A new ichnofauna from the Permian of the Zat Valley in the Marrakech High Atlas of Morocco

Moreau, Jean-David; Benaouiss, Naima; Tourani, Abdelilah; Steyer, Jean‐Sébastien; Laurin, Michel; Peyer, Karin; Béthoux, Olivier; Aouda, Ali

doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2020.103973

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…from the lower Permian (Voigt et al 2011;Zouicha et al 2021), and Acrodenta irerhi, an indeterminate moradisaurine and Hyloidichnus isp. from the middle-upper Permian of northeastern Africa (Jalil & Dutuit 1996;Hmich et al 2006;Voigt et al 2010;Hminna et al 2012;Moreau et al 2020). (C) Hyloidichus isp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

Matamales‐Andreu

Munar

Oms

et al. 2021

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

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Moradisaurine captorhinid eureptiles were a successful group of high-fibre herbivores that lived in the arid low latitudes of Pangaea during the Permian. Here we describe a palaeoassemblage from the Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean), consisting of ichnites of small captorhinomorph eureptiles, probably moradisaurines (Hyloidichnus), and parareptiles (cf. Erpetopus), and bones of two different taxa of moradisaurines. The smallest of the two is not diagnostic beyond Moradisaurinae incertae sedis. The largest one, on the other hand, shows characters that are not present in any other known species of moradisaurine (densely ornamented maxillar teeth), and it is therefore described as Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov. Other remains found in the same outcrop are identified as cf. Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov., as they could also belong to the newly described taxon. This species is sister to the moradisaurine from the lower Permian of the neighbouring island of Mallorca, and is also closely related to the North American genus Rothianiscus. This makes it possible to suggest the hypothesis that the Variscan mountains, which separated North America from southern Europe during the Permian, were not a very important palaeobiogeographical barrier to the dispersion of moradisaurines. In fact, mapping all moradisaurine occurrences known so far, it is shown that their distribution area encompassed both sides of the Variscan mountains, essentially being restricted to the arid belt of palaeoequatorial Pangaea, where they probably outcompeted other herbivorous clades until they died out in the late Permian.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

Matamales‐Andreu

Munar

Oms

et al. 2021

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

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“…Neither can swimming traces of the Hornburg Formation that are usually associated with Capitosauroides or Capitosauroides-like tracks be assigned to Amphisauropus. Since the supposed Amphisauropus tracks of the Hornburg Formation represented the youngest record of this ichnogenus apart from a questionable Moroccan pes-manus imprint couple (Hminna et al, 2012;Voigt, 2015;Schneider et al, 2020) and some poorly-preserved tracks described from a different Moroccan site by Moreau et al (2020), our re-interpretation of the Hornburg Formation record leaves Amphisauropus restricted to the Cisuralian. The new Amphisauropus LAD (Last Appearance Datum) is therefore from the late Kungurian Pizzo del Diavolo Formation of Italy (e.g., Marchetti et al, 2017a).…”

Section: Stratigraphic Ranges Of Capitosauroides Amphisauropus and Th...mentioning

confidence: 83%

Ichnotaxonomy and trackmaker assignment of tetrapod tracks and swimming traces from the Middle Permian Hornburg Formation of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)

Buchwitz¹,

Marchetti²,

Jansen³

et al. 2020

ASGP

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Here we describe new material of tetrapod tracks and swimming traces from the Konberg quarry, a tracksite of the late middle Permian Hornburg Formation in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. A relatively well-preserved trackway and several isolated imprints are assigned to Capitosauroides isp. Among others, toe proportions in the manus and pes footprints of the newly described specimens and the long, proximal and detached pedal digit V imprint are similar to the type ichnospecies Capitosauroides bernburgensis from the Early Triassic of Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt. In these features the new Konberg material differs from other ichnotaxa, such as Amphisauropus and Varanopus, which may look similar in their relative length of the sole, digit proportions and/or in the digit tip imprint morphology. The comparatively large manus imprint, which is wider than long, the relative length and shape of the sole impression, the digit proportions that are indicative for a more ectaxonic manus a more mesaxonic pes, the low pace angulation and the low imprint-size-normalized stride length in the Konberg track type are distinct from C. bernburgensis. It shares, however, a certain similarity with recently described material of Capitosauroides from middle-late Permian tracksites. These observations are in agreement with the results of a multivariate analysis including Capitosauroides and morphologically similar ichnotaxa. Our findings would justify the erection of a new ichnospecies if more trackways with a similar or slightly better preservation were at hand. Hornburg Formation material previously assigned to Amphisauropus is herein considered as indetermined tetrapod tracks, whereas the occurrence of Dromopus isp. is confirmed. This reassignment shortens the stratigraphic range of the ichnogenus Amphisauropus, which appears to be restricted to the early Permian, since younger occurrences are questionable. In agreement with the attribution of Capitosauroides to eutheriodont producers, we regard the Konberg material assigned to this ichnogenus as tracks of small and possibly semi-aquatic therapsids. Abundant tetrapod swimming traces that co-occur with Capitosauroides isp. on the same bedding planes are interpreted as having been made by the same group of producers. The subaquatic traces often consist of short parallel claw mark sets. In agreement with a derived amniote producer group, they indicate propulsion by parasagittal limb movement rather than axial undulation.

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“…The WHAM is the oldest massif, predominantly Jurassic or Cretaceous formations (with some less extensive outcrops of Triassic, Permian, and even Carboniferous2) intersected by deep valleys (Moreau et al 2020). Its highest point is the Toubkal summit at 4,167 meters above sea level, visible from Marrakech.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) to soil loss modeling in a semi-arid watershed: a case study from western high atlas, Morocco

Bou-imajjane

Belfoul²,

Stokes³

et al. 2022

Model. Earth Syst. Environ.

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In the western High Atlas of Morocco (WHAM), most of the mountainous regions experience important soil loss triggered by both natural and anthropogenic factors. It forms a major geohazard that impacts negatively upon agricultural production due to decreased water availability and reductions in soil fertility, which in the absence of measured datasets, the situation of soil loss will be getting worse. Hence, the relevance of using modeling techniques such as RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation), in quantifying and identifying areas subject to erosion. Not only this study aims at assessing soil loss in WHAM, but it also intends to study the controlling factors in different three areas throughout the WHAM, in an attempt to find the key factor (s) that controls the most soil loss in this region. The combination of the controlling factors maps with the resulting soil loss map in a GIS environment using Pearson's correlation method, allows us to provide a matrix that computes the influence of these factors on the erosion process. Findings show that the WHAM is subject to significant amounts of erosion, this is mainly due to the topographic factor (LS), which is considered to be extremely rugged, followed by the soil conservation practices factor (P) and the vegetation cover factor (C). This study provides mandatory information for stakeholders helping in implementing proper management planning in drylands.

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A new ichnofauna from the Permian of the Zat Valley in the Marrakech High Atlas of Morocco

Cited by 8 publications

References 60 publications

A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

Ichnotaxonomy and trackmaker assignment of tetrapod tracks and swimming traces from the Middle Permian Hornburg Formation of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)

Adaptation of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) to soil loss modeling in a semi-arid watershed: a case study from western high atlas, Morocco

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