Koonya (Permian to of Australia)

Where: Tasmania, Australia (43.1° S, 147.8° E: paleocoordinates 77.9° S, 141.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Upper Parmeener Group, Lopingian to Lopingian (259.9 - 251.2 Ma)

• "The succession in the Koonya area was mapped by Forsyth (2003) as Early Triassic Upper Parmeener Supergroup based on lithological similarities with rocks this age elsewhere in Tasmania. This was supported by a palaeobotanical assemblage from Impression Bay, 2 km west of the Koonya locality, which was interpreted as typical of Dicroidium zuberi Oppel Zone . The Impression Bay locality was interpreted to be from either direct stratigraphic correlates or immediately overlying the strata at Koonya (Forsyth, 2003). Whitfield (2010) suggested, based upon recent geochronological dating using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) analyses of detrital zircons, that the sequences may be older than previously interpreted. Two samples from the headland in which the new dicynodont specimens were found gave robust maximum ages. A sample from the oldest unit present in the headland exposure, the sandstone from which the specimens were recovered, gave a Late Permian age of 253 ± 4 Ma. It needs to be stressed that detrital zircons can only provide a maximum depositional age and therefore an age near the P/T boundary is indicated for these fossils." (Rozefelds et al. 2011)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; quartzose sandstone and green siltstone

• Quartz sandstones overlain by green siltstones; temnospondyl remains are from siltstones and dicynodont remains from the sandstone

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: surface (in situ),

• TMAG, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart

Primary reference: A. C. Rozefelds, A. Warren, A. Whitfield and S. Bull. 2011. New evidence of large Permo-Triassic dicynodonts (Synapsida) from Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(5):1158-1162 [R. Butler/R. Butler]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 117522: authorized by Richard Butler, entered by Richard Butler on 22.09.2011

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Amphibia
 Temnospondyli - Brachyopidae
Bothriceps australis Huxley 1859 tetrapod
TMAG Z4583, a fairly complete skull, left mandibular ramus, and fragmentary right mandibular ramus; TMAG Z4586, a fairly complete skull, complete mandible, and four partial branchial arch elements; TMAG Z3551 and TMAG Z3552, two skulls on one block exposed from the dorsal surface; eleven other skulls probably referrable to B. australis; TMAG Z4301, a larger brachyopid mandibular ramus; TMAG Z4582, a series of diplospondylous centra, ribs, and a neural arch; TMAG Z4579, a collection of small notochordal centra; TMAG Z4584, a single notochordal centrum.
Osteichthyes
 Dicynodontia -
Dicynodontoidea indet. Cluver and King 1983 dicynodont
TMAG Z3714, maxillary fragment; TMAG Z3715, probable radius