Mesophotic azooxanthellate coral communities and submarine seascape during the early Pliocene in Manilva Basin (S Spain)

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Mesophotic azooxanthellate coral communities and submarine seascape during the early Pliocene in Manilva Basin (S Spain) Julio Aguirre1 • Oscar Ocan˜a2 • Jose´ N. Pe´rez-Asensio3 • Rosa Dome`nech4 Jordi Martinell4 • Eduardo Mayoral5,6 • Ana Santos6



Received: 8 April 2020 / Accepted: 26 August 2020 Ó Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract Azooxanthellate corals are the most abundant macrofossils in the lower Pliocene deposits of the Manilva Basin (S Spain). In this paper, the cnidarian fossil assemblages have been studied in order to reconstruct the original communities and to depict the seascapes. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages associated with the corals have also been analysed to infer the palaeoenvironmental conditions in which they developed. Two sections have been studied. In the Canuto section, Coenosmilia fecunda dominates the cnidarian assemblage, followed by Asterosmilia cf. prolifera and Asterosmilia sp., which are all preserved as moulds and casts. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages indicate oligotrophic conditions and deposition from the middle

Topic Editor Morgan S. Pratchett & Julio Aguirre [email protected] 1

Dpto. Estratigrafı´a y Paleontologı´a, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s.n, 18002 Granada, Spain

2

Dpto. de Biologı´a Marina, Fundacio´n Museo del Mar, Muelle Espan˜a s/n, 51001 Ceuta, Spain

3

CEREGE UM34, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Coll France, 13545 Aix-En-Provence, France

4

IRBio (Biodiversity Research Institute). Dpt. de Dina`mica de la Terra i de l’Ocea`, Facultat de Cie`ncies de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martı´ Franque`s s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

5

Dpto. Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, Avd. 3 de Marzo, s/n,, 21071 Huelva, Spain

6

Department of Applied Geosciences, CCTH - Science and Technology Research Centre, University of Huelva, Av. Fuerzas Armadas SN, 21071 Huelva, Spain

´ lamos section is charplatform to the upper slope. The A acterized by Madrepora oculata, Dendrophyllia ramea, Asterosmilia cf. prolifera, Asterosmilia sp., Coenosmilia fecunda, and gorgonians of the Isididae family (most likely Keratoisis melitensis and/or Lepidisis longiflora), as well as a basal holdfast attributed to a member of either Primnoidae or the Chrysogorgiidae family. Here, corals preserve their original skeletons. Benthic foraminifers suggest deposition in oligotrophic conditions in mid–outer platform settings. Corals in the Canuto section formed auto´ lamos section chthonous fossil assemblages, while in the A they were slightly displaced from their original growth positions to form parautochthonous fossil concentrations. The cnidarian community in the Canuto section was characterized by low-tier organisms either attached to hard substrates provided by skeletal remains (Coenosmilia fecunda) or inhabiting fine-grained bottoms (Asterosmilia ´ lamos section, Coenosmilia fecunda and spp.). In the A Asterosmilia spp. occupi