Description of Paracaprinula syriaca Piveteau (Hippuritoidea, Plagioptychidae) and a revised age of ophiolite obduction on the African-Arabian Plate in southeastern Turkey

Paracaprinula syriaca, Piveteau (1939, Journal de Conchyliologie 83, 27–34), is described in detail for the first time. While the original description did not provide evidence for characters that indeed justify the genus of being different from Mitrocaprina Boehm, specimens collected at the type locality at Yaylaçiftliği (Hatay), and from Alidamı (Kahta–Adıyaman) are characterized by vesicular structure of the inner shell layer of both valves. Other diagnostic features (myocardinal arrangement, relative thickness of outer shell layer in both valves, pallial canals in left valve) are characteristic for the Plagioptychidae so that Paracaprinula is considered to be the most derived genus of the family presently known from the Old World. This is consistent with the Late Campanian age derived from strontium-isotope stratigraphy of specimens from the two localities studied. A Maastrichtian or even Late Maastrichtian age that was based on previous biostratigraphical studies (larger benthic, and planktonic foraminifers) of the predominantly siliciclastic transgressive sequence over the ophiolites of the African-Arabian Plate has to be revised. This has implications for the timing of ophiolite emplacement onto the African-Arabian Plate in southeastern Turkey.