Calcareous microfossils from the Upper Mississippian (Chesterian) Maxville Limestone, southeastern Ohio

A low-diversity assemblage of smaller calcareous microfossils is present in the Upper Mississippian Maxville Limestone in Muskingum and Perry Counties, southeastern Ohio. Diagnostic faunal elements that suggest an early Chesterian age include the foraminifers Neoarchaediscus maxvillensis n. sp., Paraarchaediscus aff. P. Pachytheca (Petryk), Paraarchaediscus cf. P. koktjubensis (Rauzer-Chernousova), Endothyra excellens (Zeller), Endothyra bowmani Phillips emend. Brady, and attached forms. The presence of these diagnostic faunal elements in the Chesterian of Ohio significantly extends their known geographic range into the eastern Midcontinent region. Other forms present include the foraminifers Priscella? of the group P. prisca (Rauzer-Chernousova and Reitlinger), Diplosphaerina inaequalis (Derville), Earlandia spp., and the problematic Asphaltinoides macadami (Brenckle and Groves) and Salebra irregularis Bogush and Brenckle. Microfossils are present in both calcareous mudstone and limestone.