PBDB Collection

Garra Formation Sponges, Wellington Area (Devonian of Australia)

Where: New South Wales, Australia (32.6° S, 149.0° E: paleocoordinates 9.0° S, 174.0° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Garra Formation, Pragian (410.8 - 407.6 Ma)

• As do Lenz and Johnson (1985, ref.s 7167,7168), these authors interpret the formation as spanning Lochkovian to Pragian, based mainly on conodonts. As with the Lenz and Johnson brachiopods, the material here seems to be largely from the middle third. Strusz et al. (1999--PBDB ref.7152) conclude, based on brachiopods, that the material reported here is Pragian. Farrell (1992--PBDB ref. 7169), after studying the Garra in the type area to the south, concludes that the formation is diachronous, being younger here in the Wellington area, mainly Pragian sulcatus Zone, and late Lochkovian in the type area.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; grainstone and calcareous shale

• From Lenz and Johnson, ref. 7167: "The Garra limestones are the product of relatively shallow water deposition; the lower approximately one-third of the formation represents a progressive transgressive sequence, the middle portion is the product of still-sand and gradual infilling, and the upper one-third represents progressive shallowing to supratidal conditions."

• Lenz and Johnson (ref. 7167) basically just refer to "pure limestones," from which this material comes Strusz (1965, ref. 7170) mentions a broader suite of lithologies for the formation as a whole, as does Farrell (1992, ref. 7169). These are predominantly calcareous shale and detrital limestone, interspersed with biohermal and biostromal deposits. The detrial limestones include many types, but are mainly calcarenites. In some places there are algal limestones, pellet or oolite calcarenties.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Material from levels G501 to G 523 (unit 10 of Johnson), and G524 (unit 11). Relative abundances given.

Primary reference: J. Pickett and J. K. Rigby. 1983. Sponges from the Early Devonian Garra Formation, New South Wales. Journal of Paleontology 57(4):720-741 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 25698: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 23.09.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Sponges only.

Show authors, comments, and common names

unclassified
-	Porifera indet. Porifera indet. Grant 1836 rhizomorine sponge indet.
Hexactinellida
Lyssakida -	Lyssakida indet. Lyssakida indet. Zittel 1877 glass sponge
Demospongiae
Agelasida - Phragmocoeliidae	Radiothalamos uniramosus Radiothalamos uniramosus demosponge
Spirosclerophorida - Haplistiidae	Haplistion sp., Varneycoelia favosa, ? Columellaespongia sp. Haplistion sp. Young and Young 1877 demosponge Varneycoelia favosa demosponge ? Columellaespongia sp. demosponge
Lithistida - Anthracosyconidae	Devonospongia garrae Devonospongia garrae demosponge
Lithistida - Astylospongiidae	Attungaia wellingtonensis, Astylospongia tarda, Garraspongia vannus Attungaia wellingtonensis demosponge Astylospongia tarda demosponge Garraspongia vannus demosponge
Lithistida - Anthaspidellidae	? Isispongia sp., Brianispongia quadratipora ? Isispongia sp. demosponge Brianispongia quadratipora demosponge
Protomonaxonida - Heliospongiidae	Coelocladiella sp. Coelocladiella sp. Finks 1960 demosponge