M iddle D evonian jawed polychaete fauna from the type E ifel area, western G ermany, and its biogeographical and evolutionary affinities

A rich assemblage of M iddle D evonian (late E ifelian) polychaete jaws (scolecodonts) from the B lankenheimerdorf section in the type E ifel area, western G ermany, is described. The top part of the section also reflects the onset of the global K ačák E vent. The sediments of the section were deposited in a shallow to deep subtidal environment on the southern A valonian margin. The habitat was obviously favourable for jaw‐bearing polychaetes, which are represented by 18 species belonging to 9 genera. The assemblage is dominated by polychaetaspids, followed by mochtyellids, paulinitids and kielanoprionids. Notably, this study documents one of the oldest records of kielanoprionids, a polychaete family common since the M iddle D evonian and closely related to the extant H artmaniellidae. This may indicate that a prominent change in jawed polychaete evolution occurred during the E arly– M iddle D evonian transition. Moreover, we present new information on polychaete palaeobiogeography, which when compared with previously described D evonian scolecodonts shows that very similar polychaete faunas with many species in common were widespread in today's E urope and N orth A merica.