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General and preliminary observations and remarks concerning the
Immediate geological context -- western and central Europe in Carboniferous times -- of the Saar Basin.
The Saar Basin (Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region, south-western Germany) was one of the "limnische Innensenken" of western and central Europe, i.e. one of the inland depressions in which the water, where it was present, was fresh. Here (in the Saar Basin) the Namurian (lower upper-Carboniferous) is absent, i.e. not represented by deposits, but from the middle upper-Carboniferous (Westphalian B) up to the roofing of the lower Permian (the Rotliegend) the layer succession is, according to GUTHÖRL (1934), in this region continuous.
The European coal basins were formed in the upper Carboniferous, and it is instructive to say a word about their formation.
In the Variscan [ =Hercynic] geosyncline [which is a sinking trough constantly being filled with sediments, and later to be lifted] of central Europe orogenetic [i.e. processes of mountain-formation, uplifting] movements intensified since the lower Carboniferous.
During the progression of the folding front from south to north also the area of sedimentation increased in northwestern direction towards the Old-Red-Continent. The mentioned geosyncline is depicted in the next Figure.
Figure 1 : Palaeogeography and Sedimentation in central Europe at lower Visean time (about middle lower-Carboniferous).
Grey areas on the map signify land. Stippled areas : Kulm-facies (deep and shallow marine deposits). Brick-wall pattern : Kohlenkalk (shallow marine sediments).
(After PAPROTH, 1969, in SCHMIDT, 1974)
A characteristic mark of the orogenetic zones are the flysch-sediments of the kulm-facies. The stabilizing edges of the platform were represented by the kohlenkalk-facies.
From BEURLEN, Geologie, 1978 :
The Old-Red land of north-western Europe continues in Greenland and north-eastern North America. The kulm-kohlenkalk-transgression came from the south-east, and the kohlenkalk of the left-bank Rhine space and of Great-Britain represents the north-western broad shelf-boundary of this sea [ If I have understood things right, the "shelf-boundary" refers to the continental shelf of the Old-Red Land in the north.]
The kulm-kohlenkalk development was concluded by a new strong mountain folding (i.e. marine sedimentation ceased because the sea-floor had risen above the water, where then the sediment-layers were subjected to erosion). As a result, the sea retreats. Discordantly on top of the kulm-kohlenkalk lies in the Ruhr-region, in the Aachen and southern Belgian-northern France coal region and also in England, the mighty sequence of sandstones with shale intercalations and coal seams, all of which is referred to as "productive coal-measures" (Productives Steinkohlengebirge). The layer complex, for the larger part consisting of clastic sediments, becomes several thousand meter thick.
The lower section of the sequence consists only of clastic sediments and shales alternately ("Flözleeres", containing little or no coal). The upper section, on the other hand, comprises the coal-bearing (flözführenden) layers in which we see the sequence shale -- sandy shale -- fine-grained sandstone -- coarse-grained sandstone and conglomerate -- coal-layers (Steinkohlenflöz) many times repeating. Such a repeating sequence is called a cyclotheme, see in previous document, section "cyclothemes". The shales are mostly fresh-water sediments, sometimes also of marine origin, indicating marine transgressions taking place from time to time. But fresh-water and terrestrial formations prevail. Taking into account the great thickness of several 1000 meters, this means that at the northern edge of the folding and slowly lifting region there was a continuously progressing and sinking trough present in which erosion-material of the mountain-range accumulated, compensating the sinking. The formation of such debris-receiving sinking trough-zones in front of the fore edge of uplifting mountains is a wide-spread phenomenon in the geologic history of the Earth's crust. Here one speaks of frontal depressions (Vortiefen, paralic basins). See next Figure.
This next Figure shows the geographic position of coal beds and Variscan (= Hercynic) structures (i.e. structures of the Variscan mountain-building).
Figure 2 : The Variscan mountains and the coal troughs in Europe. (After BEURLEN, 1978).
With "Variscan mountains" we here mean : what we see of them (what is left of them) today (indicated by red stripes on the map).
Basins and mountain traits plotted on the geography of the Present.
