Abstract

Species composition, stratigraphical and geographical distribution of 13 acanthodian assemblages from the Early, Middle and early Upper Devonian of the USSR are established. Great significance of these fishes for subdivision and correlation of multifacial deposits in these regions is demonstrated. Acanthodians are studied from the Baltic, central regions of the East European Platform (Gorki, Kostroma and Yaroslavl Districts of Russia), Podolia, Timan-Pechora, Severnaya Zemlya, Taimyr and the northeast of the USSR. Stratigraphical distribution of acanthodian genera and species in the Early-Middle Devonian of the USSR there is given. The wide geographical distribution of some Early Devonian acanthodian genera — Nostolepis, Cheiracanthoides and Watsonacanthus is emphasized. Characteristic species of these genera permit correlation of the deposits of such distant regions as the European and northeast parts of the USSR. So on the basis of the Lochkovian Acanthodian assemblage 2-nd are correlated Tilze in Baltic with the Bogdanovka Beds in Podolia, Ovin-Parma in Timan Pechora and Uryum in Taimyr, on the basis of assemblage 3-rd — Stoniskiai in Baltic with Chortkov-Ivane-the 1-st ichthyozone of Dnjester series in Podolia, on the basis of Early Emsian assemblage 6-th — Varandei in Timan-Pechora, Albanov in Severnaya Zemlya, Favosites regularissimus Zone in Taimyr and Vechernij in the North-East of the USSR, and on the basis of Eifelian assemblage 11-th — Kernave in Baltic, the upper part of Mosolovo and Cherny Yar in Central regions of Russia and Lekkeiyaga in Timan-Pechora.