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

Where: South Africa (32.6° S, 19.4° E: paleocoordinates 60.9° S, 148.7° 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 35584: 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" cf. gydoensis
Crinoidea
  -
Crinoidea indet.
Crinoidea indet. Miller 1821 Sea lily
 Diplobathrida - Rhodocrinitidae
Ophiocrinus stangeri
Acanthodii
  -
Acanthodii indet.
Acanthodii indet. spiny fish
acanthodian spines
Brachiopoda
  -
Brachiopoda indet.
Brachiopoda indet. Cuvier 1805
Lingulata
 Lingulida - Lingulidae
Lingula lamella
 Lingulida - Discinidae
Orbiculoidea baini, Orbiculoidea ? collis
Strophomenata
 Orthotetida - Pulsiidae
Schellwienella sulivani
 Strophomenida - Chonetidae
Notiochonetes falklandicus, Notiochonetes hallei
 Strophomenida - Strophodontidae
"Strophodonta ? arcei" = Strophomena (Strophodonta)
"Strophodonta ? arcei" = Strophomena (Strophodonta)
Rhynchonellata
 Spiriferida - Hysterolitidae
Australospirifer antarcticus, Australospirifer ceres
 Spiriferida - Acrospiriferidae
Acrospirifer iheringi
 Rhynchonellida - Leptocoeliidae
Australocoelia tourteloti
 Terebratulida - Meganterididae
Derbyina variegata
 Terebratulida - Centronellidae
"Rensselaeria" rotunda
Lophophorata
 Tentaculitida - Tentaculitidae
Tentaculites desuetes
Stenolaemata
 Trepostomata -
"Trepostomata" "sp. (a)"
Gastropoda
 Bellerophontida - Plectonotidae
"Bellerophon cf. laticarinatus" = Plectonotus laticarinata, "Bellerophon africanoides" = Ptomatis africanoides
"Bellerophon cf. laticarinatus" = Plectonotus laticarinata Knod 1908 snail
"Bellerophon africanoides" = Ptomatis africanoides Reed 1925 snail
 Murchisoniina - Palaeozygopleuridae
"Loxonema zwartbergense" = Pragozyga zwartbergense
"Loxonema zwartbergense" = Pragozyga zwartbergense Reed 1925 snail
 Euomphalina - Platyceratidae
""Diaphorostoma" baini" = Platyostoma
""Diaphorostoma" baini" = Platyostoma snail
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Malletiidae
Palaeoneilo subantiqua
 Nuculanida - Cucullellidae
Nuculites abbreviatus, Nuculites pacatus, Nuculites sharpei, Nuculites "sp. (c)"
Nuculites "sp. (c)" Conrad 1841 clam
 Cardiidia - Grammysiidae
"Cardiomorpha" cf. colossea
 Cardiidia - Sanguinolitidae
"Sanguinolites" albanus, "Sanguinolites" "sp. (b)"
"Sanguinolites" "sp. (b)" M'Coy 1844 clam
Trilobita
 Phacopida - Homalonotidae
Burmeisteria herscheli, Burmeisteria notica, Burmeisteria quernus
 Phacopida - Calmoniidae
"Metacryphaeus caffer" = Metacryphaeus (Metacryphaeus) caffer, "Bainella africana" = Anchiopella, "Bainella arbuteus" = Anchiopella
"Metacryphaeus caffer" = Metacryphaeus (Metacryphaeus) caffer Salter 1856 trilobite
"Bainella africana" = Anchiopella trilobite
"Bainella arbuteus" = Anchiopella trilobite
Scyphozoa
 Conulariida - Conulariidae
Conularia gamkaensis