Organic‐walled microphytoplankton and chitinozoans from the middle Devonian (Givetian) Boyle dolomite of Kentucky, U.S.A.

Abstract

A stratigraphically important but poorly preserved assemblage of organic‐walled microphytoplankton and chitinozoans was recovered from the Boyle Dolomite (Givetian) of Kentucky. The acritarch genera represented are Baltisphaeridium, Cyma‐tiosphaera, Diexallophasis, Dictyotidium, Duvernaysphaera, Es‐tiastra, Exochoderma, Gorgonisphaeridium, Hapsidopalla, ?Leiosphaeridia, Lophosphaeridium, Multiplicisphaeridium, Navifusa, Oppilatala, Palacanthus, Polyedryxium, Stellinium, Tunisphaeridium, and Veryhachium. Chitinozoans are assigned to ?Alpenachitina, Ancyrochitina, ?Angochitina, Hoegisphaera, and Sphaerochitina. These palynomorphs were recovered from lithofacies representing shallow water carbonate environments, and their presence, along with conodonts indicative of the Lower Polygnathus varcus Subzone, may aid in interpreting the complex stratigraphic relationships in the Devonian of the Appalachian Basin.