Kem Kem Group
Kem Kem Group | |
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Ma | |
Er Rachidia, Tafilalt | |
Country | ![]() |
Extent | central and eastern Morocco north and south of the Pre-African Trough |
The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds[2]) is a geological group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two geological formations, with the lower Ifezouane Formation and the upper Aoufous Formation used for the strata on the eastern side of the Atlas Mountains (Tinghir), with the Gara Sbaa Formation and Douira Formation used in the southern Tafilalt region.[3] It is exposed on an escarpment along the Algeria–Morocco border.
The unit
Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the group.[1] Recent fossil evidence in the form of isolated large abelisaurid bones and comparisons with other similarly aged deposits elsewhere in Africa indicates that the fauna of the Kem Kem Group (specifically in regard to the numerous predatory theropod dinosaurs) may have been mixed together due to the harsh and changing geology of the region, when in reality they would likely have preferred separate habitats and likely would have been separated by millions of years.[4]
Vertebrate paleofauna
Cartilaginous fish
Cartilaginous fish
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Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
Acrodontidae indet.[2] | Indeterminate | Members of Hybodontoidea
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Bahariyodon[2] | B. bartheli | A member of Hybodontoidea | |||
Cenocarcharias[2] | C. tenuiplicatus | One tooth[2] | A member of the family Cretoxyrhinidae
|
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Distobatus[2] | D. nutiae | A member of Hybodontoidea | |||
Haimirichia[2] | H. amonensis | One tooth[2] | A mackerel shark | ||
Marckgrafia[2] | M. lybica | 13 teeth[2] | A member of Batoidea | ||
Onchopristis | O. numida[5] | A rajiform ray[6] | ![]() | ||
Peyeria[2] | P. libyca | Three teeth[2] | A sawfish. Might be a junior synonym of Onchopristis numida. | ||
Tribodus[2] | T. sp. | A member of Hybodontoidea |
Ray-finned fish
Ray-finned fish
| |||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
Adrianaichthys[2] | A. pankowskii | Isolated scales[7] and two skulls[8] | A member of Lepisosteiformes. Originally described as a species of Lepidotes, but subsequently transferred to a separate genus.[9] |
![]() | |
Afrocascudo[10] | A. saharaensis | A neopterygiian fish, either an ancient loricariid catfish or a juvenile obaichthyid lepisosteiform.[11] | |||
Agassizilia[12] | A. erfoudina | Possibly a member of the family Pycnodontidae. | |||
Agoultichthys[2] | A. chattertoni | A long-bodied member of Actinopterygii of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Might be a member of the family Macrosemiidae[13] or Ophiopsiellidae.[14] | |||
Aidachar | A. pankowskii | A member of Ichthyodectiformes | |||
Bartschichthys[2] | B. sp. | Isolated pinnulae (spines that support each dorsal finlet)[2] | A cladistian | ||
Bawitius | cf. B. sp. | Isolated scales and jaw fragments[7] | A cladistian | ||
Calamopleurus[2] | C. africanus | A partial skull[2] | A member of Amiiformes | ||
Concavotectum[2] | C. moroccensis | A member of Tselfatiiformes | |||
Dentilepisosteus[2] | D. kemkemensis | A member of Lepisosteiformes | |||
Diplomystus[2] | D. sp. | A deep-bodied Clupeomorpha
| |||
Diplospondichthys[2] | D. moreaui | A member of Actinopterygii of uncertain phylogenetic placement, possibly a teleost | |||
Erfoudichthys[2] | E. rosae | Isolated skull[2] | A small-bodied teleost of unknown affinity | ||
Neoproscinetes[12] | N. africanus | A member of the family Pycnodontidae | |||
Obaichthys | O. africanus | Isolated scales[7] | A member of Lepisosteiformes | ||
Oniichthys | O. falipoui | Near complete skeleton including skull[7] | A member of Lepisosteiformes | ||
Palaeonotopterus[2] | P. greenwoodi | A member of Osteoglossomorpha | |||
Serenoichthys[2] | S. kemkemensis | Several articulated skeletons[2] | A small cladistian | ||
Spinocaudichthys[2] | S. oumtkoutensis | An elongate freshwater acanthomorph | |||
Stromerichthys | S. aethiopicus | ||||
Sudania[2] | S. sp. | An isolated pinnula[2] | A cladistian |
Lobe-finned fish
Lobe-finned fish
