Khneifiss L2 (Cretaceous to of Syria)

Where: Syria (34.3° N, 37.8° E: paleocoordinates 16.0° N, 32.6° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Late/Upper Campanian to Late/Upper Campanian (83.5 - 66.0 Ma)

Environment/lithology: phosphatic, red, yellow, calcareous phosphorite

• open sea environment
• This phosphatic level is mostly friable, yellow to reddish in colour and very rich in vertebrate remains.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: N. Bardet, H. Cappetta, X. Pereda Suberbiola, M. Mouty, A. K. Al Maleh, A. M. Ahmed, O. Khrata and N. Gannoum. 2000. The marine vertebrate faunas from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Syria. Geological Magazine 137(3):269-290 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 117852: authorized by Philip Mannion, entered by Philip Mannion on 27.09.2011, edited by Roger Benson

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Specimens housed in the Université de Montpellier (UM-Collection Syrie) and Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN-Collection Syrie)
Reptilia
 Loricata -
 Plesiosauria - Elasmosauridae
Elasmosauridae indet. Cope 1869 elasmosaur
 Squamata - Mosasauridae
Mosasaurinae indet. Gervais 1853 mosasaur
Leiodon anceps Owen 1841 mosasaur
Mosasaurus lemonnieri Dollo 1889 mosasaur
Prognathodon giganteus Dollo 1889 mosasaur
Globidens sp. Gilmore 1912 mosasaur
Platecarpus ptychodon Arambourg 1952 mosasaur
 Testudines - Bothremydidae
Taphrosphyini indet. Gaffney et al. 2006 sideneck turtle
 Testudines -
 Testudines - Cheloniidae
Cheloniidae indet. Bonaparte 1832 sea turtle
Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Teleostei indet. Müller 1846
 Aulopiformes - Dercetidae
 Aulopiformes - Enchodontidae
Enchodus elegans Dartevelle and Casier 1949
 Tetraodontiformes - Eotrigonodontidae
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Rhombodontidae
Rhombodus aff. meridionalis Arambourg 1952 stingray
 Rajiformes - Sclerorhynchidae
Ganopristis sp. Arambourg 1935 ray
Ctenopristis sp. Arambourg 1940 ray
 Rajiformes - Rhinobatidae
Rhinobatos sp. Link 1790 guitarfish
"Rhinobatos sp.1 sp.2"
 Carcharhiniformes - Scyliorhinidae
Pteroscyllium sp. Cappetta 1980 cat shark
 Orectolobiformes - Ginglymostomatidae
Plicatoscyllium sp. Case and Cappetta 1997 nurse shark
 Lamniformes - Mitsukurinidae
Anomotodon aff. plicatus Arambourg 1952 goblin shark
 Lamniformes - Anacoracidae
Squalicorax kaupi Agassiz 1843 crow shark
Squalicorax pristodontus Agassiz 1835 crow shark
 Lamniformes - Carchariidae
Carcharias sp. Rafinesque 1810 sand shark
 Hexanchiformes - Hexanchidae
Hexanchus sp. Rafinesque 1810 sixgill shark
 Galeomorphi -
Youssoubatis sp. Cappetta 1992 shark
Hypsobatis sp. Cappetta 1992 shark