Bostobe Formation

The Bostobe Formation (Kazakh: Boztóbe svıtasy) is a geological formation in Qaraghandy & Qyzylorda, Kazakhstan whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to early Campanian stages, approximately 85 Ma).

The sandstones and claystones of the formation were deposited in estuarine, fluvial-lacustrine and fluvial-deltaic environments.

Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. The formation is about 45 metres (148 ft) thick and consists primarily of clay with interbeds of sand, representing an estuarine environment.

Fossil content

Khunnuchelys lophorhothon, a trionychid turtle recovered from the formation, was initially thought to belong to a hadrosaurid dinosaur and classified as cf. Lophorhothon sp.

Mammals

• Beleutinus orlovi
• Zhalmouzia bazhanovi
• Parazhelestes sp.

Ankylosaurs

• Ankylosauridae indet.

Ornithopods

• Aralosaurus tuberiferus
• Arstanosaurus akkurganensis
• Batyrosaurus rozhdestvenskyi

Sauropods

• Opisthocoelicaudiinae Indet.
• Titanosauridae indet.
• Sauropoda indet.

Theropods

• Caenagnathidae indet.
• Troodontidae indet.
• Therizinosauria indet.
• Ornithomimidae indet.
• Tyrannosauroidea indet.

Pterosaurs

• Aralazhdarcho bostobensis
• Samrukia nessovi

Turtles

• Adocus foveatus
• Anatolemys maximus
• Khunnuchelys lophorhothon
• Lindholmemys gravis
• Shachemys baibolatica
• Trionyx kansaiensis, T. onomatoplokos, T. riabinini

Other reptiles

• Bishara backa

Amphibians

• Anura indet.
• Eoscapherpeton

Fish

• Gobiates sp.

Flora

• Ulmaceae indet.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Kazakhstan
• Bissekty Formation
• Madygen Formation
• Karabastau Formation
• Kugitang Svita

Bibliography

• Averianov, A (2016), , Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 53 (2): 168–175, Bibcode:, doi:
• Danilov, Igor G.; Vitek, Natasha S.; Averianov, Alexander O.; Glinskiy, Vadim N. (2015), , Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 60: 155–161, doi:
• Averianov, A.O.; Archibald, J.D.; Skutschas, P.P.; Dyke, G.J. (2014a), (PDF), Palaeoworld, 23 (3–4): 314–320, doi:
• Averianov, A.; Archibald, J.D.; Dyke, G.J. (2014b), , Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 59: 537–542
• Averianov, A.O (2004), "New Data on Cretaceous Flying Reptiles (Pterosauria) of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan", Paleontological Journal, 38: 426–436
• Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (2004), , Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 1–880, ISBN 0-520-24209-2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
• Kordikova, E.G.; Polly, P.D.; Alifanov, V.A.; Roček, Z.; Gunnell, G.F.; Averianov, A.O. (2001), (PDF), Journal of Paleontology, 75 (2): 390–400, doi:, ISSN

Further reading

• A. O. Averianov. 2007. Theropod dinosaurs from Late Cretaceous deposits in the northeastern Aral Sea region, Kazakhstan. Cretaceous Research 28:532-544
• E. G. Kordikova, S. M. Kurzanov, and G. F. Gunnell. 1997. Unusual dinosaur claw phalanxes from the Upper Cretaceous of the northeastern Aral Sea region, Kazakhstan. Journal of Morphology 232(3):278
• L. A. Nessov. 1995. Dinozavri severnoi Yevrazii: Novye dannye o sostave kompleksov, ekologii i paleobiogeografii [Dinosaurs of northern Eurasia: new data about assemblages, ecology, and paleobiogeography]. Institute for Scientific Research on the Earth's Crust, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg 1–156
• L. A. Nessov. 1988. Late Mesozoic amphibians and lizards of Soviet Middle Asia. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 31(14):475-486
• L. A. Nessov. 1984. Data on late Mesozoic turtles from the USSR. Studia Geologica Salamanticensia, vol. especial 1 (Studia Palaeocheloniologica I) 1:215-223
• L. A. Nessov. 1981. Amfibii i reptilii v ekosistemakh Mela sredney Azii [Amphibia and reptiles in Cretaceous ecosystems of central Asia]. In I. V. Darevsky (ed.), The Problems of Herpetology. Fifth Herpetological Conference. Abstracts 91–92
• A. K. Rozhdestvensky. 1964. Novye dannye o mestonakhozhdeniyakh dinozavrov na territorii Kazakhstana i Srednei Azii [New data on occurrences of dinosaurs in Kazakhstan and Central Asia]. Tashkentskii Gosudarstvennyi Universitet, Nauchnye Trudy: Geologiya [Tashkent State University, Scientific Publications: Geology] 234:227-241