| |||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Material | Notes | Images |
Arganodus | A. tiguidiensis | A lungfish |
![]() Queensland Lungfish , the only living member of Neoceratodus | ||
Axelrodichthys[15] | A.? lavocati | A mawsoniid coelacanth; this species was previously assigned to Mawsonia, and its generic assignment is still not certain[16]
| |||
Neoceratodus | N. africanus | A lungfish |
Amphibians
Amphibians | ||||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Anura indet.[17] | Indeterminate | Douira Formation | Incomplete left ilium | |||
Cretadhefdaa[17] | C. taouzensis | Douira Formation | Posterior portion of the skull, incomplete squamosal, incomplete maxilla, three incomplete presacral vertebrae, one incomplete sacral vertebra | A neobatrachian frog with possible hyloid affinities. | ||
cf. Kababisha[18] | Indeterminate | A salamander belonging to the family Sirenidae | ||||
?Neobatrachia indet.[17] | Indeterminate | Douira Formation | Incomplete humerus | A frog, possibly a member of Ranoidea. | ||
Oumtkoutia[18] | O. anae | A frog belonging to the family Pipidae |
Lizards and snakes
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Lizards and snakes reported from the Continental Red Beds | ||||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
B. hogreli[19] |
A polyglyphanodontid lizard. |
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Jeddaherdan[20] |
J. aleadonta |
Partial mandible with teeth. |
An iguanian belonging to the group Acrodonta, possibly a relative of the uromastycine agamids. Argued by Vullo et al. (2022) to actually come from Quaternary beds, and to be based on a fossil material of a member of the genus Uromastyx.[21]
|
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L. ragei[22] |
Two isolated trunk vertebrae |
An early snake. |
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Madtsoiidae indet.[18] |
Indeterminate |
Vertebrae[2] |
An early snake. |
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?Nigerophiidae indet.[18] |
Indeterminate |
Dorsal vertebrae[2] |
An early snake. |
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N. begaa[23] |
One posterior and two mid-trunk vertebrae |
A stem-snake. |
||||
Indeterminate[23] |
A mid-trunk vertebra | |||||
cf. S. libycus |
Vertebrae[2] |
An early snake. |
Plesiosaurs
Plesiosaurs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Leptocleididae cf. Leptocleidus[24] | indeterminate |
Turtles
Turtles reported from the Continental Red Beds | ||||||
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Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | |
D. schaefferi |
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G. emringeri |
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G. whitei | ||||||
H. escuilliei |
Crocodylomorphs
Crocodylomorphs reported from the Continental Red Beds
| ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
A. witmeri |
"Partial braincase of a large individual with skull roof, temporal, and occipital regions."[25] |
An aegyptosuchid that may be a synonym of Laganosuchus.[2] |
![]() ![]() Elosuchus cherifiensis ![]() | |||
A. taouzensis |
Paired mandibles and a partial right mandible |
A peirosaurid. | ||||
A. rattoides |
Douira Formation | |||||
E. cherifiensis |
|
An elosuchid. The material may represent two different species.[2]
| ||||
H. rebouli |
|
A peirosaurid. | ||||
K. auditorei |
Errachidia Province, Morocco[27] |
Known from an isolated caudal vertebra.[27] |
Initially thought to be a crocodyliform.[28]
| |||
L. thaumastos | ||||||
Lavocatchampsa sigogneaurusselae |
Anterior portion of a rostrum with mandible, with an almost complete dentition[29] |
Dinosaurs
Indeterminate lithostrotian remains once misattributed to the
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Dinosaurs reported from the Continental Red Beds | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
Indeterminate |
Isolated teeth.[30][31] |
Abelisaurid material belonging to one or two distinct taxa.[2] |
Carcharodontosaurus saharicus Deltadromeus agilis Rebbachisaurus garasbae Rugops primus Spinosaurus aegyptiacus reconstruction | |||
C. saharicus[1] |
Ksar-es-Souk province, Morocco.[1] | Douira Formation | Partial skull, including braincase, nasals, postorbitals, jugals, left lacrimal and right maxilla with most teeth.[33] |
A carcharodontosaurid theropod.
