Early Devonian Thelodont Fossils from Australian Basins with Geological Context

Fossil scales of thelodonts, an extinct group of jawless fish, recovered from multiple Australian geological basins. The dataset describes specimens from the Georgina, Canning, Carnarvon, and Mulga Downs Group areas, with associated fauna including placoderms and ostracods. The temporal coverage spans from the Early Devonian (Emsian) to the latest Givetian-earliest Frasnian, based on geological correlations described in the source document.

Use Cases

• Biostratigraphic correlation based on the presence of specific thelodont species like Turinia australiensis.
• Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the described marginal marine and freshwater facies associations.
• Studying the adaptive radiation and temporal range of the Turinia fauna in the Australian region.
• Comparative analysis of Early to Middle Devonian thelodont assemblages across different Australian basins.

Strengths

• Provides specific taxonomic identifications for fossil specimens, including Turinia australiensis and Gampsolepis.
• Includes detailed geological context, linking fossils to specific beds and formations like the Cravens Peak Beds and Gneudna Formation.
• Offers temporal correlations for fossil occurrences, spanning from the Early Devonian (Emsian) to the latest Givetian-earliest Frasnian.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided as PDF/HTML documents, which may require manual extraction for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely contains research findings from fossil scale collection and analysis, as described in the scientific summary.

Time Range

Early Devonian to latest Givetian-earliest Frasnian (approximately 419-383 million years ago).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:57:25.567596; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Multiple Australian basins including the Georgina Basin (Queensland), Canning Basin, Carnarvon Basin (Western Australia), and the Cobar/Wilcannia area (New South Wales).