Kyrtatrypa pauli sp. ov., a key brachiopod species of post-taghanic recovery faunas in the middle devonian (givetian) of the holy cross mountains, Poland

Kyrtatrypa pauli Halamski and Baliński, sp. nov. is described from two late Middle to Late Givetian (Middle Devonian) localities in the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. The type locality is at Błonia Sierżawskie, near Świętomarz, in the Northern (Łysogóry) Region, whereas the other locality is at Laskowa, in the Kostomłoty Transitional Zone. The internal features of the new species, investigated by the method of serial sections, are fully concordant with those of K. culminigera Struve, 1966 (the type species); K. pauli sp. nov. differs in the overall smaller convexity of its shell. New palynological data on the type locality of Błonia Sierżawskie indicate that it belongs to the Ex3 subzone of the Ex Miospore Zone. In contrast to the currently accepted schemes, these strata therefore belong to the Nieczulice Beds and not to the Skały Formation; accordingly, their rich fauna represents a post-Taghanic recovery biota, of which K. pauli sp. nov. is a key element.