Schiethoogte 279 (Carboniferous of South Africa)

Also known as Schiet Hoogte farm; Suurberg Gorge; Lake Mentz

Where: Eastern Cape, South Africa (33.2° S, 25.1° E: paleocoordinates 81.8° S, 163.7° W)

When: Waaiport Formation (Witteberg Group), Tournaisian (358.9 - 346.7 Ma)

• "miospores including S. balteatus and S. pretiosus were interpreted to be no older than mid-Tournaisian." (Lakin et al 2016)

•Unconformably overlain by Dwyka formation

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified, fine-grained, nodular, black, carbonaceous mudstone and lithified, sandy marl

• "although the subsequent Upper Witteberg Shales appear to be lacustrine some influx of brackish (or even esturine) waters possibly occurred from time to time"
• "The nodules are found scattered in a zone 30 feet thick and consist of a black, fine grained, carbonaceous mudstone somewhat flinty in character" (Gardiner 1969)

•"The fish are confined to a narrow band of sandy marl of about five inches in thickness" (Gardiner 1969)

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: concretion

Primary reference: B. G. Gardiner. 1969. New palaeoniscoid fish from the Witteberg series of South Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 48(4):423-452 [E. Dunne/S. Fasey]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 226927: authorized by Emma Dunne, entered by Sophie Fasey on 10.08.2022

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Osteichthyes
 Palaeonisciformes - Platysomidae
Aestuarichthys fulcratus
 Palaeonisciformes - Canobiidae
Sundayichthys elegantulus n. gen. n. sp.
Sundayichthys elegantulus n. gen. n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Marais species A, pl. 2d
 Palaeonisciformes - Rhadinichthyidae
Mentzichthys maraisi n. sp., Mentzichthys walshi n. gen. n. sp., Mentzichthys jubbi n. sp., Mentzichthys theroni
Mentzichthys maraisi n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Holotype PRV 631; PRV 638 (specimen without skull), PRV 632
Mentzichthys walshi n. gen. n. sp. Jubb 1965
Mentzichthys jubbi n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Holotype PRV 640; PRV633 (Marais species A, plates 3a-d)
Mentzichthys theroni Gardiner 1969
? Holotype: SAM 13570 (Evans 2005 suspects the holotype is from this locality, not Soetendalsvlei)
  -
Australichthys longidorsalis n. gen. n. sp.
Australichthys longidorsalis n. gen. n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Holotype: Holotype PRV 639a (Marais species B, pl. 4a)
 Rhadinichthyiformes - Willomorichthyidae
Willomorichthys striatulus, Darlingtonichthys raumi n. gen. n. sp., Glenconnorichthys jamesi n. gen. n. sp., Catastropheichthys almondi n. gen. n. sp.
Willomorichthys striatulus Gardiner 1969 ray-finned fish
Darlingtonichthys raumi n. gen. n. sp. Evans 2005 ray-finned fish
Holotype: PRV 635
Glenconnorichthys jamesi n. gen. n. sp. Evans 2005 ray-finned fish
? Holotype: SAM 13553 (recorded as being from Soetendalsvlei, but “definitely” from this locality per Evans et al. 2005)
Catastropheichthys almondi n. gen. n. sp. Evans 2005 ray-finned fish
Holotype: AM 4596 B