Biostratigraphic refinement of tetrapod-bearing beds from the Metangula Graben (Niassa Province, Mozambique). New radiometric dating and the first Lower Triassic tetrapod fossils from Mozambique

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dc.contributor.authorAráujo, Ricardo
dc.contributor.authorMacungo, Zanildo
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Roger M H
dc.contributor.authorTolan, Stephen
dc.contributor.authorAngielczyk, Kenneth D
dc.contributor.authorCrowley, James
dc.contributor.authorMilisse, Dino
dc.contributor.authorMugabe, João
dc.date.accessioned2020-12-09T17:36:03Z
dc.date.available2020-12-09T17:36:03Z
dc.date.issued2020-12
dc.description.abstractNumerous fossils of the toothed dicynodont Endothiodon have been collected previously from the Permian K5 formation of the Metangula Graben (Niassa, Mozambique). However, no identifiable vertebrate fossils have been reported from other stratigraphic units in the basin. Here we report likely Triassic tetrapod remains from the base of the Fubué Formation some 700 stratigraphic metres above the dated K5 Formation. We present anatomical comparisons and a phylogenetic analysis that confirm that they have close affinities to the well-known Early Triassic dicynodont therapsid Lystrosaurus. Thus, the Metangula Graben can now join the few regions in the world that preserve terrestrial tetrapod fossils from before and after Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, giving it the potential to provide further insights into the evolution of terrestrial organisms during this major biotic crisis. We present an updated geological section and paleoenvironmental interpretations, as well as the first assessment of the vertebrate taphonomy of the K5, K6, Mount Lilonga, and Fubué Formations. We also report the first radiometric dates for the K5c member of the K5 formation. The K5c has a maximum depositional age of 258.85 ± 0.41 Ma and is thus older than previously thought, falling near the boundary between the Lycosuchus-Eunotosaurus and Tropidostoma-Gorgonops subzones of the Endothiodon Assemblage Zone, rather than being coeval with the Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianJNC2020en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (R.A. postdoctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/ 96205/2013) FCT - AGA KHAN Development Network grant number 333206718 National Geographic Society grant number CP-109R-17.en_ZA
dc.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.funderPalaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST)en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/30352
dc.journal.titlePalaeontologia africanaen_ZA
dc.journal.volume54en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0001-5058-2983en_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0002-2368-5917en_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0001-6806-1983en_ZA
dc.publisherEvolutionary Studies Instituteen_ZA
dc.rightsCopyright 2020 the Authors. License under CCBY4.0en_ZA
dc.schoolEvolutionary Studies Instituteen_ZA
dc.subjectLystrosaurusen_ZA
dc.subjectDicynodontiaen_ZA
dc.subjectFubué Formationen_ZA
dc.subjectradiometric datingen_ZA
dc.subjectPermian-Triassic Mass Extinctionen_ZA
dc.titleBiostratigraphic refinement of tetrapod-bearing beds from the Metangula Graben (Niassa Province, Mozambique). New radiometric dating and the first Lower Triassic tetrapod fossils from Mozambiqueen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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