Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone | |
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Stratigraphic range: Middle Permian | |
Type | Biozone |
Unit of | Upper Abrahamskraal Formation and Teekloof Formation of the Beaufort Group |
Underlies | Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone |
Overlies | Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone |
Thickness | up to 984.252 feet (300 m) |
Location | |
Region | Northern, Western & Eastern Cape |
Country | South Africa |
Extent | Karoo Basin |
Type section | |
Named for | Pristerognathus polyodon |
Named by | Keyser & Smith |
Year defined | 1979 |
The Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone is a tetrapod assemblage zone or biozone which correlates to the upper Abrahamskraal Formation and lowermost Teekloof Formation, Adelaide Subgroup of the Beaufort Group, a fossiliferous and geologically important geological Group of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. The thickest outcrops, reaching not more than 300 metres (980 ft), occur just east of Sutherland through to Beaufort West in the south and Victoria West in the north. Exposures are also found west of Colesberg and south of Graaff-Reinet. The Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone is the third biozone of the Beaufort Group.[1][2][3]
The name of the biozone refers to Pristerognathus polyodon, a medium-sized carnivorous therocephalian therapsid. It is characterized by the presence of this therocephalian species in association with Diictodon feliceps, a small, fossorial dicynodont whose fossils are especially common in this biozone.