Early Pennsylvanian to early Permian (Bashkirian-Asselian) miospore and pollen assemblages of the Czech part of the Intra-Sudetic Basin

Abstract

Unpublished data resulting from extensive palynological investigation of coal and carbonaceous rocks from more than thirty boreholes, drilled in the Czech sector of the Intra-Sudetic Basin in the second half of the 20 th century, were taxonomically upgraded and analysed for stratigraphic and systematic evaluation. In total 78 genera and 322 miospore and pollen species have been recorded within a radioisotopically constrained ~21 Ma long interval from middle Bashkirian to early Asselian times, i.e. between 318 and 297 Ma. The miospore and pollen assemblages of coal seams are characteristic by the occurrence of stratigraphically important genera ( e.g . Waltzispora , Radiizonates , Tripartites , Kosankeisporites , Gillespieisporites , Cadiospora , Angulisporites , Latensina , Lueckisporites , Spinosporites ) and taxa recorded only within each member with the combination of quantitative data. Five new palynozones of the basin are recognised. All miospore and pollen taxa are divided into categories based on their plant affinity for the comparison of palynological and macrofloral records in terms of the diversity and vegetation patterns based on the combination of unpublished palynological and freshly published plant fossil records.