volume 109 Key uords: Micropaleontology, Phylogeny, Foraminifera, New species, lVuchìapingian, Dzhulfian, Permian, Iran. Abstact. In the course of an investigation on the m.ìjor mass extinction event near the P/T boundary in the vicinity of Shahreza (South lsfahan) in Iran, a stratigraphically significant new species o{ foraminifera (Dagmarita shahrezaensis n. sp.) has been discovered in the lWuchiapingian/Dzhulfian (Late Permian) of central Iran (Hambast For- mation). This new species is described and emplaced in the phylogeny of the globivalvulinid foraminifera, which evolved rapidly during the Middle/Late Permian. Riassunto. Durante le ricerche sugli eventi di estinzione in massa in prossimità del limite Permiano/Triassico, è stata rinvenuta una nuova specie di foraminifero (Dagmaríta shahrezaensis n. sp.), che si ritiene di signìficato stratigrafico. La località di rinvenimento è presso Shareza (a Sud di Isfahan, lran) entro la Formazione Hambast. La nuovr specie viene quì descritta e si propone una filogenesì dei foraminiferi globi- valvulinidi, che si devolvettero rapidamente durante ìl Permiano Medio e Superiore. Introduction The Permian-Triassic boundary is exposed through the almost continuous and complete sedimentary sequences, from northwest Iran (Julfa area) ro cenrral Iran (Hambast Range, Abadeh). The Permo-Triassic sequence of the Shahreza region of central Iran (South Isfahan) displays remarkable similarities both in lithology and in faunal composirion ro that of the Juifa and Abadeh areas, due to the well known horst-graben system developed since the Infracambrian in NrV and central Iran. The Permian transgressions, which started from the Artinskian (late Early Permian), resuked in open neritic to basinal environments in the Shahreza region. Then, the gradual shallowing of the sea proceeded with some fluctuations from basinal to lagoonal through open neritic conditions (Iranian-Japanese Research NIATCN IUUJ Grorp 1976). The micropaieontological components of the late Permian (Wuchiapingian/Dzhúfian, Changhsin- gianlDorashamian), P/T boundary and early Triassic deposits of the central Iranian province must be re- examined for providing supplementary datà for the interpretation of the P/T extinction patterns (Mohtat- Aghai, Y/ork in progress). Preliminary micropaleontological studies of several sections reveal a nes/ and distinct evolutionary trend in the late Permian deposits of central Iran (Hambast For- mation) as indicated by the preservation of the family of Biseriamminidae (Dagmaritininae), a very important group for the biostratigraphy of this epoch (Altiner 1992, 1999; Altiner & Ózkan-Altiner 2001). Geological setting The type-locality of the new species belongs to the continuous Permian-Triassic section of Shahreza, situated about 70 km south of Isfahan, in Central Iranian province. The coordinates of this type locality are: lat. 32"10'N and long.51'50'E, along the main road from Isfahan to Shiraz (Fig. t). The section described here is located in a NW- trending range, about 15 km long, northeast of Shahreza about 4 km east of Shahzadeh A1i Akbar village. They comprise steeply dipping (60-85') dark-grey dolomite and grey dolomitic shallow marine (infratidal to inter- tidal) limestone (Capitanían/Wuchiapingian; locally denominated Abadehian/Dzhulfian, in reference to lran- ian stratotypes and the Tethyan scale) and contain mainly fusulinids, and other small foraminifers, ostracods, bra- chiopods, coral, bryozoans and algae. Seven lithological units (1-7) are recognized in the Permian section (Taraz DAGM ARITA S H AHREZ AEN S I S N. SP GLOBIVALVULINID FORAMINIFER NTUCHIAPINGIAN, LATE PERMIAN, CENTRAL IRAN) PARVIN MOHTAT-AGHAI'I. & DANIEL VACHARD"'I Recei,Led Marcb 8,2002; accepted 21 October,2002 'f Institut fiir Geologie & Paleontologie, Innsbruck Unìversitàt, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail: Mohtat-Aghai@uibk.ac.at 'f+ UFR des Sciences de la Terre, UMR 