Aspects of the microvertebrate fauna of the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England
Until this study, the microvertebrate fauna of the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England,was virtually unknown. A comprehensive survey of potentially productive horizons was undertaken using bulk screening techniques and this yielded an unexpectedly diverse microvertebrate fauna together with fragmentary but significant remains of hitherto unknown elements of the associated macro-fauna. At least forty one previously unrecorded tetrapod taxa have been recovered. Many taxa are generically distinct from those occurring in other coeval European deposits, but in general aspect the faunas are similar. Palaeoenvironmental differences appear to have affected the balance of taxa present but the faunas are dominated by an essentially relictual assemblage of mammals, small theropod and ornithischian dinosaurs, abundant crocodilians, rare pterosaurs and turtles, scincomorph and anguimorph lizards, frogs of discoglossid grade, salamanders and albanerpetontids. The mammal fauna is comprehensively described and detailed accounts of thelepidosaur and archosaur faunas are provided. Space and time constraints do not permit description of the lissamphibian fauna but a summary of
Sweetman, Steven C.
Earth Sciences
Aspects of the microvertebrate fauna of the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England. Until this study, the microvertebrate fauna of the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, southern England,was virtually unknown. A comprehensive survey of potentially productive horizons was undertaken using bulk screening techniques and this yielded an unexpectedly diverse microvertebrate fauna together with fragmentary but significant remains of hitherto unknown elements of the associated macro-fauna. At least forty one previously unrecorded tetrapod taxa have been recovered. Many taxa are generically distinct from those occurring in other coeval European deposits, but in general aspect the faunas are similar. Palaeoenvironmental differences appear to have affected the balance of taxa present but the faunas are dominated by an essentially relictual assemblage of mammals, small theropod and ornithischian dinosaurs, abundant crocodilians, rare pterosaurs and turtles, scincomorph and anguimorph lizards, frogs of discoglossid grade, salamanders and albanerpetontids. The mammal fauna is comprehensively described and detailed accounts of thelepidosaur and archosaur faunas are provided. Space and time constraints do not permit description of the lissamphibian fauna but a summary of
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