Waaipoort Formation

Waaipoort Formation
Stratigraphic range: Carboniferous (Visean)
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Witteberg Group [1]
Overlies	Floriskraal Formation [1]
Location
Country	South Africa

The Waaipoort Formation is a geologic formation in South Africa. It preserves fossils dating back to the Visean, in the Carboniferous period. ^[1]

Geology

The Waaipoort formation consists of mudstones, siltstones, and fine sandstones and is around 35 meters thick. Fish-bearing localities are common and in most of these, the fish are present in calcitic or phosphatic nodules. At the Schiethoogte locality in the Eastern Cape, a 15 cm thick black layer made up of siltstone and fine sandstone contains two horizons where actinopterygian fossils are closely packed. These are thought to represent mass mortality events. ^[1]

Paleoenvironment

The Waaipoort formation has most commonly been interpreted as a marginal marine environment, possibly a lagoon or a delta. The fauna, composed mostly of paleoniscoids, is a large divergence from the predominantly placoderm- and sarcopterygian- dominated faunas of previous Witteberg Group formations like the Witpoort Formation. ^[1]

Fossil content

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

Acanthodians

Acanthodians
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
Gyracanthides [1] [2]	G. sp.	Climatiiformes	Restoration of Gyracanthides murrayi

Chondrichthyes

Chondrichthyes
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
?Protacrodontidae [2]	Protacrodontidae indet.	?Protacrodontidae
?Plesioselachus [1]	?Plesioselachus indet.

Palaeonisciformes

Palaeonisciformes
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
Willowmorichthys [1] [2] [3]	W. striatulus	Willowmorichthyidae
Mentzichthys [1] [3]	M. walshi	Rhadinichthyidae
	M. jubbi
	M. maraisi
	M. theroni
Australichthys [1] [3]	A. longidorsalis	Holuridae
Aesturichthys [1] [3]	A. fulcratus	Atherstoniidae
Adroichthys [1] [3]	A. tuberculatus	Amphicentridae
Sundayichthys [1] [3]	S. elegantulus	Canobiidae
Soetendalichthys [1] [3]	S. cromptoni	Platysomidae
Dwykia [1] [3]	D. analensis	Dwykiidae

Eurypterids

Eurypterida
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
Cyrtoctenus [4]	C. wittebergensis	Hibbertopteroidea	Hibbertopterus wittebergensis

Bivalves

Bivalvia
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
2 undescribed species of ?Unionidae [2]	2 undescribed species of ?Unionidae	?Unionidae

Flora

Flora
Genus	Species	Clade	Images
Praeramunculus [2]	P. striatiramus	?Progymnospermopsida
Archaeosigillaria [2]	A. caespitosa	Lycopodiopsida

See also

• Earth sciences portal
• Paleontology portal

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Africa

References

1. Gess, Robert (2016). "Vertebrate Biostratigraphy of the Witteberg Group and the Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary in South Africa". Origin and Evolution of the Cape Mountains and Karoo Basin. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer Nature. pp. 131–140. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-40859-0_13. ISBN   978-3-319-40858-3.
2. Evans, F J (1999). "Palaeobiology of Early Carboniferous lacustrine biota of the Waaipoort Formation (Witteberg Group), South Africa". Palaeontologia Africana. 35. Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research. hdl:10539/16455. ISSN   0078-8554.
3. Gardiner, B G (1969). "New palaeoniscoid fish from the Witteberg series of South Africa". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 48 (4): 423–452. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1969.tb00722.x.
4. D. Waterston, C; W. Oelofsen, B; D. F. Oosthuizen, R (1985-01-01). "Cyrtoctenus wittebergensis sp. nov. (Chelicerata: Eurypterida), a large sweep-feeder from the Carboniferous of South Africa". Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences. 76 (2–3): 339–358. Bibcode:1985EESTR..76..339W. doi:10.1017/S0263593300010555. S2CID   129589593.