Aguja Formation
Geological formation in North America
Paleogeography of the Campanian
The Aguja Formation is a geological formation in North America, exposed in Texas , United States and Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico, whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous . Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.[ 1] Fossil palms have also been unearthed here.[ 2]
Age
The ages of the Aguja Formation and its primary fossil-bearing unit, the Alto Shale, are not well understood. Due to the presence of the ammonite Baculites mclearni , which only occurs from 80.67 - 80.21 Ma, in the underlying Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone and the Terlingua Creek Sandstone, it is likely that the Upper Shale was younger than 80.2 Ma.[ 3] A radiometric date of 76.9 Ma was recovered in the Alto Shale, making it likely the formation wasn't younger than 76.9 Ma.[ 3] The contact with the overlying Javelina Formation has been estimated at about 70 Ma ago[ 4] but also as recently as 68.5 million years ago.[ 5] This is unlikely, however, due to the presence of Bravoceratops , more primitive than an unnamed chasmosaurine from the De-na-zin Member of the Kirtland Formation , in the lowermost section of the formation.[ 6] The age of the La Basa Sandstone is constrained by the presence of Scaphites hippocrepis III in the overlying Pen Formation which has been dated as old as 81.53 Ma.[ 3] [ 7]
Paleofauna
A duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosauridae ) caudal vertebra from the Aguja Formation
Reptiles
2 fragmentary caudal vertebrae of indeterminate reptiles are known from the Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
Ornithischians
Ornithischians of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member[ 9]
Material
Notes
Images
Agujaceratops
A. mariscalensis
Texas[ 10]
Lower Alto Shale
Formerly considered a species of Chasmosaurus [ 10]
A. mavericus
West Texas[ 11]
Middle Alto Shale
A chasmosaurine .
Angulomastacator
A. daviesi
Texas[ 12]
Middle Alto Shale
A left maxilla .[ 12]
A lambeosaurine .
Ankylosauridae
Indeterminate
Texas[ 13]
Lower Alto Shale
Osteoderms, vertebrae & limb elements.[ 13]
Remains of an ankylosaurid , possibly represents Euoplocephalus sp.[ 13]
Aquilarhinus [ 14]
A. palimentus
Texas[ 7]
Middle Abajo Shale
Partial skeleton
Formerly referred to Kritosaurus and Gryposaurus .[ 15]
Ceratopsidae genus & species indeterminate
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 16]
Middle Abajo Shale
Ilia , sacral vertebra & sacral ribs.[ 16]
May represent Agujaceratops , but undiagnostic.
Chasmosaurus [ 17]
C. mariscalensis [ 18]
Texas[ 18]
[Twelve] disarticulated skull (sic), postcrania, juvenile."[ 19]
Considered by paleontologists Lucas, Sullivan, and Hunt to be distinct enough from the Chasmosaurus type species, C. belli to warrant being split off to a new genus, Agujaceratops .[ 10]
Edmontonia
E. sp[ 20]
Texas[ 13]
Lower Alto Shale
Osteoderm (TVP 45866-2) & skull (AMNH 3076).[ 13]
A nodosaurid .
cf. Euoplocephalus [ 18]
E. sp[ 18]
Texas[ 13]
Lower Alto Shale
Osteoderms, sacrum & vertebra (TL-05-14).[ 13]
An ankylosaurid .
aff. Kritosaurus
K. navajovius
Texas[ 15]
Upper Alto Shale
Two dentary teeth
Tooth crown morphology matches with Kritosaurus [ 15]
Malefica
M. deckerti
Texas[ 21]
Middle Alto Shale
A partial left maxilla.[ 21]
Formerly referred to Kritosaurus .[ 21]
Nodosauridae genus & species indeterminate
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 16]
Middle Abajo Shale
Isolated & associated osteoderms.[ 16]
Very similar to osteoderms of Invictarx .
Panoplosaurus
P. mirus
Texas[ 13]
Lower Alto Shale
Osteoderm (TMM 45605-4).[ 13]
A nodosaurid .
