Abstract The lowermost Cretaceous carbonate deposits of the Carpatho–Balkanides (Eastern Serbia), which crop out in the Kucaj zone, were studied in three sections: Kamenica, Prekonozi and Jerma River Canyon. The identified micropalaeontological assemblages generally consist of calcareous green algae (mainly dasycladaleans), benthic foraminifera (mainly orbitolinids, cyclaminids, pfenderinids), and scarce calpionellids. The dasycladalean algal association comprises mostly species known from the Berriasian–lower Valanginian. The same age is also indicated by the majority of the identified benthic foraminifera, except for the orbitolinids from the upper parts of the sampled successions that hitherto were only known from the upper Hauterivian–lower Aptian of Southern France and Northern Spain. The co-occurrence of Berriasian–lower Valanginian algae and benthic foraminifera with Hauterivian–Aptian orbitolinids challenges establishment of the age of the sampled succession and, potentially, other carbonate successions too. The recognition of rare calpionellid specimens in samples containing orbitolinids can resolve this dilemma. Calpionellids are planktonic microfossils with a well-defined stratigraphic distribution within the Neotethyan realm; consequently, the identified species belonging to the Calpionellopsis zone confirm a late Berriasian age. In addition, it should be emphasized that some of the orbitolinids known until now only from upper Hauterivian–lower Aptian deposits were already present in the studied region from the base of the upper Berriasian.

中文翻译：

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来自 Kučaj 带（Carpatho-Balkanides，东塞尔维亚）的最低白垩纪石灰岩：关于其年龄分配的新数据

摘要 Carpatho-Balkanides（塞尔维亚东部）白垩纪最下层的碳酸盐矿床位于 Kucaj 带，在三个部分进行了研究：Kamenica、Prekonozi 和 Jerma River Canyon。已确定的微古生物群落通常由钙质绿藻（主要是 dasycladaleans）、底栖有孔虫（主要是眼环藻类、仙客来、pfenderinids）和稀有的 calpionellids 组成。dasycladalean 藻类群落主要包括从 Berriasian-lower Valanginian 已知的物种。大多数已确定的底栖有孔虫也表明了相同的年龄，除了来自采样序列上部的轨道生物，迄今为止只知道来自法国南部和西班牙北部的上 Hauterivian-下 Aptian。Berriasian-lower Valanginian 藻类和底栖有孔虫与 Hauterivian-Aptian 轨道生物的共同出现挑战了采样序列的年龄确定，也可能挑战其他碳酸盐序列的年龄。在含有轨道生物的样品中识别罕见的 calpionellid 标本可以解决这个难题。Calpionellids 是浮游微化石，在新特提斯界具有明确的地层分布；因此，属于 Calpionellopsis 区域的已鉴定物种证实了晚 Berriaasian 时代。此外，应该强调的是，一些迄今为止仅从上 Hauterivian-下 Aptian 矿床中已知的轨道生物已经存在于上贝里亚斯底部的研究区域中。