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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Manda Beds
The Manda Formation (also known as the Manda Beds) is a Middle Triassic (Anisian?) or possibly Late Triassic (Carnian?) geologic formation in Tanzania. It preserves fossils of many terrestrial vertebrates from the Triassic, including some of the earliest dinosauromorph archosaurs. The formation is often considered to be Anisian in age according to general tetrapod biochronology hypotheses and correlations to the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of South Africa. However, some recent studies cast doubt to this age, suggesting that parts deposits may actually be younger (Carnian) in age.

History of study

One of the first to study rocks of the Manda Formation was British geologist G. M. Stockley. In 1932, Stockley explored the geology of the Ruhuhu Basin in Tanzania. He called a series of layers dating from the Late Carboniferous to the Middle Triassic the Songea Series and divided it into eight units labelled K1-K8. Stockley was also the first to describe fossils from these rocks, naming an older layer the "Lower Bone Bed" and a younger layer the "Upper Bone Bed".

In 1957, paleontologist Alan J. Charig described many more fossils from the bone beds in his Ph.D. thesis for the University of Cambridge. Charig renamed the youngest of Stockley's units in 1963, calling unit K6 the Kawinga Formation, K7 the Kingori Sandstones, and K8 the Manda Formation. Fossils were identified in many strata, invalidating Stockley's division into two distinct bone beds. Since Charig's description, the Kawinga Formation has been renamed the Usili Formation, the Kingori Sandstones have become the Kingori Sandstone Member of the Manda Formation, and Charig's original Manda Formation has become a subunit of the formation called the Lifua Member. Six formations and one informal unit are currently recognized in the Songea Group (Ruhuhu basin) rocks range in age from Pennsylvanian to Anisian, including the Idusi (K1), Mchuchuma (K2), Mbuyura (K3), Mhukuru (K4), Ruhuhu (K5), and Usili (K6) formations and the informal Manda Beds, which include the Kingori Sandstone (K7) and Lifua Member (K8).

Paleobiota

Tetrapods

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Temnospondyls

Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Stanocephalosaurus S. pronus Lifua Remains of a temnospondyl amphibian previously referred either to Parotosuchus or Eryosuchus

Parareptiles

Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Ruhuhuaria R. reiszi Lifua CAMZM T997, poorly preserved but complete skull and mandible An owenettid

Archosauromorphs

Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Asperoris Asperoris mnyama Lifua NHMUK PV R36615, incomplete skull A non-crurotarsan archosauriform of uncertain phylogenetic placement
"Stagonosuchus" S. tanganyikaensis Lifua Member SAM 11754, right humerus An indeterminate archosauromorph; possibly a rhynchosaur unrelated to Stagonosuchus nyassicus.
Stenaulorhynchus S. stockleyi Lifua A rhynchosaur
Unnamed Archosauromorph Indeterminate. Lifua NHMUK PV R36619, incomplete skull and partial postcranial skeleton A non-archosaurian archosauriform
Archosaurs
Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Asilisaurus A. kongwe Lifua A silesaurid dinosauriform
Hypselorhachis H. mirabilis Lifua NHMUK R16586, a complete dorsal vertebra A sail-backed archosaur possibly belonging to the family Ctenosauriscidae
Mambawakale M. ruhuhu Lifua Member NHMUK R36620, partial skull and some postcranial fragments A paracrocodylomorph; previously informally known as "Pallisteria angustimentum".
Mandasuchus M. tanyauchen Lifua Member NHMUK R6792, partial mandible and postcranial skeletons A paracrocodylomorph
Nundasuchus N. songeaensis Lifua NMT RB48, partial skeleton and skull A pseudosuchian of uncertain affinities, possibly a suchian
Nyasasaurus N. parringtoni Lifua NHMUK R6856, a right humerus, three partial presacral vertebrae and three sacral vertebrae. SAM-PK-K10654 is also potentially referable - see "Thecodontosaurus" alophos below. A theropod or an ornithischian or the most advanced non-dinosaurian dinosauriform. Possibly the oldest dinosaur.
Stagonosuchus S. nyassicus A loricatan closely related to Prestosuchus, and sometimes considered a species within that genus.
Teleocrater T. rhadinus Lifua NHMUK R6795, vertebrae, limb bones and other elements. Additional material referred from two other individuals. An early avemetatarsalian in the group Aphanosauria.
"Thecodontosaurus" "T." alophos Lifua Member SAM-PK-K10654, three neck vertebrae and two rear presacral vertebrae A probable subjective senior synonym of Nyasasaurus, initially identified as a sauropodomorph dinosaur.
Unnamed archosaur Unidentified. Lifua Nearly complete skull and partial skeleton A stem-aetosaur

Therapsids

Dicynodonts
Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Angonisaurus A. cruickshanki Lifua A kannemeyeriiform
Kannemeyeria K. simocephalus Lifua A kannemeyeriid kannemeyeriiform
Sangusaurus S. parringtonii Lifua A stahleckeriid kannemeyeriiform
Shansiodon Indeterminate Lifua Skull A shansiodontid kannemeyeriiform
Tetragonias T. njalilus Lifua A shansiodontid kannemeyeriiform
Cynodonts
Taxon Species Member Material Notes Images
Aleodon A. brachyrhamphus Lifua A possible chiniquodontid
Cricodon C. metabolus Lifua A trirachodontid
Cynognathus C. crateronotus Lifua A cynognathid
Diademodon D. tetragonas Lifua A diademodontid
Scalenodon S. angustifrons Lifua A traversodontid
S? attridgei Lifua A traversodontid; may fall outside the genus Scalenodon and may be a synonym of "Scalenodon" charigi
S? charigi Lifua A traversodontid; may fall outside the genus Scalenodon
Mandagomphodon M. hirschoni Lifua A traversodontid; originally classified in the genus Scalenodon; named after the Manda Beds

Age and correlations

The upper Manda Beds have been assigned to the Perovkan LVF based on reports that Eryosuchus, Shansiodon, Angonisaurus, and Scalenodon were present. Angonisaurus does seem to tie the Manda Beds to subzone C of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone in the Karoo Basin. However, the relations of the other Tanzanian taxa are more ambiguous. Purported Tanzanian "Eryosuchus" and "Shansiodon" specimens likely represent new genera unrelated to their supposed namesakes, while Scalenodon may be endemic to Africa due to the uncertain relations of non-African "Scalenodon" species. One Upper Manda cynodont, Aleodon, has also been found in the Dinodontosaurus assemblage zone of the Santa Maria Formation in Brazil.

See also

References

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