Colorado City Formation

Geologic formation in Texas, United States

For other uses, see Colorado Formation.

Colorado City Formation

Stratigraphic range: Late Triassic
Type| Formation
Unit of| Dockum Group
Underlies| possibly Cooper Canyon Formation
Overlies| Camp Springs Formation
Lithology
Primary| siltstone, sandstone
Location
Region| Texas
Country| United States

The Colorado City Formation is a Late Triassic geologic formation in the Dockum Group of Texas, United States. It has previously been known as the Iatan Member,[1] Colorado City Member[2][3] or 'Pre-Tecovas Horizon'[4] (as it is assumed to be older than the Tecovas Formation).

The Colorado City Formation is mostly restricted to Howard and Borden counties. The formation hosts the Otis Chalk fossil sites, named after a ghost town in Howard County. Despite their importance, the Otis Chalk localities have been difficult to resolve in the stratigraphy of Triassic Texas.[5] They occupy a narrow band of sediments between the slightly older Camp Springs Formation and much younger Cretaceous deposits.

The first major excavations near Otis Chalk were led by UMMP paleontologists starting in 1927. Several new phytosaur species were discovered during these digs. University of Oklahoma paleontologists followed with their own expedition in 1931. The vast majority of fossils collected from the formation were recovered during a 1939–1941 state-sponsored Works Progress Administration paleontological survey. Several sites southeast of Big Spring were particularly productive. Fossils collected by these efforts were stored at the newly opened Texas Memorial Museum in Austin. Since the 1940s, collection from the Otis Chalk area has been more limited. One notable find is a pond deposit, the Schaeffer Fish Quarry, discovered in 1967 by AMNH paleontologist Bobb Schaeffer.[4]

## Biochronological significance

[edit]

The Otis Chalk localities that are situated in the Colorado City Formation form the basis of the Otischalkian Land Vertebrate Faunachron (LVF), which is defined by the first appearance of Parasuchus.[6]

## Paleobiota

[edit]

|  |

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Color key
| Taxon | Reclassified taxon | Taxon falsely reported as present | Dubious taxon or junior synonym | Ichnotaxon | Ootaxon | Morphotaxon

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| Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; ~~crossed out~~ taxa are discredited.

### Reptiles

[edit]

#### Archosaurs

[edit]

Other archosaur fossils include remains of an unnamed silesaurid[7] and a partial femur of a theropod or herrerasaurian dinosaur referable to the Chindesaurus \+ Tawa clade.[8]

Archosaurs of the Colorado City Formation

Genus / Taxon  | Species  | Material  | Location  | Notes  | Images
"Chatterjeea"[4] | C. elegans[4] | Vertebrae, hip bones, and femora[4] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)[4]

| Postcranial bones of an unusual bipedal archosaur related to poposaurids.[4] Later determined to be synonymous with Shuvosaurus, a shuvosaurid poposauroid initially misidentified as a theropod dinosaur.[9] |
Coahomasuchus | C. kahleorum[3] | Two skeletons, one of which is nearly complete[3] while the other shows adaptations for a carnivorous diet.[10] |

* NMMNH locality 3357[3]
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)?[10]

| An aetosaurine aetosaur |
Crocodylomorpha[11] | indet.[11] | Isolated ilium[11] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)[11]

| An unnamed basal crocodylomorph, one of the oldest from North America.[11] |
Desmatosuchus? | D. spurensis? | Osteoderms (scutes) and vertebrae[4] |

* "near Otis Chalk"[4]
* Borden County Site 1 (TMM 31213)[4]

| Most Otis Chalk desmatosuchin aetosaur fossils have been referred to Longosuchus or Lucasuchus, but a few have been referred to Desmatosuchus (Episcoposaurus) haplocerus.[4] The modern valid combination for this species is Desmatosuchus spurensis.[12] |
Dromomeron | D. gregorii[13] | Hindlimb bones (femora and tibiae)[13] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)[13]

| A lagerpetid avemetatarsalian |
Lepidus[14] | L. praecisio[14] | Partial hindlimb (tibia, fibula, astragalus)[14] |

* near "site 7" (TMM 41936)[14]

| A possible coelophysid theropod, potentially the oldest dinosaur from North America.[14] |
Longosuchus | L. meadei | Skulls, osteoderms, vertebrae, other postcrania[4][10] |

* Site 3 (TMM 31098)
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)
* Borden County Site 1 (TMM 31213)

| A common desmatosuchin aetosaur previously considered a species of Typothorax.  |
Lucasuchus[4] | L. hunti[4] | Osteoderms and other referred fossils (including a possible skull)[4][10] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)

| A desmatosuchin aetosaur similar to Longosuchus[3] but most likely a distinct valid taxon.[15] |
Poposaurus | P. gracilis | Hip and ankle bones[4] |

