EQUÍNIDOS DE AUSTRALIA

Magnificent deposits of Tertiary echinoids exist in Australia. These deposits are located in the states South Australia and Victoria, with most found in the basin of the Murray River.

The Murray River is the largest in Australia and runs almost the entire length of southeastern Australia. The course of the river passes through a geological area known as the “Cubeta Murray”. During the last 50 million years the sediments deposited on the bottom of a shallow sea by currents and tides fluctuated from one side to the other completely filling the area and provoking a marine withdrawal.

For these motives, in all of the Australian Tertiary periods equine fauna fossils can be found, but it is in the Miocene period the greatest deposits occurred and it is in this period the greatest numbers of genera and species can be found.

The Australian Miocene is divided principally in two large formations. The first corresponds to the lower Miocene period designated “Mannum Formation” some 23 million years old. This formation is very fossiliferous and composed of sandy limestone with a strong yellow color. In this formation Lovenia forbesi WOODS, 1862, is very abundant.

Photo 3: Miocene (Morgan Group, Glenforslan Formation). South Australia. Photo Chris Yee.

The second formation corresponds to the middle Miocene period designated “Morgan Limestone”, dating from 15 million years ago. This formation also is composed of sandy limestone but lightly colored with alternating white marl. Like the first one described, this formation is very fossiliferous with an abundance of Monostychia australis LAUBE, 1869 and Ortholophus morganensis PHILIP, 1969.

It is estimated the sediments of these formations were deposited over a period of some 4 million years.

Photo 4: Murray River area near Morgan. Miocene (Morgan Group, Glenforslan Formation). Photo Chris Yee.

Some of the genus and species of Australian equine fossils are endemic to this continent. Both male and female species of some marsupials are also found here. Although in their apical side there are similarities to their oral side, we find a cavity or depression in the upper portion of the peristom a of an egg laying marsupial. Fossulaster halli LAMBERT & THIERY, 1925 and Willungaster scutellaris PHILIP & FOSTER, 1971 are clear examples.

Photo 5: Late Miocene (Port Cambell Limestone; Portland Limestone Member). Nun's Beach, Portland, home of Lovenia bagheerae. Photo Chris Yee.

A Jesuit priest and amateur geologist named Tennison Woods worked intensely in Southeast Australia, and in 1862 the name on the first Australian echinoid fossil Lovenia forbesi (WOODS, 1862).

His name and the date are in parenthesis because he originally placed the species in a genus that was later corrected.

Numerous authors have studied the Australian fauna such as Laube, Gregory, Irwin, Philip, Holmes, Duncan, Bitnner, McNamara, McCor, Foster…etc.

Recently Lovenias have been found in the Pliocene period, and some Monostychia have also been found in various forms. Certainly when a wide spread revision is made in the literature, new species will appear, and possible even a new genus.

In recent years some erizos have changed genus such as the case with Cassidulus longianus GREGORY, 1890 and Cassidulus florescens GREGORY, 1892. At the present time these echinoid belong to the genus Australanthus.

Most of the species Mortensen (1948) cited such as Peronella are included in the genus Rumphia.

Most collectors know only a few of the more commun Australian echinoids because they are the easiest to find in fairs devoted to fossils. However Australian Tertiary is very rich and surely in coming years new species will appear.

Photo 6: Goniocidaris murrayensis CHAPMAN & CUDMORE, 1934. Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation, Blanchetown, Murray River area. South Australia. 3 cm.

Photo 7: Murravechinus paucituberculatus (GREGORY, 1890). Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation, Blanchetown, Murray River area. South Australia. 1,5 cm.

Photo 8: Ortholophus woodsi (LAUBE, 1869). Lower Miocene, Mannum Formation. South Australia.

Photo 9: Ortholophus morganensis PHILIP, 1969. Middle Miocene, Morgan Formation. South Australia.

Photo 10: Paradoxechinus novus LAUBE, 1869. Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Port Giles, Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 1,2 cm.

Photo 11: Clypeaster gippslandicus McCOY, 1879. Middle Miocene, Bairnsdale Limestone. Wy Yung near Bairnsdale. Victoria. 9 cm.

Photo 12: Fellaster incisa (TATE, 1893). Early Pliocene, Norwest Bend Formation. Near Coolcha Landing, Murray River area. South Australia. 4,3 cm.

