Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

On the principles of global correlation at the continental Triassic on the tetrapods

V.G. Ochev and M. A. Shishkin

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 34 (2), 1989: 149-173

History of the Triassic land vertebrates comprises three successive global epoches referred to as proterosuchian, kannemeyeroid and dinosaur ones. The earliest and the middle epoches are typified by the regional faunal sequence of East Europe. The proterosuchian time spans here the Neorhachitome and Parotosuchus faunas, the former being directly correlated with the Induan-Lower Olenekian, and the latter with the Upper Olenekian (Spathian). The Eryosuchus and Mastodonsaurus faunas of the kannemeyeroid epoch in East Europe are Middle Triassic in age and correspond to the Muschelkalk and Lettenkohle respectively. An evidence is brought for contemporaneity of the proterosuchian-kannemeyeroid biotic replacement in Laurasia and Gondwana. This implies the Middle Triassic age of the Cynognathus Zone of South Africa and its equivalents in South America. The bulk of Lystrosaurus fauna in Gondwana is suggested to range over the most of, or the whole, Early Triassic.

Key words: Triassic tetrapods, biotic epoches, correlation.


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