Tra-Tra Formation (3rd Shale), Theronsberg Pass (Devonian of South Africa)

Where: South Africa (33.3° S, 19.5° E: paleocoordinates 65.1° S, 154.0° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Tra-Tra Formation (Bokkeveld Group), Eifelian (393.3 - 387.7 Ma)

• Age call from ref. 9618.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; bioturbated, intraclastic siltstone and bioturbated, intraclastic, silty mudstone

• Ref. 9618 gives interpretation of Bokkeveld Group as a series of shallowing-upward packages, with argillaceous unit below and arenaceous unit above. Tra-Tra Formation is the "third shale", i.e. the third 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 "Siltstone and silty mudstone and minor thin-bedded, sandstone, ripple and micro cross laminated, abundant ripple marks, bioturbation and trace fossils, thin intraclast lenses, plant fragments"

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 35595: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 30.12.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Trilobita
 Phacopida - Homalonotidae
Burmeisteria herscheli
 Phacopida - Calmoniidae
"Metacryphaeus ? caffer" = Metacryphaeus (Metacryphaeus) caffer
"Metacryphaeus ? caffer" = Metacryphaeus (Metacryphaeus) caffer Salter 1856 trilobite
Lophophorata
 Tentaculitida - Tentaculitidae
Tentaculites "sp. (b)"
Tentaculites "sp. (b)" von Schlotheim 1820
Stenolaemata
 Cryptostomata - Fenestellidae
"Fenestella" "sp. (b)"
"Fenestella" "sp. (b)" Lonsdale 1839
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Chonetidae
Notiochonetes sp.
 Strophomenida - Strophodontidae
"Strophodonta ? arcei" = Strophomena (Strophodonta), "Strophodonta sp." = Strophomena (Strophodonta)
"Strophodonta ? arcei" = Strophomena (Strophodonta)
"Strophodonta sp." = Strophomena (Strophodonta) Hall 1852
Rhynchonellata
 Rhynchonellida - Leptocoeliidae
Australocoelia sp.
Lingulata
 Lingulida - Discinidae
Orbiculoidea "sp. (a)"
Orbiculoidea "sp. (a)" d'Orbigny 1847
 Lingulida - Lingulidae
"Lingula lepta" = Dignomia lepta
"Lingula lepta" = Dignomia lepta Clarke 1912
Gastropoda
 Bellerophontida - Plectonotidae
"Bellerophon africanoides" = Ptomatis africanoides
"Bellerophon africanoides" = Ptomatis africanoides Reed 1925 snail
Bivalvia
  -
"Pelecypoda indet." = Bivalvia
"Pelecypoda indet." = Bivalvia Linnaeus 1758 clam
 Nuculanida - Malletiidae
Palaeoneilo cf. magnifica, Palaeoneilo ? orbignyi, Palaeoneilo "sp. (c)"
Palaeoneilo "sp. (c)" Hall and Whitfield 1869 clam
 Nuculanida - Cucullellidae
Nuculites "sp. (b)"
Nuculites "sp. (b)" Conrad 1841 clam
 Solemyida - Solemyidae
""Janeia" sp." = Solemya
""Janeia" sp." = Solemya Children 1823 Awning Clam
 Myalinida - Myalinidae
"Myalina" "sp. (b)"
"Myalina" "sp. (b)" de Koninck 1842 clam
 Cardiidia - Grammysiidae
Grammysia sp., Grammysia "sp. (b)"
Grammysia sp. de Verneuil 1847 clam
Grammysia "sp. (b)" de Verneuil 1847 clam
Anthozoa
 Favositida - Favositidae
? Favosites sp.
? Favosites sp. Lamarck 1816 tabulate coral
Scyphozoa
 Conulariida - Conulariidae
Conularia baini, Conularia sp.
Conularia baini jellyfish
Conularia sp. Miller 1820 jellyfish