First report of Miocene Bryozoan fauna of the Mishan Formation from the Qeshm Island and Minab Province, southern Iran

Abstract

The Persian Gulf is the remains of an ancient seaway that connected the Indo–Pacific Region to the Mediterranean– Atlantic Region and the Paratethys Ocean. The Mishan Formation in Zagros Basin, Qeshm Island (Persian Gulf), and the Miocene strata of Minab Province in the Makran Basin, southern Iran, have yielded a rich fauna of bryozoans. A total of 22 species are here identified from four sections of in the Qeshm and Minab areas, including 13 species belonging to the order Cyclostomata, and 9 species belonging to the order Cheilostomata. The distribution and occurrences of the bryozoan fauna show the studied intervals were deposited during Early to Middle Miocene while the Iranian Seaways was connected to the Indo–Pacific Region from southeast, and to Mediterranean–Atlantic Region from northwest. Also, the most similar occurrences of the species described are with bryozoan faunas of the Paratethys Ocean. • Key words: Bryozoa, Miocene, Iran, taxonomy. © 2025, Czech Geological Survey. All rights reserved.