A New Late Maastrichtian Hadrosaurid Dinosaur Record from Northeast Belgium

N.Jb. Geol. Paliiont. Mh. Stuttgart, Juni 1997 A new late Maastrichtian hadrosaurid dinosaur record from northeast Belgium By Eric W. A. Mulder, Denekamp, Marcel M. M. Kuypers, Ittervoort, John W. M. Jagt, Maastricht and Hans H. G. Peeters, Maastricht With 3 figures in the text MULDER, E. W. A., KUYPERS, M. M. M.,JAGT, J. W. M. & PEETERS, H. H. G. (1997): A new late Maastrichtian hadrosaurid dinosaur record from northeast Belgium. - N. Jb. Geol. Paliiont. Mh., 1997 (6): 339-347; Stuttgart. Abstract: The distal portion of a well-preserved left metatarsal III of an ornithopod, most probably hadrosaurid, dinosaur is recorded from the lower Emael Member (Maastricht Formation, late Maastrichtian, Belemnitella junior Zone of authors), as exposed at the Ankerpoort-Marnebel quarry near Eben Emael (Liege, northeast Belgium). Previous dinosaur records from the Maastrichtian type area were stratigraphically rather poorly documented within the Maastricht Formation or confined to the basal Meerssen Member (Maastricht Formation), also of late Maastrichtian age. Zusammenfassung: Ein dis tales Fragment eines guterhaltenen linken Metatarsale III eines ornithopoden (hochstwahrscheinlich hadrosauriden) Dinosauriers aus dem unteren Teil der Emael-Kreide (Maastricht Formation, Ober Maastricht, Belemnitella junior Zone), des Ankerpoort-Marnebel-Steinbruchs bei Eben Emael (Liittich, NO Belgien) wird beschrieben. Friihere Dinosaurier-Meldungen aus dem Typusgebiet des Maastricht waren entweder stratigraphisch innerhalb der Maastricht-Formation schlecht dokumentiert oder beschriinktauf den untersten Teil der Meerssen-Kreide, ebenfalls Ober-Maastricht. Introduction Strata of late Maastrichtian age as exposed in the type area of that stage (southeast Netherlands, northeast Belgium; Fig. 1) are renowned worldwide for their well-preserved faunas of large marine reptiles, such as mosasaurid lizards and cheloniid turtles. In recent years, a renewed interest in the verte brate faunas from these strata has become apparent. There are numerous new records of teleost and selachian fishes in particular but also of elasmosaurid plesiosaurs and eusuchian crocodiles (MULDER in prep.). Not only will studies under way describe unexpectedly diverse assemblages, they are also based on stratigraphically well-documented material. Earlier papers (i. e. published prior to the 1970s) often suffer from this lack of stratigraphic detail. DOI:10.1127/njgpm/1997/1997/339 (c) 2017 www.schweizerbart.com 0028-3630/97/1997- 0339 $ 2.25 © 1997 E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 0-70176 Stuttgart .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

(Early Palaeocene), Withers, 1914
Meded. Werkgr. Tert. Kwart. Geol. 25(2-3) 175-196 2 figs, 1 pi. Leiden, oktober 1988 The biostratigraphy of the Geulhem Member (Early Palaeocene), with reference to the occurrence of Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 (Crustacea, Cirripedia) by J.W.M. Jagt Venlo, The Netherlands and J.S.H. Collins London, United Kingdom Jagt, &J.S.H. Collins. The biostratigraphy of the Geulhem reference of Member (Early Palaeocene), with to the occurrence Pyc- nolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 (Crustacea, Cirripedia).—Meded. Werkgr. Tert. Kwart. Geol., 25(2-3): 175-196, 2 figs, 1 pi. Leiden, October 1988. Valves of the brachylepadomorph cirripede Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 are reported from the Early Palaeocene of the environs of Maastricht (The Netherlands and NE Belgium). The occurrenceof this distinctive species provides additional proof of a correlationof the with the in Maastricht Danish Danian Early Palaeocene the area. A discussion of the biostratigraphy of the Geulhem Member (Houthem Formation) from which the cirripede remains were collected is presented. It is concluded that P. bruennichi is restricted to strata of Palaeocene in Denmark well in the Early (Danian) age as as Maastrichtian type area (SE Netherlands, NE Belgium). John W.M. Jagt, 2de Maasveldstraat 47, 5921 JN Venlo, The Netherlands; J. S.H. Collins, 63 Oakhurst Grove, East Dulwich, Lon- don SE22 9AH, United Kingdom. Contents 176 Samenvatting, p. Introduction, p. 176 177 Systematic description, p. and distribution of P. 178 Stratigraphic geographic bruennichi, p. of the Geulhem 182 Stratigraphy Member, p. Conclusion, p. 190 191 Acknowledgements, p. References, p. 191. 176 Samenvatting De de Geulhem Kalksteen voorkomen biostratigrafie van (Vroeg Paleoceen) naar aanleiding van het 1914 van Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, (Crustacea, Cirripedia).