The paralic coal basins (solid red stains on the map) were (at the time) Variscan frontal depressions (Vortiefe, Aussensenken), from time to time being flooded by the sea, while limnic coal basins (small red smudges on the map) were (at the time) inland depressions (Innensenken), in which the water was, where present, fresh. In the limnic basins there were no marine transgressions.
The Saar Basin is, on the map, indicated by a small red smudge a little below the center. It is a limnic coal basin.
The above given sequence from shale to coal-layers, hundreds of times repeating itself, indicates that the sinking of the frontal depression [i.e. of any frontal depression there] was not uniform. Each sequence starts with an increased sinking, resulting in deeper lakes, into which sometimes even the sea came in (shale). During decline of the sinking, the basins were filled, and were further filled by fluviatile deposits (sandstone). In the end-phase land-formational- and peat-swamps were formed (later to become coal-seams). After that the same process is repeated again, etc.
With all this we have concluded the exposition of the geohistorical and ecological context of the palaeozoic Blattaria supposedly having lived on the damp forest floor (among the forest-litter) in the depression (interior lowland) of the Saar territory.
Chief types of tegmina of palaeozoic cockroaches
As to the types of palaeozoic Blattaria as whole insects, the next Figure depicts the reconstructions of representatives of two of the four major families (Archimylacridae, Spiloblattinidae, Mylacridae, and Poroblattinidae) found in the the palaeozoic faunae (to be presented in the present and subsequent three documents) :
Figure 3 : Reconstructions of some paleozoic cockroaches.
244 - Aphthoroblattina johnsoni Woodward. Reconstruction. Family Archimylacridae, Order Blattaria. Upper Carboniferous (Westfal) of England. About 69 mm. (After HANDLIRSCH, 1925).
245 - Phyloblatta carbonaria Germar. Reconstruction. Family Archimylacridae, Order Blattaria. Upper Carboniferous (Stephan) of central Europe. About 29 mm. (After HANDLIRSCH, 1925)
246 - Syscioblatta [I assume that it must be Sysciophlebia] sp. Reconstruction. Family Spiloblattinidae, Order Blattaria. Upper Carboniferous (Stephan) of central Europe. About 26 mm. (After HANDLIRSCH, 1925)
We will now give a characteristic of four (out of more) families of fossil Blattaria (see also, in previous document, the Note on classification according to ROHDENDORF and RASNITSYN, 1980 ) in order to identify the blattarian remains found in the mentioned paleozoic faunae.
In all the following family diagnoses we do not distinguish between Radius and Radial Sector, because in most forms there is no such a distinction. Both are indicated simply by "Radius" (R).
Family Archimylacridae
Tegmen strongly sclerotized with a more or less clear archedictyon. Subcostal, Radial, and Medio-Cubital fields without strong broadening. R usually well developed. Costal field [the area between the Subcosta and the anterior margin of the tegmen] and Cubital area broad, which here means that SC and CuA are long, the respective vein-systems being drawn-out into the direction of the wing-apex. CuA does not, however, proceed all the way to the tegmen's apex.
The family is distinguished from the Spiloblattinidae by the stronger sclerotization of the tegmina, by the absence of broadening of the fields between the chief longitudinal veins, and by the clear archedictyon.
The place in the system of some genera of this family is not yet finally established, for instance Mesitoblatta Handl., Barroisiblatta Pruvost., Grypoblattina Pruvost., Cardioblatta Handl., Bradyblatta Handl., and Exochoblatta Handl. In all these genera the place of attachment of the tegmen [to the thorax] lies almost at the mid-line, which lets them to be close to the Mylacridae, namely to the subfamily Hemimylacridae. The genera Etoblattina Scudder, Sooblatella Handl., Sphaleroblattina Handl., Metaxys Handl., Hemimylacrella Handl., undoubtedly belong to the Archimylacridae, having the point of attachment [of the tegmen to the thorax] shifted anteriorly toward the anterior wing-margin.
The separate status of this family with respect to the Spiloblattinidae is not [always] completely determined. Some forms possess characters letting them to be close to the Spiloblattinidae, namely : broadened fields between SC, R, M, and CuA, a narrow Costal field, and elongate tegmina of some species of Phyloblatta (Ph. bertrandi Men.) and of Schizoblatta (Sch. pensylvanica Carp.). A similar case is exhibited by the lengthening of CuA, running up almost to the wing-apex in certain species of Phyloblatta (Ph. schröteri Gieb., Ph. imbecilla Schlecht., Ph. gracilis Gold., Ph. secreta Scudder, Ph. lemayi Pruvost, Ph. ardua Schlecht., and others).
