Fish Otoliths from the Middle Miocene of Kienberg at Mikulov, Czech Republic, Vienna Basin: their paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic significance

Sixty-three otolith-based species were recorded in the Kienberg-vineyard section (northwestern part of the Vienna Basin), tell of which are new for the Central Paratethys. The assemblage contains the first fossil records of the extant species Scorpaena notata and Spondylisosoma cantharus. It correlates with the survey of the foraminifera in the present study, implying a Late Langhian (uppermost Lower Badenian and the Middle Badenian) age for the Kienberg Section. The section provides the richest and most diverse otolith association of that age for the Vienna Basin. Actualistic analysis of the otoliths indicates open marine, open infralittoral sedimentary conditions varying between 30 and 80 in depth with sandy-muddy/sandy bottoms and possibly seagrass beds, in a subtropical climate with gradual upwards cooling. This cooling is documented by the markedly higher diversity of gadoids in contrast with the lowest Badenian of the Central Paratethys and may reflect the decline of the so-called climatic optimum in the Miocene of Middle Europe. The dominance of Atlantic and Atlantic-Mediterranean taxa indicates an open communication with these domains and confirms the idea of the still functioning trans-dinaride corridor.