* "Otis Chalk"
* Site 3 (TMM 31098)
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)

| A poposaurid poposauroid  |
P. langstoni[4] | Hip bones and vertebrae[4] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)

| A poposaurid poposauroid previously given its own genus, Lythrosuchus[4] |
Postosuchus | P. kirkpatricki | Vertebrae and hindlimb bones[4] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Borden County Site 1 (TMM 31213)

| A rausuchid loricatan |

#### Phytosaurs

[edit]

Phytosaurs of the Colorado City Formation

Genus / Taxon  | Species  | Material  | Location  | Notes  | Images
Angistorhinus | A. alticephalus | Partial skeleton with skull[4] |

* Roy Lamb Ranch[4]

| Probable junior synonym of A. grandis. |
A. grandis | Several complete skulls and associated cranial and postcranial fragments[1][4][16] |

* Site 3 (TMM 31098)[4]
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)[4]
* TMM 42060[4]
* "locality 9"[16]

| A common mystriosuchine phytosaur. Some sources refer all Otis Chalk Angistorhinus material to "Angistorhinus megalodon",[4] while most other sources support affinities with the type species Angistorhinus grandis from Wyoming.[16] |
Brachysuchus | B. megalodon | Two nearly complete skulls and postcranial fragments  |

* "near Otis Chalk"[4]

| A mystriosuchine phytosaur closely related to Angistorhinus, and sometimes regarded as a species within that genus.[4] |
Paleorhinus | "P." sawini[4] | A skull[4] |

* Borden County Site 1 (TMM 31213)[4]

| A basal (non-mystriosuchine) phytosaur from Borden County. Probably does not form a clade with other species referred to Paleorhinus or Parasuchus. |
P. bransoni | Several skulls[4] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)

| A common basal (non-mystriosuchine) phytosaur, sometimes considered a species of Parasuchus.  |

#### Other reptiles

[edit]

Other reptiles of the Colorado City Formation

Genus  | Species  | Material  | Location  | Notes  | Images
Ankylosuchus[17] | A. chinlegroupensis[17] | Partial skeleton with cranial and pelvic fragments, osteoderms, vertebrae, and an indeterminate limb bone[17] |

* NMMNH locality 3101[17]

| A doswelliid archosauriform.  |
Doswellia | D. kaltenbachi | Vertebrae and osteoderms[4] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Site 3 (TMM 31098)

| A doswelliid archosauriform.[4] |
Malerisaurus | M. langstoni[18] | Disarticulated skeleton[18][19] |

* Quarry 2 (TMM 31099)[18]

| A carnivorous azendohsaurid allokotosaurian in the subfamily Malerisaurinae. Regarded as a chimera by Spielmann et al. (2006),[20] but treated as valid by other sources.[18][19] Numerous disarticulated Malerisaurus-like fossils are also known from Quarry 1 (TMM 31025).[19] |
Otischalkia | O. elderae | Humeri, femora[4] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)

| A dubious putative rhynchosaur, likely synonymous with Malerisaurus langstoni.[19] Supposed premaxilla fossils have been reinterpreted as metoposaurid cleithra.[19] Femora and humeri previously referred to this species likely belong to Trilophosaurus[4] or Malerisaurus[19] instead.  |
Protecovasaurus[21] | P. lucasi[21] | Teeth[21] |

* Quarry 1 (NMMNH 860)[21]

| A reptile of uncertain affinities known from serrated teeth similar to ornithischian dinosaurs.[21] |
Trilophosaurus | T. buettneri | Numerous skulls, braincases, and postcranial material[4][22] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Quarry 2 (TMM 31099)[22]
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)[22]
* Borden County Site 1 (TMM 31213)

| A common trilophosaurid allokotosaurian.[22] |
Triopticus[23] | T. primus[23] | Partial skull[23] |

* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)[23]

| A protopyknosian archosauriform with a reinforced skull similar to pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs.[23] |

### Amphibians

[edit]

Amphibians of the Colorado City Formation

Genus  | Species  | Material  | Location  | Notes  | Images
Anaschisma | A. browni | Numerous skulls, interclavicles, clavicles, vertebrae, and other postcranial bones[4] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)
* Site 3 (TMM 31098)
* Quarry 2 (TMM 31099)
* Quarry 3 (TMM 31100)
* Quarry 3A (TMM 31185)
* Borden County Site 3 (TMM 41921)

| A common metoposaurid temnospondyl, previously named under the genus Koskinonodon or Buettneria[4] |
Latiscopus[24] | L. disjunctus[24] | A skull[24] |