Of this family there are 84 genera ( BECKER-MIGDISOVA, 1961). The next Figure depicts a typical member of this family :
Figure 4 : Archaeotiphites petroblattinoides Becker-Migdisova. Family Archimylacridae. Order Blattaria. Tegmen. Length 38 mm.
Middle Carboniferous of Kuznets Basin, Siberia, Russia.
(After BECKER-MIGDISOVA, 1961).
Family Spiloblattinidae
Figure 5 : Sysciophlebia arcuata Sellards. Family Spiloblattinidae. Order Blattaria. Tegmen. Length 24 mm.
Upper Upper-Carboniferous of Kansas, USA.
(After SELLARDS, in HANDLIRSCH 1906).
The family distinguishes itself from the Archimylacridae by the more weakly sclerotization of the tegmina, by the broadening of the Subcostal, Radial, Medio-Cubital fields at the base and their remaining distinct up to the wing-margin, a narrow and long (except Olethroblatta) Costal field, and a stretched Cubital area, and also by the very weak archedictyon, usually preserved only along the veins.
Family Mylacridae
The next Figure depicts a typical representative of the family Mylacridae.
Figure 6 : Cardioblatta Fritschi Schlechtendal. Family Mylacridae. Order Blattaria. Tegmen. Length 16.5 mm.
Upper Upper-Carboniferous of Wettin in Sachsen, Germany.
(After HANDLIRSCH 1906).
Family Poroblattinidae
Figure 7 : Poroblattina Germari Giebel. Family Poroblattinidae. Order Blattaria. Tegmen. Length 9 mm.
Upper Upper-Carboniferous of Löbejün in Sachsen, Germany. Ottweiler Stufe.
(After HANDLIRSCH 1906).
The family Mesoblattinidae, most of its members having intercalated veins in their tegmina, is found in the Mesozoic only.
It is instructive to realize how little the venation of cockroach tegmina has changed during the enormous period between the upper Carboniferous and the present day. Let us give two examples of tegmina of recent cockroaches (Epilampridae, Blattidae) :
Figure 7a : Tegmen of Blattella (aliasPhyllodroma) germanica. Recent. Family Epilampridae. Order Blattaria. . Length 9 mm. According to more recent [than 1918] interpretation "1st An" = CuP. (After COMSTOCK, 1918).
Figure 7b : Tegmen of Periplaneta americana Linnaeus. Recent. Family Blattidae. Order Blattaria. (After SMART, 1951, in HENNIG, 1981).
We are now, at last, sufficiently prepared to describe and biologically evaluate the Blattaria of the Saar Basin (and later to compare them with those of the other three palaeozoic basins).
Stratigraphy of the Saar basin
The upper Carboniferous in Europe consists of Namurian (lower upper-carboniferous), Westphalian (middle upper-carboniferous), and Stephanian (upper upper-carboniferous). In the Saar region the Namurian is not developed. Beginning with the Westphalian, the layer sequence, in the Saar region, continues, via the Stephanian, into the Permian. It includes the lower half of the latter : the (lower and upper) Rotliegendes.
The next Figure gives the stratigraphic division of the Westphalian of the Saar region.
Figure 8 : Stratigraphy in the Middle Upper-Carboniferous [= Westphalian] of the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region, south-western Germany.
Measure 1 : 13333.
(After GUTHÖRL, 1934, changed.). For image horizontally set, press HERE.
Although this chart does not give us much about the lithological structure of the section (which we must taken as representing a number of cyclothemes -- probably an alternation of coal (swamp) and shale (lake) deposits), it will serve as a map to which some details of the stratigraphic location of described fossils will refer.
According to GUTHÖRL 1934, in the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region the layer sequence is, from the middle upper-Carboniferous (from Westphalian B to be precise) onwards, up to the roof (das Hangende) of the lower Permian, continuous, i.e. without interruptions [ where "the roof of the lower Permian" means : what is supposed to come next to these particular rocks of lower Permian age, i.e. what does actually lie upon them. This roof would normally be rocks representing the beginning of the upper Permian, but such rocks are not known in the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region.].