| ||
Carcharodontosauridae[34] | Indeterminate | Southeast of Taouz, Errachidia Province | Ifezouane Formation | partial maxilla and partial jugal | A carcharodontosaurid theropod different from C. saharicus | |
D. agilis |
Gara Sbaa Formation |
"Partial skeleton, isolated limb elements."[35] |
A noasaurid ceratosaurian or possible neovenatorid carnosaur. May be synonymous with Bahariasaurus. | |||
Indeterminate |
Isolated teeth.[30] |
Originally described as teeth of indeterminate dromaeosaurids. Hendrickx et al. (2024) reinterpreted this fossil material as teeth of abelisauroid theropods, including noasaurids and juvenile abelisaurids.[31]
| ||||
cf. Elaphrosaurus |
Indeterminate |
Ksar-es-Souk province, Morocco.[1] |
Fossils previously referred to cf. Elaphrosaurus are actually indeterminate theropod remains. | |||
Indeterminate |
||||||
Indeterminate |
Douira Formation |
An isolated tooth.[2] |
A probable ankylosaur[36] | |||
"Osteoporosia"[37] | "O. gigantea"[37] | A tooth and a possible neural arch from another specimen.[37] | A theropod, possibly synonymous with Sauroniops.[38] | |||
Indeterminate |
Douira Formation |
A large, clover-shaped, three-toed footprint.[2] |
Comparable in size and shape to tracks typically attributed to Iguanodon.[39] | |||
R. garasbae |
Ksar-es-Souk province, Morocco.[1] |
Gara Sbaa Formation |
A rebbachisaurid .
| |||
Indeterminate |
An isolated cervical vertebra.[40] |
An indeterminate saurischian. | ||||
S. pachytholus |
Ifezouane Formation |
"An isolated and almost complete left frontal,[42] and a possible tooth and neural arch from two other specimens."[38] |
A carcharodontosaurid distinct from Carcharodontosaurus.[41][42] | |||
Indeterminate |
The vertebra might belong to a basal titanosaurian, possibly distinct from Aegyptosaurus and Paralititan.[43] The ischium is not identifiable beyond Somphospondyli; it preserves numerous grooves and pits which might be feeding traces left by a very large non-avian theropod.[43] | |||||
S. aegyptiacus |
Ksar-es-Souk province, Morocco.[1] | Douira Formation | Partial skeleton, including parts of the skull, neck, torso, and most of the tail and hind limbs. [44]
Numerous isolated bones. |
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Indeterminate |
|
Isolated teeth, caudal vertebrae, a partial humerus, a tarsal bone and the proximal end of an ulna.[2] |
Fossil material pertaining to one or more titanosaurian sauropods. Some fossils are indicative of large body size comparable to Paralititan stromeri.[2] |
Pterosaurs
Pterosaurs of the Kem Kem Beds | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Abundance | Notes | Images |
A. zouhri[46] |
Takmout | Ifezouane Formation |
A fragment of bone interpreted as a fragment of anterior mandibular symphysis,[47] and additional jaw fragments that pertain to the rostrum as well as indeterminate jaw fragments.[3] |
A |
![]() Alanqa saharica ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
A. saharica[48] |
Ifezouane Formation | The holotype is a mandibular symphysis, of different parts of the jaw | A pterosaur of uncertain phylogenetic placement, probably an azhdarchid.[3] | |||
A. cf. piscator[50] |
upper Ifezouane Formation |
Partial mandibular symphysis[50] |
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A. gyrostega[51] |
Ifezouane Formation |
Partial rostrum and mandible, with additional referred jaw fragments[3] |
A possible chaoyangopterid azhdarchoid pterosaur.[51] Originally believed to be a possible pteranodontid,[48] a possible dsungaripterid,[52] a possible non-azhdarchid azhdarchoid or nyctosaurid,[52] or a specimen of Alanqa saharica.[49] | |||
Azhdarchidae indet.[52] |
Indeterminate[52] |
Averianov (2014) considered these vertebrae to pertain to Alanqa saharica,[49] although the vertebrae may be indicative of two taxa.[52] | ||||
Coloborhynchus[50] | C. sp. A.[50] | Hassi El Begaa | Premaxillae fragment[50] | Possibly a specimen of Nicorhynchus fluviferox.[53] | ||
L. begaaensis[54] |
Aferdou N’ Chaft |
upper Ifezouane Formation |
Partial rostrum and partial mandibular synthesis[54] |
A small, long-beaked pterosaur, likely a member of Azhdarchoidea.[54] | ||
Possibly Aferdou N’Chaft, Hassi El Begaa[53] |
Ifezouane Formation |
An anterior portion of the rostrum.[53] |
Originally described as a species of Coloborhynchus[55] but subsequently transferred to the genus Nicorhynchus. | |||
O. cf. simus.[50] |
upper Ifezouane Formation |
Premaxillae fragment[50] |
||||
S. moroccensis[56] |
Anterior part of a rostrum |
Classified by some authors as a species belonging to the genus Coloborhynchus.[48] | ||||
Xericeps | X. curvirostra | Aferdou N'Chaft | Ifezouane Formation | Mandibular symphysis and partial mandible[3] | An indeterminate azhdarchoid, possibly a chaoyangopterid.[3] |
See also
- Aoufous Formation, which lies within the Kem Kem Beds
- List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
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