryctocenoses of the hemipelagic Upper Turonian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin are hereby revised. Seven species from six genera were identified and described from the present key locality of Úpohlavy near Lovosice. Ongoing revision of previously published literature as well as the recently collected material resulted in eight polychaete species from seven genera being identified from the hemipelagic Late Turonian sediments of the basin: sabellids Glomerula plexus (J. de C. Sowerby), G. lombricus (Defrance) and serpulids Pyrgopolon (Septenaria) macropus (J. de C. Sowerby), Neovermilia ampullacea (J. de C. Sowerby), Dorsoserpula wegneri (Jäger), Serpula? (Cementula?) biplicata (Reuss), Josephella subanulata Regenhardt and Neomicrorbis crenatostriatus (Münster in Goldfuss) with the subspecies N. c. crenatostriatus. Data gained from the Úpohlavy quarry allows us not only to accomplish the revision presented here, but also deepen our knowledge of life strategies and paleoecology of the tubiculous polychaetes living in soft bottom conditions of a shallow, epicontinental sea. Among other findings the strong tendency towards a cryptic mode of life in Neovermilia ampullacea is discussed and an extraordinarily well preserved sample of Glomerula plexus reeflets network is documented. Two groups with different ecological amplitude have been recognised in the Úpohlavy polychaete communities.