Original article Middle–late Asselian (Early Permian) fusulinid fauna from the post-Variscan cover in NW Anatolia (Turkey): Biostratigraphy and geological implications § Faunes de fusulines de l’Assélien moyen-supérieur (Permien inférieur) de la couverture postvarisque du Nord-Ouest de l’Anatolie (Turquie) : implications biostratigraphiques et géologiques Cengiz Okuyucu a, * , Mehmet Cemal Göncüog ˘lu b a Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), Geological Research Department, 06520 Ankara, Turkey b Middle East Technical University (METU), Department of Geological Engineering, 06531 Ankara, Turkey Received 9 November 2008; accepted 7 September 2009 Available online 1 February 2010 Abstract The earliest autochthonous cover of the Variscan basement of the Sakarya Composite Terrane (SCT) in NWAnatolia is represented by basal conglomerates and limestones. The microfacies types of the limestones in ascending order are: (1) bioclastic grainstone/packstone, (2) fusulinid grainstone/packstone, (3) smaller foraminiferal grainstone/packstone, (4) Anthracoporella (dasycladale) grainstone/packstone, and (5) wackestones. Twenty-three species assignable to 15 genera of fusulinids were recovered from the studied materials of the Kadirler section; Quasifusulina guvenci nov. sp. and Pseudoschwagerina beedei magna nov. subsp. are created. Rugosofusulinids, sphaeroschwagerinids, pseudoschwagerinids, occidentoschwagerinids, pseudochusenellids, quasifusulinids, rugosochusenellids and paraschwagerinids are the main faunal elements of the succession, which shows two distinct faunal intervals. Eoschubertella, Schubertella, Biwaella?, Rugosofusulina stabilis group, and Pseudochusenella correspond to the first interval at the base; the second interval is characterized by the species of Sphaeroschwagerina, Pseudoschwagerina, Occidentoschwagerina, the Rugosofusulina latispiralis group, and diverse quasifusulinids. A biostratigraphic correlation shows that the Kadirler section in the SCT in NWAnatolia shares many common species with Central Asia in the East but especially with the Carnic Alps and Karavanke Mountains in the West. The new data suggest that the close faunal relationship in the Late Carboniferous between eastern Alps, Ural Mountains, NW Turkey and Central Asia also continued during the Asselian. # 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Biostratigraphy; Fusulinids; Asselian; Early Permian; Paleogeography; Turkey Résumé Dans la couverture varisque de l’unité tectono-sédimentaire complexe de Sakarya, au Nord-Ouest (NO) de l’Anatolie, les couches autochtones plus anciennes sont des conglomérats basaux et des calcaires. Les microfaciès-types de ceux-ci montrent dans l’ordre ascendant : (1) des grainstones/packstones bioclastiques, (2) des grainstones/packstones à fusulines, (3) des grainstones/packstones à petits foraminifères, (4) des grainstones/packstones à dasycladales Anthracoporella et (5) des wackestones. Vingt-trois espèces de fusulines correspondant à 15 genres sont identifiées dans la coupe de Kadirler ; Quasifusulina guvenci nov. sp. et Pseudoschwagerina beedei magna nov. subsp. sont créées. Rugosofusulines, sphéroschwagérines, pseudoschwagérines, occidentoschwagérines, pseudochusenelles, quasifusulines, rugosochusenelles et paraschwagérines sont les principaux éléments d’une succession qui montre deux intervalles fauniques distincts. Eoschubertella, Schubertella, Biwaella?, Rugosofusulina du groupe stabilis et Pseudochusenella marquent l’intervalle inférieur, tandis que le second intervalle est caractérisé par Sphaeroschwagerina, Pseudoschwagerina, Occidentoschwagerina, le groupe Rugosofusulina latispiralis et des quasifusulines. Une corrélation paléobiogéographique montre que la coupe de Kadirler, dans l’Unité tectono-sédimentaire complexe de Sakarya dans le NO de l’Anatolie, partage Geobios 43 (2010) 225–240 § Corresponding editor: Frédéric Quillévéré. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: okuyucu@mta.gov.tr (C. Okuyucu). 0016-6995/$ – see front matter # 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2009.09.006