Al-Sarrar, Locality 21, Dam Formation (Miocene of Saudi Arabia)

Where: Saudi Arabia (26.0° N, 49.4° E: paleocoordinates 22.9° N, 46.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Dam Formation, Burdigalian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• Late Early Miocene. There are 3 Formations in the succession - the Hadruck, Dam and Hofuf (Hofuf overlies the others). Type section of the Dam Formation is Jabal al Lidam. The depth of the formation at Al-Sarrar varies, but is around 30m. Near the Arabian Gulf the Formation is entirely marine, with more continental facies inland. The Al-Sarrar area is an area of 'continental sediments interbedded with the marine series'.

•Fauna has been collected from a number of localities which have been entered individually.

Environment/lithology: fluvial; lithology not reported

• 'The lithologies, sedimentary structures (presence of palaeocurrents in loc. 6 and 8), the character of the fauna exclusively continental and the deposition laid down into low energy zone (specially in loc. 6 and 8 explaining the scarcity of small vertebrates and the association of postcranial bones) suggest a fluviatile environment.'
• No lithology given for locality 21.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk,

• Al-Sarrar localities 4-9 and 11-24 can all be dated within a short period of time.

•All fossil material housed in the Department of Antiquities and Museums at Riyadh.

•1 ton of unconsolidated sand and silt from localities 6,8,9 and 21, has been sifted and has produced rodent teeth.

Primary reference: H. Thomas, S. Sen, M. Khan, B. Battail, and G. Ligabue. 1982. The Lower Miocene Fauna of Al-Sarrar (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia). Atlal 5(3a):109-136 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 47095: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 08.02.2005, edited by Mark Uhen and Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Four orders and 7 genera of fish are recognised 'mainly from localities 7, 9 and 21' but they are not all listed by locality. Those that are listed by locality have been entered on the faunal lists. The others are: Hyperopisus sp., Barbus sp., Labeo sp., Heterobranchus sp., Clarias sp. and Lates sp.
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816 eagle ray
Amphibia
 Salientia -
Anura indet. frog
Bufonoids and Ranoids indet.
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Ctenodactylidae
Metasayimys cf. intermedius gundi
1 maxillary fragment and 19 isolated molars.
 Rodentia - Thryonomyidae
Paraphiomys knolli2 López-Antoñazas and Sen 2005 cane rat
 Rodentia - Pedetidae
Megapedetes cf. pentadactylus springhare
one molar.
 Rodentia - Dipodidae
cf. Protalactaga sp. Young 1929 rodent
Primitive, probably a new genus and species.
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 mouse
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Scolecophidia indet. Duméril and Bibron 1844 snake
 Squamata - Boidae
Boidae indet. Gray 1825 boa
Eryx - Gongylophis group.
 Squamata - Elapidae
Elapidae indet. Boié 1827 snake
Naja - Palaeonaja group.
 Squamata - Viperidae
Viperidae indet. Oppel 1811 viper
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae indet. Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
 Loricata -
Crocodylia indet.1 crocodilian
Aves
 Charadriiformes - Charadriidae
Charadriinae indet. Vigors 1825 lapwing
distal part of a small humerus (AS 1201)
Reptilia
 Sauria -
Sauria indet. diapsid
Lizards indet.
Actinopteri
 Spariformes - Sparidae
Sparidae indet. Cuvier 1817