Luning Formation
The Luning Formation is a geologic formation in Nevada. It preserves fossils dating back to the Triassic period.
| Luning Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Carnian | |
| Type | Formation |
| Location | |
| Region |  Nevada |
| Country |  United States |
Fossil content
The Luning Formation contains significant fossils of invertebrate fauna such as ammonites, bivalves and brachiopods. The site is known for its ichthyosaur fossils.
Vertebrates
| Vertebrates reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Actinopterygii | West Union Canyon.[1] | S. kerri ammonoid zone.[1] | Small fish bones.[1] | An indeterminate bony fish. | ||
| Chondrichthyes | West Union Canyon[1] | K. macrolobatus ammonoid zone.[1] | An elasmobranch fin spine.[1] | An indeterminate cartilaginous fish. | ||
| Metapolygnathus | M. primitius | Pilot & Cedar Mountains.[2] | Conodont elements.[2] | A conodont. | ||
| Shonisaurus | S. popularis | West Union Canyon, Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park.[1] | Remains of approximately 40 individuals.[3] | A large ichthyosaur. |  | |
| Vertebrata indet. | West Union Canyon.[1] | S. kerri ammonoid zone or above.[1] | Indeterminate bone fragments.[1] | |||
Invertebrates
- Sagenites minaensis
- Spiriferina gregaria
- S. peneckei
- Terebratula debilis
- Terebratula suborbicularis
- Tibetothyris julica
Arthropods
| Arthropods reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Platypleon | P. nevadensis | A fragmentary specimen containing two pleonal segments and the proximal portion of the left uropods.[4] | A decapod. | |||
| Pseudoglyphea | P. mulleri | Carapace.[4] | A litogastrid decapod. | |||
| Rosagammarus | R. minichiellus | Shoshone Mountains.[4][5] | Right half of a tail.[4] | A lobster-like decapod, originally misidentified as a giant amphipod.[5] | ||
Brachiopods
| Brachiopods reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Balatonospira? | B.? cf. B. lipoldi | Dunlap Canyon & Cinnabar Canyon.[6] | Lower Member.[6] | Numerous specimens.[6] | A spiriferidan. | |
| Plectoconcha | P. aequiplicata | Berlin-Ichthyosaur state park & Pilot Mountains.[6] | Limestone and secondary dolomite member, & Lower Member.[6] | Numerous specimens.[6] | A terebratulid. | |
| P. newbyi | Dunlap Canyon & Cinnabar Canyon.[6] | Lower Member.[6] | Numerous specimens.[6] | A terebratulid. | ||
| Rhaetina | R. gregaria | Cinnabar & Dunlap Canyons, & Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park.[6] | Lower Member & limestone and secondary dolomite member.[6] | Around 10 specimens.[6] | A terebratulidan. |  |
| Spondylospira | S. lewesensis | Dunlap Canyon & Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park.[6] | Lower Member.[6] | 3 complete specimens, 1 brachial & 2 pedicle valves.[6] | A spiniferidan. | |
| Zeilleria | Z. cf. Z. elliptica | Dunlap & Cinnabar Canyons.[6] | Lower Member.[6] | Over 12 specimens.[6] | A zeilleriid. |  |
| Zugmayerella | Z. uncinata | Dunlap Canyon & Cinnabar Canyon.[6] | Lower Member. [6] | Numerous specimens.[6] | A spiniferidan. | |
| ?Z. sp. | 14.5 km east of Mina, Nevada.[6] | Probably Lower Member.[6] | A pedicle valve (UMIP 6952).[6] | A spiniferidan. | ||
Cephalopods
| Cephalopods reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Guembelites | G. clavatus | Pilot Mountains & Shoshone Mountains.[2] | An ammonite. | |||
| G. jandianus | Pilot Mountains & Shoshone Mountains.[2] | An ammonite. | ||||
| G. philostrati | Pilot Mountains & Shoshone Mountains.[2] | An ammonite. | ||||
| Pararcestes | P. sp. | Mustang Canyon locality & Dunlap Canyon.[2] | An ammonite. | |||
| Stikinoceras | S. kerri | Pilot Mountains & Shoshone Mountains.[2] | An ammonite. | |||
| Thisbites | T. sp. | Pilot Mountains & Shoshone Mountains.[2] | An ammonite. | |||
Cnidarians
| Cnidarians reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Ampakabastrea | A. cowichanensis | Dunlap Canyon, Mina vicinity & Mineral County, Nevada.[2] | 6 specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in the Osobb Formation. | ||
| Areaseris | A. nevadaensis | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | Multiple specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in California. | ||
| Astraeomorpha | A. confusa | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | 2 specimens.[2] | A stony coral. | ||
