A new species of Attinopora (Bryozoa, Cinctiporidae) from the early Miocene of Atlantic Patagonia

Abstract

Cinctiporidae is a family of cyclostome bryozoans that ranged from the Paleocene to Recent; however, they also include a questionable record from the Upper Cretaceous of South Africa. Most cinctiporids occur in the Paleocene to Pleistocene strata of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, with only two living species now found in New Zealand. This study confirms the presence of cinctiporid bryozoans in South America with the description of a new fossil species, Attinopora atlantica sp. nov., based on specimens found in early Miocene deposits of the Monte León Formation, along the Atlantic margin of Argentine Patagonia. Attinopora atlantica sp. nov. differs from the other known species of Attinopora in having a much higher number of zooids per annular ring. The presence of cinctiporids in the early Miocene of Patagonia supports hypothesized biogeographical links between South America and Australasia during the early Neogene.