Late Ovetian (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 3) archaeocyathan biostratigraphy of Spain

Significant archaeocyathan assemblages have been recorded from virtually all tectonostratigraphic zones of the Iberian Massif and Pyrenees in Spain. Only the South Portuguese Zone lacks an archaeocyathan record. The most widely distributed assemblages correspond to an Iberian Late Ovetian age. This age encompasses Spanish archaeocyathan Zones IV, V, VI and VII (Perejon and Moreno-Eiris, 2006), of Late Atdabanian and Early Botoman age in Siberian terms, currently Cambrian Series 2, Stage 3 (Peng et al., 2012). Recent studies carried out on Late Ovetian carbonate materials have allowed us to establish a precise biostratigraphic framework for this age span in Spain. From comparison with all Late Ovetian archaeocyathan assemblages of Gondwana, it is evident that the Late Ovetian archaeocyathan record of Spain provides a rich generic assemblage from Gondwana for this time. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.