Agua Nueva Formation

Last updated
Agua Nueva Formation
Stratigraphic range: Latest Cenomanian to Turonian
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Type Formation
Lithology
Primary Limestone
Other Shale. bentonite, chert
Location
Country Mexico
Extent San Luis Potosí

The Agua Nueva Formation is a geologic formation in Mexico. It preserves fossils dated to the latest Cenomanian and Turonian ages of the Cretaceous period. It consists "predominantly of alternating fossiliferous, organic matter-rich, laminated, dark gray limestone and non-laminated, organic matter-poor limestone in decimeter-thick beds (10 to 30 cm) with occasional centimetric beds (5 cm) of brown shale that show no apparent internal structures." [1] The formation is noted for its qualities as a Konservat-Lagerstätte, with notable finds including the plesiosaur Mauriciosaurus , the mosasaur Yaguarasaurus and sharks Ptychodus and Aquilolamna.

Contents

It appears to have been deposited on the upper part of a shallow continental shelf. [2]

Fossil content

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxonTaxon falsely reported as presentDubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Cartilaginous fish

Cartilaginous fish of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationMemberMaterialNotesImages
Aquilolamna A. milarcaeComplete skeletonA bizarre aquilolamnid shark. [3] AquilolamnaMilarcae.jpg
Lamniformes indet.Articulated vertebraeAn indeterminate mackerel shark, potentially a cretoxyrhinid. [4]
Ptychodus P. decurrensVallecilloTeethA ptychodontid shark. [5] [6] Ptychodus22DB.jpg
P. mortoniTeeth
P. sp.Complete skeletons
cf. Scyliorhinus S. sp.Articulated vertebraeA catshark. [7] Scyliorhinus retifer.jpg

Ray-finned fish

Based on Amalfitano et al (2020): [8]

Ray-finned fish of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationMemberMaterialNotesImages
Araripichthys A. sp.An araripichthyid. [2]
Fossil specimen from an unknown location Araripichthys castilhoi.JPG
Fossil specimen from an unknown location
Belonostomus B. sp.An aspidorhynchid.
Fossil specimen from Germany Belonostomus tenuirostris Ob Jura Painten D Ch2.jpg
Fossil specimen from Germany
Clupeoidei indet.HuehuetlaA relative of herrings. [9]
Enchodus E. sp.HuehuetlaAn enchodontid aulopiform. [9] Enchodus petrosus.png
Goulmimichthys G. robertiVallecillo, HuehuetlaA pachyrhizodontid crossognathiform. [2] [9]
Fossil specimen from Colombia Goulmimichthys gasparini head - La Frontera Formation - Colombia.jpg
Fossil specimen from Colombia
Hastichthys H. sp.HuehuetlaA dercetid aulopiform. [9]
" Nursallia ""N." tethysensisHuehuetlaA pycnodont. [9]
Fossil specimen from an unknown location Nursallia sp 7.JPG
Fossil specimen from an unknown location
Pachyrhizodus P. caninusA pachyrhizodontid crossognathiform. Pachyrhizodus.png
Paranursallia P. gutturosaA pycnodont.
Fossil specimen from an unknown location Nursallia cf N Gutturosum.JPG
Fossil specimen from an unknown location
Rhynchodercetis R. regioA dercetid aulopiform. [10]
Fossil specimen from Lebanon Rhynchodercetis hakelensis MHNT.jpg
Fossil specimen from Lebanon
Tingitanichthys T. sp.A pachyrhizodontid crossognathiform. [9]
Tselfatia T. formosaHuehuetlaA plethodid tselfatiiform. [9]
Fossil specimen from an unknown location Tselfatia formosa 65.JPG
Fossil specimen from an unknown location
Vallecillichthys V. multivertebratumVallecilloA saurodontid ichthyodectiform. [2] [11]

Lobe-finned fish

Lobe-finned fish of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationMemberMaterialNotesImages
Latimerioidei indet.Gular plateA large-sized marine coelacanth, potentially Megalocoelacanthus . Originally interpreted as a cephalopod gladius and given the name " Palaeoctopus pelagicus". [12]

Reptiles

Mosasaurs

Mosasaurs of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationMemberMaterialNotesImages
Yaguarasaurus Y. regiomontanusA plioplatecarpine mosasaur. [13] Yaguarasaurus columbianus tethysaur MP.png

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaurs of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationMemberMaterialNotesImages
Mauriciosaurus M. fernandeziA polycotylid plesiosaur. [14] Mauriciosaurus fernandezi life restoration.jpg

Molluscs

Cephalopods

Cephalopods of the Agua Nueva Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages

See also

References

  1. Blanco, Alberto; Ángeles-Trigueros, Susana Abigail; Hernández-Ávila, Juan; Silva-Martínez, Luis E.; Zavala-Díaz de la Serna, Francisco Javier; Ambrocio-Cruz, Silvia Patricia; Castañeda-Posadas, Carlos; Blanco, Alberto; Ángeles-Trigueros, Susana Abigail; Hernández-Ávila, Juan; Silva-Martínez, Luis E. (2016). "Microscopic biomorphic structures in Upper Cretaceous marine sedimentary pyrite". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas. 33 (3): 378–386. ISSN   1026-8774.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Blanco, Alberto; Cavin, Lionel (2003-07-01). "New Teleostei from the Agua Nueva Formation (Turonian), Vallecillo (NE Mexico)" . Comptes Rendus Palevol. 2 (5): 299–306. Bibcode:2003CRPal...2..299B. doi:10.1016/S1631-0683(03)00064-2. ISSN   1631-0683.
  3. Vullo, Romain; Frey, Eberhard; Ifrim, Christina; González González, Margarito A.; Stinnesbeck, Eva S.; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang (2021-03-19). "Manta-like planktivorous sharks in Late Cretaceous oceans". Science. 371 (6535): 1253–1256. Bibcode:2021Sci...371.1253V. doi:10.1126/science.abc1490. PMID   33737486.
  4. Blanco-Piñón, Alberto; Shimada, Kenshu; González-Barba, Gerardo; Blanco-Piñón, Alberto; Shimada, Kenshu; González-Barba, Gerardo (2005). "Lamnoid vertebrae from the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper Cretaceous: lower Turonian), northeastern Mexico". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas. 22 (1): 19–23. ISSN   1026-8774.
  5. Blanco-Piñón, Alberto; Garibay-Romero, Luis M.; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús (2007). "The oldest stratigraphic record of the Late Cretaceous shark Ptychodus mortoni Agassiz, from Vallecillo, Nuevo León, northeastern Mexico". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas. 24 (1): 25–30. ISSN   1026-8774.
  6. Vullo, Romain; Villalobos-Segura, Eduardo; Amadori, Manuel; Kriwet, Jürgen; Frey, Eberhard; González González, Margarito A.; Padilla Gutiérrez, José M.; Ifrim, Christina; Stinnesbeck, Eva S.; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang (2024-04-24). "Exceptionally preserved shark fossils from Mexico elucidate the long-standing enigma of the Cretaceous elasmobranch Ptychodus". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 291 (2021): 20240262. doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.0262. PMC   11040243 . PMID   38654646.
  7. "Vallecillo, Nuevo León: una nueva localidad fosilífera del Cretácico Tardío en el noreste de México | Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas". rmcg.geociencias.unam.mx. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  8. Amalfitano, Jacopo; Giusberti, Luca; Fornaciari, Eliana; Carnevale, Giorgio (2020-04-03). "Upper Cenomanian Fishes from the Bonarelli Level (Oae2) of Northeastern Italy". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 126 (2). doi:10.13130/2039-4942/13224. ISSN   2039-4942.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús; Cantalice Severiano, Kleyton Magno; Barrientos-Lara, Jair Israel; Díaz-Cruz, Jesús Alberto; Than-Marchese Aguilera, Bruno Andrés (2019-03-13). "The Huehuetla quarry, a Turonian deposit of marine vertebrates in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, central Mexico". Palaeontologia Electronica. 22. doi: 10.26879/921 . Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  10. Blanco, Alberto; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús (2006-09-11). "Rhynchodercetis regio, sp. nov., a dercetid fish (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) from Vallecillo, Nuevo León State, Northeastern Mexico" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (3): 552–558. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[552:RRSNAD]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0272-4634.
  11. Blanco-Piñón, Alberto; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús (2007). "Review of Vallecillichthys multivertebratum (Teleostei: Ichthyodectiformes), a Late Cretaceous (early Turonian) "Bulldog fish" from northeastern Mexico". Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas. 24 (3): 450–466. ISSN   1026-8774.
  12. Schultze, Hans-Peter; Fuchs, Dirk; Giersch, Samuel; Ifrim, Christina; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang (2010). "Palaeoctopus pelagicus from the Turonian of Mexico reinterpreted as a coelacanth (Sarcopterygian) gular plate". Palaeontology. 53 (3): 689–694. Bibcode:2010Palgy..53..689S. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00943.x. ISSN   1475-4983.
  13. Rivera-Sylva, Héctor E.; Longrich, Nicholas R.; Padilla-Gutierrez, José M.; Guzmán-Gutiérrez, José Rubén; Escalante-Hernández, Víctor M.; González-Ávila, José G. (2024-01-01). "A new species of Yaguarasaurus (Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae) from the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper Turonian – ?Lower Coniacian) of Nuevo Leon, Mexico" . Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 133: 104694. Bibcode:2024JSAES.13304694R. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104694. ISSN   0895-9811.
  14. Frey, Eberhard; Mulder, Eric W. A.; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; Rivera-Sylva, Héctor E.; Padilla-Gutiérrez, José Manuel; González-González, Arturo Homero; Frey, Eberhard; Mulder, Eric W. A.; Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; Rivera-Sylva, Héctor E.; Padilla-Gutiérrez, José Manuel; González-González, Arturo Homero (2017). "A new polycotylid plesiosaur with extensive soft tissue preservation from the early Late Cretaceous of northeast Mexico". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 69 (1): 87–134. Bibcode:2017BoSGM..69...87F. doi: 10.18268/BSGM2017v69n1a5 . ISSN   1405-3322.