[Show full text]
Highly Diversified Late Cretaceous Fish Assemblage Revealed by Otoliths (Ripley Formation and Owl Creek Formation, Northeast Mississippi, Usa)
Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy) vol. 126(1): 111-155. March 2020 HIGHLY DIVERSIFIED LATE CRETACEOUS FISH ASSEMBLAGE REVEALED BY OTOLITHS (RIPLEY FORMATION AND OWL CREEK FORMATION, NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI, USA) GARY L. STRINGER1, WERNER SCHWARZHANS*2 , GEORGE PHILLIPS3 & ROGER LAMBERT4 1Museum of Natural History, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana 71209, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 2Natural History Museum of Denmark, Zoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected] 3Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39202, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 4North Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society, 1817 CR 700, Corinth, Mississippi, 38834, USA. E-mail: [email protected] *Corresponding author To cite this article: Stringer G.L., Schwarzhans W., Phillips G. & Lambert R. (2020) - Highly diversified Late Cretaceous fish assemblage revealed by otoliths (Ripley Formation and Owl Creek Formation, Northeast Mississippi, USA). Riv. It. Paleontol. Strat., 126(1): 111-155. Keywords: Beryciformes; Holocentriformes; Aulopiformes; otolith; evolutionary implications; paleoecology. Abstract. Bulk sampling and extensive, systematic surface collecting of the Coon Creek Member of the Ripley Formation (early Maastrichtian) at the Blue Springs locality and primarily bulk sampling of the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) at the Owl Creek type locality, both in northeast Mississippi, USA, have produced the largest and most highly diversified actinopterygian otolith (ear stone) assemblage described from the Mesozoic of North America. The 3,802 otoliths represent 30 taxa of bony fishes representing at least 22 families. In addition, there were two different morphological types of lapilli, which were not identifiable to species level.
[Show full text]
New Dinoflagellate Cyst Species of the Microdinium and Phanerodinium
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 168 (2011) 41–50 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/revpalbo Research paper New dinoflagellate cyst species of the Microdinium and Phanerodinium Complexes (Evitt) from the Upper Cretaceous–Lower Paleogene Chalk Group in the Meer borehole, northern Belgium Hamid Slimani a,⁎, Stephen Louwye b a Laboratory of Geology and Remote Sensing, URAC 46, Scientific Institute, University Mohammed V-Agdal, Avenue Ibn Batouta, P.B. 703, 10106 Rabat-Agdal, Morocco b Research Unit Palaeontology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium article info abstract Article history: A high-resolution palynological study of the Campanian to Danian Chalk Group from the Meer borehole in Received 20 May 2011 northern Belgium has revealed the presence of four new smaller organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst species Received in revised form 15 September 2011 previously left in open nomenclature, within rich, diverse and well-preserved assemblages. A formal descrip- Accepted 20 September 2011 tion of the new species, an emendation of Phanerodinium fourmarieri Lejeune-Carpentier based on a compar- Available online 29 September 2011 ison of well preserved specimens with the type material, and as a result a re-assessment of the stratigraphic occurrences of each of these species are provided. Druggidium discretum sp. nov. is characterized by a finely Keywords: dinoflagellate cysts spongeous wall surface and a discreet indication of tabulation, while Druggidium meerensis sp. nov. is sutur- taxonomy ocavate with a granulate, vermiculate to rarely pseudoreticulate ornamentation. Gillinia denticulata sp. nov. is Campanian–Danian distinguishable by its high and denticulate crests.
