ON THE FINDINGS OF THE CARBONIFEROUS ICHTHYOFAUNAIN THE TERRITORY OF BELARUS

Abstract

In palaeoichthyological terms, the Carboniferous deposits of Belarus have not been specifically studied for a long time. The findings of the ichthyofauna skeletal elements were mostly random and, as a rule, were passed on by geologists to relevant specialists outside Belarus. The results of the study of some of them were published only in a few papers. These few publications provided information on the ichthyofauna stratigraphic distribution in the Carboniferous deposits of Belarus. The author of this article has been engaged in a targeted search and study of the remains of Carboniferous fishes in the country since 2010. Thanks to his targeted research it was possible to significantly replenish the taxonomic composition of the Carboniferous ichthyofauna of Belarus, to clarify its stratigraphic distribution and to provide its detailed description in several papers. It is proposed to include the identified ichthyoassemblages in the regional part of the new stratigraphic chart of the Carboniferous deposits of the territory of Belarus. At present, the research of the remains of the Carboniferous ichthyofauna of Belarus is actively ongoing. Their stratigraphic significance is being clarified for detailed stratification of the Carboniferous deposits of Belarus and for conducting, on their basis, correlations with coeval deposits developed in non-contiguous and far-remote territories.