Abstract
During their last phase of evolution, the pectiniform conodont elements manifested an evident trend of simplification and miniaturization. This phase started from the late Norian (Sevatian) in the Late Triassic and the evolutionary process of genus Mockina to Parvigondolella, in particular between Mockina bidentata and Parvigondolella andrusovi, is one of the most significant examples. Parvigondolella has been reported worldwide since it was first described in the early 1970s. However, it has recently been suggested that genus Parvigondolella is an ecostratigraphic morphotype of genus Mockina, and thus a phenotype controlled by the environmental conditions, and not an independent taxon. In the Pizzo Mondello Section (Sicily, Italy), transitional forms between M. bidentata and P. andrusovi have been found at different evolutionary stages. We have investigated the oceanic conditions at the time by using redox-sensitive elements (Mn, Fe, V, Cr, and Ni) and seawater temperatures from biogenetic δ18Ophos to understand the possible environmental influences on the phylogenetic evolution between Mockina and Parvigondolella. The geochemical and isotope analyses indicate that the redox condition and temperature were stable during the evolution of genus Parvigondolella in Pizzo Mondello, confirming that genus Parvigondolella is a real taxon and not a phenotype. A new conodont species named Parvigondolella ciarapicae n. sp. is described here for the first time.
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We are grateful to Prof. Yanlong Chen and another anonymous reviewer for careful revision and comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by the grants PRIN to Manuel Rigo (No. 2017W2MARE); and the China Scholarship Council to Yixing Du (No. 201708510096). Development of conodont oxygen isotopic analysis by SHRIMP was supported by Australian Research Council Discovery to Ian S. Williams (No. DP1096252). Open Access funding provided by Università degli Studi di Padova. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-020-1362-2.
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Du, Y., Onoue, T., Karádi, V. et al. Evolutionary Process from Mockina bidentata to Parvigondolella andrusovi: Evidence from the Pizzo Mondello Section, Sicily, Italy. J. Earth Sci. 32, 667–676 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-020-1362-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-020-1362-2