[Show full text]
Big Oyster, Robust Echinoid: an Unusual Association from the Maastrichtian Type Area (Province of Limburg, Southern Netherlands)
Swiss Journal of Palaeontology (2018) 137:357–361 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13358-018-0151-3 (0123456789().,-volV)(0123456789().,-volV) REGULAR RESEARCH ARTICLE Big oyster, robust echinoid: an unusual association from the Maastrichtian type area (province of Limburg, southern Netherlands) 1,2 3 Stephen K. Donovan • John W. M. Jagt Received: 27 February 2018 / Accepted: 10 May 2018 / Published online: 1 June 2018 Ó Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT) 2018 Abstract Large, denuded tests of holasteroid echinoids were robust benthic islands in the Late Cretaceous seas of northwest Europe. A test of Hemipneustes striatoradiatus (Leske) from the Nekum Member (Maastricht Formation; upper Maastrichtian) of southern Limburg, the Netherlands, is encrusted by a large oyster, Pycnodonte (Phygraea) vesiculare (Lamarck). This specimen is a palaeoecological conundrum, at least in part. No other members of the same oyster spatfall attached to this test and survived. Indeed, only two other, much smaller bivalve shells, assignable to the same species, attached either then or somewhat later. The oyster, although large, could have grown to this size in a single season. The larval oyster cemented high on the test and this would have been advantageous initially, the young shell being elevated above sediment-laden bottom waters. However, as the oyster grew, the incurrent margin of the commissure would have grown closer to the sediment surface. Thus, the quality of the incurrent water probably deteriorated with time. Keywords Late Cretaceous Á Pycnodonte Á Hemipneustes Á Taphonomy Á Palaeoecology Introduction et al. 2013, 2017). Associations on holasteroid tests may be monospeciﬁc or nearly so, such as dense accumulations of Large holasteroid echinoids, such as the genera pits assigned to Oichnus Bromley, 1981 (see, for example, Echinocorys Leske, 1778, Cardiaster Forbes, 1850, and Donovan and Jagt 2002; Hammond and Donovan 2017; Hemipneustes Agassiz, 1836, in the Upper Cretaceous of Donovan et al.
[Show full text]
Pdf/47/3/446/5370666/S0094837321000026a.Pdf by Guest on 25 September 2021 the RISE to DOMINANCE of LANTERNFISHES 447
Paleobiology, 47(3), 2021, pp. 446–463 DOI: 10.1017/pab.2021.2 Article The rise to dominance of lanternfishes (Teleostei: Myctophidae) in the oceanic ecosystems: a paleontological perspective Werner Schwarzhans* and Giorgio Carnevale Abstract.—Lanternfishes currently represent one of the dominant groups of mesopelagic fishes in terms of abundance, biomass, and diversity. Their otolith record dominates pelagic sediments below 200 m in dredges, especially during the entire Neogene. Here we provide an analysis of their diversity and rise to dominance primarily based on their otolith record. The earliest unambiguous fossil myctophids are known based on otoliths from the late Paleocene and early Eocene. During their early evolutionary history, myctophids were likely not adapted to a high oceanic lifestyle but occurred over shelf and upper-slope regions, where they were locally abundant during the middle Eocene. A distinct upscaling in otolith size is observed in the early Oligocene, which also marks their earliest occurrence in bathyal sediments. We interpret this transition to be related to the change from a halothermal deep-ocean circulation to a thermohaline regime and the associated cooling of the deep ocean and rearrangement of nutrient and sil- ica supply. The early Oligocene myctophid size acme shows a remarkable congruence with diatom abun- dance, the main food resource for the zooplankton and thus for myctophids and whales. The warmer late Oligocene to early middle Miocene period was characterized by an increase in disparity of myctophids but with a reduction in their otolith sizes. A second and persisting secular pulse in myctophid diversity (particularly within the genus Diaphus) and increase in size begins with the “biogenic bloom” in the late Miocene, paralleled with diatom abundance and mysticete gigantism.
