Permian Productacea Brachiopod Fossils from Western Australia

The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts a study on the Permian brachiopod super-family Productacea in Western Australia. The collection consists of over three thousand specimens representing at least 34 species across three major sedimentary basins covering approximately 150,000 square miles. The study examines shell structure, musculature, and other morphological features of these marine fossils.

Use Cases

• Taxonomic classification of brachiopod species based on described morphological features like shell structure and musculature.
• Biogeographic analysis of fossil distribution across the Canning, Carnarvon, and Irwin Basins.
• Stratigraphic correlation of Permian marine sediments using the described fossil assemblages.
• Morphological study of genera such as Aulosteges, Dictyoclostus, and Strophalosia based on the specimen collection.

Strengths

• Over three thousand specimens were studied, with most described as well preserved.
• The dataset covers a large geographic area of approximately 150,000 square miles across three major basins.
• The description provides specific species counts for multiple genera, such as seven species of Aulosteges.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Study of a physical fossil collection.

Time Range

Permian period

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 12:47:49.630742; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Western Australia, specifically the Canning, Carnarvon, and Irwin Basins.