* Site/Quarry 1 (TMM 31025)[24]

| A latiscopid temnospondyl[24] |

### Fish

[edit]

Fish fossils from Quarry 1 (NMMNH 860 / TMM 31025) include lungfish teeth (Arganodus?[1]), coelacanth scales, "palaeoniscid" scales (aff. Turseodus[1]), and hybodont shark teeth and spines (Lissodus?[1] or Lonchidion?).[21]

Fish of the Colorado City Formation

Genus / Taxon  | Species  | Material  | Location  | Notes  | Images
Cionichthys | C. greeni[25] | Articulated skulls and postcrania[25] |

* Schaeffer Fish Quarry[25]

| A redfieldiiform actinopterygian (ray-finned fish)  |
Lasalichthys | L. hillsi | Skull, scale, and postcranial fragments[25][26] |

* Schaeffer Fish Quarry[25][26]

| A redfieldiiform actinopterygian  |
L. otischalkensis[26] | Numerous articulated skulls and postcrania[26] |

* Schaeffer Fish Quarry[26]

| A redfieldiiform actinopterygian.[26] Some specimens were previously referred to Lasalichthys (= Synorichthys) stewarti.[26] |

## See also

[edit]

* Earth sciences portal
* Texas portal
* Paleontology portal

* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Texas
* Paleontology in Texas