[Show full text]
Ichnology of Late Cretaceous Echinoids from the Maastrichtian Type Area (The Netherlands, Belgium) - 1
Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum, no. 34 (2008), p. 73–76, 1 fig. © 2008, Mizunami Fossil Museum Ichnology of Late Cretaceous echinoids from the Maastrichtian type area (The Netherlands, Belgium) - 1. A healed puncture wound in Hemipneustes striatoradiatus (Leske) Stephen K. Donovan,* John W. M. Jagt+, and David N. Lewis# *Department of Geology, Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Postbus 9517, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands <[email protected]> +Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, de Bosquetplein 6-7, NL-6211 KJ Maastricht, The Netherlands <[email protected]> #Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, England <[email protected]> Abstract A test of the holasteroid echinoid Hemipneustes striatoradiatus (Leske) from the upper Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of quarry ‘t Rooth (Bemelen, southern Limburg, The Netherlands) is perforated by a pit on the mid-line of the adoral surface. This structure is large (maximum width 13.5 mm, depth 5.8 mm), rounded pentagonal in outline, bilaterally symmetrical and irregularly conical with a flat base. It may be an invertebrate trace fossil, although not the boring Oichnus Bromley or an embedment structure, or it may represent a healed puncture wound produced after a failed predatory attack by a marine vertebrate such as a bony fish or a mosasaur. If the latter, the shape of the pit may have been modified by the echinoid healing the wound; alternately, the tooth that caused the wound may have been truncated. Key words: Ichnology, Hemipneustes, predation, Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian, The Netherlands. Introduction (NHMM). The holasteroid echinoid Hemipneustes striatoradiatus Material and methods (Leske, 1778) is a large, locally common and striking element of the invertebrate macrofauna of the type Maastrichtian In the type area of the Maastrichtian Stage, Hemipneustes (Upper Cretaceous) of the provinces of Limburg and Liège, striatoradiatus ranges from the middle Lanaye Member (Gulpen The Netherlands and Belgium.
[Show full text]
Trans-Atlantic Correlation of Upper Cretaceous Marine Sediments
Scholars Crossing Faculty Publications and Presentations Department of Biology and Chemistry 2006 Trans-Atlantic Correlation of Upper Cretaceous Marine Sediments Marcus R. Ross Liberty University, [email protected] David E. Fastovsky Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs Part of the Biology Commons, and the Chemistry Commons Recommended Citation Ross, Marcus R. and Fastovsky, David E., "Trans-Atlantic Correlation of Upper Cretaceous Marine Sediments" (2006). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 84. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs/84 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology and Chemistry at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRANS-ATLANTIC CORRELATIONS OF UPPER CRETACEOUS MARINE SEDIMENTS: THE MID-ATLANTIC (USA) AND MAASTRICHT (NETHERLANDS) REGIONS I.2Marcus R. Ross and I David E. Fastovsky 'Department of Geosciences, University ofRhode Island, 9 East Alumni Ave., Kingston, RI, 02881 2Current address: Department of Biology/Chemist/y, 1971 University Blvd, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, 24502; [email protected] ABSTRACT: Upper Cretaceous marine deposits from the Mid-Atlantic region of North America (Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey) and the Maastricht area (southern Netherlands, and nearby Belgium and Gennany) are correlated across
[Show full text]
(Paleocene) Near Malvern, Arkansas, USA, with Comments on the K/Pg Boundary
Chondrichthyans from the Lower Clayton Limestone Unit of the Midway Group (Paleocene) near Malvern, Arkansas, USA, with comments on the K/Pg boundary Harry M. Maisch, Martin A. Becker & Michael L. Griffiths PalZ Paläontologische Zeitschrift ISSN 0031-0220 PalZ DOI 10.1007/s12542-019-00494-7 1 23 Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Paläontologische Gesellschaft. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self- archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com”. 1 23 Author's personal copy PalZ https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-019-00494-7 RESEARCH PAPER Chondrichthyans from the Lower Clayton Limestone Unit of the Midway Group (Paleocene) near Malvern, Arkansas, USA, with comments on the K/Pg boundary Harry M. Maisch IV1 · Martin A. Becker1 · Michael L. Grifths1 Received: 13 March 2019 / Accepted: 17 September 2019 © Paläontologische Gesellschaft 2019 Abstract The Lower Clayton Limestone Unit (LCLU) of the Midway Group (Paleocene) near Malvern, Arkansas, USA contains an assemblage of chondrichthyans recently exposed by excavation for highway stabilization. Chondrichthyan teeth in this assem- blage belong to at least 12 taxa including: Ginglymostoma subafricanum, Carcharias cf.
