The Gogo Formation in the Kimberley region of Western Australia is a Lagerstätte that exhibits exceptional preservation of a Devonian reef community. The formation is named after Gogo Station, a cattle station where outcrops appear and fossils are often collected from, [1] as is nearby Fossil Downs Station.
The reef, which now stands up abruptly in the western Australian desert (as the Windjana Limestone), was first identified in 1940 by paleontologist Curt Teichert, who discovered the first fossil fish from the region. [2]
Unweathered sections of the Gogo Formation are made of siltstone, shale and calcarenite with numerous limestone concretions. These concretions are resistant to weathering, producing extensive nodule fields on the ground in areas where the surrounding rock has eroded away. [3]
The Gogo sediments represent deep, hypoxic seafloor deposits in the vicinity of a large tropical reef composed primarily of algae and stromatoporoids during the Frasnian faunal stage of the Late Devonian. [4] Associated stratigraphic units which comprise this ancient reef system are the Windjana Formation (the actual reef structures), Pillara Limestone (reef platform) and the Sadler Formation (fore-reef deposits). [3]
The formation was deposited in the Frasnian (late Devonian). [5]
The fossils of the Gogo Formation display three-dimensional soft-tissue preservation of tissues as fragile as nerves and embryos with umbilical cords. [5] Over fifty species of fish have been described from the formation, and arthropods, including phyllocarids [6] and eurypterids [7] are similarly well-preserved. [5] Nautiloids, goniatites and tentaculids are also known from the formation, but their soft tissue is not preserved. [5]
The calcareous concretions formed around objects from the shallow reef areas which sank into the deep anoxic basins. The concretions sometimes contain the remains of fish, whose bodies are often preserved complete in three-dimensions due to rapid encasement and the slow rate of decay in the oxygen-poor surroundings. By repeated baths in a dilute acid solution, the matrix is dissolved away via a process of acid etching to reveal delicate fish fossils, some retaining impressions of soft tissues.
The discovery of Materpiscis , a placoderm preserved with an embryonic juvenile still attached by its umbilical cord, has revealed that at least some placoderms gave birth to live young. [8]
Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Austroptyctodus | A. gardinieri | [9] | |
Bothriolepis | Indeterminate | [10] | |
Bruntonichthys | B. multidens | [11] | |
Bullerichthys | B. fascidens | [11] | |
Campbellodus | C. decipiens | [9] | |
Camuropiscis | C. concinnus | [12] | |
C. laidlawi | [13] | ||
Compagopiscis | C. croucheri | [14] | |
Eastmanosteus | E. calliaspis | [15] | |
Fallacosteus | F. turneri | [16] | |
Harrytoombsia | H. elegans | [17] | |
Holonema | H. westolli | [18] | |
Incisoscutum | I. ritchei | ||
I. sarahae | [19] | ||
Kendrickichthys | K. cavernosus | [11] | |
Kimberleyichthys | K. bispicatus | [14] | |
K. whybrowi | [14] | ||
Materpiscis | M. attenboroughi | [20] | |
Latocamurus | L. coulthardi | [21] | |
Mcnamaraspis | M. kaprios | [22] | |
Pinguosteus | P. thulborni | [16] | |
Rolfosteus | R. canningensis | [23] | |
Simosteus | S. tuberculatus | [24] | |
Torosteus | T. tuberculatus | [14] | |
T. pulchellus | [14] | ||
Tubonasus | T. lennardensis | [23] |
Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Gogosardina | G. coatesi | [14] | |
Mimipiscis | M. toombsi | [25] | |
Moythomasia | M. durgaringa | ||
M. lineata | |||
Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Gogoselachus | G. lynbeazleyae | [26] |
Genus | Species | Notes |
---|---|---|
Halimacanthodes | H. ahlbergi | [27] |
Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Adololopas | A. moyasmithae | [14] | |
Chirodipterus | C. australis | [28] | |
Ngamugawi | N. wirngarri | Originally considered as Diplocercides . [29] [30] | |
Gogodipterus | G. paddyensis | [31] | |
Gogonasus | G. andrewsae | [32] | |
Griphognathus | G. whitei | [28] | |
Holodipterus | "H" (Holodipteroides) elderae | [14] | |
H. gogoensis | [28] | ||
H. meemanae | [14] | ||
Onychodus | O. jandemarrai | [33] | |
Pillararhynchus | P. longi | [34] | |
Rhinodipterus | R. kimberleyensis | [5] | |
Robinsondipterus | R. longi | [35] | |
Xeradipterus | X. hatcheri | [36] | |
Genus | Species | Notes |
---|---|---|
Polygnathus | P. varca | [37] |
P. normalis | [37] | |
P. asymmetrica asymmetrica | [37] | |
P. asymmetrica ovalis | [37] | |
Playfordia | P. primitiva | [37] |
Gnamptognathus | G.? lipperti | [37] |
G.? cf. G.? lipperti | [37] | |
Ancyrodella | A. rotundiloba alata | [37] |
A. rotundiloba rotundiloba | [37] | |
Icirodus | I. symmetricus | [37] |
Roundya | A. aurita | [37] |
Genus | Species | Notes |
---|---|---|
Timanites | T. angustus | [37] |
Tornoceras | T. (T.) simplex | [37] |
Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Montecaris | M. gogoensis | Phyllocarid arthropod, reaching length up to 60 centimetres (24 in). [38] | |
M. sp. indet. | [38] | ||
Schugurocaris | S. wami | Phyllocarid arthropod. [38] | |
S. sp. indet. | |||
Dithyrocaris | D. sp. indet. | ||
Concavicaris | C. campi | Thylacocephalan arthropod. [6] [39] | |
C. glenisteri | |||
C. milesi | |||
C. playfordi | |||
C. sp. | |||
Harrycaris | H. whittingtoni | ||
Adelophthalmus | A. waterstoni | An eurypterid. Originally described as a species of Rhenopterus . [40] | |
Undescribed eurypterid | [41] | ||
'Mushia' | Common fossil from Gogo Formation, undescribed arthropod with unknown affinity. Chemical analysis shows that is likely to be a crustacean. [41] |
Placoderms are vertebrate animals of the class Placodermi, an extinct group of prehistoric fish known from Paleozoic fossils during the Silurian and the Devonian periods. While their endoskeletons are mainly cartilaginous, their head and thorax were covered by articulated armoured plates, and the rest of the body was scaled or naked depending on the species.
