Pabdeh Formation

Pabdeh Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, 37.7–28  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Unit of	Zagros fold and thrust belt
Underlies	Asmari Formation
Overlies	Gurpi Formation
Lithology
Primary	Marl, limestone
Other	Oil shales
Location
Country	Iran

The Pabdeh Formation is a Late Eocene to Early Oligocene-aged ^{[1] [2]} geological formation in Iran. It outcrops along the Zagros Mountains. It was deposited in a deepwater environment in the upper bathyal zone of the Paratethys Sea, ^[3] with these abyssal sediments being lifted high above sea level from the uplift of the Zagros fold and thrust belt as part of the Alpide orogeny.

A high number of fossil fishes are known from this formation, the majority of which appear to have pelagic and deepwater affinities. These are mostly known from two localities near Elam and Istehbanat. ^[4] The age of these localities have been disputed, and have previously been considered to be Early Oligocene, but are now generally thought to be middle to late Eocene in age, most likely Priabonian. ^[5] Some fossils of migratory insects (a locust and ant alates), as well as fish and birds, are also known from presumed early Oligocene-aged strata near Babaheidar. ^[3]

Paleobiota

Cartilaginous fishes

Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Xiphodolamia	X. serrata	A xiphodolamiid shark. [6]

Bony fishes

Based primarily on Arambourg (1967), with taxonomic changes made where necessary: ^[4]

Genus	Species	Locality	Notes	Images
Aluvarus	A. praeimperialis	Elam	The larva of a percomorph of uncertain affinities, once thought to be a louvar relative. [7]
Arambourgthurus	A. scombrurus	Istehbanat	A surgeonfish. One of the only known surgeonfish to inhabit a pelagic ecosystem. [8]
? Astronesthes	? A. simus	Elam	An apparent stareater, taxonomic affinity uncertain.
Babelichthys	B. olneyi	Elam	A bizarre crestfish. [9]
Berycomorus	B. firdoussi	Elam	A beryciform.
Bregmaceros	B. filamentosus	Elam	A codlet.
Caucasiganus	C. sp.	Istehbanat	A relative of rabbitfish. [10]
Cheilinus	C. longifillis	Istehbanat	A wrasse.
Cottopsis	C. gaudryi	Elam	An oceanic basslet. [11]
Dussumieria	D. elami	Elam	A rainbow sardine.
Eosternoptyx	E. discoidalis	Elam	A deep-sea hatchetfish. [12]
Epinnula	E. cancellata	Elam	A snake mackerel.
Etrumeus	E. hafizi	Istehbanat	A round herring.
Grammatorcynus	G. scomberoides	Istehbanat, Elam	A mackerel.
Iraniplectus	I. bakhtiari	Babaheidar	A pufferfish-like tetraodontiform. [13]
Maurolicus	M. morgani	Elam	A pearlside.
? Myroconger	? M. rouslami	Elam	An apparent thin eel, taxonomic affinity uncertain.
Opisthonema	O. persicum	Elam	A thread herring.
Palaeorhynchus	P. altivelis	Istehbanat	A palaeorhynchid billfish.
Palimphyes (=Dipterichthys)	P. nematophorus	Elam	A euzaphlegid. [14]
	P. leptosomus
Paucaichthys	P. elamensis	Elam	A pomfret. [15]
Praewoodsia	P. mesogeae	Elam	A bristlemouth.
Priacanthopsis	P. crassispinus	Elam	A bigeye.
Proserrivomer	P. mecquenemi	Elam	A sawtooth eel.
Propteridium	P. douvillei	Elam	A viviparous brotula.
Pristigenys	P. macropus	Istehbanat	A bigeye.
Protolophotus	P. elami	Elam	A crestfish.
? Psenes	? P. macrolepis	Elam	A driftfish, taxonomic identity uncertain.
Pseudoholocentrum	P. cristatum	Elam	A holocentrid.
Rybapina	R. orientalis	Elam	A driftfish. [16] [17]
Scomber	S. saadii	Istehbanat	A mackerel.
Scomberomorus	S. speciosus	Istehbanat	A mackerel.
Scopeloides	S. glarisianus	Elam	A bristlemouth.
Sphyraena	S. longimana	Istehbanat	A barracuda.
Thyrsitoides	T. zarathoustrae	Elam	A relative of the blacksail snake mackerel.
? Urosphen	?U. iranensis	Elam	A urosphenid syngnathiform.

Birds

Genus	Species	Locality	Notes	Images
Diomedeoides (=Frigidafrons)	D. babaheydariensis	Babaheidar	A diomedeoidid seabird. [18]

Arthropods

Crustaceans

Based on Garassino, Bahrami, Yazdi & Vega (2014): ^[19]

Genus	Species	Locality	Notes	Images
Eogordonella	E. iranianiensis	Babaheidar	A solenocerid shrimp.
Eopabdehus	E. babaheydariensis		A penaeid shrimp.
Parsacus	P. eocenicus		A slipper lobster.

