Al-Sarrar, Locality 9, Dam Formation: Burdigalian, Saudi Arabia
List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
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unclassified
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cf. Schweboemys sp.
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Actinopteri
- Siluriformes
- Clariidae
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Heterobranchus sp.
Hilaire 1827
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Clarias sp.
Scopoli 1777
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Actinopteri
- Centropomidae
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Lates sp.
Cuvier 1828
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Reptilia
- Sauria
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Sauria indet.
MacCartney 1802
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| Lizards indet. | ||||||||||
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Reptilia
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Aves indet.
Linnaeus 1758
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2 specimens | |||||||||
| 1 proximal tarsometatarsal (AS 1203) and a distal radius (868). The poor state of the specimens seems to exclude the possibility of a more precise identification. | ||||||||||
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Reptilia
- Crocodylia
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Crocodylus cf. pigotti
Tchernov and Van Couvering 1978
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= Crocodylia indet.
Owen 1842
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Buffetaut 1984 | |||||||||
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Reptilia
- Boidae
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Boidae indet.
Gray 1825
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| Eryx - Gongylophis group. | ||||||||||
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Python sp.
Daudin 1803
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| medium sized. | ||||||||||
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Reptilia
- Colubridae
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Colubridae indet.
Oppel 1811
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Reptilia
- Testudines
- Testudinidae
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Geochelone sp.
Fitzinger 1835
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| Geochelone sensu lato sp. one or two species. | ||||||||||
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Reptilia
- Testudines
- Trionychidae
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aff. Cycloderma sp.
Peters 1854
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Reptilia
- Testudines
- Carettochelyidae
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Carettochelyidae indet.
Gill 1889
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| a new form related to Allaeochelys and Carettochelys. | ||||||||||
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Reptilia
- Testudines
- Pelomedusidae
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Pelomedusidae indet.
Cope 1868
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Reptilia
- Testudines
- Podocnemididae
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aff. Stereogenys sp.
Andrews 1901
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Mammalia
- Perissodactyla
- Rhinocerotidae
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Aceratherium sp.
Kaup 1834
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| 1 first phalanx of lateral digit (AS 912). | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Tragulidae
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Dorcatherium cf. libiensis
Hamilton 1973
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8 specimens | |||||||||
| 1 upper 1 (AS 978), 1 upper M2 (AS 895), 1 molar (AS 908), 1 cubo-navicular-cuneiform (AS 904), 1 distal tibia (AS 970), 1 distal metapodial fragment (AS 902), 1 calcaneum (AS 894), 1 proximal ulna (AS 907). | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Giraffidae
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cf. Canthumeryx sirtensis
Hamilton 1973
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| 1 lower right I2. | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Bovidae
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Bovidae indet.
Gray 1821
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| An upper M3 (AS 899). Similar in size to the living Dorcas Gazelle. | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Suidae
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Listriodon sp.
von Meyer 1846
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| A fragmentary right upper molar (AS 872). | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Mustelidae
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cf. Martes sp.
Frisch 1775
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| Part of a left mandble with worn M1 (AS 871). | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Dipodidae
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Dipodidae indet.
Waterhouse 1842
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| 1 lower half-molar. larger than those from locality 21. | ||||||||||
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Mammalia
- Primates
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? Primates indet.
Linnaeus 1758
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1 specimen | |||||||||
| 1 distal tibia (AS 896), only doubtfully referred to a primate. | ||||||||||
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Amphibia
- Temnospondyli
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Anura indet.
(Fischer von Waldheim 1813)
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| Ranoids and Bufonoids indet. | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Turritellidae
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Turritella sp.
Lamarck 1799
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| see common names | ||||||||||
Geography
| Country: | Saudi Arabia |
| Coordinates: | 26.0° North, 49.4° East (view map) |
| Paleocoordinates: | 22.9° North, 46.8° East |
| Basis of coordinate: | based on nearby landmark |
Time
| Period: | Neogene | Epoch: | Miocene |
| Stage: | Burdigalian | 10 m.y. bin: | Cenozoic 5 |
| Key time interval: | Burdigalian | ||
| Age range of interval: | 20.44000 - 15.98000 m.y. ago |
Stratigraphy
| Formation: | Dam | ||||
| Stratigraphy comments: 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. |
Lithology and environment
| Primary lithology: | sandstone |
| Lithology description: Cross-bedded sands, coarse grained sands and silts. Level 1, locality 9 is a 'cross-bedded complex (white and yellow sands, thin beds of green shales), including: yellow coarse sand with continental fossil vertebrates (mammals, reptiles and freshwater fishes).' Higher in the sequence is level 6, a fossilferous sandy limestone containing marine invertebrates (entered separately). | |
| Environment: | fluvial indet. |
| Geology comments: '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.' | |
Taphonomy
| Modes of preservation: | body |
| Size of fossils: | macrofossils,mesofossils |
Collection methods and comments
| Collection methods: | bulk,field collection |
| Reason for describing collection: | general faunal/floral analysis |
| Collection method comments: Al-Sarrar localities 4-9 and 11-24 can all be dated within a short period of time. Localities 5,6,7,8, and 9 are considered contemporaneous.
1 ton of unconsolidated sand and silt from localities 6,8,9 and 21, has been sifted and has produced rodent teeth. All fossil material housed in the Department of Antiquities and Museums at Riyadh. | |
| Taxonomic list comments: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.
Also finds of Viperidae may possibly be from this locality. Sirenia ribs found in surface deposits, but cannot be correlated with uppermost beds of localities 6, 8 and 9. | |
Metadata
| Database number: | 47074 | ||
| Authorizer: | A. Turner, P. Mannion | Enterer: | H. O'Regan, P. Mannion |
| Modifier: | G. Varnham | Research group: | PACED |
| Created: | 2005-02-07 08:31:56 | Last modified: | 2022-01-28 05:56:47 |
| Access level: | the public | Released: | 2005-02-07 08:31:56 |
| Creative Commons license: | CC BY |
Reference information
Primary reference:
| 12499. | PACED | 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] |
Secondary references:
| 47638 | E. Buffetaut. 1984. On the occurrence of Crocodylus pigotti in the Miocene of Saudi Arabia, with remarks on the origin of the Nile crocodile. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte 1984(9):513-520 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion] |