Saurolophinae
Indeterminate
Texas[ 15]
Alto Shale
Various cranial and appendicular elements
Material from several localities previously referred to Kritosaurus but do not have its diagnostic features.[ 15]
Saurolophinae
Indeterminate
Texas
Alto Shale
Various manual elements and vertebrae representing two individuals
Included in phylogenetic analyses as the "Big Bend OTU", most recently considered a kritosaurin[ 21]
Stegoceras
S. sp.
West Texas[ 22]
Middle Alto Shale
Frontal[ 22]
A pachycephalosaur , represents a new unnamed species
Texacephale
T. langstoni
Texas[ 23]
Lower Alto Shale
Two frontoparietal domes.[ 23]
A pachycephalosaur .
Yehuecauhceratops
Y. mudei [ 24]
Coahuila[ 25]
A centrosaurine .
Theropods
Indeterminate ornithomimid remains are known from the Upper Aguja Formation.[ 26] Indeterminate tyrannosaurid fossils are known from the Upper Aguja Formation of Texas and Mexico.[ 27]
Theropods of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member[ 9]
Material
Notes
Images
Avialae incertae sedis
West Texas[ 28]
Middle Abajo Shale[ 28]
4 teeth (TMM 45947-349, 350, 351).[ 28]
A bird .
Chirostenotes
C. sp.
Texas[ 29]
Femur & manual ungual .[ 29]
A caenagnathid
Dromaeosauridae genus & species indeterminate
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 16]
Middle Abajo Shale
Pedal phalanges (TMM 45909-2, TMM 44066-4).[ 16]
A dromaeosaur .
cf. Dromaeosaurus [ 30]
Indeterminate[ 30]
Texas[ 18]
Leptorhynchos
L. gaddisi
Texas[ 29]
Lower Alto Shale
Dentaries, caudal vertebra & limb elements.[ 29]
A caenagnathid
Ornithomimidae
New genus & species
West Texas[ 16]
Middle Abajo Shale
Vertebrae, ischium & limb elements.[ 16]
An unnamed species referred to informally as the 'Aguja ornithomimid '.
cf. Paronychodon
West Texas[ 28]
Middle Abajo Shale[ 28]
2 incomplete teeth (TMM 45947-362).[ 28]
A maniraptoran .
Richardoestesia
R. cf. gilmorei
Texas[ 31]
Low Upper Shale[ 31]
Fragment of a small tooth.[ 31]
A coelurosaur .
R. isosceles
Big Bend National Park , Texas[ 31]
Low Upper Shale[ 31]
Teeth.[ 31]
A coelurosaur .
Saurornitholestes
S. cf. langstoni
Texas[ 28] [ 31]
Lower Alto Shale & Middle Abajo Shale[ 28] [ 31]
Teeth.[ 28] [ 31]
A dromaeosaur , Teeth can belong to different taxa.
S. langstoni
Coahuila [ 32]
Teeth [ 32]
Saurornitholestes sp.
Coahuila [ 32]
Teeth [ 32]
Theropoda incertae sedis
Morphotype A
West Texas[ 28]
Alto Shale[ 28]
8 teeth.[ 28]
Unserrated, recurved teeth.
Morphotype B
West Texas[ 28]
5 tooth crowns.[ 28]
Bi-serrated teeth.
Morphotype C
West Texas[ 28]
7 teeth.[ 28]
Finely serrated, distal plication only.
Morphotype D
West Texas[ 28]
5 teeth.[ 28]
Short, coarsely serrated distal plication.
Morphotype E
West Texas[ 28]
A tooth.[ 28]
Strongly recurved, serrated distal plication.
Morphotype F
West Texas[ 28]
2 tooth fragments.[ 28]
Medium size, finely serrated plications.
cf. Troodon [ 33]
Indeterminate[ 33]
Texas[ 18]
Tyrannosauridae
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 28] [ 34]
Lower Alto Shale[ 34] & Middle Abajo Shale[ 16] [ 28]
Isolated teeth & a handful of non-dental specimens.[ 28] [ 34]
Postcranial remains suggest a relatively small & gracile tyrannosaurid ,[ 34] considered a member of the Teratophoneini [ 35]
Sauropods
Indeterminate titanosaurid remains are known from the Upper Aguja Formation of Mexico.[ 36]
Sauropods of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Material
Notes
Images
Titanosauridae
Indeterminate
Chihuahua
Four partial posterior caudal vertebrae & dorsal or sacrocaudal vertebra
A relatively massive titanosaurid .
Crocodylomorphs
Turtles
Testudines of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Material
Notes
Images
Adocus
A. sp.
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale[ 39]
Shell fragments.[ 39]
An adocid .
