Talbragar fossil site

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Talbragar fossil site
New South Wales
Leptolepis talbragarensis.JPG
Fossil fish Cavenderichthys talbragarensis from the Talbragar River
Talbragar fossil site is located in New South Wales
Talbragar fossil site
Talbragar fossil site
Location in New South Wales
Nearest town or cityGulgong
Coordinates32°10′S 149°48′E / 32.167°S 149.800°E / -32.167; 149.800Coordinates: 32°10′S 149°48′E / 32.167°S 149.800°E / -32.167; 149.800
Area4 hectares (9.9 acres)
WebsiteTalbragar fossil site
Footnotes[1]
Designations
Official nameTalbragar Reserve, Wonga Roo Rd, Ulan, NSW, Australia
TypeNatural
Designated28 September 1982
Reference no.465

The Talbragar fossil site is a paleontological site of Late Jurassic (Tithonian) age in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-east of the town of Gulgong, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) north-west of Sydney. The site has been known for over a century during which it has been extensively excavated to the point of near exhaustion. It is now registered as a Crown Land Reserve for the preservation of fossils; access is by permit, and the collection of rocks and fossil specimens is prohibited.[2][3] The 4-hectare (9.9-acre) reserve is listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate.

Fossils[]

The fossil-bearing rocks are fine-grained siltstones and mudstones that are part of the Purlawaugh Formation. They occur mainly as loose blocks and weathered shales over an area of about 300 by 80 metres (980 by 260 ft), with a thickness of no more than 60 centimetres (24 in). They are thought to be the remnants of sediments from a small freshwater lake, surrounded by forest, which existed about 175 million years ago when Australia was part of Gondwana. The site is the only Jurassic fish site known in New South Wales.[2]

The fossil material consists principally of the fishes that lived in the lake, as well as plants from the forest, whose remains accumulated in the sediments on the lake bed and were preserved. Among the many species discovered are sixteen kinds of plant, such as the conifer Agathis jurassica, eight kinds of fish, several insects, and a spider.[2]

Flora[]

Flora of the Talbragar fossil site
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
"Agathis" "A." jurassica Conifer, most common plant in assemblage. Dubiously placed in Agathis, has subsequently been placed in Podozamites, though this combination is not validly published.
Agathis jurassica leaves.jpg
Elatocladus E. australis Conifer
Brachyphyllum Indeterminate
A. cribbii, A. milneanus
? ?Rissikia talbragarensis
?Pagiophyllum ?Pagiophyllum peregrinum
R. pinnata Seed fern
Nilssonia N. compta
Pentoxylales Multiple Represented by leaves (Taeniopteris), pollen organs (Carnoconites) and seed bearing organ (Sahnia)

Molluscs[]

Molluscs of the Talbragar fossil site
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
[4] P. talbragarensis A viviparid snail

Vertebrates[]

Vetebrates of the Talbragar fossil site
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
Aetheolepis[5] A. mirabilis A dapediid
Aphnelepis[5] A. australis An archaeomaenid
Archaeomaene[5] A. tenuis An archaeomaenid
Archaeomaene tenuis.jpg
Cavenderichthys[5] C. talbragarensis A crown-group teleost.
Journal.pone.0179029.g007.tif
"Coccolepis"[5] "C." australis A coccolepidid paleopterygian, not closely related to type species of genus
Temnospondyli[6] Indet Tooth

Arthropods[]

Arthropods of the Talbragar fossil site
Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images
T. jurassicus Uloborid spider
P. brevipalpis Hydrophilid beetle
W. amplipectorale Cerophytid beetle
T. jurassicus Palaeontinid bug
B. jurassicus Eucnemid beetle
Rhopalomma R. stefaniae Ommatid beetle
Journal.pone.0179029.g002.tif
C. (Calosargus) talbragarensis Archisargid fly
G. beattiei Praeaulacid wasp
J. talbragarense Rove beetle
P. minor Rove beetle
T. averyi Nemonychid weevil
A. jurassica dragonfly

References[]

  1. ^ "Talbragar Reserve, Wonga Roo Rd, Ulan, NSW, Australia (Place ID 465)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. 28 September 1982. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Talbragar". Fossil sites of Australia. Australian Museum. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  3. ^ Yong Yi Zhen (10 November 2018). "Fossils in Talbragar, NSW". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  4. ^ Frese, Michael; Ponder, Winston (3 July 2021). "Proviviparus talbragarensis gen. et sp. nov., the first viviparid snail from the Late Jurassic of Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 45 (3): 344–353. doi:10.1080/03115518.2021.1940276. ISSN 0311-5518.
  5. ^ a b c d e Bean, L. B. (2017). "Reappraisal of Mesozoic fishes and associated invertebrates and flora from Talbragar and Koonwarra, eastern Australia". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 129 (1): 7. doi:10.1071/rs17001.
  6. ^ Hart, Lachlan J.; McCurry, Matthew R.; Frese, Michael; Peachey, Thomas J.; Brocks, Jochen (25 October 2021). "The first tetrapod remains from the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fossil Fish Bed". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology: 1–6. doi:10.1080/03115518.2021.1983651. ISSN 0311-5518.


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