Ostracods and palaeobotany from the middle Permian of Oman: implications on Pangaea reconstruction

Discovery of a middle Permian ostracod fauna in the marine Khuff Formation (Sultanate of Oman), combined with palaeobotanical data from the immediatel y underlying continental Gharif Formation, supports new interpretations of the palaeobiogeography of the Tethys during the late Palaeozoic. A mixed os tracod fauna existed on the Arabian platform. This new record of Permian os tracods, combined with recent data obtained in other Tethyan areas, emphasi zes the close relationship between the south-western Tethys realm and South China. The macro- and microfloral assemblages of the continental Gharif Fo rmation demonstrate that this palaeoflora represents a true mixed associati on in which Gondwanan, Cathaysian and Euramerian elements are intermingled. Two main models exist for the reconstruction of Pangaea during the late Pa laeozoic. Both ostracods and palaeobotanical evidence favour the reduction of the oceanic area between South China and Arabian plate as in the B Panga ea model favoured by recent palaeomagnetic data.