Dunkleosteus is an extinct genus of large arthrodire ("jointed-neck") fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 382–358 million years ago. It was a pelagic fish inhabiting open waters, and one of the first apex predators of any ecosystem.
Arthrodira is an order of extinct armored, jawed fishes of the class Placodermi that flourished in the Devonian period before their sudden extinction, surviving for about 50 million years and penetrating most marine ecological niches. Arthrodires were the largest and most diverse of all groups of placoderms.
Dinichthys is an extinct monospecific genus of large marine arthrodire placoderm from the Late Devonian measuring around 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. Fossils were recovered from the Ohio Shale Formation along the Olentangy River in Delaware County, Ohio.
Dunkleosteidae is an extinct family of arthrodire placoderms that lived during the Devonian period. The gigantic apex predator Dunkleosteus terrelli is the best known member of this group.
Rolfosteus is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Western Australia.
Holonema is an extinct genus of relatively large, barrel-shaped arthrodire placoderms that were found in oceans throughout the world from the Mid to Late Devonian, when the last species perished in the Frasnian-Fammian extinction event. Most species of the genus are known from fragments of their armor, but the Gogo Reef species, H. westolli, is known from whole, articulated specimens.
Eastmanosteus is a fossil genus of dunkleosteid placoderms. It was closely related to the giant Dunkleosteus, but differed from that genus in size, in possessing a distinctive tuberculated bone ornament, a differently shaped nuchal plate and a more zig-zagging course of the sutures of the skull roof.
Bruntonichthys is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period. Fossils are found in the Gogo Formation of the Kimberley region of Australia. The skull is about 139 millimetres long, and had disproportionally large eye sockets. Researchers suggest it may have preyed on small mollusks.
Incisoscutum is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian Gogo Reef, from Late Devonian Australia. The genus contains two species I. ritchiei, named after Alex Ritchie, a palaeoichthyologist and senior fellow of the Australian Museum, and I. sarahae, named after Sarah Long, daughter of its discoverer and describer, John A. Long.
Plourdosteus is an extinct genus of placoderm arthrodire which was relatively widespread in Euramerica during the Givetian to Frasnian ages of the Devonian. It was a small placoderm, with P. canadensis specimen MNHM 2-177 measuring 37.5 cm (14.8 in) long.
Mcnamaraspis is an extinct monospecific genus of arthrodire placoderm that inhabited the ancient reef system of north Western Australia during the Frasnian epoch of the Late Devonian period. The type specimen was found and described by John A. Long from the Gogo Formation near Fitzroy Crossing. This fossil fish showed new anatomical features in arthrodires, like the well-preserved annular (ring-shaped) cartilages of the snout, previously inferred to be present by Erik Stensiö of Sweden. It is occasionally referred to as "The Gogo Fish" after the locale the holotype was excavated from.
Camuropiscidae is a family of mostly small, bullet or spindle-shaped extinct arthrodire placoderms from the Late Devonian. With the exception of the snub-nosed Simosteus, camuropiscid placoderms are characterized by an elongated, tubular snout. The entire family is restricted to the Frasnian Gogo Reef Formation of Australia.
Camuropiscis is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Kimberley, Western Australia. The species of Camuropiscis had a flattened, elongated snout that may have aided in enhancing its hydrodynamic streamlining.
Tubonasus is an extinct monospecific genus of long-snouted arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Kimberley, Western Australia.
Latocamurus is an extinct monospecific genus of flat-nosed arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period, found at the Gogo Formation of Kimberley, Western Australia.
Ptyctodus is an extinct armour-plated fish of the late Devonian. Ptyctodus belongs to the family Ptyctodontidae and is of the class Placodermi. They share a close resemblance to modern day chimaeras (Holocephali). Fossils of this armour-plated fish have been found in locations such as in Russia, the Michigan Basis, and Arizona, United States.
Compagopiscis is an extinct genus of placoderm known from the Gogo Formation. It lived in the Upper Devonian of Western Australia. The genus is monotypic, with its only species being Compagopiscis croucheri.
Torosteus is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm from the Early Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period. Fossils are found in the Kimberley region of Australia.