Bled Douarah- Lower Faunal Level (Miocene to of Tunisia)

Also known as Bled ed Douarah, white sands, lower level

Where: Gafsa, Tunisia (34.0° N, 8.0° E: paleocoordinates 33.7° N, 7.5° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Beglia Formation, Serravallian to Serravallian (13.8 - 7.2 Ma)

• Beglia Formation is divided into units. Two fossiliferous levels have been identified. The age of the formation is estimated to be 12.5-9.5 Ma. No more specific dating is available, however Hipparion is present in both subunits of the Upper Faunal Level.

•Mannaï-Tayech 2009: underlying Beglia sands were dated Serravallian to Lower Tortonian, based on their vertebrate faunal contents (Robinson and Black, 1974; Mannaï-Tayech and Otéro, 2005).

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial; poorly lithified, coarse-grained, white, sandy sandstone

• Characteristic of sands deposited by rivers. Fossils collected from several localities, thought to be approximately the same age. Localities in the Lower Faunal Level are 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, and 26.
• Unit 10 is medium to coarse white sands with mudball cobbles. Unit 11 has coarse sand with some clay beds and some cross-stratification.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), surface (in situ),

• Information on stratigraphic level and abundance is only available for some taxa.

Primary reference: P. Robinson and C. C. Black. 1969. Note preliminaire sur les vertebres fossiles du Vinodobonien (formation Beglia), du Bled Douarah, Gouvernorat de Gafsa, Tunisie. Notes du Service Geologique Tunisie. Traveaux de Geologie Tunisienne 31(11):67-70 [A. Behrensmeyer/S. Cote/S. Cote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 35281: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Suzanne Cote on 24.11.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Incomplete, because stratigraphic information is not available for all taxa. See PBDB record # 35277 for complete list of known Beglia Fauna.
unclassified
  -
Chondrichthyes
 Lamniformes - Odontaspididae
Odontaspis sp.2 Agassiz 1838 sand tiger shark
locality 17
Mammalia
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Gazella sp. Blaineville 1816 gazelle
Antilopini indet. Gray 1821 antelope
hypsodont
Tragocerus sp. Gaudry 1861 antelope
Tragoportax or Ouzocerus?
Pachytragus solignaci4 Robinson 1972 antelope
localities 17, 20, 18, 22, 23, 24
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Hyaenodontidae indet. Leidy 1869 creodont
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Tungurictis sp. Colbert 1939 hyaena
Reptilia
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionyx sp. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809 softshell turtle
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
"Crocodylus lloydi" = Rimasuchus lloydi3, Euthecodon sp.1
"Crocodylus lloydi" = Rimasuchus lloydi3 Fourtau 1918 crocodile
aka Rimnasuchus locality 20
Euthecodon sp.1 Fortau 1920 crocodile
Aves
 Suliformes - Anhingidae
Anhinga pannonica5 Lambrect 1916 darter
localities 17, 20
 Suliformes - Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocorax cf. littoralis5 Milne-Edwards 1863 cormorant
locality 17
 Balaenicipitiformes - Balaenicipitidae
cf. Balaenicipitidae indet.5 Bonaparte 1853 shoebill
locality 20
 Ciconiiformes - Ciconiidae
Leptoptilos cf. falconeri5 Milne Edwards 1868 stork
localiity 17, 20
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Struthio sp.5 Linnaeus 1758 ostrich
locality 17
Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Perciformes indet.2 Bleeker 1859 perch-like fish
locality 17
 Acanthomorphata - Centropomidae
Lates sp.2 Cuvier 1828 lates
localities 17, 20, 23
 Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
? Cyprinidae indet.2 Rafinesque 1815 carp-like fish
locality 17
 Teleostei -
Siluriformes indet.2 catfish
localities 17, 18, 20, and 23
Siluriformes sp. A2 catfish
localities 17 and 20
Siluriformes sp. B2 catfish
localities 17, 20, 23
Siluriformes sp. C2 catfish
localities 17, 20, 23
 Siluriformes - Clariidae
Clariidae indet.2 Bonaparte 1846 airbreathing catfish
localities 17, 20
 Siluriformes - Claroteidae
? Clarotes sp.2 Kner 1855 catfish
locality 17
Cladistia
 Polypteriformes - Polypteridae
Polypterus sp.2 Lacépède 1803 bichir
locality 17