| Ceriostella | C. martini | Pilot Mountains & east of Mina.[2] | 6 specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in the Osobb Formation. | ||
| C. parva | Pilot Mountains.[2] | 3 specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in Alaska. | |||
| Curtoseris | C. dunlapcanyonae | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | UMIP 17010.[2] | A stony coral also found in Alaska & Peru. | ||
| Distichomeandra | D. cf. minor | Cedar Mountains (Dicalite Summit).[2] | UMIP 26869.[2] | A stony coral. | ||
| Flexastrea | F. serialis | Mineral County, Nevada.[2] | 4 specimens. | A stony coral. | ||
| Khytrastrea | K. cuifiamorpha | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | UMIP 7465 & 7480.[2] | A stony coral. | ||
| K. silberlingi | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | UMIP 17002-1.[2] | A stony coral also found in the Osobb Formation. | |||
| Margarogyra | M. silberlingi | Mineral County, Nevada.[2] | A stony coral also found in the Osobb Formation. | |||
| Margarophyllidae undetermined genus | East of Mina, Pilot Mountains.[2] | Fragmentary, recrystallized specimen (UMIP 6676).[2] | A stony coral. | |||
| Meandrovolzeia | M. sp. | Pilot Mountains.[2] | A colony fragment UMIP 6720.[2] | A stony coral. | ||
| Minasteria | M. shastensis | Pilot Mountains & Mina vicinity.[2] | 7 specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in California. | ||
| Nevadoseris | N. punctata | Dunlap & Cinnabar Canyons.[2] | Multiple specimens.[2] | A stony coral also found in the Osobb Formation. | ||
| Plectodiscus | P. berlinensis | West Union Canyon, Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park.[7] | UCMP 38211.[7] | A chondrophore. | ||
| Retiophyllia | R. nevadae | Mineral County, Nevada.[2] | UCMP 153092.[2] | A stony coral. | ||
| R. sp. | Dunlap Canyon.[2] | Fragments of corallites.[2] | A stony coral. | |||
| Thamnasteria | T. cf. smithi | Dunlap & Cinnabar canyons.[2] | 2 specimens.[2] | A thamnasteriid coral. |  | |
Sponges
| Sponges reported from the Luning Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Polycystocoelia | P. silberlingi | Garfield Hills.[8] | Lower Member.[8] | Oe specimen (UMIP 6653).[8] | A demosponge. | |
References
- Kelley, Neil P.; Irmis, Randall B.; dePolo, Paige E.; Noble, Paula J.; Montague-Judd, Danielle; Little, Holly; Blundell, Jon; Rasmussen, Cornelia; Percival, Lawrence M.E.; Mather, Tamsin A.; Pyenson, Nicholas D. (December 2022). "Grouping behavior in a Triassic marine apex predator". Current Biology. 32 (24): 5398–5405.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.005. ISSN 0960-9822.
- Roniewicz, Ewa; Stanley, George D. (September 2013). "Upper Triassic corals from Nevada, western North America, and the implications for paleoecology and paleogeography". Journal of Paleontology. 87 (5): 934–964. doi:10.1666/12-081. ISSN 0022-3360.
- Montague-Judd, Danielle; Parrish, Judith Totman (1996). "Paleoceanographic Setting of the Upper Triassic Luning Formation (Nevada) and Implications for the Distribution of Shonisaurus (Diapsida: Ichthyosauria)". The Paleontological Society Special Publications. 8: 279–279. doi:10.1017/S2475262200002811. ISSN 2475-2622.
- Hegna, Thomas; Starr, Hunter; McMenamin, Mark (June 2016). "Epilogue to the tale of the Triassic amphipod: Rosagammarus McMenamin, Zapata and Hussey, 2013 is a decapod tail (Luning Formation, Nevada, USA)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 36 (4): 525–529. doi:10.1163/1937240X-00002444. ISSN 0278-0372.
- McMenamin, Mark A. S.; Zapata, Lesly P.; Hussey, Meghan C. (2013). "A TRIASSIC GIANT AMPHIPOD FROM NEVADA, USA". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 33 (6): 751–759. ISSN 0278-0372.
- Sandy, Stanley Jr, Michael R., George D. (July 1993). "Late Triassic brachiopods from the Luning Formation, Nevada, and their palaeobiogeographical significance". The Palaeontological Association. 36: 439–480.
- Hogler, Jennifer A.; Hanger, Rex A. (1989). "A New Chondrophorine (Hydrozoa, Velellidae) from the Upper Triassic of Nevada". Journal of Paleontology. 63 (2): 249–251. ISSN 0022-3360.
- Senowbari-Daryan, Baba; Stanley, George D. (March 1992). "Late Triassic thalamid sponges from Nevada". Journal of Paleontology. 66 (2): 183–193. doi:10.1017/S0022336000033692. ISSN 0022-3360.
- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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