Baenidae
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale[ 39]
Shell fragments.[ 39]
2 morphotypes present (A & B).
Basilemys
B. sp.
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale & Lower Shale[ 16] [ 39]
Shell fragments, partial plastron & leg scutes.[ 16] [ 39]
A nanhsiungchelyid .
Bothremydidae genus & species indeterminate
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 16]
Lower Shale[ 16]
Isolated peripheral bones (TMM 44068-1, 42452-8); costal bones (TMM 44064-6).[ 16]
A bothremydid , compatible with Chupacabrachelys .
Chupacabrachelys
C. complexus
Big Bend, Texas .[ 40]
Base of the Upper Shale[ 40]
A complete skull, and a nearly complete skeleton.[ 40]
A bothremydid .
cf. Denazinemys
cf. D. sp.
West Texas[ 16]
Lower Shale[ 16]
Shell elements.[ 16]
A baenid .
cf. Helopanoplia
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale[ 39]
Shell fragments.[ 39]
A softshell turtle .
cf. Hoplochelys
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale[ 39]
Shell fragments.[ 39]
A kinosternoid .
Terlinguachelys
T. fischbecki
Big Bend National Park , Texas[ 41]
Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone[ 41]
A large, incomplete specimen.[ 41]
A protostegid .
Testudines indeterminate[ 8]
Morphotype 1[ 8]
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
A shell fragment.
Morphotype 2[ 8]
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
A shell fragment.
Morphotype 3[ 8]
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
A shell fragment.
Morphotype 4[ 8]
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
A shell fragment.
Trionychidae
Gen. et. sp. indet.
Big Bend National Park , Texas.[ 39]
Upper Shale & Lower Shale[ 16] [ 39]
Costal bone (TMM 44068-4) & shell fragments.[ 39]
A softshell turtle .
Lepidosaurs
Mammals
Bony fish
A diversity of bony fish, comprising both marine (Ten Bits/Rattlesnake Mountain locality) and freshwater (Lowerverse/Lower Shale locality) taxa, is known.[ 44] Approximately 75 whole and broken fragments of coprolites are known from the Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member, presumably from bony fish.[ 8]
Bony fish of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Material
Notes
Images
Acanthomorpha indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An acanthomorph .
Acanthopterygii indet.
order indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An acanthopterygian .
Acanthopterygian fin spine morph 1
Fin spines
Acanthopterygian fin spine morph 2
Acanthopterygian fin spine morph 3
Acanthopterygian fin spine morph 4
Euacanthopterygian fin spine morph 1
Euacanthopterygian fin spine morph 2
Albula
A. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Over 390 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A bonefish .
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Amiidae indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An amiid .
?Anomoeodus
?A. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Isolated tooth crown
A pycnodont . Likely transported out of a marine habitat.
Atractosteus
A. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Teeth, jaw fragments, vertebral centra, scales.
A gar .
Clupeiformes indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
A clupeiform .
cf. Cyclurus
cf. C. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
5 fragmentary tooth plates with teeth.
An amiid.
Ellimmichthyiformes indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An ellimmichthyiform.
Elopiformes indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra
An elopiform .
?Enchodus
?E. sp.
Ten Bits ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
2 abraded teeth.[ 45]
An aulopiform .
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
4 isolated teeth.[ 44]
Eotexachara
E. malateres
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 46]
Lower Shale
Dentaries.[ 46]
A characiform .
?Gonorynchiformes indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 46]
Lower Shale
Cranial bone, vertebral centrum, basibranchial.
A gonorynchiform.
Hiodontidae indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 46]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
A hiodontiform .
Lepidotes
?L. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Approximately 109 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A lepidotid .
cf. Melvius
cf. M. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 16] [ 44]
Lower Shale[ 16]
Vertebrae, 13 isolated teeth.[ 16] [ 44]
An amiid.
Micropycnodon
M. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
4 isolated teeth
A pycnodont. Likely transported out of a marine habitat.
Osteichthyes indet.
Indeterminate species A
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
11 complete teeth.
A bony fish .
Indeterminate species B
8 complete and fragmentary teeth.
Indeterminate species C
1 complete tooth.
Indeterminate species D
1 complete and 1 partial tooth.
Indeterminate
Approximately 475 complete and fragmentary teleost centra.[ 45]
Tooth morph 1
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Teeth
Tooth morph 2
Centrum morph 1
Vertebral centra.
