Wadi Moghra (Miocene of Egypt)

Also known as Wadi Moghara

Where: Egypt (30.4° N, 28.8° E: paleocoordinates 29.5° N, 27.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Moghara Formation, MN 4 (16.9 - 16.0 Ma)

• type section of formation is "about 230 m" (Morlo et al. 2007)

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marginal marine; medium-grained, ferruginous sandstone

• formation is "a clastic sequence with a fluvio-marine fauna... formed in a marginal marine coastal realm at the distal reaches of a large fluviatile system trending from southeast to northwest, combined with episodic marine transgressions" (Morlo et al. 2007)
• "The fluviatile sands alternate with near-shore marine deposits comprised of sands and shales... Sands are generally fine to medium-grained, fairly well-sorted, and primarily quartzose in composition. Current structures such as cross-lamination and ripples are frequent as are pebble-sized clasts of both quartz and flint. Mud clasts line paleoerosion surfaces (channel scours), which are commonly ferruginous, associated with petrified wood, and are the source of the fossil vertebrates." (Morlo et al. 2007)

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: original phosphate

Collection methods: original collections described by Fourtau (1918, 1920), with newly collected material described starting with Miller (1996)

Primary reference: R. Fourtau. 1918. Contribution à l'étude des vertébrés miocènes de l'Égypte 1-109 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 53970: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 20.09.2005, edited by John Alroy, Patricia Holroyd and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• list consists of specimens from Wadi Moghra that are not assigned to numbered localities
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
 Heterodontiformes - Heterodontidae
"Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca
"Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca Agassiz 1843 bullhead shark
 Rhinopristiformes - Pristidae
Pristis sp. Linck 1790 sawfish
Mammalia
 Primates - Victoriapithecidae
Prohylobates tandyi n. gen. n. sp.
Prohylobates tandyi n. gen. n. sp. Fourtau 1918 monkey
 Primates - Hominidae
? Dryopithecus mogharensis n. sp. Fourtau 1918 ape
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras snowi n. sp. Fourtau 1918 rhinoceros
Aceratherium sp. Kaup 1834 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Anthracotheriidae
Masritherium depereti n. gen. n. sp. Fourtau 1918 anthracothere
Brachyodus africanus anthracothere
Brachyodus moneyi n. sp. Fourtau 1918 anthracothere
 Cetacea - Eurhinodelphinidae
"Cyrtodelphis aff. sulcatus" = Schizodelphis sulcatus
"Cyrtodelphis aff. sulcatus" = Schizodelphis sulcatus Gervais 1853 toothed whale
 Cetacea -
Delphinus vanzelleri n. sp. Fourtau 1918 toothed whale
 Artiodactyla - Climacoceratidae
Prolibytherium magnieri7 Arambourg 1961 even-toed ungulate
 Creodonta - Hyainailouridae
Megistotherium osteothlastes6 Savage 1973 creodont
Hyainailouros fortaui n. sp.6 creodont
"Hyaena sp." of Fourtau 1920
 Creodonta -
Buhakia moghraensis n. gen. n. sp.6
Buhakia moghraensis n. gen. n. sp.6 Morlo et al. 2007 creodont
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaena sp. Brisson 1762 hyaena
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon giganteus5, "Cynelos anubisi n. sp." = Mogharacyon anubisi5
Amphicyon giganteus5 Schinz 1825 bear-dog
"Cynelos anubisi n. sp." = Mogharacyon anubisi5 Morlo and Miller 2019 bear-dog
said to be new
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
cf. Archaeobelodon sp.8 Tassy 1984 gomphothere
Gomphotherium angustidens8 Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
subspecies libycum
"Mastodon angustidens" = Tetrabelodon angustidens Cuvier 1806 gomphothere
var. libyca
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Mastodon spenceri n. sp. Fourtau 1918 mastodon
Zygolophodon aegyptensis n. sp.8 Sanders and Miller 2002 mastodon
 Proboscidea - Choerolophodontidae
Afrochoerodon kisumuensis8 Picford 2001 proboscidean
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Namibchersus cf. namaquensis9 Stromer 1926 turtle
Material.—DPC 6443, a fragment of the anterior plastron consisting of both epiplastra and the anterior end of the entoplastron
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionyx senckenbergianus Reinach 1903 softshell turtle
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Latentemys plowdeni n. gen. n. sp.2, Podocnemis bramlyi n. sp., Mogharemys blanckenhorni n. gen. n. sp.2, "Podocnemis aegyptiaca" = Apeshemys aegyptiaca
Latentemys plowdeni n. gen. n. sp.2 Gaffney et al. 2011 sideneck turtle
BMNH R.11998; type horizon of Moghara Fm. conjectural
Podocnemis bramlyi n. sp. Fourtau 1918 river turtle
Mogharemys blanckenhorni n. gen. n. sp.2 Dacque 1912 sideneck turtle
BMNH R.8440, holotype skull
"Podocnemis aegyptiaca" = Apeshemys aegyptiaca Andrews 1900 sideneck turtle
 Squamata - Varanidae
Varanus sp.3 Merrem 1820 monitor lizard
 Crocodylia - Gavialidae
Tomistoma dowsoni n. sp. Fourtau 1918 false gharial
Gavialis sp. Oppel 1811 gharial
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
"Crocodilus lloydi n. sp." = Rimasuchus lloydi
"Crocodilus lloydi n. sp." = Rimasuchus lloydi Fourtau 1918 crocodile
CGM 15597 (incomplete cranium and mandible); topotype - NHMUK unnumbered (nearly complete skull)
Aves
 Ciconiiformes - Ciconiidae
Leptoptilos sp.4 Lesson 1831 stork
Actinopteri
 Acanthomorphata - Centropomidae
Lates sp.1 Cuvier 1828 lates
 Siluriformes - Mochokidae
Synodontis sp. Cuvier 1816 upside down catfish