Bluff Downs (Pliocene of Australia)

Where: Queensland, Australia (19.7° S, 145.6° E: paleocoordinates 22.5° S, 144.9° E)

When: Allingham Formation, Zanclean (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• K/Ar dating of the basalts capping the Allingham Formation at its type section (Bluff Downs flow) reveal a minimum age of 3.6 Ma (see Mackness et al., 2000, Austr. J. Earth Sci. 47).

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; silty, calcareous limestone

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: M. Archer and M. Wade. 1976. Results of the Ray E. Lemley expeditions; Part 1, the Allingham Formation and a new Pliocene vertebrate fauna from northern Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 17(3):379-398 [M. Uhen/E. Hansen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 182159: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Erik Hansen on 11.10.2016, edited by Mark Uhen and Grace Varnham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Crustacea
  -
Crustacea indet.
Crustacea indet. Brünnich 1772
unidentified gastrolith
Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Teleostei indet.
Teleostei indet.
spines and vertebrae
Mammalia
 Diprotodontia - Diprotodontidae
Diprotodontidae indet., Euryzygoma sp., Zygomaturus sp.
Diprotodontidae indet. Gill 1872 diprotodont marsupial
"Nototheriine"
Euryzygoma sp. Longman 1921 diprotodont marsupial
Zygomaturus sp. Owen 1858 diprotodont marsupial
 Diprotodontia - Vombatidae
Phascolonus lemleyi n. sp.
Phascolonus lemleyi n. sp. Archer 1976 wombat
 Diprotodontia - Phascolarctidae
Koobor jimbarratti n. gen. n. sp.
Koobor jimbarratti n. gen. n. sp. koala
 Diprotodontia - Thylacoleonidae
Thylacoleo sp.
Thylacoleo sp. Owen 1852 diprotodont marsupial
 Diprotodontia - Macropodidae
Macropodidae indet., Macropus cf. woodsi, Macropus cf. dryas, Protemnodon sp.
Macropodidae indet. Gray 1821 kangaroo
similar to Thylogale
Macropus cf. woodsi Bartholomai 1975 kangaroo
Macropus cf. dryas De Vis 1895 kangaroo
Protemnodon sp. Owen 1874 kangaroo
 Peramelemorphia - Peramelidae
Perameles allinghamensis n. sp.
Perameles allinghamensis n. sp. Archer and Wade 1976 long-nosed bandicoot
Reptilia
 Galliformes - Megapodiidae
"Progura cf. naracoortensis" = Latagallina naracoortensis
"Progura cf. naracoortensis" = Latagallina naracoortensis van Tets 1974 megapode
Aves
 Charadriiformes - Scolopacidae
cf. Numenius sp.
cf. Numenius sp. Brisson 1760 snipe
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
Rallidae indet., Porzana sp., Porphyrio porphyrio nujagura
Rallidae indet. Vigors 1825 rail
Porzana sp. Vieillot 1816 rail
Porphyrio porphyrio nujagura Boles and Backness 1994 western swamphen
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Dendrocygna arcuata, Nettapus sp., Cygnus atratus, Cereopsis sp.
Dendrocygna arcuata Horsfield 1824 Wandering whistling-duck
Nettapus sp. Brandt 1836 waterfowl
Cygnus atratus Latham 1790 black swan
Cereopsis sp. Latham 1801 Cape barren goose
 Suliformes - Anhingidae
Anhinga sp.
Anhinga sp. Brisson 1760 darter
 Suliformes - Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Brandt 1837 Little black cormorant
 Pelecaniformes - Threskiornithidae
Threskiornis cf. molucca
Threskiornis cf. molucca Cuvier 1829 Australian ibis
 Pelecaniformes - Ardeidae
"cf. Ardea picata" = Egretta picata
"cf. Ardea picata" = Egretta picata Gould 1845 pied heron
 Ciconiiformes - Ciconiidae
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, Xenorhynchus asiaticus
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus Latham 1790 black-necked stork
 Phoenicopteriformes - Phoenicopteridae
Phoenicopterus cf. ruber
Phoenicopterus cf. ruber Linnaeus 1758 American flamingo
Reptilia
 Crocodylia -
Pallimnarchus sp.
Pallimnarchus sp. De Vis 1886 crocodilian
 Testudines - Chelidae
? Chelodina sp.
? Chelodina sp. Fitzinger 1826 sideneck turtle
 Squamata - Agamidae
Agamidae indet.
Agamidae indet. Gray 1827 squamates
similar to Aphibolurus spp.
 Squamata - Pythonidae
? Morelia sp.
? Morelia sp. Gray 1842 python
 Squamata - Elapidae
? Elapidae indet.
? Elapidae indet. Boié 1827 snake
small vertebrae
 Squamata - Varanidae
Varanus sp.
Varanus sp. Merrem 1820 monitor lizard