Holocene malacofauna on the Cieszyn Beds calcareous substrate at the Tuł Hill (Flysch Carpatians, Poland)

Abstract

The Cieszyn Beds (Jurassic/Cretaceous) in the Flysch Carpathians (Southern Poland) contain limestones, which create favourable conditions enabling the preservation of the Holocene mollusc shells in the overlying soils. The malacofauna found at the Tul Hill in the soil underlain by the limestones, and containig their fragments, confirms the conditions enabling migration of the species between the regions located south of the Carpathian range and the lowlands to the north. The dominating species are represented by the mollusc associations living in the woodlands. This study reports the presence of a unique species Orcula doliolum (Brug.) in the Tuł Hill area. Detailed biometric measurements on the shells of this species show no variation by comparison with similar studies conducted by previous authors at other isolated localities throughout Europe.