[Show full text]
BASED FOSSIL RECORDS of TELEOST FISHES by WERNER SCHWARZHANS1,HERMIONET.BECKETT2 ,JASOND
[Palaeontology, Vol. 61, Part 4, 2018, pp. 511–541] COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCANNING AS A TOOL FOR LINKING THE SKELETAL AND OTOLITH-BASED FOSSIL RECORDS OF TELEOST FISHES by WERNER SCHWARZHANS1,HERMIONET.BECKETT2 ,JASOND. SCHEIN3 and MATT FRIEDMAN2,4 1Zoological Museum, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark; [email protected] 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; [email protected] 3Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute, Willow Grove, PA USA; [email protected] 4Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, & Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA; [email protected] Typescript received 11 August 2017; accepted in revised form 27 November 2017 Abstract: Micro-computed tomography (lCT) scanning that do not appear in the body fossil record until the Palaeo- now represents a standard tool for non-destructive study of gene. This striking example of convergence suggests con- internal or concealed structure in fossils. Here we report on straints on otolith geometry in pelagic predators. The otoliths found in situ during routine lCT scanning of three- otoliths of Apateodus show a primitive geometry for aulopi- dimensionally preserved skulls of Palaeogene and Cretaceous forms and lack the derived features of Alepisauroidea, the fishes. Comparisons are made with isolated otolith-based lizardfish clade to which the genus is often attributed. In situ taxa to attempt correlations between the body fossil and oto- otoliths of Early Cretaceous fishes (Apsopelix and an uniden- lith fossil records. In situ otoliths previously extracted tified taxon) are not well preserved, and we are unable to mechanically from specimens of Apogon macrolepis and Den- identify clear correlations with isolated otolith morphologies.
[Show full text]
Reptilia, Plesiosauroidea)
BULLETIN DE LTNSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUE SCIENCES DE LA TERRE, 70: 161-178, 2000 BULLETIN VAN HET KONINKLIJK BELGISCH INSTITUUT VOOR NATUURWETENSCHAPPEN AARDWETENSCHAPPEN, 70: 161-178, 2000 Elasmosaur Remains from the Maastrichtian type area, and a Review of latest Cretaceous Elasmosaurs (Reptilia, Plesiosauroidea) by Eric W.A. MULDER, Nathalie BARDET, Pascal GODEFROIT & John W.M. JAGT Abstract Isolated skeletal remains of elasmosaurid plesiosaurs are described from the upper Upper Maastrichtian of the type area of that stage and compared with material from the Maastrichtian of southern Bel gium (Mons Basin) and Morocco, An overview of Maastrichtian elasmosaurids worldwide is presented. The rarity of elasmosaurids in the latest Cretaceous marginal seas of the type Maastrichtian as com pared with their common occurrence in the oceanic waters near Cali fornia and Morocco of that age may be related to food abundance in upwelling areas along the margins of continental plates. southern Limburg Key-words: Elasmosaurs, Maastrichtian type area, Belgium, Morocco, • KUNRADE North Atlantic basin. ANKERPOORT-T ROOTH ENCI-MAASTRICHT BV Résumé Des restes squelettiques isolés de plésiosaures élasmosauridés sont 5 km CBR-ROMONTBOS décrits de la partie supérieure du Maastrichtien supérieur de la région type de cet étage, replacés dans un contexte stratigraphique et compa rés à du matériel provenant du Maastrichtien du Sud de la Belgique et du Maroc, Une révision globale des élasmosauridés du Maastrichtien est présentée. La rareté des élasmosauridés dans les mers marginales fini-crétacées du Maastrichtien stratotypique comparée avec leur pré sence dans les eaux océaniques près de la Californie et du Maroc du The Netherlands même age pourrait être liée à une richesse de nourriture dans des régions d’upwelling le long de bords continentaux.
