Barendskraal, a diverse amniote locality from the Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone, Early Triassic of South Africa
Date
2003
Authors
Damiani, Ross
Neveling, Johann
Modesto, Sean
Yates, Adam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research
Abstract
A diverse amniote fauna has been recovered from Lower Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone exposures on the farm Barendskraal,
near Middelburg in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The fauna includes the dicynodont therapsid Lystrosaurus sp., the
therocephalian therapsids Tetracynodon darti, Moschorhinus kitchingi and Ericiolacerta parva, the archosauromorph reptiles Proterosuchus
fergusi and Prolacerta broomi, and the procolophonoid reptiles Owenetta kitchingorum, Sauropareion anoplus and Saurodectes rogersorum.
The locality is remarkable in that although it is fossil-rich, Lystrosaurus fossils do not appear to be as abundant as elsewhere in this assemblage
zone, and the diversity of taxa at Barendskraal (at least nine species) is surpassed only by that of the famous HarrismithCommonage
locality in the northeastern Free State province (at least 13 species). However, the fauna at Harrismith Commonage is typical of
most other Lystrosaurus biozone localities in being dominated numerically by Lystrosaurus. Study of the tetrapod taxa from Barendskraal
is providing new insights into procolophonoid phylogeny and survivorship across the Permo-Triassic boundary, as well as the
stratigraphic ranges of various taxa in the Lower Triassic deposits of the Karoo Basin.
Description
Main article
Keywords
Amniota, Barendskraal, Karoo, Lower Triassic, Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone.
Citation
None