AN UPPER CARBONIFEROUS ESTUARINE VERTEBRATE FAUNA FROM THE SKELLEY LIMESTONE (CONEMAUGH GROUP) OF OHIO

The Skelley Limestone represents a Carboniferous intrusion of marine and estuarine conditions into the Appalachian foreland basin and is a part of the Conemaugh Group (Pennsylvanian: Kasimovian). An exploration into these rocks reveals a vertebrate fauna consisting of symmoriiform chondrichthyans (Stethacanthus, Denaea) cochliodontiform chondrichthyans (Deltodus sp.) Euelachians (hybodontiformes indet and Lissodus sp.), Acanthodians (Acanthodii indet.) paleonisciform osteichthyans (Paleonisciformes indet. and Platysomidae indet.). Additionally, dissolved residues from the Skelly indicate that these vertebrates coexisted with gastropods, ostracods, and bivalves. This ecosystem may broaden an understanding of the paleobiogeographic ranges of these vertebrates as they evolved and migrated during the Carboniferous and Permian Periods. It also appears that this co-occurrence of symmoriiformes, hybodontiformes, Acanthodians, Paleonisciformes and Platysomids was a fairly wide-spread phenomenon among near-shore marine vertebrate communities across the North American craton during the late Paleozoic. The Skelley Limestone may also contain additional diverse vertebrate remains.