Melovatka Formation
| Melovatka Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Middle Cenomanian ~99–95 Ma | |
| The Melovatka Formation in 1941 | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Phosphorite |
| Other | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 50°54′N 44°42′E / 50.9°N 44.7°E / 50.9; 44.7 |
| Approximate paleocoordinates | 43°06′N 38°48′E / 43.1°N 38.8°E / 43.1; 38.8 |
| Region | Volgograd Oblast |
| Country | Russia |
| Extent | Saratov |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Melovatka |
Melovatka Formation is located in Russia Melovatka Formation Melovatka Formation (Russia) Show map of RussiaMelovatka Formation is located in Volgograd Oblast Melovatka Formation Melovatka Formation (Volgograd Oblast) Show map of Volgograd Oblast | |
The Melovatka or Melovatsskaya Formation is a Cenomanian geologic formation in Russia. Pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the formation.
Description
[edit ]The two phosphorite horizons are separated in places by a yellowish sand interbed up to 1 m thick; however, they sometimes merge into a single horizon. The lower interbed or part of the integrated phosphorite horizon shows in places straight diagonal bedding, which is manifested in the orientation of almost flat pellets, pebbles, and pseudomorphs on bivalve shells. The phosphate concretions are irregular aggregates and rounded pebbles, ranging in size from several millimeters to 5–10 cm. They are dark brown or nearly black.[1]
Fossil content
[edit ]The following vertebrate fossils were reported from the formation:[1] [2]
Fish
[edit ]| 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; |
Chondrichthyes
[edit ]Sharks
[edit ]| Sharks reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Archaeolamna | A. cf. kopingensis | |||||
| Anomotodon | A. principalis | |||||
| Cretolamna | C. appendiculata | |||||
| C. ex gr. borealis | ||||||
| Cretoxyrhina | C. denticulata | |||||
| C. vraconensis[3] | ||||||
| Cantioscyllium | C. cf. decipiens | |||||
| Carcharias | C? sp. | Possible may be teeth of representatives of Odontaspididae | ||||
| Cretodus | C. sp.[4] | The material found by Pervush's team in 1999 is considered erroneous by some sources. | ||||
| Dwardius | D. woodwardi | |||||
| Eostriatolamia | E. subulata | |||||
| Galeorhinus | G. glickmani | |||||
| Hybodontiformes | indeterminate | |||||
| Johnlongia | J. allocotodon | |||||
| "Megarhizodon" | "M. cf. macrorhiza" | At present, the genus Megarhizodon is a subjective synonym for Leptostyrax . | ||||
| Meristodonoides | M. sp.[5] | |||||
| Paraorthacodus | P. recurvus | |||||
| "Pseudoisurus" | "P. denticulatus" | Possible relative of Dwardius | ||||
| Pseudomegachasma | P. casei | |||||
| Pseudoscapanorhynchus | P. cf. compressidens | |||||
| Protolamna | P. sokolovi | |||||
| Ptychodus | P. decurrens | |||||
| P. mammillaris | ||||||
| Polyacrodus | P. sp. | |||||
| Scapanorhynchus | S. raphiodon[6] | |||||
| S. minimus | ||||||
| Squalicorax | S. falcatus | |||||
| S. curvatus | ||||||
| Squatina | S. sp. | |||||
| Synechodus | S. dispar | |||||
| Odontaspis | O. sp. | |||||
| Orectoloboides | O. parvulus[7] | |||||
| Palaeoanacorax | P. obliquus | |||||
| P. volgensis | Not considered a valid taxon by some scientists | |||||
Other cartilaginous fish
[edit ]| Other cartilaginous fishs reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Chimaeridae | Indeterminate | |||||
| Elasmodectes | E. kiprijanoffi | |||||
| Edaphodon | E. sedgwicki | |||||
| Elasmodus | E. sinzovi | |||||
| Ischyodus | I. latus | |||||
Bony fish
[edit ]| Osteichthyans reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Enchodontidae | Indeterminate | |||||
| Osteichthyes | indeterminate | |||||
Dinosaurs
[edit ]| Dinosaurs reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Cerebavis | C. cenomanica[8] | An ornithuran | ||||
| Ichthyornithidae | Indeterminate [9] [10] | |||||
Pterosaurs
[edit ]| Pterosaurs reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Lonchodectes | L. sp.[11] [12] | |||||
| Saratovia | S. glickmani[13] | |||||