The middle upper-Carboniferous (Westphalian) is here [i.e. in the Saar region] sharply separated from the upper upper-Carboniferous (Stephanian) by the Holzer-conglomerate. The upper upper-Carboniferous itself consists here of the Ottweiler Schichten [Ottweiler layers], which themselves in turn consist of lower, middle, and upper Ottweiler Schichten.
In the lower Ottweiler Schichten we can find the so-called Magerkohlen-flöze.
The middle Ottweiler Schichten are very poor of (economic) important 'flözen'.
The upper Ottweiler Schichten contain the Grenzkohlen- or Hausbrandflöz.
The Ottweiler Schichten chrono-stratigraphically belong to the Stephanian.
The Permian is represented by the lower part of it, the Rotliegendes. Of the upper part, the Zechstein, almost nothing is known in the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region. All parts (Stufen) of the Rotliegendes are present in the region and immediately follow upon the upper upper-Carboniferous. The sequence is, still according to GUTHÖRL, 1934, as follows :
Upper Rotliegendes :
Kreuznacher Schichten.
Waderner Schichten.
Lower Rotliegendes :
Tholeyer Schichten.
Lebacher Schichten.
upper Kuseler Schichten.
lower Kuseler Schichten.
Listing of palaeozoic Blattida (= Blattaria) found in the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region in stratigraphic order
( GUTHÖRL, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1963. BOERSMA, 1975 )
See Figure 8, Saar Stratigraphy or (image horizontal) HERE.
Middle Upper-Carboniferous :
Archimylacris diensti Guthörl.
Westphalian C, lower Saarbrücker Schichten [layers], Sulzbachflöz group.
Mülleroblatta camerata Kliver.
Westphalian C, lower Saarbrücker Schichten, Sulzbachflöz group.
Friedrichsthalia blatteri Guthörl.
Westphalian C, lower Saarbrücker Schichten, Sulzbachflöz group, Roof of Flöz 7.
Etoblattina primaeva Goldenberg.
Westphalian D, upper Saarbrücker Schichten, Liegende [= lower part of] Flammkohlenpartie, Hangende van [= roof of] the Auerswaldflöz = Flöz Cäcilie, above Tonstein 2 [ Tonstein = argillaceous rock].
Archimylacridae gen, indet.
Westphalian D, upper Saarbrücker Schichten, Liegende [= lower part of] Flammkohlenpartie, 3. Liegende Flöz. 50 meter below Flöz Amelung (= Flöz Motz = Flöz Kallenberg).
Platyblatta steinbachensis Kliver.
Westphalian D, upper Saarbrücker Schichten, Liegende [= lower part of] Flammkohlenpartie, 2. Liegende Flöz.
Platyblatta propria Kliver.
Westphalian D, upper Saarbrücker Schichten, Liegende [= lower part of] Flammkohlenpartie.
Upper Upper-Carboniferous :
Hermatoblattina wemmetsweilerensis Goldenberg.
Stephanian [A {JB}], Lower Ottweiler Schichten.
Phyloblatta robusta Kliver.
Stephanian [A {JB}], Lower Ottweiler Schichten.
Sysciophlebia pygmaea Meunier.
Stephanian [A {JB}], Lower Ottweiler Schichten, roof of the Schwalbacher (= Lummerschieder) Flöz..
Mioblattina weissi Guthörl.
Stephanian A, Lower Ottweiler group, Göttelborner Schichten, Leaia-horizont.
Guichenbachia gigantea Guthörl.
Stephanian A, Lower Ottweiler group, Dilsburger Schichten [I do not know whether these layers are younger or older than the Göttelborner Schichten.], roof of Flöz Wahlschied..
Ottweileria schmidti Guthörl.
Stephanian [A {JB}], Lower Ottweiler Schichten.
Sysciophlebia sp. (GUTHÖRL, 1936, p. 102).
Stephanian [A {JB}], Lower Ottweiler Schichten.
Phylomylacris reisbachensis Boersma.
Stephanian B, sediments in the neighborhood of the Illinger Flöz of the Heusweiler Schichten.
Sysciophlebia weissiana Goldenberg.
