Biostratigraphy of the Permian tetrapod faunas from the Ruhuhu Valley, Tanzania

Abstract

Summaries of revised faunal lists are provided for fossil localities in the Kawinga Formation of the Late Permian, Songea District, Tanzania, concentrating on the dicynodont fauna. Taxonomic assignations of described dicynodonts are revised and undescribed material is determined, wherever possible. The fauna is compared with that of the ‘ Daptocephalus’ (= Dicynodon Assemblage Zone) and ‘ Cistecephalus’ (= Cistecephalus and Tropidostoma Assemblage Zones) ( sensu Rubidge, 1995) of the South African Karoo Basin. The Kawinga Formation contains faunal elements of all three of the South African biozones. It is suggested that faunal differences between biozones in south and East Africa reflect local facies differences resulting from different tectonic regimes. The fauna of the underlying Ruhuhu Formation (= Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone) is discussed briefly, and note is taken of new discoveries from the Triassic Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin, in relation to the Kingori Sandstone and the Manda Formation of Tanzania.