Bled Douarah (Miocene to of Tunisia)

Also known as Bled ed Douarah, Beglia Formation

Where: Gafsa, Tunisia (34.0° N, 8.0° E: paleocoordinates 33.7° N, 7.5° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Beglia Formation, Serravallian to Serravallian (13.8 - 7.2 Ma)

• No radiometric dates. Originally described as Vindobonian in age. NOW database lists age as 12.5-9.5 Ma.

•Mannaï-Tayech 2009: underlying Beglia sands were dated Serravallian to Lower Tortonian, based on their vertebrate faunal contents (Robinson and Black, 1974; Mannaï-Tayech and Otéro, 2005).

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial; poorly lithified, fine-grained, white, silty, sandy sandstone and poorly lithified, yellow, sandy sandstone

• There are many fossil localities at 'Beglia' numbered from 1-28 (or more?). Unfortunately, locality data is not reported, so the relative ages and stratigraphic setting of each is difficult to reconstruct.
• Beglia formation is 135 meters thick at Bled Douarah, and has two known fossiliferous levels. Older level (Lower Faunal Level) at the base of the formation is fine white sands, well sorted and rounded. Contains mud concentrations and cross-stratification, suggesting river deposits. Younger level from top of the formation is yellow sands with lenses of limonite nodules that can be greater than 50 cm long. Some of these lenses also contain fossil wood. The upper unit (Upper Faunal Level) can be divided into two subunits- upper and lower.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), surface (in situ),

• Abundance data is incomplete, therefore collection size is an estimate.

•Fossils come from many localities, but it is often not reported from which. This collection reports fossils from all localites. Other PBDB collections report fauna known from specific localities. Hipparion is present in the upper yellow sands, but not in the lower white sands.

Primary reference: P. Robinson and C. C. Black. 1969. Note preliminaire sur les vertebres fossiles du Vinodobonien (formation Beglia), du Bled Douarah, Gouvernorat de Gafsa, Tunisie. Notes du Service Geologique Tunisie. Traveaux de Geologie Tunisienne 31(11):67-70 [A. Behrensmeyer/S. Cote/S. Cote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 35277: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Suzanne Cote on 23.11.2003, edited by John Alroy

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Probably requries some updating. Some identifications come from the NOW database (NOW # 20144).
unclassified
  -
Amphibia
  -
Amphibia indet. Linnaeus 1758 tetrapod
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821 rhinoceros
Upper Faunal Level
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Hipparion primigenium" = Hippotherium primigenium4
"Hipparion primigenium" = Hippotherium primigenium4 von Meyer 1829 hipparionine horse
Upper Faunal Level only
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
"Nyanzachoerus cf. devauxi" = Propotamochoerus devauxi6, "Nyanzachoerus cf. syrticus" = Sivachoerus syrticus6
"Nyanzachoerus cf. devauxi" = Propotamochoerus devauxi6 Arambourg 1968 pig
"Nyanzachoerus cf. syrticus" = Sivachoerus syrticus6 Leonardi 1954 pig
Total of 58 suid specimens
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Kenyapotamus sp.5 Pickford 1983 hippopotamus
from Upper and Lower Faunal Levels
 Artiodactyla - Anthracotheriidae
Merycopotamus anisae3 anthracothere
from Upper and Lower Faunal Levels
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Gazella sp., Antilopini spp., "Pachytragus solignaci" = Pachytragus solignaci8, "Protoryx solignaci" = Pachytragus solignaci
Gazella sp. Blaineville 1816 gazelle
Antilopini spp. Gray 1821 antelope
2 species- both hypsodont
"Pachytragus solignaci" = Pachytragus solignaci8 Robinson 1972 antelope
from Lower Faunal Level only
"Protoryx solignaci" = Pachytragus solignaci Robinson 1972 antelope
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Hyaenodontidae indet. Leidy 1869 creodont
Lower Faunal Level
 Carnivora - Felidae
Machairodus sp. Kaup 1833 cat
Upper Faunal Level
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Tungurictis sp. Colbert 1939 hyaena
Lower Faunal Level
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Afrocyon sp. Arambourg 1961 bear-dog
Upper Faunal Level
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustelidae indet. Fischer 1817 mustelid carnivore
Upper Faunal Level
 Sirenia - Sirenia
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium angustidens Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
Upper Faunal Level
Tetralophodon longirostris Kaup 1832 gomphothere
Upper Faunal Level
Reptilia
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet.2 Gray 1825 softshell turtle
Lower Faunal Level
 Loricata -
Crocodylia indet.1 crocodilian
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
"Crocodylus lloydi" = Rimasuchus lloydi7, Euthecodon sp.1
"Crocodylus lloydi" = Rimasuchus lloydi7 Fourtau 1918 crocodile
locality 20; aka Rimnasuchus lloydi
Euthecodon sp.1 Fortau 1920 crocodile