Lower Cretaceous rudist faunas ofSoutheast Spain: An overview

The Early Cretaceous rudist fauna from southeastern Spain (Prebetic, Iberic and Albacete domainsfrom the Murcia, Albacete, Valencia and Alicante Provinces) consists of 15 genera and 27 species belonging to the families: Requieniidae, Monopleuridae, Caprinidae, Polyconitidae and Radiolitidae. The specific diversity rises from the Lower Valanginian to the Lower Aptian, falls in the earlier Upper Aptian, recovers in the Late Upper Aptian and decreases during the Albian. Rudist assemblages having a well defined biostratigraphic distribution are documented at stage (Lower Valanginian, Hauterivian) or even substage levels, especially during the Aptian with a major Mid-Aptian faunal turnover. Valanginian to Barremian assemblages tend to be cosmopolitic, the Lower Aptian fauna having a West European character. The majority of Upper Aptian-Albian taxa are cosmopolitic whereas typical Arabo African elements are lacking.