8014 du CNRS, Université des Sciences et technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq cédex, France. E-mail:Daniel.Vachard@univ-lille 1.fr 38 P. Mohtat-Agbai G D. Vachard 1,969, 1,97 1, 1973, 1999; Iranian-Japanese Research Group 1976; Iranian-Chinese Research Group 1995), but only units 5-7 were studied during this investigation. The upper contact is transitional; the grey Permian limestones are gradually overlain by 2O m reddish nodular ammonite-be aring (Paratir o lite s) deep-water limestone of the Dorashamian. Triassic rocks are well exposed in this area (units A-E). Only the early tiassic unit A (90 m) crops out in Shahreza (Fig. 2). Among the smaller foraminifera of the Late Permi- an, an apparently characteristic of the late Wuchiapingian/ Dzhulfian species has been discovered: Dagmarita shahrezaensis n. sp. Systematic Paleontology Class Foraminiferea d'Orbigny, 1826 nomen translat. Lee,1990 Order Fusulinida von Moeller, 1878 nomen translat. Fursenko, 1958 Family Biseriamminidae Chernysheva, 1941 Subfamily Dagmaritina e Bozorgnia, 197 3 Remark: The systematic of the Biseriamminids (the name is classical, but Globivalvulinids is perhaps better, concerning the Permian taxa), was changed recently (Altinea 1997, 1999; Altiner & Òzkan-Altiner, 2OO1: with complete bibliography). However, these subdivi- sions need a revision, because they are independently based on two criteria, no really opposite, but difficult to correlate exactly: (a) the morphology; (b) the srructure of the wall. Moreover the material is generally poor in speci- mens, therefore the biodiversity of the globivalvulinids is poorly known. Among the multiple evolutionary trends occurring in the middle /late Permian, we have discovered a species, which constitutes another hypothetical evolu- ttonary trend between the Dagmarita (middle-late Permi- an) to the Paradagmarita (Changxingian/Dorashamian), Locality map of Shahreza (Isfahan, Iran). and this new species is actually found in the \fuchiapin- gianlD zhulfian (Fig. a). Genus Dagmarita Reitlinger, 1965 Type species: Dagmariu chanakcbiensis Reitlinger, 1965 Dagmariia shahrezaensis n.sp. Pl. 1, fig.1-13, 14? ? 1Il8a Dagmarita chanakcbiensis - Lys in Lys et rl., p. So, pl. 3, 1ìg. 71-12. ? 1984 Dagmarita cbanakchiensls - Kotlyar et a1., pl. 1, Írg. 7. ? 1.99A Dagmarita elongata - Lin, Li Ee Sun, p. L22-123, pl. 2, fig. 2a (only). ? 1994 Dagmarita cbanakchiensis - Fontaine et al., pl. 3, fig. 6. Derivation of name. Accordins to rhe name of the main town of the inuesrigated area. Holotype. Pl. 1, Fig.1 (a complete longitudinal section). Paratypoids. Pl. 1, fig. 2-1.3,14? (sublongitudinal and oblique sectrons). Type locality. Shahreza area (Central Iran). Type level. Hambast Formation, Late Permian (late lVuchiapin- gian/Dzhulfian). Paratypes and repository. 14 specimens (all illustrated herein) from three thìn sections. Collection Mohtat-Aghai, S 08, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Innsbruck University, Austria. Diagnosis. A rather large Dagmarita, characterized by its rounded chambers, and their absence of marginal thornlike expansions. Description. Test small, compressed, consisting of 4 or 5 pairs of chambers biserially arranged. Proloculus very small, spherical, slightly protruding. Chambers increasing slowly in width and height, round, without carina nor endoskeleton. Septa gently curved, with a small thicken- ing at the apertural extremity. Globivaivulinoid aperture. Wall secreted, microgranular, often unilayered, but some- times slightly differenciated (Pl. 1, fig. 5). Among the dif- ferent taxa of globivalvulinoids, this unilayered, relatively primitive wall is regarded as specific character (Paradag- marita monod.i Lys, Globivaktulina kantberensis Reichel), or generic (Biseriella Mamet). As the Dagmarita type of :.. i labdz I ( I oì. dtr ir I ,' -z.< IF.ro <2r< t! r- OrL ,'4t!.