Devonian Fish Fossil Remains from the Canning Basin, Western Australia

Late Devonian (likely Famennian) fragmentary fish remains from the Knobby Sandstone formation in the eastern Canning Basin, Western Australia. The fauna includes a new species of Bothriolepis, other antiarch placoderm fragments, and rhipidistian teeth and scales, preserved as moulds in coarse sandstone. The data was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated on 2026-04 10.

Use Cases

• Classifying Devonian antiarch placoderm species based on described dermal plate morphology.
• Analyzing depositional environments based on the fragmentary preservation and associated plant remains.
• Correlating Late Devonian vertebrate faunas across the Canning Basin and other regions.
• Studying the paleoecology of non-marine clastic formations that are potential petroleum reservoirs.

Strengths

• Includes a described new species of the antiarch Bothriolepis.
• Provides specific geological context (Knobby Sandstone, eastern Canning Basin).
• Associated plant remains, including Leptophloeum australe, are documented.

Limitations

• Data is fragmentary, with better material required for detailed correlation.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Scientific description of fossil specimens.

Time Range

Late Devonian (Famennian)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:16:53.631326; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Billiluna, eastern Canning Basin, Western Australia