New conodont taxa and biozones from the Lower Ordovician of the Cordillera Oriental, NW Argentina

Abstract

The upper strata of the Santa Rosita and the Acoite formations (Lower Ordovician) exposed at Chulpíos Creek in the Santa Victoria study area of the Cordillera Oriental, NW Argentina, are analysed by means of conodont biostratigraphy. Four conodont zones are analysed for the referred formations, i.e. the Acodus apex, Acodus triangularis, Gothodus vetus and Gothodus andinus zones, on the basis of a collection with ca. 2800 conodont specimens that includes new conodont taxa. Acodus apex Albanesi and Zeballo, Acodus triangularis (Ding), Acodus zeballus n. sp., Gothodus andinus (Rao et al.), Gothodus vetus n. sp., and Paltodus cf. inaequalis (Pander) are described herein. The conodont genus Zentagnathus is diagnosed including two previously known species: Zentagnathus argentinensis (Rao et al.) and Zentagnathus primitivus (Voldman et al.). The Tetragraptus akzharensis and Baltograptus cf. deflexus graptolite zones were identified as well in the ∼1800‐m‐thick stratigraphic section. The incertae sedis Phosphannulus universalis Müller et al. is discussed for the Cordillera Oriental for the first time. The lower part of the Chulpíos section that involves the contact between the Santa Rosita and the Acoite formations is not able to be dated with precision either as upper Tremadocian or lower Floian because the ranges of the index taxa recorded in that interval of the study section span the stage boundary.