Jaws are a key vertebrate feature that arose early in our evolution. Placoderms among the first jawed vertebrates; their fossils yield essential knowledge about diversification of gnathostome feeding strategies, diets and modularity. Modularity can be expressed through disproportional lengths lower upper jaws as swordfish or halfbeaks. Alienacanthus malkowskii is an arthrodire from Famennian Morocco Poland, whose most remarkable its jaw, which twice long skull. This oldest record such...

Integrated biostratigraphical, microfacial and geochemical studies of the Lower Kellwasser Event in Płucki succession (southern Poland) provide details about redox conditions during deposition this horizon deep-shelf Łysogóry basin Holy Cross Mountains. The environment is characterized by calm sedimentation soft, muddy carbonate substrate. However, microfacies changing from wackestones to grainstones, presence crushed or current-oriented nautiloid shells occurrence redeposited material...

Abstract Opinions differ on whether the evolution of tetrapods (limbed vertebrates) from lobe-finned fishes was directly linked to terrestrialization. The earliest known tetrapod fossils, Middle Devonian (approximately 390 million years old) Zachełmie Quarry in Poland, are trackways made by limbs with digits; they document a direct environmental association and thus have potential help answer this question. However, identity tracks has recently been challenged, despite their well-preserved...

The placoderm sandstone (Emsian, Holy Cross Mountains) exposed in the abandoned quarry at Podłazie Hill was revisited and excavated during fieldwork conducted 2011-2013. Bone-bearing breccias were identified for first time this site subjected to taphonomic analysis. Vertebrate remains are dominated by heterostracans, while true placoderms compose less than 20% of total vertebrate assemblage. high degree fragmentation bones low abrasion indicate that reworked transported before final burial....

The dolomitic deposits of the Middle Devonian Wojciechowice Formation exposed at tetrapod tracksite in Zachełmie Quarry Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) are characterised by a low diversity invertebrate trace fossil association.Four ichnoassemblages can be identified track-bearing, lower part succession.The most conspicuous fossils produced arthropods (probably crustaceans), which form distinctive and large horizontal burrows.The described ichnotaxa (cf.Skolithos isp., cf.Balanoglossites...

Placodermi McCoy, 1848 (armoured fishes) are a group of early jawed vertebrates that appeared in the Silurian period and reached maximum diversification during Devonian.Placoderms became extinct at end played an important role history geological studies Holy Cross Mountains.Initially, placoderms were used as stratigraphic tools to distinguish between Cambrian Devonian sandstones Mountain region (Czarnocki 1919(Czarnocki , 1936)).Placoderms biostratigraphic marker for correlation first time...

The siliciclastic sequence of the Lower Devonian southern part Holy Cross Mountains in Poland is renown for abundant vertebrate fossils, including ostracoderm, sarcopterygian, acanthodian, chondrichthyan, and placoderm remains.Study assemblage from "placoderm sandstone" Podłazie Hill reveals that remains belong to Kujdanowiaspis sp.among other unspecified actinolepids brachythoracids.The Polish actinolepid material characterised by sizes bigger than those Podolian specimens; this may be...

Abstract Of all the Devonian stratigraphic boundaries, Frasnian–Famennian transition (372.2 ± 1.6 Ma) preserves record of one most significant crises in history life, final stages which lie buried distinctive Kellwasser limestone. The facies occur Western and Central Europe commonly cited Płucki area Poland’s geologically rich Holy Cross Mountains is only site that region where boundary considered to within facies. At this locality, limestone contains slump structures, comprising contorted...

Fossils remains of placoderms are so characteristic for the Lower Devonian deposits in Holy Cross Mountains, central Poland (Gurich, 1896), that these rocks colloquially named ‘Placoder...

Abstract The age of granophyric diorite from the Sosnowiec IG-1 borehole (Brunovistulia Terrane) was studied by means U–Pb single-grain zircon analysis performed on a SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) IIe device. isotope ages and provenance zircons Emsian tuffs cropping out in southern part Holy Cross Mountains (Małopolska were also investigated using same method. intrusion (420 ± 2 Ma) is comparable with combined Ar–Ar/magnetostratigraphic Bardo diabase northern Małopolska...

The depositional environment of the Lower Devonian Holy Cross Mountains has only been studied and interpreted in part, particularly for lower portion profile.Recent fieldwork findings suggest a considerable change with regard to earlier hypotheses.Apart from sedimentological observations that indicate marginal marine very shallow-water conditions, horizons plant-root traces layers as palaeosols showing different stages pedogenesis have documented.The presence some areas is first direct...

Abstract. The reported placoderm remains from the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, belong to species Aspidichthys ingens Koenen, 1883. This study focuses on material described in past Wietrznia Quarry but new specimens were also collected form Kowala and Płucki localities. All presented here differ others past, mainly by having smaller tubercles possessing a distinctive crest anterior median part of dorsal plate, did not allow erection taxon. Based conodont assemblage, all are attributed...

New studies on Frasnian ptyctodonts, including the revision of historic material in addition to description new material, have resulted detailed two species Ptyctodus (Ptyctodus obliquus, kielcensis), eight indeterminate specimens sp. from Holy Cross Mountains and Dębnik near Kraków, four Rhynchodus sp., Ptyctodontidae gen.et sp.indet.from Mountains.One described (P.kielcensis) appears be endemic for region.Based general knowledge stratigraphy conodont obtained fragments sediments attached...