Bulldog Shale
| Bulldog Shale | ||
|---|---|---|
Ma | ||
| Type | Approximate paleocoordinates 67°30′S 104°30′E / 67.5°S 104.5°E | |
| Region |  South Australia | |
| Country |  Australia | |
| Extent | Eromanga Basin | |
  Bulldog Shale (Australia)  Bulldog Shale (South Australia) | ||
The Bulldog Shale is a
formation of Early Cretaceous age (Aptian to Albian stages) that forms part of the Marree Subgroup of the Rolling Downs Group, located in the Eromanga Basin of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.[1][2]
Description
It is the lowermost unit in the Marree Subgroup, overlying the
concretions rich in fossils are common in these unbleached shaly horizons.[4]
Fossil content
The Bulldog Shale has yielded fossils of
Dinosauria.[8] Due to the coastal location of the Bulldog Shale, large amounts of wood have also been recovered in this formation.[4]
Paleobiota
Archosaurs
| Archosaurs reported from the Bulldog Shale | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
Archosauria
|
Indet. | Andamooka, Coober Pedy | Various fragments, some opalized | Includes some material referable to | |
| Kakuru | K. kujani | Andamooka | Opalized tibia | Now considered Tetanurae indet.[8] | |
Plesiosaurs
| Plesiosaurs reported from the Bulldog Shale | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Kronosaurus | K. queenslandicus | Teeth | Originally referred to cf. K. sp.[4][7] |  | |
| Leptocleidus | L. sp. | Reclassified as Umoonasaurus[7] | |||
| Opallionectes | O. andamookaensis | Lunatic Hill opal field | Opalized incomplete articulated skeleton | A plesiosaur of uncertain classification[4][7] | |
| Umoonasaurus | U. demoscyllus | Zorba Extension Opal Field, Andamooka opal fields, Curdimurka area, Neales River region | Opalized skulls and skeletons | A small leptocleidid[9] plesiosaur with three crests on its head[2] |  |
| Elasmosauridae | Indet. | Andamooka | Partial skeletons and several fragments | [4] | |
| Polycotylidae | Indet. | Hermit Hill | Fragmentary specimen | [4] | |
Ichthyosaurs
Ichthyosaurs reported from the Bulldog Shale
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Platypterygius | P. sp. | Bopeechee Siding | Fragmentary cranial and postcranial material | The specimen SAM P14508 shows evidence of healed bite marks.[5] |  |
Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyans reported from the Bulldog Shale
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Ptyktoptychion | P. eyrensis | Near Lake Eyre in northern South Australia | [10][11] | ||
Invertebrates
Invertebratess reported from the Bulldog Shale
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
| Isocrinus | I. australis | Opalised calyx | [12] | ||
| Maccoyella | M. barklyi | [13] | |||
| Pursiphonia | P. clarkei | Opalised sponge remains | [12] | ||
| Tropaeum | T. imperator | [13] | |||
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
See also
- Fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Australia
- Toolebuc Formation, Albian fossiliferous formation of the northern Eromanga Basin
- Wallumbilla Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the northern Eromanga Basin
- Bungil Formation, Valanginian to Aptian fossiliferous formation of the Surat Basin
- Eumeralla Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of the Otway Basin
- Wonthaggi Formation, Valanginian to Aptian fossiliferous formation of the Gippsland Basin
- Aptian formations
- Crato Formation, contemporaneous Lagerstätte of northeastern Brazil
- Elrhaz Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of Niger
- Jiufotang Formation, contemporaneous fossiliferous formation of northeastern China
- Paja Formation, contemporaneous Lagerstätte of central Colombia
- Tookoonooka crater
References
- ^ Geoscience Australia. "Stratigraphic Unit Details: Bulldog Shale". Australian Stratigraphic Units Database. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ PMID 17148303.
- ^ Bulldog Shale at Fossilworks.org
- ^ S2CID 128232205.
- ^ .
- ^ a b McHenry, Colin R. (2009). Devourer of Gods: The palaeoecology of the Cretaceous pliosaur Kronosaurus queenslandicus (Thesis). The University of Newcastle.
- ^ .
- ^ ISSN 0311-5518.
- .
- OCLC 692219338.
- ISSN 0272-4634.
- ^ OCLC 692219338.
- ^ OCLC 692219338.
Further reading
- B. P. Kear. 2007. A juvenile pliosauroid plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Lower Cretaceous of South Australia. Journal of Paleontology 81(1):154-162
- R. E. Molnar. 1991. Fossil reptiles in Australia. In P. Vickers-Rich, J. M. Monaghan, R. F. Baird, & T. H. Rich (eds.), Vertebrate Paleontology of Australasia 605-702
- R. E. Molnar. 1980. Australian late Mesozoic continental tetrapods: some implications. Mémoires de la Société Géologique de France, Nouvelle Série 139:131-143