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: 55.7° S, 33.9° W (Wright 2013)

• 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: CC0 (CC0)

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
Therapsida - Tapinocephalidae	Tapinocaninus pamelae¹ Tapinocaninus pamelae¹ Rubidge 1991 therapsid NMQR 2987, NMQR 2985, NMQR 2986, ROZ K95
Therocephalia - Scylacosauridae	Glanosuchus macrops, Ictidosaurus angusticeps Glanosuchus macrops Broom 1904 therapsid NMQR 2908, much of the antorbital portion of a skull incl. mandible Ictidosaurus angusticeps Broom 1903 therapsid NMQR 2910, partial skull, lacking the occiput and posterior skull roof

¹Rubidge 1991; ²Rubidge et al. 1994