Coordinates: 32°30′N 3°06′W / 32.5°N 3.1°W / 32.5; -3.1

Anoual Formation

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Anoual Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Bathonian
↓
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofAnoual Syncline
Sub-unitsLower Member, Upper Member
UnderliesUnconformity with Ksar Metlili Formation
OverliesPholadomya Marls and Limestones Formation
Thickness~500 m (1,600 ft)
Lithology
PrimaryMudstone (Lower), limestone (Upper)
OtherSandstone, limestone, marl (Lower)
Location
CoordinatesLua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Approximate paleocoordinatesLua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.
RegionFiguig Province
CountryMorocco
ExtentHigh Atlas
Type section
Named forAnoual

The Anoual Formation is a geological formation in the High Atlas of Morocco. It is early Bathonian in age. It consists of two members. The lower member is several hundred metres thick, and consists largely of mudstone with lens beds of cross bedded sandstone, with thin intercalations of limestone that was deposited in a freshwater continental setting, likely lacustrine or palustrine, with small marine influences.[1] The upper member is several tens of metres thick and consists of limestone deposited in a shallow marine setting. The formation is fossiliferous, with several of the limestone intercalations yielding a diverse fauna, including amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs and mammals.[2]

Paleobiota

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Brachiopoda

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Burmirhynchia[3]
  • B. gr. termierae-athiaensis
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated shells A brachiopod of the family Tetrarhynchiidae
Kallirhynchia[3]
  • K. oranensis
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated shells A brachiopod of the family Tetrarhynchiidae
File:Tetrarhynchiidae - Kallirhynchia major cropped.jpg
Kallirhynchia specimen

Crustacea

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Asciocythere[3]
  • A. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the family Schulerideidae.
Bythocypris[3]
  • B. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the family Bythocyprididae
Asciocythere[3]
  • A. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the family Schulerideidae.
Cypridea[3]
  • C. cf. postelongata
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae
Cypris[3]
  • C. spp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae
Darwinula[3]
  • D. magna
  • D. cf. leguminella
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Darwinulidae
Fabanella[3]
  • F. bathonica
  • F. sp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the order Podocopida
Fastigocythere[3]
  • F. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida
Klieana[1]
  • K. levis
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the order Cytherideidae
Kinkelinella[1]
  • K. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Protocytheridae
Mantelliana[1]
  • M. sp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae
Metacypris[3]
  • M. sp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Limnocytheridae
Paracypris[3]
  • P. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the family Candonidae. Dominant marine taxon
Pneumatocythere[3]
  • P.? juglandiformis
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida
Praeschuleridea[3]
  • P. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the family Candonidae.
Procytheridea[1]
  • P. sp.
 Anoual Lower Member Isolated Valves A Marine Ostracod of the order Podocopida
Scabriculocypris[1]
  • S. sp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater Ostracod of the family Cyprididae
Theriosynoecum[1]
  • T. sp.
 Anoual Upper Member Isolated Valves A Freshwater/Brackish Ostracod of the family Limnocytheridae

Mollusca

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Lymnaeidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Isolated shells Freshwater snails
Nerineidae[1] Indeterminate Anoual Lower Member Isolated shells Marine snails
Planorbidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Isolated shells Freshwater snails
Provalvata[1] P. sp. Anoual Upper Member Isolated shells Freshwater snail of the family Provalvatidae
Valvatidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Isolated shells Freshwater snails

Fish

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Abundant osteichthyan ichthyoliths are known. An isolated spine displaying characters seen in extant cypriniform or siluriform fishes has been recovered, alternatively can belong to a member of Myriacanthidae.[2]

Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Arganodus[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Isolated tooth plates Lungfish
File:Chinle fish Arganodus cropped cropped.png
Arganodus reconstruction
Lepidotes/Scheenstia[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Isolated teeth and scales Lepidotidae bony fish
File:Lepidotes 1904.png
Lepidotes reconstruction
cf. Ionoscopiformes[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Rhomboidal scales Tentatively assigned to Ophiopsidae
Mawsoniidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Skull bones including a parasphenoid Coelacanth
Osteoglossiformes[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Squamules (small scales) The oldest record of the group

Amphibians

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Albanerpetontidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Incomplete premaxilla and incomplete frontal Likely represents a new taxon
Caudata?[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fragment of a dentary
Lissamphibia?[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fragment of a maxilla

Turtles

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Testudinata[2] "Morphotype 1" Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fifty plate fragments Similar to Solemydidae and Pleurosternidae turtles
"Morphotype 2" Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Single neural plate Plate slightly longer than wide
"Morphotype 3" Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Multiple plates By far the most abundant, maybe a larger taxon with smooth plates
"Morphotype 4" Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Two costal plates Similar to Araripemys and some Trionychidae

