1.5 miles north of Kildonan (Reptile Bed): Bathonian, United Kingdom
collected by H. Miller; J. D. Hudson, B. H. Newman 1844; 1959–1961

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Coelacanthimorpha - Actinistia
Actinistia indet. (Cope 1870)
Persson 1963
coelacanth scales
Reptilia
Reptilia indet. Laurenti 1768
Paton 1975 6 specimens
4 vertebrae, 1 tooth, 1 skull bone
Reptilia - Testudines
Chelonia indet. (Latreille 1800)
Persson 1963
synonym of Testudines
fragmentary remains
Reptilia - Ichthyosauria
Ichthyosauria indet. de Blainville 1835
Persson 1963 3 specimens
fragmentary remains; 2 vertebrae, 1 tooth
Reptilia - Pterosauria
Pterosauria indet. Kaup 1834
Reptilia
Crocodylia indet. (Owen 1842)
Reptilia - Plesiosauria
Plesiosauria indet. (de Blainville 1835)
similar to Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus; an exoccipital, teeth, cervical, dorsal, and caudal vertebrae, a caudal rib, an immature left ischium, phalanges and a portion of the plastron
Reptilia - Plesiosauria - Cryptoclididae
Colymbosaurus megadeirus (Seeley 1869)
Paton 1975 53 specimens
synonym of Colymbosaurus trochanterius
42 vertebrae, 6 limb bones, 3 ribs
Actinopteri - Lepisosteiformes
? Lepidotus sp. (Agassiz 1832)
original and current combination Lepidotes
Lepidotus sp. (Agassiz 1832)
Persson 1963
original and current combination Lepidotes
teeth
Saurichthyiformes - Saurichthyidae
Saurichthys apicalis Agassiz 1834
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes
Hybodontiformes indet. (Patterson 1966)
Persson 1963
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes - Acrodontidae
Acrodus sp. Agassiz 1834
Chondrichthyes - Hybodontiformes - Hybodontidae
Hybodus sp. Agassiz 1834
teeth and spines
see common names

Geography
Country:United Kingdom State/province:Scotland County:Highland
Coordinates: 56.9° North, 6.1° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:46.1° North, 4.7° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Jurassic Epoch:Middle Jurassic
Stage:Bathonian 10 m.y. bin:Jurassic 4
Key time interval:Bathonian
Age range of interval:168.20000 - 165.30000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Great Estuarine Formation:Lealt Shale
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: "When Miller made his collections little was known about the Jurassic stratigraphy of Eigg. The first reasonably modern account of this was by Judd (1878), who introduced the name Great Estuarine Series for the Middle Jurassic rocks but did not mention the Reptile Bed. Miller's localities were re-discovered by the Geological Survey, and a few vertebrate fossils were collected which add little to Miller's collection. The Reptile Bed was referred to the Lower Shales of Barrow's local succession in the Great Estuarine Series. Lists of invertebrate fossils from the Reptile Bed and associated beds were given for the first time; they were referred to as from the 'reptile bed', the 'fish bed', etc. but no measured section was given to identify the sequence of these named beds (Barrow 1908). Hudson (1962a) published a general account of the stratigraphy of the Great Estuarine Series which showed that its age is Upper Bajocian and Bathonian. Barrow's Lower Shales were shown to be the equivalents of the Estheria Shales of Skye. The outcrop north of Kildonan, which contains the Reptile Bed, was chosen as the type locality of the Mytilus Shales, a lower subdivision (or member) of the Estheria Shales."
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:shelly/skeletal,gray lithified "limestone"
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "The Reptile Bed is a very hard, dark grey, shelly limestone which weathers to a deep red on the surface. The most abundant shells are small gastropods. Black, phosphatic fish teeth, scales and fin-spines, and black reptilian bones, are conspicuous, especially on weathered surfaces. Certain layers contain Unio shells which often retain a nacreous appearance."
Environment:lagoonal
Geology comments: "Hudson (1963) published a summary of the succession and invertebrate faunas of the Mytilus Shales, and inferred from this that they were deposited in brackish
lagoons."
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:concentrated
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:medium
Abundance in sediment:common
Fragmentation:occasional
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:surface (float),survey of museum collection
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Museum repositories:BMNH
Collectors:H. Miller; J. D. Hudson, B. H. Newman Collection dates:1844; 1959–1961
Metadata
Also known as:Isle of Eigg
Database number:105872
Authorizer:M. Carrano Enterer:H. Street, M. Carrano
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:vertebrate
Created:2011-02-26 09:28:42 Last modified:2022-02-03 06:24:26
Access level:the public Released:2011-02-26 09:28:42
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
35335. J. D. Hudson. 1966. Hugh Miller's reptile bed and the Mytilus shales, Middle Jurassic, Isle of Eigg, Scotland. Scottish Journal of Geology 2(3):265-281 [M. Carrano/H. Street]

Secondary references:

55639 R. L. Paton. 1975. A Catalogue of Fossil Vertebrates in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. Part Four / Amphibia & Reptilia. Royal Scottish Museum Information Series. Geology 5 1-38 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
45494 P. O. Persson. 1963. A revision of the classification of the Plesiosauria, with a synopsis of the stratigraphical and geographical distribution of the group. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift N. F. Serie 2 59(1):1-57 [R. Benson/R. Benson/R. Benson]