Centrum morph 2
Centrum morph 3
Centrum morph 4
Ostariophysi indet.
order indet.
family indet.
genus et sp. indet.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An ostariophysian .
Paralbula
P. cf. casei
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Approximately 900 complete and fragmentary teeth and tooth caps.[ 45]
A bonefish. Lowerverse specimens likely transported out of a marine habitat.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Primuluchara
P. laramidensis
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 46]
Lower Shale
Dentaries.[ 46]
A characiform .
Stephanodus
?S. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
21 whole and fragmentary specimens.[ 45]
A pycnodont.
?Wilsonichthys
?W. sp.
Lowerverse, west Texas[ 44]
Lower Shale
Vertebral centra.
An osteoglossiform .
Cartilaginous fish
Cartilaginous fish of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Material
Notes
Images
Brachyrhyzodus
B. wichitaensis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
11 complete teeth.[ 45]
Cantioscyllium
C. aff. meyeri
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
1 anterior tooth and 5 lateral teeth.[ 8]
A nurse shark .
Chiloscyllium
C. aff. greeni
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
Approximately 90 abraded and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A bamboo shark .
Chondrichthyes [ 8]
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
23 placoid scales and 69 dermal scales.
4 morphotypes of placoid scales (A to D) present.
Columbusia
C. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
20 complete & fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A wobbegong .
Cretalamna
C. appendiculata
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
3 fragmentary teeth.[ 8]
Reassigned to C. cf. C. sarcoportheta. [ 45]
C. cf. C. sarcoportheta
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
3 incomplete teeth & fragments of additional teeth.[ 45]
Originally reported as C. appendiculata .
Cretorectolobus [ 8]
C. olsoni
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
"20 complete and fragmentary teeth".
A carpet shark .
Hybodontidae genus & species indeterminate
Indeterminate
West Texas[ 16]
Lower Shale[ 16]
Fragment of a dorsal fin spine (TMM 42536-10).[ 16]
A hybodont .
Hybodus [ 8]
H. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
2 specimens, one complete and one partial tooth.
A hybodont .
Igdabatis
I. indicus?
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
A single incomplete tooth.[ 8] [ 45]
A myliobatid .
Ischyrhiza
I. cf. avonicola
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
5 complete and fragmentary rostral teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
I. mira
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
11 fragmentary rostral teeth and 230 whole and fragmentary oral teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
Lonchidion
L. selachos
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
4 complete and 5 fragmentary teeth.[ 8] [ 45]
A hybodont .
Meristodon
M. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
2 teeth.[ 45]
A hybodont .
Myliobatiformes
Incertae sedis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
3 complete specimens.[ 45]
Protoplatyrhina
P. renae
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
70 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A hypsobatid .
Ptychotrygon
P. agujaensis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Over 690 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
P. triangularis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Over 170 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
P. aff. cuspidata
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
7 whole and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
P. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
One complete tooth (TMM 46018-71).[ 45]
A sawskate .
Rhinobatos
R. casieri
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
"14 complete and fragmentary specimens".
A guitarfish .
R. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
18 complete & fragmentary specimens.[ 45]
A guitarfish .
Rhombodus
R. levis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Over 22 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A rajiforme .
Scapanorhynchus
S. texanus
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
Over 800 complete and fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A mitsukurinid .
Sclerorhynchidae
Morphotype 1
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
One fragmentary rostral spine (TMM 46018-59).[ 45]
A sawskate .
Morphotype 2
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
One fragmentary rostral spine (TMM 46018-60).[ 45]
A sawskate .
Morphotype 3
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
3 fragmentary rostral teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate .
Morphotype 4
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
27 fragmentary rostral spines.[ 45]
A sawskate .
Serratolamna
S. cf. S. caraibaea
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
About 34 teeth.[ 45]
A mackerel shark .
Squalicorax
S. kaupi
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8] [ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8] [ 45]
"26 complete and fragmentary anterior and lateral teeth".
An anacoracid .
S. aff. S. lindstromi
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
4 specimens.[ 45]
An anacoracid .
S. pristodontus
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
2 specimens.
An anacoracid .
S. aff. S. yangaensis
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
4 complete & several fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
An anacoracid .
Squatina
S. hassei
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 8]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
A single complete specimen.
An angelshark .
S. sp.
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
A complete tooth & 2 fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
An angelshark .
