Middle Devonian-Early Carboniferous microscopic fish remains from Khoshyeilagh Formation, Mighan section, Eastern Alborz

Middle Devonian to Lower Carboniferous siliciclastic-carbonate successions in Eastern Alborz are characterized by Khoshyeilagh Formation. It is underlain by the Devonian red siliciclastic sequences and is overlain by the Carboniferous Mobarak Formation, can be divided into three different members; lower carbonate, middle siliciclastic, and upper carbonate. The Khoshyeilagh Formation comprises various fossil groups of invertebrates, conodonts, palynomorphs and fish remains. In the present study, a collection of microscopic fish remains, obtained from the lower and upper carbonate members in Mighan, north of Shahrood, have been determined and described. This assemblage contains 14 different taxa of chondrichthyan fish including: Cladodoides cf. wildungensis, Ctenacanthiformis gen. et sp. indet, Dalmehodus turnerae, Deihim mansureae, Lissodus lusavorichi, Phoebodus aff. turnerae, Phoebodus fastigatus, Phoebodus gothicus gothicus, Phoebodus gothicus transistans, Roongodus phijani, Siberiodus mirabilis, Squatinactis glabrum, Stethacanthus resistens and Thrinacodus ferox. Some specimens of scales and teeth of actinopterygian and osteichthyan fishes are also present which all indicate a shallow environment of the continental shelf. The associated conodonts with this assemblage demonstrate the age of Frasnian (rhenana biozone) to early Tournaisian (duplicata biozone) for the whole succession.