Tingamarra Fauna
The Tingamarra Fauna is associated with the early Eocene Murgon fossil site, and contains the earliest known non-flying eutherian, passerine, trionychidae turtles, mekosuchine crocodiles along with frogs, lungfish and teleost fish in Australia.[1] The Murgon fossil site is located near Kingaroy in south-east Queensland (26° 14' S, 151° 57' E).
Geology
Material that represents the fossil component is the MP1 horizon in a sequence of lacustrine clays from Boat Mountain. The geological formation of the site is not known for certain, but may be associated with the Oakdale Sandstone formation. The area was a swamp or shallow lake at the time of deposition, though the habitat has not been determined. Potassium-argon dating of illites has given a date of about 54.6 million years, which is before Australia's separation from Antarctica and South America[2]
| Fish of Tingamarra |
| Genus |
Species |
Abundance |
Notes |
Images |
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| Amphibians of Tingamarra |
| Genus |
Species |
Abundance |
Notes |
Images |
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| Reptiles of Tingamarra |
| Genus |
Species |
Abundance |
Notes |
Images |
| Patagoniophis |
P. australiensis (Scanlon, 2004) |
Many disarticulated vertebrae and fragmented ribs |
|
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| Alamitophis[3] |
A. tingamarra |
Fragmented dentary and rib along with disarticulated vertebrae. |
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| Kambara |
K. implexidens and K. murgonensis |
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| ?Madtsoia |
M.sp |
Rib head and proximal shaft |
Tuber costae is broken so not able to determine if it was robust as in madtsoiids or slender in proximal view as with the extent serpentia. Some other characteristics indicate a Patagoniophis affinity excluding the large size (3.9 by 2.6 mm), but is still smaller than Madtsoia, to which it is most similar.[4] |
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| Murgonemys |
M. braithwaitei |
|
Almost complete semi-articulated carapace with vertebrae[5] |
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| Mammals of Tingamarra |
| Genus |
Species |
Abundance |
Notes |
Images |
| Australonycteris |
A. clarkae |
A single dentary bone, many disarticulated teeth, periotics and postcranial bones. |
Postcranial material is known but not described. |
| Chulpasia |
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| Djarthia |
D. murgonensis |
|
Jaw fragments with teeth.[6] |
| Tingamarra |
T. porterorum |
Rare |
Two teeth one being 3 mm, and an ankle and ear bone is all that is described of this species. |
| Thylacotinga |
? |
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Isolated teeth. |
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| Birds of Tingamarra |
| Genus |
Species |
Abundance |
Notes |
Images |
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QM specimens F20688 (carpometacarpus) and F24685 (tibiotarsus) from Murgon, Queensland, are fossil bone fragments clearly recognizable as passeriform; they represent two species of approximately some 10 and some 20 cm in overall length.[7] |
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References
- ↑ Scanlon, J. D. 2005. Australia's oldest known snakes: Patagoniophis, Alamitophis, and cf. Madtsoia (Squamata: Madtsoiidae) from the Eocene of Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum (Proceedings of the Conference of Australasian Vertebrate Evolution, Palaeontology and Systematics) v. 51, p. 215–223.
- ↑ Godthelp, H.; Archer, M.; Cifelli, R.; Hand, S. J.; Gilkeson, C. F. 1992. "Earliest known Australian Tertiary mammal fauna". Nature 359:514-516 doi:10.1038/356514a0
- ↑ http://australianmuseum.net.au/Alamitophis-tingamarra
- ↑ Scanlon (2005)
- ↑ http://australianmuseum.net.au/Murgonemys-braithwaitei
- ↑ http://austhrutime.com/murgon_fossil_site.htm
- ↑ Boles, Walter E. (1997): "Fossil Songbirds (Passeriformes) from the Early Eocene of Australia". Emu 97(1): 43-50. doi:10.1071/MU97004
- Scanlon, J. D. (2005). "Australia's oldest known snakes: Patagoniophis, Alamitophis, and cf. Madtsoia (Squamata: Madtsoiidae) from the Eocene of Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 51 (1): 215–235. ISSN 0079-8835.