Texatrygon
T. cf. T. copei
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.[ 45]
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 45]
4 complete & fragmentary teeth.[ 45]
A sawskate formerly reported as T. hooveri .
T. hooveri
Ten Bits Ranch, west Texas.
Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member.[ 8]
4 complete and fragmentary specimens.[ 8]
Reassigned to T. cf. T. copei .
Invertebrates
Ammonites
Ammonites of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Abundance
Notes
Images
Baculites
B. mclearni
Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone
Terlingua Creek Sandstone
Hoplitoplacenticeras
H. plasticum
Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone
Pachydiscus
P. paulsoni
Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone
Plants
Plants of the Aguja Formation
Genus
Species
Location
Member
Material
Notes
Images
Sabal [ 2]
S. bigbendense
Big Bend National Park , Texas.
Upper Shale
4 seeds.
A palm . It has the largest seeds of any fossil Sabal .[ 2]
S. bracknellense
Big Bend National Park , Texas.
Upper Shale
5 seeds.
A palm . The seeds are indistinguishable from those of Eocene S. bracknellense , and so were assigned to that species. However, it is likely these Aguja palms would be found to represent distinct species if other parts of the plants were available for comparison.[ 2]
Color key
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text ; crossed out taxa are discredited.
See also
References
^ Weishampel et al., 2004, "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, North America).", pp.574-588
^ a b c d Manchester, Steven R.; Lehman, Thomas M.; Wheeler, Elisabeth A. (July 2010). "Fossil Palms (Arecaceae, Coryphoideae) Associated with Juvenile Herbivorous Dinosaurs in the Upper Cretaceous Aguja Formation, Big Bend National Park, Texas". International Journal of Plant Sciences . 171 (6): 679– 689. doi :10.1086/653688 . ISSN 1058-5893 . S2CID 84762968 .
^ a b c Fowler, Denver Warwick (2017-11-22). "Revised geochronology, correlation, and dinosaur stratigraphic ranges of the Santonian-Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) formations of the Western Interior of North America" . PLOS ONE . 12 (11): e0188426. Bibcode :2017PLoSO..1288426F . doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0188426 . ISSN 1932-6203 . PMC 5699823 . PMID 29166406 .
^ Woodward, H. N. (2005). Bone histology of the sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis from the Javelina Formation, Big Bend National Park, Texas.
^ Sankey, J. (2010). Faunal composition and significance of high–diversity, mixed bonebeds containing Agujaceratops mariscalensis and other dinosaurs, Aguja Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Big Bend, Texas. In New Perspectives on Horned Dinosaurs: The Royal Tyrrell Museum Ceratopsian Symposium (pp. 520-537).
^ Fowler, Denver W.; Fowler, Elizabeth A. Freedman (2020-06-05). "Transitional evolutionary forms in chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaurs: evidence from the Campanian of New Mexico" . PeerJ . 8 : e9251. doi :10.7717/peerj.9251 . ISSN 2167-8359 . PMC 7278894 . PMID 32547873 .
^ a b Prieto-Márquez, Albert; Wagner, Jonathan R.; Lehman, Thomas (2020-03-18). "An unusual 'shovel-billed' dinosaur with trophic specializations from the early Campanian of Trans-Pecos Texas, and the ancestral hadrosaurian crest" (PDF) . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 18 (6): 461– 498. Bibcode :2020JSPal..18..461P . doi :10.1080/14772019.2019.1625078 . ISSN 1477-2019 . S2CID 202018197 .
^ 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 ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb Schubert, Joseph (May 2013). Elasmobranch and osteichthyan fauna of the Rattlesnake Mountain Sandstone, Aguja Formation (Upper Cretaceous; Campanian), West Texas (Thesis thesis).
^ a b c Lehman, Thomas M.; Wick, Steven L.; (Charlie) Macon, Craig C.; Wagner, Jonathan R.; Waggoner, Karen J.; Brink, Alyson A.; Shiller, Thomas A. (2024-03-20). "Stratigraphy and depositional history of the Aguja Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) of West Texas, southwestern USA" (PDF) . Geosphere . 20 (3): 825– 879. doi :10.1130/ges02662.1 . ISSN 1553-040X .