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Lucas, Spencer G.; Hunt, Adrian P.; Kahle, Robert (1993). "LATE TRIASSIC VERTEBRATES FROM THE DOCKUM FORMATION NEAR OTIS CHALK, HOWARD COUNTY, TEXAS". New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 44th Field Conference, Carlsbad Region: 237–244.
2. ^ Lucas, Spencer G.; Anderson, Orin J.; Hunt, Adrian P. (1994). "Triassic stratigraphy and correlations, southern High Plains of New Mexico—Texas" (PDF). New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources Bulletin. 150: 105–126.
3. ^ a b c d e Heckert, Andrew B.; Lucas, Spencer G. (1999-03-15). "A new aetosaur (Reptilia: Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of Texas and the phylogeny of aetosaurs". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 19 (1): 50–68\. doi:10.1080/02724634.1999.10011122. ISSN 0272-4634.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Long, Robert A.; Murry, Phillip A. (1995). "Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) Tetrapods from the Southwestern United States". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 4.
5. ^ Lehman, Thomas M. (1994). "The saga of the Dockum Group and the case of the Texas/New Mexico boundary fault" (PDF). New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources Bulletin. 150: 37–51.
6. ^ Lucas, S. G., Hunt, A. P., Heckert, A. B., and Spielmann, J. A., (2007) Global Triassic tetrapod biostratigraphy and biochronology: 2007 status: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, v. 41 (The Global Triassic), p. 229- 240.
7. ^ Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Sidor, Christian A.; Irmis, Randall B.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.; Smith, Roger M. H.; Tsuji, Linda A. (2010). "Ecologically distinct dinosaurian sister group shows early diversification of Ornithodira". Nature. 464 (7285): 95–98\. doi:10.1038/nature08718. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 20203608. S2CID 4344048.
8. ^ Marsh, Adam D.; Parker, William G.; Langer, Max C.; Nesbitt, Sterling J. (2019-05-04). "Redescription of the holotype specimen of Chindesaurus bryansmalli Long and Murry, 1995 (Dinosauria, Theropoda), from Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (3): e1645682. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1645682. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 202865005.
9. ^ Nesbitt, S. (2007). "The anatomy of Effigia okeeffeae (Archosauria, Suchia), theropod-like convergence, and the distribution of related taxa." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 302: 84 pp. http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/5840
10. ^ a b c d Parker, William G. (2016-01-21). "Revised phylogenetic analysis of the Aetosauria (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia); assessing the effects of incongruent morphological character sets". PeerJ. 4: e1583. doi:10.7717/peerj.1583. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4727975. PMID 26819845.
11. ^ a b c d e To, Khanh H. T.; Nesbitt, Sterling; Stocker, Michelle R. (2021-10-01). "An early-diverging crocodylomorph from the early Norian (Late Triassic) of Texas demonstrates a wide distribution of early members across low-latitude Pangea". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (6). doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.2075752. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 250540979.
12. ^ Parker, William G. (2012). "Redescription and taxonomic status of specimens of Episcoposaurus and Typothorax , the earliest known aetosaurs (Archosauria: Suchia) from the Upper Triassic of western North America, and the problem of proxy "holotypes"". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 103 (3–4): 313–338\. doi:10.1017/S1755691013000212. ISSN 1755-6910. S2CID 130822568.3–4&rft.pages=313-338&rft.date=2012&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:130822568#id-name=S2CID&rft.issn=1755-6910&rft_id=info:doi/10.1017/S1755691013000212&rft.aulast=Parker&rft.aufirst=William+G.&rft_id=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258442730&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Colorado+City+Formation" class="Z3988">
13. ^ a b c Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Irmis, Randall B.; Parker, William G.; Smith, Nathan D.; Turner, Alan H.; Rowe, Timothy (2009). "Hindlimb osteology and distribution of basal dinosauromorphs from the Late Triassic of North America". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29 (2): 498–516\. doi:10.1671/039.029.0218. S2CID 34205449.
14. ^ a b c d e Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Ezcurra, Martin D. (13 July 2015). "The early fossil record of dinosaurs in North America: A new neotheropod from the base of the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 60. doi:10.4202/app.00143.2014.
15. ^ Parker, William G.; Martz, Jeffrey W. (2010-07-14). "Using positional homology in aetosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) osteoderms to evaluate the taxonomic status of Lucasuchus hunti". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (4): 1100–1108\. doi:10.1080/02724634.2010.483536. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 83713904.
16. ^ a b c S. G. Lucas; A. B. Heckert & R. Kahle (2002). A. B. Heckert & S. G. Lucas (eds.). "Postcranial anatomy of Angistorhinus, a Late Triassic phytosaur from West Texas". Upper Triassic Stratigraphy and Paleontology, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 21: 157–164.
17. ^ a b c d Lucas, S.G.; Spielmann, J.A.; Hunt, A.P. (2013). "A new doswelliid archosauromorph from the Upper Triassic of West Texas". In Tanner, L.H.; Spielmann, J.A.; Lucas, S.G. (eds.). The Triassic System. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. Vol. 61\. pp. 382–388.
18. ^ a b c d Chatterjee, Sankar (1986-12-24). "Malerisaurus langstoni , a new diapsid reptile from the Triassic of Texas". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 6 (4): 297–312\. doi:10.1080/02724634.1986.10011627. ISSN 0272-4634.
19. ^ a b c d e f Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Stocker, Michelle R.; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Fraser, Nicholas C.; Heckert, Andrew B.; Parker, William G.; Mueller, Bill; Sengupta, Saradee; Bandyopadhyay, Saswati; Pritchard, Adam C.; Marsh, Adam D. (2022). Field, Daniel (ed.). "Widespread azendohsaurids (Archosauromorpha, Allokotosauria) from the Late Triassic of western USA and India". Papers in Palaeontology. 8 (1). doi:10.1002/spp2.1413. ISSN 2056-2799. S2CID 245049571.
20. ^ Spielmann, Justin A.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Hunt, Adrian P.; Heckert, Andrew B. (2006). "Reinterpretation of the holotype of Malerisaurus langstoni, a diapsid reptile from the Upper Triassic Chinle Group of West Texas". New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 37: 543–547.
21. ^ a b c d e f Heckert, Andrew B. (2004). "Late Triassic microvertebrates from the lower Chinle Group (Otischalkian-Adamanian: Carnian), southwestern U.S.A." New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 27: 1–170.
22. ^ a b c d Heckert, A.B.; Lucas, S.G.; Rinehart, L.F.; Spielmann, J.A.; Hunt, A.P.; Kahle, R. (2006). "Revision of the archosauromorph reptile Trilophosaurus, with a description of the first skull of Trilophosaurus jacobsi, from the Upper Triassic Chinle Group, West Texas, USA" (PDF). Palaeontology. 49 (3): 621–640\. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00556.x.
23. ^ a b c d e Stocker, M.R.; Nesbitt, S.J.; Criswell, K.E.; Parker, W.G.; Witmer, L.M.; Rowe, T.B.; Ridgely, R.; Brown, M.A. (2016). "A Dome-Headed Stem Archosaur Exemplifies Convergence among Dinosaurs and Their Distant Relatives". Current Biology. 26 (19): 2674–2680\. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.066. PMID 27666971.
24. ^ a b c d e Wilson, John Andrew (1948). "A Small Amphibian from the Triassic of Howard County, Texas". Journal of Paleontology. 22 (3): 359–361\. JSTOR 1299405.
25. ^ a b c d e Schaeffer, Bobb (1967). "Late Triassic fishes from the Western United States". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 135 (6): 285–342.
26. ^ a b c d e f g Gibson, Sarah Z. (2018-09-03). "A new species of Lasalichthys (Actinopterygii, Redfieldiiformes) from the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Howard County, Texas, with revisions to the genera Lasalichthys and Synorichthys". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (5): e1513009. doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1513009. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 92328870.

* Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.