Silurian and Devonian Coral Fossil Records from New South Wales and Western Australia

Western Australia and New South Wales provide fossil coral data from the Silurian and Devonian periods. The dataset describes and illustrates over 30 species from the West Kimberley region, including a new genus, and includes fragmentary material from near Kiandra. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing coral genus distribution and provincial differences based on the described faunal compositions from separate basins.
• Studying biostratigraphic age indicators based on the correlation of coral species with Givetian and Frasnian stages.
• Taxonomic classification of Rugosa corals based on the description of the new genus Catactotoechus and its type species.
• Comparing Silurian and Devonian coral assemblages based on the fragmentary material from New South Wales and the more extensive Western Australian records.

Strengths

• Describes and illustrates over 30 coral species from specific geological formations.
• Includes the description of a new genus, Catactotoechus, with its type species.
• Provides age correlations for formations (e.g., Givetian, Frasnian) based on coral fauna.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is presented in HTML and PDF formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Scientific description and illustration of fossil specimens.

Time Range

Silurian (likely Wenlockian to Ludlovian) and Devonian (Givetian to Famennian) periods.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 18:39:14.328688; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Western Australia (West Kimberley, East Kimberley, Carnarvon Basin) and New South Wales (near Kiandra).