[Show full text]
Dinosaurs from the Maastrichtian-Type Area (Southeastern Netherlands, Northeastern Belgium)
C. R. Palevol 2 (2003) 67–76 Systematic Palaeontology / Paléontologie systématique (Vertebrate Palaeontology / Paléontologie des Vertébrés) Dinosaurs from the Maastrichtian-type area (southeastern Netherlands, northeastern Belgium) Dinosaures de la région-type maastrichtienne (Sud-Est des Pays-Bas, Nord-Est de la Belgique) John W.M. Jagt a, Eric W.A. Mulder b, Anne S. Schulp a,*, Rudi W. Dortangs c, René H.B. Fraaije d a Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, de Bosquetplein 6-7, PO Box 882, NL-6200 AW Maastricht, The Netherlands b Museum Natura Docet, Oldenzaalsestraat 39, NL-7591 GL Denekamp, The Netherlands c Hoofdstraat 36, NL-6436 CG Amstenrade, The Netherlands d Oertijdmuseum de Groene Poort, Bosscheweg 80, NL-5283 WB Boxtel, The Netherlands Received 28 August 2002; accepted 20 January 2003 Written on invitation of the Editorial Board Abstract In comparison to pre-1980 records of nonavian dinosaur remains from the Maastrichtian type strata, material collected during the past 20 years is both fairly common and diverse, consisting mostly of isolated cranial and post-cranial remains of hadrosaurids. With the exception of the type specimen of Megalosaurus bredai Seeley, a fragmentary right femur, no theropod material is represented in collections screened by us. In the present contribution, specimens recognised in various collections subsequent to our last tabulation (1999) are illustrated and brieﬂy discussed. Although we are fully aware that the material is too limited to draw meaningful conclusions from, the specimens are here tied-in with a preliminary sequence-stratigraphic interpretation of the type Maastrichtian, which is currently being reﬁned by strontium-isotope studies of coleoid cephalopods.
[Show full text]
The English Chalk and London Clay: Two Remarkable British Bony Fish Lagerstätten
Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 24, 2021 The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagersta¨tten MATT FRIEDMAN1*, HERMIONE T. BECKETT1, ROGER A. CLOSE1 & ZERINA JOHANSON2 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK 2Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK *Corresponding author (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract: The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) Chalk Group and Eocene (Ypre- sian) London Clay Formation are two British marine deposits that yield globally significant assem- blages of fossil actinopterygian (ray-finned) fishes. Materials from these units, especially the Chalk, featured prominently in the work of Arthur Smith Woodward. Here we summarize the history of study of actinopterygian fossils from the Chalk and London Clay, review their geological and palaeoenvironmental context and provide updated faunal lists. The Chalk and London Clay are remarkable for preserving fossil fishes in three dimensions rather than as the flattened individ- uals familiar from many other famous Lagersta¨tten, as well as capturing detailed ‘snapshots’ of marine fish faunas that bracket the major taxonomic shift that took place near the Cretaceous– Palaeogene boundary. Gold Open Access: This article is published under the terms of the CC-BY 3.0 license. The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Maastrichtian) symposium volume. Responsible for the world’s English Chalk and Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay finest collection of fossil fishes from these locali- are two fossiliferous British marine deposits that ties at what is now the Natural History Museum, are significant in the history of palaeontology gener- London, Smith Woodward produced numerous ac- ally, and palaeoichthyology specifically.
[Show full text]