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^ a b Wagner, Jonathan R.; Lehman, Thomas M. (2009-06-12). "An enigmatic new lambeosaurine hadrosaur (Reptilia: Dinosauria) from the Upper Shale member of the Campanian Aguja Formation of Trans-Pecos Texas" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 29 (2): 605– 611. Bibcode :2009JVPal..29..605W . doi :10.1671/039.029.0208 . ISSN 0272-4634 . S2CID 128555861 .
^ a b c d e f g h i West, Bryanna (2020). Campanian-Maastrictian Ankylosaurs of West Texas (PDF) (Thesis). Texas Tech University.
^ Listed as ?Gryposaurus sp. in "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous; North America; Texas)." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 582.
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^ 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 Lehman, Thomas M.; Wick, Steven L.; Brink, Alyson A.; Shiller, Thomas A. (2019). "Stratigraphy and vertebrate fauna of the lower shale member of the Aguja Formation (lower Campanian) in West Texas" . Cretaceous Research . 99 : 291– 314. Bibcode :2019CrRes..99..291L . doi :10.1016/j.cretres.2019.02.028 . ISSN 0195-6671 . S2CID 135044927 .
^ "Dinosaur distribution (Texas and Chihuahua)." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 582 and 588.
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^ "Table 23.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 496.
^ Listed as Edmontonia cf. rugosidens in "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous; North America; Texas).", Weishampel et al., 2004, p.582
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^ a b Wick, Steven L.; Lehman, Thomas M. (2024-09-19). "A rare 'flat-headed' pachycephalosaur (Dinosauria: Pachycephalosauridae) from West Texas, USA, with morphometric and heterochronic considerations" . Geobios . doi :10.1016/j.geobios.2024.08.006 . ISSN 0016-6995 .
^ a b Longrich, N. R.; Sankey, J.; Tanke, D. (2010). "Texacephale langstoni, a new genus of pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the upper Campanian Aguja Formation, southern Texas, USA". Cretaceous Research . 31 (2): 274. Bibcode :2010CrRes..31..274L . doi :10.1016/j.cretres.2009.12.002 .
^ Rivera-Sylva, H.E.; Hendrick, B.P.; Dodson, P. (2016). "A Centrosaurine (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) from the Aguja Formation (Late Campanian) of Northern Coahuila, Mexico" . PLOS ONE . 11 (4): e0150529. Bibcode :2016PLoSO..1150529R . doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0150529 . PMC 4830452 . PMID 27073969 .
^ Rivera-Sylva, H.E.; Frey, E.; Stinnesbeck, W.; Guzman-Gutirrez, J.R.; Gonzalez-Gonzalez (2017). "Mexican ceratopsids: Considerations on their diversity and evolution". Journal of South American Earth Sciences . doi :10.1016/j.jsames.2017.01.008 .
^ Sullivan, R.M., and Lucas, S.G. 2006. "The Kirtlandian land-vertebrate "age" – faunal composition, temporal position and biostratigraphic correlation in the nonmarine Upper Cretaceous of western North America [permanent dead link ] ." New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 35:7-29.
^ Mortimer, M (2004). "Tyrannosauroidea" . The Theropod Database . Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-21 .
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^ a b c d Longrich, Nicholas R.; Barnes, Ken; Clark, Scott; Millar, Larry (April 2013). "Caenagnathidae from the Upper Campanian Aguja Formation of West Texas, and a Revision of the Caenagnathinae" . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . 54 (1): 23– 49. doi :10.3374/014.054.0102 . ISSN 0079-032X . S2CID 128444961 .
^ a b Listed as cf. Dromaeosaurus sp. in "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous; North America; Texas)." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 582.
^ a b c d e f g h i Sankey, Julia T. (2001). "Late Campanian Southern Dinosaurs, Aguja Formation, Big Bend, Texas" . Journal of Paleontology . 75 (1): 208– 215. doi :10.1666/0022-3360(2001)075<0208:LCSDAF>2.0.CO;2 . ISSN 0022-3360 . JSTOR 1306931 .
^ a b c d Ramírez-Velasco & Hernández-Rivera, A.A & R. (2015). "Diversity of late cretaceous dinosaurs from Mexico" (PDF) . Boletín Geológico y Minero . 126 (1): 63– 108.
^ a b Listed as cf. Troodon sp. in "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous; North America; Texas)." Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 582.
