The Acanthodian Fauna of the Craven Peaks Beds (Early to Middle Devonian) western Queensland

Abstract

Two acanthodian faunas of different ages have been identified from calcareous lithologies assigned to the Cravens Peak Beds, Georgina Basin, western Queensland. A sparse fauna comprising scales of Nostolepis sp. cf. N. strata and Radioporacanthodes sp. indicates a Lochkovian or Pragian age for one shot-hole sample south of the Toko Range. A limestone outcrop further south in the Toomba Range yielded a more abundant fauna which includes dissociated remains of two new acanthodians Teneracanthus toombaensis gen. et sp. nov. and Machaeracanthus pectinatus sp. nov. Teneracanthus gen. nov. is an acanthodid acanthodian which is most similar to the early Frasnian Lodeacanthus from Latvia. M. pectinatus sp. nov. is based on isolated scales. Comparison with acanthodian and thelodontid microremains from well-dated sequences in the Broken River Group indicate a late Emsian to early Eifelian age for the limestone stratum.