AGE AND PALEOENVIRONMENT OF THE SHARAWRA MEMBER (SILURIAN OF NORTH-WESTERN SAUDI-ARABIA)

This paper presents the first actual documentation of the Wenlock age of the Sharawra Member (Qalibah Formation) of north-western Saudi Arab ia by a direct palynological evidence. The local chitinozoan biozones and three new chitinozoan species, Pseudoclathrochitina sharawraensis sp. nov., Ancyrochitina parafragilis sp. nov. et Anthochitina jawfensi s sp. nov. are described herein. Eurypterid remains, and palynomorphs recovered from the Sharawra Member indicate a shallow marine environme nt, close to emerged land with primitive plants.