Stephanian [C {JB}], Upper Ottweiler Schichten.
Sysciophlebia steinbachi Guthörl.
Stephanian [C {JB}], Upper Ottweiler Schichten, Grenzkohlenflöz.
Sysciophlebia sp. (GUTHÖRL, 1934, p. 154).
Stephanian [C {JB}], Upper Ottweiler Schichten, Grenzkohlenflöz.
Häberleoblatta remigii Dohrn.
Stephanian [C {JB}], Upper Ottweiler Schichten, Grenzkohlenflöz.
Lower Permian :
Phyloblatta gigantea Guthörl.
Lower Rotliegendes, Hoofer (= upper Kuseler) Schichten.
Phyloblatta gracilis Goldenberg.
Lower Rotliegendes, Lebacher Schichten, Toneisensteinlager.
Phyloblatta lebachensis Goldenberg.
Lower Rotliegendes, Lebacher Schichten, Toneisensteinlager.
Olethroblatta minuta Guthörl.
Lower Rotliegendes, Lebacher Schichten, Toneisensteinlager.
Phyloblatta ornatissima Deichmüller.
Lower Rotliegendes, Lebacher Schichten.
Phyloblatta schusteri Handlirsch.
Upper Rotliegendes, Winnweiler Stufe (= Waderner Schichten [partially] ).
The Blattida of the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region, depicted and discussed
We will now depict the above listed palaeozoic Blattida (= Blattaria = Blattodea) of the Saar-Nahe-Pfalz region, as they are represented by fossil tegmina, and add data about the geographic locality where each tegmen is found, the position of the fossil in the stratigraphic column, its condition of preservation, and its proper place in the taxonomic system.
The images, about to be given, clearly show that the material from this region often is very fragmentary. Attempts to complete them again, i.e. restore them by dashed lines that are supposed to represent the missing elements, are needed, it is true, but can sometimes be misleading because an alleged whole object (for instance a wing) of some kind (and not of another), as suggested by the reconstruction, is pressed upon the reader, imprinted in his mind, from which it is sometimes hard to set free. Often, of a wing fragment, it is hard to determine with certainty the proper orientation because often the margins of the wing are missing.
The fragmentary nature of the fossil insects from the Saar basin, together with their relative scarcity, interferes with the realization of a faunistic insight of the region in late palaeozoic times.
Also we will encounter the inherent difficulties of interpretation of palaeo-entomologic material (impressions in rocks) at all. To express this fact I will present existing drawings of several authors of the same fossil. In all this it is certainly not the case that a priori the most recent drawing is the best and the most reliable, because to make a proper drawing of a fossil depends on a number of personal skills. And, moreover, a fossil, preserved in a museum, or in someone's private collection, may qualitatively deteriorate in the course of time (because the natural preservation conditions, such as isolation from air, are now absent), resulting in the fact that later investigators may find less details when re-inspecting the fossil.
Fortunately, studying fossil cockroaches (Blattida) in particular, there are advantages with respect to many other fossil insects. The tegmina of them are readily fossilized because of their relatively tough nature. And indeed, they are often found in large numbers. Further they were medium to large insects, leaving more or less clear impressions in the rock, generally much better than minute insects do. So when authors have studied a fossil group preserved in large numbers of individuals in some locality, misinterpretation of some of the fossils will not, generally, interfere with the overall result and theoretical conclusions of the enquiry.
In order to appreciate the placing of the fossil Blattaria into the correct taxon (family), see the family diagnoses given above.
(most important) Literature cited in the list below :
Short summary of the palaeozoic Blattida in the Saar basin, and outlook to further theoretical ideas concerning the noëtic 'machinery' of organic evolution
These, then, were all the palaeozoic Blattida found in the Saar Basin (unidentifiable fossils not presented in the above list), all Blattida found, that is, up until about the 1960's. The reader is encouraged here to follow up updates made since that time, if there are any of them.
We see that the great majority of Blattida found in the Saar basin belongs to the family Archimylacridae, a few to the Spiloblattinidae, and one to the Mylacridae. Of course we do not know whether these palaeozoic 'families', as defined above, are correctly conceived of, because we only have their tegmina. At least these 'families' do express the existence of a small number of slightly different types of cockroach tegmina, as such perhaps representing several subtypes of blattopterygia.