^ a b c d Lehman, Thomas M.; Wick, Steven L. (September 2012). "Tyrannosauroid dinosaurs from the Aguja Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Big Bend National Park, Texas" . Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . 103 (3– 4): 471– 485. Bibcode :2012EESTR.103..471L . doi :10.1017/S1755691013000261 . ISSN 1755-6910 . S2CID 129232391 .
^ Rivera-Sylva, Héctor E.; Longrich, Nicholas R. (2024). "A New Tyrant Dinosaur from the Late Campanian of Mexico Reveals a Tribe of Southern Tyrannosaurs" . Fossil Studies . 2 (4): 245– 272. doi :10.3390/fossils2040012 .
^ Montellano-Ballesteros, M. 2003. "[1] ."
^ a b c d e "Aguja Formation (Upper Shale Member), Big Bend Region, Texas," in Sullivan and Lucas (2006). Page 16.
^ "The first mandible fragment of Deinosuchus (Eusuchia: Alligatoroidea) discovered in Coahuila, Mexico" . ResearchGate . Retrieved 2016-03-27 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Sankey, Julia (January 2006). "Turtles of the upper Aguja Formation (late Campanian), Big Bend National Park, Texas" . New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin . 35 : 235– 243.
^ a b c Lehman, Thomas M.; Wick, Steven L. (2010). "Chupacabrachelys complexus , N. Gen. N. Sp. (testudines: Botheremydidae), from the Aguja Formation (campanian) of West Texas" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 30 (6): 1709– 1725. Bibcode :2010JVPal..30.1709L . doi :10.1080/02724634.2010.520782 . ISSN 0272-4634 . JSTOR 25790797 . S2CID 129303574 .
^ a b c Lehman, Thomas M.; Tomlinson, Susan L. (November 2004). "Terlinguachelys fischbecki, a new genus and species of sea turtle (Chelonioidea: Protostegidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Texas" . Journal of Paleontology . 78 (6): 1163– 1178. Bibcode :2004JPal...78.1163L . doi :10.1666/0022-3360(2004)078<1163:TFANGA>2.0.CO;2 . ISSN 0022-3360 . S2CID 54755373 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Nydam, Randall L.; Rowe, Timothy B.; Cifelli, Richard L. (2013). "Lizards and Snakes of the Terlingua Local Fauna (late Campanian), Aguja Formation, Texas, with Comments on the Distribution of Paracontemporaneous Squamates Throughout the Western Interior of North America" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 33 (5): 1081– 1099. Bibcode :2013JVPal..33.1081N . doi :10.1080/02724634.2013.760467 . ISSN 0272-4634 . JSTOR 42568627 . S2CID 86519841 .
^ a b c Cifelli, Richard L. (December 1994). "Therian mammals of the Terlingua local fauna (Judithian), Aguja Formation, Big Bend of the Rio Grande, Texas" . Contributions to Geology . 30 (2). University of Wyoming: 117– 136.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Wick, Steven L.; Brink, Alyson A. (2022-11-01). "A new non-marine osteichthyan fauna from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) of West Texas: Additional evidence for latitudinal segregation among bony fish in the Western Interior" . Cretaceous Research . 139 : 105299. Bibcode :2022CrRes.13905299W . doi :10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105299 . ISSN 0195-6671 .
^ 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 ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr Schubert, Joseph A.; Wick, Steven L.; Lehman, Thomas M. (January 2017). "An Upper Cretaceous (middle Campanian) marine chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fauna from the Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member of the Aguja Formation in West Texas" . Cretaceous Research . 69 : 6– 33. Bibcode :2017CrRes..69....6S . doi :10.1016/j.cretres.2016.08.008 . S2CID 133098369 .
^ a b c d e f Wick, Steven L. (2021-12-01). "New early Campanian characiform fishes (Otophysi: Characiformes) from West Texas support a South American origin for known Late Cretaceous characiforms from North America" . Cretaceous Research . 128 : 104993. Bibcode :2021CrRes.12804993W . doi :10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104993 . ISSN 0195-6671 .
Bibliography
Sullivan, R.M., and Lucas, S.G. 2006. "The Kirtlandian land-vertebrate "age" – faunal composition, temporal position and biostratigraphic correlation in the nonmarine Upper Cretaceous of western North America [permanent dead link ] ." New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 35:7-29.
Weishampel, David B. ; Dodson, Peter ; Osmólska, Halszka (2004), The Dinosauria, 2nd edition , Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 1– 880, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , retrieved 2019-02-21