Middle and Late Devonian Chitinozoa and biostratigraphy of the Parnaiba and Jatoba Basins, northeastern Brazil

Chitinozoans from Middle and Upper Devonian strata have been investigated from the Parnaiba and Jatoba basins in northeastern Brazil. The 63 chitinozoan species encountered include 32 species retained in open nomenclature due to the insufficient number of well-preserved specimens, and seven species described as new, viz. Ancyrochitina arirambaense, Angocbhtina parnaibaense, Angochitina smallii, Fungochitina microspinosa, Ramochitina kegehi, Ramochitina pimenteiraense, and Ramochitina stiphrospinata. A regional chitinozoan biozonation, consisting of six zones is proposed for the investigated interval. These zones are, from the oldest to the youngest: interval range zone of Ancyrochitina latipes (Eifelian s.l.); concurrent range zone of Ancyrochitina latipes and Ancyrochitina langei (late Eifelian); total range zone of Ramochitina stiphrospinata n. sp. (early Givetian); interval range zone of Fungochitina microspinosa n. sp. (middle Givetian); interval range zone of Lagenochitina avelinol (Frasnian s.l.); and the concurrent range zone of Urochitina bastosii and Sommerochitina langei (late Frasnian - middle Famennian).