New Aspects on Tethyan Cretaceous Fossil Assemblages

The geologie term "'Tethys" introduced by Eduard Suess (1893) into Reience waR originally a paleogeographic one. Since its original des eription it has been used in various ways. One of them is Tethys as a paleo-biogeographie eoneept. This eoneept was adopted for IGCP Project 262, Tethyan Cretaeeous Correlation. It was proposed by G. CSASZAR and Heim; A. KOLLMANN and has been approved by the IGCP Board in February 1987. The projeet haR its aimH primarily in the improvement of the stra tigraphie cOl'relation between the heterogenous faeies of the Tethyan realm. The requests to paleontology in this programme are of variouR kindH: The delimitation of the Tethyan realm in spaee and time needH a dear statements on the eomposition of Tethyan faunal 01' floral assem blages. Riozones based on various fossil groups have to be eRtablished fOI' biostratigraphie eorrelation. Finally, Tethyan bioprovinees have to be established. TheHe problems have been diseussed in a special meeting of the palaeontologieal group of the projeet whieh was held on January 25-27, 1988, in Vienna. Papers presented at this meeting are published in this volume. Heinz A. KOLI.MANN 1. Cretaceous Tethys versus Mesogee Xew Aspects on Tethyan Cretaceous Fossil Assemblages. Band 9 Schriftenreihe der Erdwissenschaftlichen Kommissionen der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. 15-33.