Photo 13: Monostychia australis LAUBE, 1869. Middle Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation. Swan Reach, Murray River area. South Australia. 3,5 cm.

Photo 14: Monostychia sp. Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Wool Bay, Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 1,5 cm.

Photo 15: Cryptechinus humilior (BITTNER, 1892). Middle Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation. Murray River, Morgan. South Australia. 1,6 mm.

Photo 16: Fossulaster halli LAMBERT & THIERY, 1925. Miocene, Gambier Limestone. Blackfellows Cave, near Mount Gambier. South Australia. Male & Female Marsupiate with female showing marsupiate depression. 0,7 cm.

Photo 17: Prowillungaster major WANG, 1995. Early Miocene, Mannum Formation. Taworri, Murray River area. South Australia. 1 cm.

Photo 18: Scutellinoides patella (TATE, 1891). Middle Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation, Swan Reach, Murray River area. South Australia. 2,1 mm.

Photo 19: Orbispala occultoforma IRWIN, 1994. Early to Middle Miocene, Batesford Limestone. Batesford. Victoria. 1 cm.

Photo 20: Fibularia gregata TATE, 1885. Late Oligocene. Port Willunga Formation, Wool Bay. Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 1 cm.

Photo 21: Willungaster scutellaris PHILIP & FOSTER, 1971. Marsupiate echinoids. Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Wool Bay. Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 1,2 cm.

Photo 22: Rumphia ova (McNAMARA, 1996). Early Pliocene, Roe Calcarenite. Madura. Western Australia. 2 cm.

Photo 23: Rumphia orbicularis (LESKE, 1778). Upper Pleistoceneo, Dampier Limestone. Shark Bay. Western Australia. 1,5 cm.

Photo 24: Rumphia ricta (GREGORY, 1892). Early Pliocene, Roe Calcarenite. Madura. Western Australia. 2,7 cm.

Photo 25: Echinolampas gambierensis TENNISON-WOODS, 1867. Early Miocene, Gambier Limestone. South Australia. 5 cm.

Photo 26: Echinolampas posterocrassa curtata McNAMARA & PHILIP, 1980. Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Wood Bay. Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 2,3 cm.

Photo 27: Echinolampas morgani COTTEAU, 1860. Lower Miocene, Gambier Limestone. Mt. Gambier. South Australia. 2,5 cm.

Photo 28: Australanthus longianus (GREGORY, 1890). Late Eocene, Tortachilla Limestone. Maslin Beach. South Australia. 4 cm.

Photo 29: Australanthus florescens (GREGORY, 1892). Late Oligocene, Tourquay Group. Point Addis Limestone. Port Addis, Victoria. 3 cm.

Photo 30: Cyclaster archeri (TENNISON-WOODS, 1867). Middle Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation. Morgan. South Australia. 4 cm.

Photo 31: Studeria elegans (LAUBE, 1869). Miocene, Gambier Limestone. Victoria. 2 cm.

Photo 32: Cardabia bullarensis (FOSTER & PHILIP, 1978). Middle Paleocene, Cardabia Formation. Giralia Range. Western Australia. 2 cm.

Photo 33: Eupatagus collabus KRUSE & PHILIP, 1985. Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Stansbury. Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 3 cm.

Photo 34: Eupatagus murrayensis LAUBE, 1869. Early Miocene, Mannum Formation. Wall Flat, Murray River area. South Australia. 3 cm.

Photo 35: Lovenia woodsi (ETHERIDGE, 1875). Late Miocene, Brighton Group. Black Rock Sandstone, Rickett's Point, Beaumaris. Victoria. 3 cm.

Photo 36: Lovenia forbesi (TENNISON-WOODS, 1862). Miocene, Mannum Formation. Taworri, Murray River area. South Australia. 3,3 cm.

Photo 37: Lovenia bagheerae IRWIN, 1995. Late Miocene, Port Campbell Limestone. Portland. 2,4 cm.

Photo 38: Hemiaster (Bolbaster) planedeclivis GREGORY, 1890. Miocene, Morgan Group. Glenforslan Formation. Blanchetown, Murray River area, South Australia. 1,4 cm.

Photo 39: Notolampas flosculus PHILIP, 1963. Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Stansbury, Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 1 cm.

Photo 40: Corystus dysasteroides (DUNCAN, 1877). Late Oligocene, Port Willunga Formation. Standsbury, Yorke peninsula. South Australia. 5 cm.