Early Carboniferous Ostracod Fossils from the Bonaparte Basin, Australia

Northwestern Australia's Bonaparte Basin provides a record of Early Carboniferous benthic ostracod fauna. The dataset describes at least 29 species across 18 genera, including eight new species, and proposes an interim biostratigraphic scheme of eight ostracod assemblages. The data was published by Geoscience Australia and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Taxonomic classification of ostracod species based on described morphological features.
• Biostratigraphic correlation of Tournaisian and Visean sequences using the defined ostracod assemblages.
• Paleoecological analysis of carbonate shelf environments based on the Bairdiacea-Paraparchitacea ecozone assignment.
• Studying evolutionary morphology, such as epidermal cell-division patterns during ecdysis in kirkbyacean species.

Strengths

• Describes at least 29 species referable to 18 genera, providing a specific taxonomic scope.
• Includes eight newly described species with formal names, contributing novel taxonomic data.
• Proposes a detailed biostratigraphic scheme of eight ostracod assemblages calibrated against conodont and foraminiferal zonations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific basin and geological period.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Scientific study of fossil specimens, including detailed SEM examination.

Time Range

Early Carboniferous (Tournaisian to Visean stages)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 03:11:09.678718; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bonaparte Basin, northwestern Australia; comparisons made to Western Europe, Russian Platform, Kazakhstan, and Tibet.