A new locality of chondrichthyan fishes from the Upper Paleocene on the right bank of the Don river (Volgograd region)

Abstract

An assemblage of chondrichthyans is described from the new locality near Serafimovich town (the western part of Volgograd region). More than 2500 fossils were collected from the basal gravel-pebble bed and phosphorite-bearing layer from the lower part of the Buzinovka formation (upper Paleocene). There are reworked Cretaceous and Paleocene chondrichthyans (6 species) and synchronous 21 species of sharks and 2 species of chimaeroids. The presence of synchronous Gluekmanotodus heinzelini, Odontaspis winkleri, Paraorthacodus eocaenus, Xampylodon loozi allows correlating the described lower part of the Buzinovka formation with NP8 – NP9 nannoplankton zones or Alisocysta margarita – Axiodinium augustum dinocyst zones (Thanetian – basal Ypresian).