--- I t *"\ 0 50 100 Km 51"50'E ilAl,rsnusr îI I I I I '| ll tft î 0 l\relers Fig. 2 - Stratìgr.rphic column with location of D. shabrezaensls n. sp. in S8, and location of the Permian/Triassic boundary in S/O G I o b i.; a h, u I i n i d fo r am in fe r fr o m C e ntr a I I ra n COLOUR f 39 oorK grey dork grey Legend VVVVV îhrombolites I tominotion ^ Tm bosolîicsil I floserbeddedmorl/siltslone I mort/mortysilîstone o o -lGOOo I rc==3 lnodulorlimesloneE-l r--- mofylìmestone Ò oooo oo deblis 40 P. Mohtat-Aghai G D. Vachard kngth width Number ofprim ofchambers Diam€ter ol the proloculus Wall thickness D. dltild WANG, l98l 390 400 67 D. .a,cartcd VUKS, 1984 110-170 260-300 ó 70x I10 MIILINGER. I965 700 430 1,9 5 D. cueara SOSNINA. 1977 460-5 t0 320-460 to 12 ,. "lesdrr SOSNINA, 1977 490 500 264 t9 2A D. elongata LIN el a1.. 1990 420-630 210-290 61 130 D. àilrr SOSNINA, l9?7 680 140 7-8 l0- l2 D. liartdrenrtr LIN et al.. 1990 430-7t0 290-314 19 D. nirurczla WANG. 1981 430 350 20 D. orlotrsa SOSNINA, 1977 700 4E0 l5 D. rinrleJ WANC, 1981 500 370 120 l5 D. shahrczaensis n. sp 420-810 190-500 50-60 7, t5 AGES PHYLOGENY CHANGXINGIAN = DORASTLAMIAN I Paradagmarita 1 I ettita WUCHIAPINGIAN = DZHULFIAN lD. CAPITANIAN = MIDIAN Ìr'ORDIAN = MURGABIAN / ROADIAN = KUBERGANDIAN Globivalvulina frg. J Comparative table of measurements of several species of Dagmarita (for Vuks see Kotlyar et al., 1 984, for Sosnina, see Sosnina Ee Nikitina, 197l). wall is controversial, generally three-layered, somerimes unilayered, according ro the literature, we atrribure the new species to a true Dagmarita, but another opinion is possible, i. e. Dagmarita (?). Comparisons. The new species differs from Dag- mdlita chanabchiensls (P1. 1, 16-21) by the small number of the chambers, the shape of the chambers, the absence of thornlike lateral expansions, and the generally unila- yered wal1. It differs from the other species of the genus described by Sosnina in Sosnina & Nikitina (1977): D. elegans, D. cwneata, D, exilis, D. oblonga, by the characters listed here (Fig. 3). Moreover, all these species of Sosnina can be synonym of D. chanakchiensis, according ro Altin- er (1981) and Jenny-Deshusses (1983). Finally the new species can be distinguished from some small paleotextu- lariids also represented in the microfacies (P1. 1, fig. 15) by the nature of wall (unilayered microgranular, and not bilayered, i.e. pseudofibrous and microgranular vrith car- Fig. 4 - Hypothetìcal location of Dagmarita shabrezaensts n. sp. rn the phylogeny of some globivalvulinids, during the middle and late Permian. bonate agglutinate) and the globivavulinoid and nor pa- leotextulariid organization of the apertures. Measurements. Length of test (L): 0.a2-0.87 mm; maximum width of test (w): 0.19-0.50 mm; rario L/w: 1.70-1.90 (rarely 2.30); number of pairs of chambers: 4-5; proloculus diameter: 0.05-0.06 mm; height of the last chamber: 0.10-0.15 mm; wall thickness: O.O1-.0.02 mm. Ran ge. Early Late Permian (Vuchiapin g ran/ D zhul- fian) of Shahreza and probably coeval with the question- able forms indicated above in the synonymy list: from Himalayas (Lys et al. tgSO;, Transcaucasia (Kotlyar et al. 1984), South China (Lin et aI. 199Q and Malaysia (Fontaine er aL.1994\. PLATE 1 All specimens are from the late \Wuchiapingian/Dzhulfian of the Hambast Formation along the Shahreza section (sample S 8), excepted fig. 4 from Abadeh section (sample A22). Fig. 1-13, 14? Dagnariu shahrezaensis n. sp. Fig. 1 - Holotype. Longitudinal section. x 8a. Fìg.2 - Paratype. Sublongitudinal section. x 8S. Fig.3 - Paratype. Sublongitudinal section. x s8. Fig. a - Paratype. Sublongitudinal section. x 88. Fig. 5 - Paratype. Sublongitudinal section relatively com- pressedandwithasightlydifferenciatedwall.x88.Fig.6-Paratype.Oblìquesection.xS8.Fig.Z-Paratype.Obliquesection.x88.Fig.8-Paratypc. Sublongitudinalsection.x36.Fig.g-Paratype.Sublongitudìnalsection.x34.Fig.1O-Paratype.Obliquesection.x36.Fig.ll-Paratype.Obliquc section.x36.Fig.1.2-Paratype.Obliquesection.x36.Fig.l3-Paratype.Obliquesection.x36.Fig.l4?