

Jerzmahska, A., 



ICHTHYOFAUNA FROM THE JASLO SHALES OF SOBNIOW 

 (THE CARPATHIAN FLYSCH) 



Abstract: A description of Oligocene fish remains from the Jaslo 

 shales of Sobniow. Eight species are differentiated, belonging to the 

 families of Clupeidae, Gonostomidae, Sternoptychidae, Myctophidae, 

 Carangidae, Cybiidae and Cottidae. Two new species are described: 

 Idrissia carpathica belonging to the Gonostomidae, and Polyipnus soh- 

 nioviensis belonging to the Sternoptychidae. The greatest consideration 

 is given to systematics and anatomy. Characteristic of the ichthyofauna 

 from the Jaslo shales is the mass occurrence of bathypelagic fishes 

 with luminous organs. Their presence justifies the assignment of these 

 shales to deep-sea deposits. 



INTRODUCTION 



The abundance of fossil fish remains in the Carpathians is, as 

 a rule, associated with menilitic shale series. This statement is correlated 

 with the history of investigations of ichthyofauna from the Polish 

 Carpathians (Heckel 1850), (Kramberger 1879), (Rychlicki 1909), (Bo- 

 sniacki 1911), (Bohm 1930). The fish remains studied by those authors 

 were obtained from menilitic shales and, with rare exceptions, from 

 sandstones. The complete list of species and genera so far recorded 

 from the Polish Carpathians (Jerzmahska 1958) does not, according to 

 the more recent views on systematics (Weiler 1935, 1938), (Pauca 1934), 

 reveal great differentiation of forms, although quantitatively some 

 forms may be regarded as common. 



On the other hand, the greater part of the still undescribed fossil 

 fish remains from the Jaslo shales contains many new forms not pre- 

 viously reported from the Carpathian Flysch. They have been preserved 

 as skeletons with fin rays and outlines of the soft body parts — in 

 fact, in representatives of the Myctophidae and Sternoptychidae, even 



