PBDB Collection

Modderdrift farm (Permian of South Africa)

Also known as Modderdrift vertebrates

Where: Western Cape, South Africa (33.1° S, 22.5° E: paleocoordinates 60.3° S, 37.7° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Eodicynodon Assemblage zone, Abrahamskraal Formation (Beaufort Group), Wordian (266.9 - 264.3 Ma)

• "The outcrops on Modderdrift are assigned to the Eodicynodon AZ, which is part of the Abrahamskraal Formation, Beaufort Group, Karoo Supergroup; Middle Permian. [...] Considering the geologic time scale proposed by the International Commission of Stratigraphy (Gradstein and Ogg 2004), we follow Catuneanu et al. (2005) and Rubidge (2005) who assign a Wordian age to this assemblage zone." (Abdala et al., 2008).

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: delta plain; nodular, calcareous lithology not reported and siltstone

• Rubidge et al. (2000, S. Afr. J. Geol. 103(1)) interpret the basal Abrahamskraal Fm. as non-marine part of a second-order highstand systems tract.

• "The specimens were discovered in pedogenic calcareous nodular layers within siltstone successions below the first maroon mudrock of the Abrahamskraal Formation. These rocks are considered to have been deposited in a subaerial delta plain depositional environment (Rubidge 1995; Rubidge et al. 2000)." (Abdala et al., 2008).

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: mechanical,

• Specimens were briefly described by Rubidge et al. (1983, Nav. Nas. Mus. 4).

•NMQR = National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa

Primary reference: F. Abdala, B. S. Rubidge, and J. Heever. 2008. The Oldest Therocephalians (Therapsida, Eutheriodonta) and the Early Diversification of Therapsida. Palaeontology 51(4):1011-1024 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 94649: authorized by Johannes Mueller, entered by Torsten Liebrecht on 05.03.2010, edited by Jocelyn Falconnet

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Osteichthyes
Dicynodontia -	Eodicynodon oosthuizeni² Eodicynodon oosthuizeni² Barry 1974 dicynodont NMQR 2991, 3153; all are postcranial remains "found associated with cranial material and we can therefore be confident of the generic identification"; furthermore, the authors explicitly say that the remains represent the species E. oosthuizeni
Therocephalia - Scylacosauridae	Ictidosaurus angusticeps, Glanosuchus macrops Ictidosaurus angusticeps Broom 1903 therapsid NMQR 2910, partial skull, lacking the occiput and posterior skull roof Glanosuchus macrops Broom 1904 therapsid NMQR 2908, much of the antorbital portion of a skull incl. mandible
Therapsida - Tapinocephalidae	Tapinocaninus pamelae¹ Tapinocaninus pamelae¹ Rubidge 1991 therapsid NMQR 2987, NMQR 2985, NMQR 2986, ROZ K95

¹Rubidge 1991; ²Rubidge et al. 1994