| Aitym Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: ?Santonian ~ | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Overlies | Bissekty Formation |
| Area | Kyzylkum Desert |
| Thickness | up to |
| Location | |
Aitym Formation (Uzbekistan) | |
The Aitym Formation is a geological formation in Uzbekistan which possibly dates to the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.1
The formation has not been precisely dated. However, certain fossils suggest the formation was deposited during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous period.1
Fossil content
A diverse fauna has been unearthed from the Aitym Formation including oysters, ammonites and many marine vertebrates, including an abundant assemblage of chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fish), a rarer assemblage of osteichthyans (bony fish), and rather infrequent finds of plesiosaurs, and sea turtles. Terrestrial vertebrate remains are extremely rare in the formation. A few bones of salamanders, lizards, crocodiles, possibly terrestrial turtle remains, dinosaurs (including birds), and mammals have been found in the formation.1
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Mammals
| Mammals of the Aitym Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images |
| Uzbekbaatar | U. wardi1 | A cimolodontan multituberculate | ||
| Shalbaatar | cf. S. sp.1 | A spalacotheriid symmetrodont | ||
| Deltatherus | cf. D. sp.1 | A deltatheroidan; reclassified later as Sulestes, as the two genera have been synonymized | ||
| Daulestes | aff. D. sp1 | A asioryctithere | ||
| Kulbeckia | Kulbeckia sp. cf. K. kulbecke1 | A possible zalambdalestid | ||
| aff. Kulbeckia sp.1 | ||||
| Paranyctoides | Paranyctoides sp. cf. P. aralensis1 | A possible lipotyphlan | ||
| Paranyctoides sp.1 | ||||
| Eoungulatum | E. sp. cf. E. kudukensis1 | Zhelestid ungulatomorphs | ||
| Parazhelestes | P. sp. cf. P. robustus1 | |||
| P. sp. aff. P. minor1 | ||||
| Aspanlestes | cf. A. sp.1 | |||
Molluscs
| Molluscs of the Aitym Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images |
| Placenticeras | P. kyzylkumense1 | A placenticeratid ammonite | ||
Amphibians
| Amphibians of the Aitym Formation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genus | Species | Location | Notes | Images |
| Eoscapherpeton | E. asiaticum2 | A giant salamander | ||
References
References
- Averianov, A (2003). "Mammals from the Upper Cretaceous Aitym Formation, Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan". Cretaceous Research. 24 (2): 171–191. Bibcode:2003CrRes..24..171A. doi:10.1016/S0195-6671(03)00037-5.
- Skutschas, Pavel P.; Saburov, Pavel G.; Boitsova, Elizaveta A.; Kolchanov, Veniamin V. (2019). "Ontogenetic changes in long-bone histology of the cryptobranchid Eoscapherpeton asiaticum (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 18 (3): 306–316. Bibcode:2019CRPal..18..306S. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2019.02.002.