Silurian and lowermost Devonian conodonts from the Passo Volaia area (Carnic Alps, Italy)

Two sections (Rifugio Lambertenghi Fontana - RLF - and Rifugio Lambertenghi Fontana III - RLF III) of the Orthoceras limestones that crop out just South of Passo Volaia in the Carnic Alps yielded a rich and diverse conodont fauna. Twenty-six taxa belonging to eleven genera (Belodella, Coryssognathus, Dapsilodus, Dvorakia, Icriodus, Oulodus, Ozarkodina, Panderodus, Pseudooneotodus, Wurmiella and Zieglerodina) were discriminated. Wurmiella alternata n. sp. is described, and Belodella coarctata, Dvorakia amsdeni and Zieglerodina zellmeri are reported for the first time from the Carnic Alps. The fauna allows recognition of five late Silurian-earliest Lochkovian conodont zones (snajdri, crispa, eosteinhornensis s.l., detortus and woschmidti). The Silurian/Devonian boundary is interpreted to occur in the upper part of the RLF III section.