Lepidosaurs

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Parviraptor[2] Cf.P.sp. Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Four vertebral centra Squamatan, previously identified as a stem-snake
Rhynchocephalia[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member One fragment of dentary bearing two incomplete teeth; one fragment of maxilla bearing the bases of two teeth. Similar to the co-regional but younger genus Tingitana, but also to Clevosaurus.
Scincomorpha[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member A fragment of bone bearing teeth; potentially a fragment of bone bearing one complete tooth Squamatan
Squamata[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Incomplete maxilla, incomplete dorsal vertebra, one proximal part of femur

Choristoderes

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Choristodera[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fragmentary dentary, centrum of an anterior caudal vertebra, possibly centrum of a dorsal vertebra Similar to Cteniogenys

Dinosaurs

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Ornithischia[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Tooth Similar to Alocodon
File:Alocodon.jpg
Illustration of a fossil of Alocodon
cf.Stegosauria[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Poorly preserved tooth
Theropoda[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Several teeth

Pterosaurs

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Pterosauria[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth Similar to wukongopterids
Rhamphorhynchidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth

Crocodyliformes

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Atoposauridae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth
Teleosauridae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth
Thalattosuchia[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth, various skeletal elements probably belonging to a single individual
Theriosuchus[2] Cf.T. sp. Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Teeth An Atoposaurid

Mammals

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Amphitheriidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fragment of juvenile right dentary; fragment of an edentulous right dentary, probably middle-posterior part. If true is the 1st Gondwanic member of the family
Cf.Dryolestida/Donodontidae[2] Indeterminate Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Fragment of a tooth bearing one cusp and one root Similar to Donodon

Charophyta

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Aclistochara[4] A. africana Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Gyrogonites A Characean algae of the family Characeae
Porochara[3] P. hians Anoual Upper Member Oogonia A characean algae of the family Porocharaceae

Palynology

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Alisporites[2]
  • A. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with the families Peltaspermaceae or Corystospermaceae
Araucariacites[2]
  • A. australis
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with Araucariaceae inside Coniferae.
File:Araucaria cunninghamii cones.jpg
Example of extant Araucaria cones
Callialasporites[2]
  • C. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with Araucariaceae inside Coniferae.
Classopollis[2]
  • C. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with Cheirolepidiaceae inside Coniferae.
Cyathidites[2]
  • C. sp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Spores Affinities with the family Cyatheaceae inside Cyatheales. Arboreal Fern Spores
File:Cyathea arborea.JPG
Modern Cyathea, Cyathidites come probably from similar genera
Cycadopites[2]
  • C. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with the Cycadopsida inside Cycadales. Pollen related with modern Cycas
File:Encephalartos arenarius 4zz.jpg
Encephalartos, Cycadopites come probably from similar genera
Inaperturopollenites[2]
  • I. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with the Pinidae inside Coniferae.
File:Pinus halepensis cone, Sète, Hérault 01.jpg
Extant Pinus Cone. Inaperturopollenites is similar to the pollen found on this genus
Ischyosporites[2]
  • I. cf. variegatus
  • I. sp
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Spores Affinities with Pteridopsida, likely derived from a member of Anemiaceae
File:Anemia phyllitidis kz05.jpg
Extant Anemia specimens; Ischyosporites probably comes from similar genera
Leptolepidites[2]
  • L. spp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Spores Affinities with the family Dennstaedtiaceae in the Polypodiales. Forest fern spores.
File:Fern Path (9540302241).jpg
Extant Dennstaedtia specimens; Leptolepidites probably comes from similar genera
Pityosporites[2]
  • P. sp.
 Guelb el Ahmar Upper Member Pollen Affinities with the Pinidae inside Coniferae.

Fossil Wood

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Genus Species Location Stratigraphic Position Material Notes Images
Agathoxylon[2]
  • A. aff. sahariense
  • Guelb el Ahmar
  • Oued Metlili
 Upper Member Fossil Wood Conifer fossil wood of the family Araucariaceae
Metapodocarpoxylon[2]
  • M. libanoticum
  • Guelb el Ahmar
  • Oued Metlili
 Upper Member Fossil Wood Conifer fossil wood of the family Podocarpaceae
Protopodocarpoxylon[2]
  • P. subrochii
  • P. teixeirae
  • Guelb el Ahmar
  • Oued Metlili
 Upper Member Fossil Wood Conifer fossil wood of the family Hirmeriellaceae
Phyllocladoxylon[2]
  • P. atlasicum
  • Guelb el Ahmar
  • Oued Metlili
 Upper Member Fossil Wood Conifer fossil wood of the family Podocarpaceae

See also

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References

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