The Waaipoort Formation is a geologic formation in South Africa. It preserves fossils dating back to the Visean, in the Carboniferous period.[1]

Geology

The Waaipoort formation consists of mudstones, siltstones, and fine sandstones and is around 35 meters thick. Fish-bearing localities are common and in most of these, the fish are present in calcitic or phosphatic nodules. At the Schiethoogte locality in the Eastern Cape, a 15 cm thick black layer made up of siltstone and fine sandstone contains two horizons where actinopterygian fossils are closely packed. These are thought to represent mass mortality events.[1]

Paleoenvironment

The Waaipoort formation has most commonly been interpreted as a marginal marine environment, possibly a lagoon or a delta. The fauna, composed mostly of paleoniscoids, is a large divergence from the predominantly placoderm- and sarcopterygian- dominated faunas of previous Witteberg Group formations like the Witpoort Formation.[1]

Fossil content

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Acanthodians

Acanthodians
Genus Species Clade Images
Gyracanthides[1][2] G. sp. Climatiiformes
Restoration of Gyracanthides murrayi
Restoration of Gyracanthides murrayi

Chondrichthyes

Chondrichthyes
Genus Species Clade Images
?Protacrodontidae[2] Protacrodontidae indet. ?Protacrodontidae
?Plesioselachus[1] ?Plesioselachus indet.

Palaeonisciformes

Palaeonisciformes
Genus Species Clade Images
Willowmorichthys[1][2][3] W. striatulus Willowmorichthyidae
Mentzichthys[1][3] M. walshi Rhadinichthyidae
M. jubbi
M. maraisi
M. theroni
Australichthys[1][3] A. longidorsalis Holuridae
Aesturichthys[1][3] A. fulcratus Atherstoniidae
Adroichthys[1][3] A. tuberculatus Amphicentridae
Sundayichthys[1][3] S. elegantulus Canobiidae
Soetendalichthys[1][3] S. cromptoni Platysomidae
Dwykia[1][3] D. analensis Dwykiidae

Eurypterids

Eurypterida
Genus Species Clade Images
Cyrtoctenus[4] C. wittebergensis Hibbertopteroidea
Hibbertopterus wittebergensis
Hibbertopterus wittebergensis

Bivalves

Bivalvia
Genus Species Clade Images
2 undescribed species of ?Unionidae[2] 2 undescribed species of ?Unionidae ?Unionidae

Flora

Flora
Genus Species Clade Images
Praeramunculus[2] P. striatiramus ?Progymnospermopsida
Archaeosigillaria[2] A. caespitosa Lycopodiopsida

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gess, Robert (2016). "Vertebrate Biostratigraphy of the Witteberg Group and the Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary in South Africa". Origin and Evolution of the Cape Mountains and Karoo Basin. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer Nature. pp. 131–140. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-40859-0_13. ISBN 978-3-319-40858-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Evans, F J (1999). "Palaeobiology of Early Carboniferous lacustrine biota of the Waaipoort Formation (Witteberg Group), South Africa". Palaeontologia Africana. 35. Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research. hdl:10539/16455. ISSN 0078-8554.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Gardiner, B G (1969). "New palaeoniscoid fish from the Witteberg series of South Africa". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 48 (4): 423–452. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1969.tb00722.x.
  4. ^ D. Waterston, C; W. Oelofsen, B; D. F. Oosthuizen, R (1985-01-01). "Cyrtoctenus wittebergensis sp. nov. (Chelicerata: Eurypterida), a large sweep-feeder from the Carboniferous of South Africa". Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences. 76 (2–3): 339–358. Bibcode:1985EESTR..76..339W. doi:10.1017/S0263593300010555. S2CID 129589593.


Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waaipoort_Formation
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