Palynodinium minus sp. nov., a new dinoflagellate cyst from the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition in New Zealand; its significance and palaeoecology

This is the first record of a representative of the organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst genus Palynodinium from the New Zealand region. Previously, Palynodinium grallator has been reported from two sites in offshore Tasmania during Ocean Drilling Program, Leg 189. The new species Palynodinium minus is found consistently in latest Maastrichtian? and earliest Danian strata (latest Haumurian–earliest Teurian) in two sections located along the mid-Waipara and Grey rivers, North Canterbury, South Island. It occurs in a narrow stratigraphic interval at the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition and is potentially a stratigraphically important index species in the region. Its range coincides with that of the global earliest Danian index fossil Carpatella cornuta and a basal Danian acme interval of Trithyrodinium evittii, and is correlated to ca. 65.5–65.2 Ma. Its highest occurrence is at the base of an acme interval of Palaeoperidinium pyrophorum. It has only been recorded from sections composed of siliciclastic shelf sediments, suggesting that it might have had a palaeoecological preference for relatively near-shore environments.