-Paratype?Atypicaloblìquesection.x36. Fig. 15. - Palaeotextularia sp. Sublongitudinal section to compare N,ith D. shabrezaezsls n. sp. x 36. Fig. 1'6-21 - Dagmariu ex gr. chanakchiezsls Reitlinger, 1965. Fig. 16 - Oblique section. x 88. Fig. 1Z - Sublongitudinal section. x 88. Fig. 18 - Oblique section.x88.Fig.19-Lateralsection.x88.Fig.20-Lateralsection.x88.Fig.21-Lateralsection.x88. Pl. 1 C I ob iualt' u I i n i d fnra n i n ifer lrom C e n t ral I ra n 41 -!0 ".i .#r. e?-.; tr':':dqi; :i 42 P Mohtat-Aghai G D. Vachard REFERENCES Discussion By the lack of thornlike expansion, Dagmaria sbahrezaensis is therefore more similar to a paiaeotextu- lariid than to a Dagmarita cbanalechiensis (compare Pl. l, frg. 6, 15 and 18). The microstrucrure of the wall is ne- vertheless entirely different and cannot be confused with a Palae otextularia Schubert, with a calcareous-agglutinat- ed wall (rarely siliceous-agglutinated wall; it is the diffe- rence with the true Textularia Defrance). The wall of a Dagmarita is secreted and microgranuiaq sometimes and sporadically di{ferentiated in three layers. The lack of thornlike expansion can be also inter- preted as an intermediate character between Dagmarita and the trrte Paradagmarita Lyq or as a primitive globi- valvulinid character that has reappeared in Dagmaria shahrezaensis n. sp. (with the preponderance of the type of wall, upon the morphology). According to this hypothe- sis, in the stage of development of Dagmaria sbarezaensis n. sp., the thornlike projections of the chambers disap- pear, and after, the growth becomes again coiled (and bis- erial) as in Globipah:ulina (Frg.4). Altiner (1999) postulated another phylogeny of the Dagmaritinids and Globivalvulinids, during the middle/late Permian, from Roadian/Kubergandian to Changhsingian/Dorashamian. Evidently, D agmarita and Louisettita are closely related, but the links are less justi- fied between colled Dagmarita and uncoiled Paradagmari- u. Finally we cannot agree with the proposed relation- ships of Sengoerina and Dagmarita, because Dagmarita cbanakcbiensis appears relatively early in the middle Per- mian (early Murgabian/Wordian; biozone with l{eoschwagerina simplex: Vachard 1980; Vachard Ec Mon- tenat 1981; or middle Murgabian: Altiner, 1981), whereas Sengoerina is younger and appears in the Capitanian/Mid- ian. Therefore Sengoerina cannot be the ancestor of Dag- marita. On the other hand, Vachard et al. QaO2) indicate the presence of a Sengoerina in the late Dzhulfian of Greece. This taxon is relatively similar to the Dorashami- an Paradagmarita ex gr. flabellìfurmis Zantnetti et al. A relation between Sengoerina and Paradagmarita can be suggesreo. The relationships betwee n S engo er ina, D agmari - ta and Paradagmarita mvst be studied more accurately, during the Wuchiapingran/Dzhulfian (Fig. a). Akno.oledgments. The Geological Survey of lran, and especially Dir. Dr. M. Ghoreshi, Dr. B. Hamdi and Dr. T. Mohtat, provided exten- sive and exhaustive assistance in the field. \fe are grateful for the helpful comments of Prof. Dr. K. Krainer (Univ. Innsbruck). The authors would also like to thank the reviewers Prof. Dr. D. Altiner (Univ. Ankara) and Dr. R. Rettorì (Univ. Perugia) for their critical reviews and suggestìons that improved the manuscript. This research was supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (F\lF-Project p14490-Geo). Altiner D. (1981) - Recherches stratigraphiques et micropaléon- tologiques dans le Taurus Oriental au N1W de Pinarbasi (Tirrquie). Thèse Unioersité de Genèoe, n" 2005. V of 450 pp., Genève (unpublished). Altiner D. (1997) - Origin, morphologic variation and evolution of Dagmaritin-type Biseriamminid stock in late Permian. In Ross C.A., Ross J.R.P & Brenckle PL. (Eds.) - Late Paleozoic Foraminifera; their biostratigraphy, evolution, and paleoecology; and the Mid-Carboniferous boundary. Cusbm. Found. Foram. Res., Spec. Pwbl.,36: 