Devonian scolecodonts from the Tyrnaueralm, Graz Palaeozoic, Austria

A small assemblage of about 70 disarticulated polychaete jaws (scolecodonts) from Devonian limestones (Plabutsch Formation) at the Tyrnaueralm, Austria, represents the first discovery of these fossils within the Graz Palaeozoic. Due to tectonic development of the area and burial temperatures over 300°C the scolecodonts are diagenetically altered and fragmented, which impedes full taxonomic study. However, maxillae of paulinitids and probable polychaetaspids and kielanoprionids can be identified, indicating that the polychaete assemblages in the Graz area include representatives of families occurring in Devonian faunas in other parts of Europe and in North America. Based on local facies the polychaete jaws were deposited in back-reef or lagoonal settings.