Gydo Formation (1st Shale), Keurboomstrand (Devonian of South Africa)

Where: South Africa (34.0° S, 23.5° E: paleocoordinates 58.3° S, 153.7° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Gydo Formation (Bokkeveld Group), Emsian (407.6 - 393.3 Ma)

• Age call from ref. 9618

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; bioturbated mudstone and bioturbated siltstone

• Ref. 9618 gives interpretation of Bokkeveld Group as a series of shallowing-upward packages, with argillaceous unit below and arenaceous unit above. Gydo Formation, as the "first shale", is the lowermost argillaceous unit. The shallowing upward sequence is interpreted as representing environments from the shelf up to deltaic systems. Most fossils come from lower mudstones, often in lenses.
• Ref. 9616 refers only to "shale". Ref. 9617, for formation as a whole, cites "Mudstones and siltstones and minor thin-bedded sandstone, scattered fossiliferous nodules and lenses, lenticular bedding, abundant bioturbation."

Collection methods: Author gives numbers from personal collections, which are said to have some bearing on actual abundances.

Primary reference: R. D. F. Oosthuizen. 1984. Preliminary catalogue and report on the biostratigraphy and palaeogeographic distribution of the Bokkeveld fauna. Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa 87:125-140 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 35590: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 29.12.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
"Trigaria" "sp. (a)"
Asterozoa
  -
"Stelleroidea indet." = Asterozoa
"Stelleroidea indet." = Asterozoa von Zittel 1895
Crinoidea
  -
Crinoidea indet.
Crinoidea indet. Miller 1821 Sea lily
 Diplobathrida - Rhodocrinitidae
Ophiocrinus stangeri
Cephalopoda
 Orthocerida - Orthoceratidae
"Orthoceras" rex
Gastropoda
 Euomphalina - Platyceratidae
""Diaphorostoma" baini" = Platyostoma
""Diaphorostoma" baini" = Platyostoma snail
 Bellerophontida - Plectonotidae
"Bellerophon cf. laticarinatus" = Plectonotus laticarinata
"Bellerophon cf. laticarinatus" = Plectonotus laticarinata Knod 1908 snail
 Murchisoniina - Palaeozygopleuridae
"Loxonema zwartbergense" = Pragozyga zwartbergense
"Loxonema zwartbergense" = Pragozyga zwartbergense Reed 1925 snail
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Cucullellidae
Nuculites obtusus
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana" "sp. (b)", "Nuculana" "sp. (d)"
"Nuculana" "sp. (b)" Link 1807 pointed nut clam
"Nuculana" "sp. (d)" Link 1807 pointed nut clam
 Nuculanida - Malletiidae
Palaeoneilo cf. magnifica, Palaeoneilo subantiqua
 Cardiidia - Grammysiidae
Grammysia "sp. (b)"
Grammysia "sp. (b)" de Verneuil 1847 clam
  -
"Pelecypoda indet." = Bivalvia
"Pelecypoda indet." = Bivalvia Linnaeus 1758 clam
Rhynchonellata
 Rhynchonellida - Leptocoeliidae
Australocoelia tourteloti
 Spiriferida - Hysterolitidae
Australospirifer antarcticus
 Spiriferida - Ambocoeliidae
Ambocoelia pseudoumbonata
 Orthida - Orthidae
"Orthis" "sp. (a)"
"Orthis" "sp. (a)" Dalman 1828
 Terebratulida - Meganterididae
Mutationella whitiorum, Scaphiocoelia "sp. (b)"
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Chonetidae
Notiochonetes falklandicus
 Orthotetida - Pulsiidae
Schellwienella sulivani
Hyolitha
 Orthothecida - Orthothecidae
Orthotheca steinmanni
Lophophorata
 Tentaculitida - Tentaculitidae
Tentaculites desuetes, Tentaculites "sp. (a)"
Tentaculites "sp. (a)" von Schlotheim 1820
Trilobita
 Phacopida - Homalonotidae
Burmeisteria herscheli
 Phacopida - Calmoniidae
"Bainella africana" = Anchiopella
"Bainella africana" = Anchiopella trilobite
Scyphozoa
 Conulariida - Conulariidae
Conularia africana, Conularia gamkaensis
Anthozoa
 Favositida - Micheliniidae
Pleurodictyum bokkeveldense, Pleurodictyum "sp. (b)"
Pleurodictyum "sp. (b)" Goldfuss 1829 tabulate coral