| Ornithocheiroidea | Indeterminate [11] | |||||
| Targaryendraconia | indet.[14] | |||||
Plesiosaurs
[edit ]| Plesiosaurs reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Elasmosauridae | indeterminate[15] | |||||
| Plesiosauria | indeterminate | |||||
| Pliosauridae | indeterminate | |||||
Icthyosaurs
[edit ]| Icthyosaurs reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Pervushovisaurus | P. campylodon | A partial skull | A platypterygiine ichthyosaur, previously named Platypterygius kiprianoffi[16] | |||
| Platypterygius | ?P. sp. | |||||
Turtles
[edit ]| Turtles reported from the Melovatka Formation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxon | Species | Location | Stratigraphic position | Material | Notes | Images |
| Chelonioidea | indeterminate | |||||
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ a b Melovatka 3 at Fossilworks.org
- ^ PBDB collection. https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayCollResults?taxon_no=81365&max_interval=Cretaceous&country=Russian%20Federation&is_real_user=1&basic=yes&type=view&match_subgenera=1
- ^ Бирюков А. В. ЭЛАСМОБРАНХИИ СЕНОМАНА ПОВОЛЖЬЯ: РАЗНООБРАЗИЕ,ПАЛЕОБИОГЕОГРАФИЯ И СТРАТИГРАФИЧЕСКОЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ (с.126 - 197) https://www.paleo.ru/upload/medialibrary/fb0/2e8uj17p680gn4xwqfpm0a68u4lchbnd.pdf
- ^ https://www.ammonit.ru/tag/9476.htm%7C [full citation needed ]
- ^ "Бирюков А.В. ЭЛАСМОБРАНХИИ СЕНОМАНА ПОВОЛЖЬЯ: РАЗНООБРАЗИЕ, ПАЛЕОБИОГЕОГРАФИЯ И СТРАТИГРАФИЧЕСКОЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ" (PDF). Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (in Russian). Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ^ Saratov (upper horizon): Cenomanian at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Kurochkin, E. N.; Saveliev, S. V.; Postnov, A. A.; Pervushov, E. M.; Popov, E. V. (December 2006). "On the brain of a primitive bird from the upper Cretaceous of European Russia". Paleontological Journal. 40 (6): 655–667. doi:10.1134/S0031030106060086.
- ^ Walsh, Stig A.; Milner, Angela C.; Bourdon, Estelle (August 2016). "A reappraisal of Cerebavis cenomanica (Aves, Ornithurae), from Melovatka, Russia". Journal of Anatomy. 229 (2): 215–227. doi:10.1111/joa.12406. PMC 4948046 . PMID 26553244.
- ^ Zelenkov, Nikita V.; Averianov, Alexander O.; Popov, Evgeny V. (July 2017). "An Ichthyornis-like bird from the earliest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of European Russia". Cretaceous Research. 75: 94–100. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017年03月01日1.
- ^ Никита Зеленков, 2017. Elementy.ru https://elementy.ru/kartinka_dnya/307/Povolzhskiy_ikhtiornis
- ^ a b Averianov, Alexander O.; Kurochkin, Evgeny N.; Pervushov, Evgeny M.; Ivanov, Alexei V. (2005). "Two bone fragments of ornithocheiroid pterosaurs from the Cenomanian of Volgograd Region, southern Russia". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 50 (2): 289–294.
- ^ Alexander Averianov, E. N. Kurochkin, 2010. A new pterosaurian record from the Cenomanian of the Volga Region https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226217045_A_new_pterosaurian_record_from_the_Cenomanian_of_the_Volga_Region
- ^ Averianov, A. O. (2025). "A new ornithocheiran pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Saratov, Russia". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 97 (Suppl. 1) e20241063. doi:10.1590/0001-3765202520241063 . PMID 40298668.
- ^ Averianov, A. O.; Gubarev, D. I. (2026). "A pterosaur cervical vertebra from the Cenomanian of Russia: first diagnostic postcranial material for Targaryendraconia". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology: 1–7. doi:10.1080/08912963.2026.2619532.
- ^ Evgeniy Pervushov, Maxim Savvich Arkhangelsky, Ivanov A.V., 1999. https://undor-muz.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Pervushov.et_.alii_.1999.Katalog.mestonahozhdenij.morskih.reptilij.J-K.Povolzhja.pdf
- ^ Mesozoic marine reptiles of Russia and other former Soviet Republics". The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2000. pp. 187–210.[ISBN missing ]