Taxonomy and biostratigraphic record of the Upper Triassic conodonts of the Pizzo Mondello section (Western Sicily, Italy), GSSP candidate for the base of the Norian

New taxonomic and biostratigraphic investigations on the late Carnian to Rhaetian (Upper Triassic) conodonts from the Pizzo Mondello section (Western Sicily, Italy, Sicano basin) are here presented. Pizzo Mondello is one of the two GSSP candidates for the Carnian/Norian boundary; the section is a 430 m thick continuous succession of Late Carnian to Rhaetian marine limestones (Cherty Limestone), characterized by uniform facies and high sedimentation rates. Pizzo Mondello offers one of the most complete conodont records for this time interval in the Tethys; the conodont faunas are characterized by a large variety of species, belonging to the genera Carnepigondolella, Epigondolella, Metapolygnathus, Misikella, Mockina, Neocavitella, Norigondolella, Paragondolella and Parvigondolella. The richness of the populations allowed a detailed revision and description of all the Upper Triassic species and morphotypes recovered. The revision of the problematic species Carnepigondolella nodosa and “Metapolygnathus communisti B” was thus possible, leading to the establishment of two new species: Carnepigondolella tuvalica n.sp. and Carnepigondolella krystyni n.sp. The new biostratigraphic and taxonomic data and their correlability with the other fossil groups, led then to the identification of three new possible conodont bioevents for the definition of the base of the Norian, all placed close to the FAD of Halobia austriaca (sample FNP135a): the FAD of Metapolygnathus parvus in sample AM24, the FAD of Metapolyganthus echinatus in sample NA36 and the FAD of Carnepigondolella krystyni n.sp. in sample FNP134.