In the Blattida faunae of the other three coal-basins (Wettin, Dunkard, Kuznets) we will see a similar preponderance of the family Archimylacridae. And although this family has several genera, it often represents itself by highly similar forms that are supposed to be species of one particular genus of it - Phyloblatta.
Taking into account (1) the supposed thermophilous and especially hygrophilous nature of palaeozoic cockroaches, and (2) the mountainous terrain between the (humid and warm) coal-basins, separating them by elevated areas with cooler and especially drier climate, every evolutionist should wonder how such identical types (such as the species of the family Archimylacridae) have managed to reach basins lying so far apart as does the Kuznets basin from the west-European coal-basins, or from the Dunkard basin in North America (then adjacent to Europe) for that matter. And what if it is admitted to be very unlikely that they have actively spread so far from their one region of origin, wherever that might have been? It would mean that their origin must have been polytopous, and therefore their development polyphyletic. The Archimylacridae of the different coal-basins then would not be connected with each other genealogically. Although we still have to take a closer look to the composition of the Blattida faunae of the rest of the mentioned coal-basins (like we have done with the Saar basin), it is already clear that such (well-documented) phenomena of distribution of similar or identical organic types or taxa over large distances oppose to the chief mechanisms supposed by conventional evolutionary theory. We will surely return to this matter after we have described the other three palaeozoic coal-basins as to their Blattida fauna.
For a balanced evaluation and interpretation of these and other faunistic phenomena opposing conventional theory, it will be instructive to summarize and further expound our noëtic theory of evolution, i.e. our alternative evolutionary theory. This theory has been developed throughout Fifth Part of Website. The reader should realize, however, that we have not presented there a complete ready-made 'alternative' evolutionary theory. In fact our 'theory' is merely a collection of related ideas, more or less scattered over a number of documents. And these ideas were, in the mentioned Part of Website, one by one added to our core idea of Reality, viz., Reality being composed of two ontologically different, but not transcendent, domains of Being, viz., the Explicate or material, physical Order, and the Implicate or immaterial, noëtic Order of Being. And the added ideas are often not completely consistent with each other. Remaining within the overall theory, they are nevertheless more or less different points of departure from which to further develop the theory, and the reader may select one such point or another. So our 'theory' is, although having a persistent core, not a theory in the usual sense, but a collection of suggestions offered to readers that are interested in the very essence of organic evolution, and in the very essence of Reality as such for that matter. But, for convenience, let us call this growing collection of ideas -- centering upon the single idea of the Implicate and Explicate Orders -- "our noëtic theory of evolution" expressing our hope that it will once crystallize in the form of one single internally consistent theory.
But perhaps we have managed to connect a number of these ideas into one single complete Noëtic Theory of Evolution after all :
Indeed, by combining several of our findings concerning things as (1) the ontologization of Number Theory, (2) the biological formal system in noëtic space, (3) noëtic chreodes in the Implicate Order, (4) the nature of an organic strategy, (5) projection (into the Explicate Order) in terms of simulation and computation, (6) the Implicate Order knowing the Explicate Order, (7) the nature of ecological niches (existential conditions), (8) actual noëtic construction of strategy-contents in the Implicate Order, (9) polyphyletic development, (10) the part played by the Explicate Order in the construction and perfection of organic strategies, and, finally, (11) some ideas of Sheldrake's hypothesis of formative causation, -- we seem to have arrived at a fairly complete noëtic theory of organic evolution. We will expound this 'complete theory' directly after Part VIII (Heteropterygia) in the form of a two-document Theoretic Intermezzo in which we will first repeat a number of earlier findings and then extend the theory up to its conclusion. But of course the reader may pick up some earlier ideas on noëtic theory, not considered any further by me, and work these out instead.
The theoretical discussion, originally present in the present document, has now been placed further down, under the heading of "Theoretic Intermezzo" in a document immediately following upon part VIII ( Heteropterygia).
And with this we conclude the present document, that is, the exposition of the blattarian fauna of the Saar Basin.
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To continue click HERE for the next Blattarian faunistic complex : of the upper Upper-Carboniferous of Wettin, near Halle, Germany. Part IIIb
