The gondwanan acritarch Bimerga bensonii gen. et sp. nov.: Paleogeographic and biostratigraphic importance in the Devonian malvinokaffric realm

Abstract

The acritarch (organic‐walled microphytoplankton) Bimerga bensonii gen. et sp. nov. has an elongate, bilaterally symmetrical vesicle with the poles bisected into two broad‐based processes possessing homomorphic or heteromorphic terminations. This acritarch was first illustrated, and named in open nomenclature, from the subsurface of Ghana and is reported here from an outcrop sample of the Devonian Los Monos Formation and subsurface cuttings samples from Bolivia. The presence of Bimerga bensonii gen. et sp. nov. in both Africa and South America further supports the existence of an oceanic connection between these Malvinokaffric areas and indicates that palynomorphs may provide a key to intra‐ and intercontinental correlations for the Gondwanan Devonian.