Early Silurian actinocerid and orthocerid cephalopods from the Kerman area, East-Central Iran

Abstract

Six species of uncoiled cephalopod, including the actinocerids Actinoceratidae, gen. and sp. indet., Armenoceras banestanense sp. nov., A. sp., Elrodoceras sp. and Huroniella iranica sp. nov., and an orthocerid Proteoceratidae?, gen. and sp. indet., are present in collections made recently from an unnamed formation near Banestan village in the Kerman area of southern East-Central Iran. The cephalopod fauna contains forms closely related with those from Laurentia, and is considered to be of Early Silurian age. This discovery reveals that the geologic age of these cephalopod-bearing horizons should be revised from a vague late Ordovician or early Silurian one. These horizons are correlative with the Niur Formation in the Shirgesht area of northern East-Central Iran.