New trepostomate bryozoans from the Upper Ordovician of Morocco and the temperature influence on zooid size

Abstract

AbstractNew Upper Ordovician trepostomate bryozoans from the eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco have been identified. They have been collected from the lower and intermediate units of the Khabt-el-Hajar Formation, late Katian in age, representing, respectively, bryozoan-pelmatozoan meadows with siliciclastic input, degraded by wave activity in a mid-ramp setting, and outer-ramp environments with marly substrates. Ten species of the generaCyphotrypa,Calloporella,Diplotrypa,Parvohallopora,Dekayia, andAostiporaare described. Of them, three species are new:Cyphotrypa regularisJiménez-Sánchez,Parvohallopora cystataJiménez-Sánchez, andAostipora elongataJiménez-Sánchez. Univariate statistical analyses of the sub-polar Moroccan species, in addition to other congeneric species of high, middle, and low latitudes, corroborate that for the trepostomate bryozoan the temperature of the ambient water was a primary control on zooecium size variations. Nevertheless, other environmental factors, besides temperature, must have also influenced significantly the zooid size, at least in low latitudes. Our data also give further support for considering the zooecium wall thickness as a limiting factor for the zooid size increment with latitude in the trepostomates.