Neogene Caribbean elasmobranchs: diversity, paleoecology and paleoenvironmental significance of the Cocinetas Basin assemblage (Guajira Peninsula, Colombia)
<p>The Cocinetas Basin is located on the eastern flank of the Guajira Peninsula, northern Colombia (southern Caribbean). During the late Oligocene through the Pliocene, much of the basin was submerged. The extensive deposits in this area suggest a transition from a shallow marine to a fluv...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.biogeosciences.net/16/33/2019/bg-16-33-2019.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>The Cocinetas
Basin is located on the eastern flank of the Guajira Peninsula, northern
Colombia (southern Caribbean). During the late Oligocene through the
Pliocene, much of the basin was submerged. The extensive deposits in this
area suggest a transition from a shallow marine to a fluvio-deltaic system,
with a rich record of invertebrate and vertebrate fauna. The elasmobranch
assemblages of the early Miocene to the late Pliocene succession in the
Cocinetas Basin (Jimol, Castilletes and Ware formations, as well as the
Patsúa Valley) are described for the first time. The assemblages include at least 30
taxa of sharks (Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes, Orectolobiformes,
Lamniformes and Carcharhiniformes) and batoids (Rhinopristiformes and
Myliobatiformes), of which 24 taxa are reported from the Colombian Neogene
for the first time. Paleoecological interpretations are based on the feeding
ecology and on estimates of the paleohydrology (relative salinity,
temperature) using stable isotope compositions of oxygen in the bioapatite of
shark teeth. The isotopic composition of the studied specimens corroborates
paleoenvironmental settings for the studied units that were previously
estimated based on the sedimentology and biology of the taxa. These Neogene
elasmobranch assemblages from the Cocinetas Basin provide new insights into
the diversity the sharks and rays inhabiting the coastal and estuarine
environments of the northwestern margin of South America, both during the
existence of the gateway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and
following its closure.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |