Soetendalsvlei (Carboniferous of South Africa)

Also known as Soetendals Vlei; Willowmore

Where: Eastern Cape, South Africa (33.3° S, 23.1° E: paleocoordinates 82.0° S, 151.5° W)

When: Waaiport Formation (Witteberg Group), Tournaisian (358.9 - 346.7 Ma)

• "miospores including S. balteatus and S. pretiosus were interpreted to be no older than mid-Tournaisian." (Lakin et al 2016)

•Unconformably overlain by Dwyka formation

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified, fine-grained, nodular, black, carbonaceous mudstone and lithified, sandy marl

• "although the subsequent Upper Witteberg Shales appear to be lacustrine some influx of brackish (or even esturine) waters possibly occurred from time to time"
• "The nodules are found scattered in a zone 30 feet thick and consist of a black, fine grained, carbonaceous mudstone somewhat flinty in character" (Gardiner 1969)

•"The fish are confined to a narrow band of sandy marl of about five inches in thickness" (Gardiner 1969)

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: concretion

Primary reference: B. G. Gardiner. 1969. New palaeoniscoid fish from the Witteberg series of South Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 48(4):423-452 [E. Dunne/S. Fasey]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 226926: authorized by Emma Dunne, entered by Sophie Fasey on 10.08.2022

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Osteichthyes
 Rhadinichthyiformes - Willomorichthyidae
Willomorichthys striatulus n. gen. n. sp.
Willomorichthys striatulus n. gen. n. sp. Gardiner 1969 ray-finned fish
 Eurynotiformes - Amphicentridae
Adroichthys "species A", Adroichthys "species B", Adroichthys "species C", Adroichthys "species D", Adroichthys sp., Adroichthys tuberculatus n. gen. n. sp.
Adroichthys "species A" Gardiner 1969
SAM 13543
Adroichthys "species B" Gardiner 1969
SAM 13544
Adroichthys "species C" Gardiner 1969
SAM K8072 (Latex and specimen) (Locality unrecorded but probably here per Evans 2005)
Adroichthys "species D" Gardiner 1969
SAM 13558, partial skull (may be here or at Strydomsvlei)
Adroichthys sp. Gardiner 1969
SAM 13568
Adroichthys tuberculatus n. gen. n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Holotype: SAM 13597; SAM 13556,SAM 13582,SAM 13583, possibly cast P50154 made c. 1969 at the Natural History Museum, London
 Palaeonisciformes - Rhadinichthyidae
Mentzichthys theroni n. sp.
Mentzichthys theroni n. sp. Gardiner 1969
 Palaeonisciformes - Dwykiidae
Dwykia analensis n. gen. n. sp.
Dwykia analensis n. gen. n. sp. Gardiner 1969
Holotype: SAM 13561
 Palaeonisciformes - Canobiidae
Sundayichthys elegantulus
Sundayichthys elegantulus Gardiner 1969
Marais 1963 species A pl. 2d
 Palaeonisciformes - Platysomidae
"Aestuarichthys fulcratus n. gen. n. sp." = Aestuarichthys fulcratus, "Soetendalichthys cromptoni n. gen. n. sp." = Aestuarichthys fulcratus
"Aestuarichthys fulcratus n. gen. n. sp." = Aestuarichthys fulcratus Gardiner 1969
Holotype: SAM 13562; SAM 13591, SAM 13575 (Maybe at Strydomsvlei?), SAM 13571, SAM 13560
"Soetendalichthys cromptoni n. gen. n. sp." = Aestuarichthys fulcratus Gardiner 1969