Emergence and collapse of the Frasnian conodont and ammonoid communities in the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

The dominant factor in faunal succession of conodonts in the Frasnian of Poland is the apparent immigration of species originating allopatrically in other regions. Each immigration event usually changes the population variability of a local species (character displacement). Only a few lineages show their phyletic evolution within the studied area. Attempts to distinguish conodont species on the basis of platform element shape failed in some of the latest Frasnian palmatolepidids. Even at the apparatus−based generic level, certain ramiform elements of the apparatus appear much more diagnostic than the platforms. Correlative value of the late Frasnian palmatolepidids of unknown apparatus structure is thus questionable. The evolution of platform elements in Ancyrodella offers a more solid basis for age determination although their great population variability makes resolution rather low and requires the population approach. The panderodontids Belodella(?) tenuiserrata sp., B. minutidentata sp. nov., B. robustidentata sp. nov., prioniodontid Icriodus kielcensis sp. nov., enigmatic monospecific Playfordiidae fam. nov., prioniodinids Dyminodina planidentata gen. et sp. nov., D. anterodenticulata sp. nov., D. kovalensis sp. nov., Pluckidina kielcensis gen. et sp. nov., P. slupiensis sp. nov., P. robustipegmata sp. nov., and P. lagoviensis sp. nov., derived polygnathid Avignathus bifurcatus sp. nov., probably secondarily simplified polygnathid Nicollidina gen. nov., and palmatolepidids Kielcelepis gen. nov., Lagovilepis gen. nov. and Klapperilepis gen. nov. are proposed.