THE LATE FRASNIAN RHYNCHONELLID GENUS PAMMEGETHERHYNCHUS (BRACHIOPODA) IN POLAND, AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE KELLWASSER CRISIS

The rhynchonellid species, Pammegetherhynchus kowalaensis sp. n., occu rs in the late Frasnian (Early to Late Palmatolepis rhenana, and possi bly early Palmatolepis linguiformis conodont zones) marly-bituminous s uccession at Kowala (various outcrops) in the Galezice Syncline, south of Kielce in the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. The only other known s pecies of this genus is the type species, Pammegetherhynchus merodae S artenaer, 1977, from the late Frasnian (somewhere in the Early and Lat e Palmatolepis rhenana Zones) of the French Fagne (dark shales of 'Mat agne' aspect), and, probably, of the Eifel ('Budesheimer Goniatitensch iefer'). P. kowalaensis sp. n. occurred in level-bottom pioneer assemb lages, thriving in reef downslope, mostly poorly-oxygenated habitats o f the Kellwasser interval. The species finally disappeared near the Fr asnian-Famennian boundary. The genus Pammegetherhynchus seems to be pa rticularly suited to stressed deep-water shelf environments in the Eur opean part of the Laurussian shelf, widely distributed in this crisis time.