Insecta

Genus	Species	Locality	Notes	Images
Acrididae indet.		Babaheidar	A short-horned grasshopper of uncertain affinities, potentially in a migratory locust-like phase. [3]
Formicidae indet.			A potentially myrmicine ant of uncertain affinities, migratory alates. [3]

References

1. Joudaki, M.; Baghbani, D. (2018-09-01). "Biostratigraphy of Oligocene and Lower Miocene deposits, Anneh Anticline, Folded Zagros, SW of Iran". Carbonates and Evaporites. 33 (3): 509–515. doi:10.1007/s13146-017-0362-5. ISSN   1878-5212.
2. Joudaki, Mohamad; Asnavandi, Hamed; Panah, Fatemeh Mahmoodi; Baghbani, Darioush (2020-03-12). "The regional facies analysis and depositional environments of the Oligocene and Lower Miocene deposits; Zagros Basin, SW of Iran". Carbonates and Evaporites. 35 (2): 39. doi:10.1007/s13146-020-00575-8. ISSN   1878-5212.
3. Mirzaie Ataabadi, Majid; Bahrami, Ali; Yazdi, Mehdi; Nel, André (2019-05-28). "A locust witness of a trans-oceanic Oligocene migration between Arabia and Iran (Orthoptera: Acrididae)". Historical Biology. 31 (5): 574–580. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1378651. ISSN   0891-2963.
4. Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (France); naturelle (France), Muséum national d'histoire (1966). Notes et mémoires sur le Moyen-Orient. Vol. t.8 (1966). Paris: Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.
5. Bannikov, A. F.; Erebakan, I. G. (2023-10-01). "On the Evolution of Some Groups of Marine Bony Fishes in the Cenozoic of the Tethys and Paratethys". Paleontological Journal. 57 (5): 475–490. doi:10.1134/S0031030123050015. ISSN   1555-6174.
6. Adnet, S.; Hosseinzadeh, R.; Antunes, M. T.; Balbino, A. C.; Kozlov, V. A.; Cappetta, H. (2009-10-01). "Review of the enigmatic Eocene shark genus Xiphodolamia (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) and description of a new species recovered from Angola, Iran and Jordan". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 55 (3): 197–204. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2009.04.005. ISSN   1464-343X.
7. Bannikov, Alexandre F.; Tyler, James C. (1995). "Phylogenetic Revision of the Fish Families Luvaridae and Kushlukiidae (Acanthuroidei), with a New Genus and Two New Species of Eocene Luvarids". Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology (81): 1–45. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.81.1. hdl:10088/19149.
8. Carnevale, Giorgio; Tyler, James C. (2018). "The caudal skeleton of Arambourgthurus scombrurus (Arambourg, 1967), a Paleogene oceanic surgeonfish". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 131 (1): 101–110. doi:10.2988/17-00023. ISSN   0006-324X.
9. Davesne, Donald (2017-06-28). "A fossil unicorn crestfish (Teleostei, Lampridiformes, Lophotidae) from the Eocene of Iran". PeerJ. 5: e3381. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3381 . ISSN   2167-8359. PMC   5493034 . PMID   28674642.
10. Bannikov, Alexandre F.; Tyler, James C.; Sorbini, Chiara (2010). "Two new taxa of Eocene rabbitfishes (Perciformes, Siganidae) from the North Caucasus (Russia), with redescription of Acanthopygaeus agassizi (Eastman) from Monte Bolca (Italy) and a phylogenetic analysis of the family". Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona. 34: 3–21.
11. Prokofiev, A. M. (2007-09-01). "The osteology of Bathysphyraenops symplex and the diagnosis of the Howellidae (Perciformes: Percoidei) family". Journal of Ichthyology. 47 (8): 566–578. doi:10.1134/S0032945207080036. ISSN   1555-6425.
12. Afsari, S. (2014). "A new deep-sea hatchetfish (Teleostei: Stomiiformes: Sternoptychidae) from the Eocene of Ilam, Zagros Basin, Iran". Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 53 (1): 27–37. S2CID   211198956.
13. Tyler, J.C.; Mirzaie, M.; Nazemi, A. (2006). New genus and species of basal tetraodontoid puffer fish from the Oligocene of Iran, related to the Zignoichthyidae (Tetraodontiformes). Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona Geologia Paleontologia Preistoria, 30, 49-58
14. Monsch, Kenneth A.; Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2011). "New taxonomic synopses and revision of the scombroid fishes (Scombroidei, Perciformes), including billfishes, from the Cenozoic of territories of the former USSR". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 102 (4): 253–300. doi:10.1017/S1755691011010085. ISSN   1755-6910.
15. Přikryl, Tomáš; Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2014). "A new species of the Oligocene pomfret fish Paucaichthys (Perciformes; Bramidae) from Iran". N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh. 272 (3): 325–330.
16. Bannikov, Alexandre F. (1993). "FOSSIL STROMATEOID FISHES OF THE FAMILIES NOMEIDAE AND ARIOMMIDAE (PERCIFORMES)". Paleontological Journal. 27 (4).
17. Bannikov, A. F. (2018-11-01). "A New Genus and Species of Stromateoid Fishes (Perciformes, Stromateoidei) from the Lower Oligocene of the Northern Caucasus". Paleontological Journal. 52 (6): 631–638. doi:10.1134/S0031030118060035. ISSN   1555-6174.
18. Peters, Dieter Stefan; Hamedani, Ali (2000-05-01). "Frigidafons babaheydariensis n. sp., ein Sturmvogel aus dem Oligozän des Irans (Aves: Procellariidae)". Senckenbergiana Lethaea (in German). 80 (1): 29–37. doi:10.1007/BF03043661. ISSN   0037-2110.
19. Alessandro Garassino; Ali Bahrami; Medhi Yazdi; Francisco J. Vega (2014). "Report on decapod crustaceans from the Eocene of Zagros Basin, Iran". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 274 (1): 43–54. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2014/0442.