1-4, Cam- bridge, MA. Altiner D. (1999) - Sengoerina argandi, n. gen., n. sp., and its position in the evoiution of late Permian biseriamminid foraminifers. Micropaleontologt, 45, 2: 215-220, New- York. Altiner D. & Ózkan-Altiner S. (2001) - Charliella rossae n. gen., n. sp., from the Tethyan realm: remarks on the evolution of late Permian biseriamminids. Jowrnl Foram. Res.,31., 4: 309 -3 1 1, Fredericksburg. Fontaine H., Ibrahim, B.A., Khoo H.P, Nguyen D.T. & Vachard D . (19 9 4) - T he N e o s chu, ager ina and Ya b e ina - L ep i d o lina zones in Peninsular Malaysia, and Dzhulfian and Dorashamian in Peninsular Malaysia, the transition to the Triassic. Gectl. Swru. Malaysia, Geol. Papers, 4: 1-1.75, Ipoh. Iranian-Chinese Research Group (1995) - Field work on tthe Lopingian stratigraphy in Iran. Permophiles, 27: 5-6, Boise. Iranian-Japanese Research Group (1976) - The Permian and the Lower tiassic Systems in Abadeh region, Central Iran. Mem. Fac. Sci. I{yoto Univ., ser geol. min.,47 (2): 60-132, Kyoto. Jenny-Deshusses C. (1983) - Le Permien de I'Elbourz Central et Oriental (Iran); stratigraphie et micropaléontologie /{^'.*;-;{à,"" "' .lgues). Thèse (Jni,uersité de Genève, n" 21A3.Y. of 214 pp., Genève (unpublished). Kotlyar G.Y., Zakharov YD., Koczyrkevicz B.V, Kropatcheva G.S., Rostovcev K.O., Chedija I.O., Vuks G.P & Guseva E.A. (1984) - Poznepermskii etap evoliutsii organich- eskogo mira, Dzhulfinskii i Dorashamskii yarusy SSSR (Evoiution of the latest Permian biota, Dzhulfian and Dorashamian regional stages in the USSR). V of 200 pp., Leningrad "Nauka", Leningradskoe Otdelenie, Leningrad (in Russian). Lin J., Li J. & Sun Q. (1990) - Late Paleozoic foraminifers in South China. V. of 297 pp., Science Publication House, Beijing. Lys M., Colchen M., Bassoullet J.P, Marcoux J. & Mascle G. (1980) - La biozone à, Colaniella parua dr Permien :upérieur et sa microfaune dans le bloc calcaire exotique G lobioalv wlinid foraminifer from C entral lran 43 de Lamayuru, Himalaya du Ladakh. Rea. Micropal., 23 (2): 76-108, Paris. Reitlinger E.A. (1965) - Razvitie foraminifer v pozdnepermskyu rannetriasoryu epokhi na territori Zakavkazya (Foraminiferal development in the late Permian and early Triassic epochs in the territory of Transcaucasia). Voprosy M ikropae onto logti, 9 : 4 5 -7 0, Moscow (in Russian). Sosnina M.I. E{ Nikitina A.P. (1977) - Melkie foraminifery verkhnei pezrmi Yuzhnogo Primoriya (Smalier foraminifers of the Upper Permian of south Primorie). In - Iskolaemaya flora i fauna Dalnego Vostoka i voprosy "t'"ti-".{ii F'-."^-oya (Fossil flora and fauna of Far East and problems of srrarigraphy of Phanerozoic). Akademiya Nawk SSSR, Dalneoostocltnyi Naucbniyi Tsen- tr, Dal. Geol. Inst.:27-52, Moscow (in Russian). Taraz H. (1969\ - Permo-Triassic section in Central Iran. Am. Ass. Petr. Geol. Bull.,53 (3): 688-693, Tulsa. Taraz H. (1971) - Uppermost Permian and Permo-Triassic tran- sition beds in Central Iran. Am. Ass. Petr. Geol. Bwll.,55 (8) : 1280-1294, Ti-rlsa. Taraz H. (1973) - Correlation of uppermost Permian in Iran, Central Asia and South China. Am. Ass. Petr Geol. Bwll., 57 (6):1.117 -1133, Tulsa. TarazH. (1999) - A serious question for the voting members of SPS. Perm op hile s, 3 4 : 3 1. -32, Calgary. Vachard D. (i980) - Téthys et Gondwana au Paléozoique supérieur. . Les données afghanes: biostratigraphie, micropaléontologie, paléogéographie. Docwments et Tiar.,awx IGAL,2: 1-463, Paris. Vachard, D. & Montenat, C. (1981) - Biostratigraphie, micropaléontologie et paléogéographie du Permien de la région de Tezak (Montagnes Centrales d'Afghanistan). Paleontographica, B, 17 8 ( 1 -3) : 1 -8 8, Stuttgart. Vachard D., Zambettakis-Lekkas A., Skourtsos E., Martini M. & Zaninettj L. (submitted) - Foraminifers, algae and carbon- ate microproblematica from the late \Wuchiapingian (late Dzhulfian, earlylarc Permian) of Peloponnesus (Greece). Ria. It. Pal. Strat.,PaleoForams 2001, Milano.