Smallstones Point, Fodonyx (EXEMS 65/1984) (Triassic of the United Kingdom)

Where: England, United Kingdom (50.7° N, 3.3° W: paleocoordinates 13.4° N, 10.8° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Otter Sandstone Formation (Sherwood Sandstone Group), Anisian (247.2 - 242.0 Ma)

• late Anisian: "The unit is dated as Anisian on the basis of faunal comparisons and matching with palynologically dated units in the English Midlands... This has since been confirmed by magnetostratigraphy (Hounslow and McIntosh 2003), who found that the lower parts of the Otter Sandstone Formation correspond to the early and mid Anisian, and the upper parts, which contain the majority of the macrofossils correlate with late Anisian and latest Anisian magnetozones on the marine standard."

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; lithology not reported

• "The middle and upper parts of the formation are of fluvial origin; sandstones were deposited by ephemeral braided streams flowing from the south and south-west. The comparatively thin mudstones are interpreted as the deposits of temporary lakes on the floodplain. The calcretes indicate subaerial soil and subsurface calcrete formation in semi-arid conditions. The climate was semi-arid, with long periods when river beds dried out, and seasonal or occasional rains leading to violent river action and flash floods."

Size class: macrofossils

Collected by P. S. Spencer

Primary reference: M. J. Benton. 1990. The species of Rhynchosaurus, a rhynchosaur (Reptilia, Diapsida) from the Middle Triassic of England. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 328:213-306 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht/R. Butler]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 88950: authorized by Richard Butler, entered by Richard Butler on 27.04.2009

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Reptilia
 Rhynchosauria - Rhynchosauridae
"Rhynchosaurus spenceri" = Fodonyx spenceri
"Rhynchosaurus spenceri" = Fodonyx spenceri Benton 1990 rhynchosaur
EXEMS 65/1984, partial skull and mandible