Jagua Formation
Jagua Formation
Stratigraphic range : Mid-Late Oxfordian ~158–156 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Sub-units Pan de Azúcar, Zacarías, Pimienta & Jagua Vieja Members
Thickness 160 m (520 ft)
Lithology
Location
Coordinates 22°42′N 83°36′W/22.7°N 83.6°W/ 22.7; -83.6
Type section
Named for Jagua
The Jagua Formation is a Late Jurassic (middle to late Oxfordian ) geologic formation in the Sierra de los Órganos and Sierra del Rosario mountain ranges in Pinar del Río Province , western Cuba. Plesiosaur , pliosaur , pterosaur , metriorhynchid , turtle and dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from its strata.
Description The formation comprises marine shales and limestones . The 60 metres (200 ft) thick Jagua Vieja Member consists of black shales and horizontally laminated marly micritic to biomicritic limestones. The latter contains calcareous concretions which the fossils are found in. The formation overlies the San Cayetano Formation and is overlain by the Guasasa Formation . The bedding direction is steeply dipping towards the northwest.
Fossil content Vertebrate paleofauna Based on Iturralde-Vinent & Izquierdo (2015):
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; crossed out taxa are discredited.Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Bony fishes Bony fish of the Jagua Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Aspidorhynchus A. arawaki Jagua Vieja Mb. A aspidorhynchid fish Caturus C. deani Valle los Jazmines, Jagua Vieja Jagua Vieja Mb. A caturid halecomorph . In need of taxonomic revision. Eugnathides E. browni Mogote La Mina Jagua Vieja Mb. A pachycormiform fish. In need of taxonomic revision. Gyrodus G. macropthalmus cubensis Mogote La Mina Jagua Vieja Mb. A pycnodont . Hypsocormus H. leedsi Laguna de Piedra Jagua Vieja Mb. A pachycormiform fish. In need of taxonomic revision. Lepidotes L. gloriae Jagua Vieja Jagua Vieja Mb. A lepidotid lepisosteiform . ?Leptolepis L. euspondylus Mogote La Mina Jagua Vieja Mb. A leptolepid fish. In need of taxonomic revision. Luisichthys L. vinalesensis Jagua Vieja Jagua Vieja Mb. A varasichthyid fish Pholidophorus P. sp. A pholidophorid fish Sauropsis S. woodwardi Viñales A pachycormiform fish. In need of taxonomic revision.
Reptiles Dinosaurs Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Somphospondyli indet.Jagua Vieja Jagua Vieja Mb. A somphospondylan sauropod , the only dinosaur known from the formation. Previously identified as a camarasaurid . If it is a somphospondylan, it is the only record of this group from the early Late Jurassic of the Americas. Material consists of a first or second metacarpal, now lost.
Pterosaurs Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Cacibupteryx C. caribensis Mogote Jagua Vieja Jagua Vieja Mb. A rhamphorhynchid pterosaur Nesodactylus N. hesperius Hoyo del Palmar 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Viñales Jagua Vieja Mb. A rhamphorhynchid pterosaur
Crocodylomorphs Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Cricosaurus C. suevicus Puerta de Ancón Sierra de Guasasa Jagua Vieja Mb. A metriorhynchid thalattosuchian Geosaurus G. sp. A geosaurine metriorhynchid Thalattosuchia indet.Hoyo de la Sierra A thalattosuchian of uncertain affinities.
Plesiosaurs Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image ?"Cryptocleidus " "C. " vignalensis Laguna de Piedra Jagua Vieja Mb. A sauropterygian , nomen dubium Gallardosaurus G. iturraldei Sierra de Caiguanabo ~8 km (5.0 mi) east of Viñales Jagua Vieja Mb. A pliosaurid plesiosaur Vinialesaurus V. caroli Viñales A cryptoclidid plesiosaur
Ichthyosaurs Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Ichthyosauria indet.Laguna de Piedra Jagua Vieja Mb. An indeterminate ichthyosaur, initially described as "Ichthyosaurus torrey Ophthalmosauridae Indet.Indeterminate Viñales
Turtles Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Description Notes Image Notoemys N. oxfordensis Valle de Viñales A platychelyid pan-pleurodiran turtle , originally described under the separate genus of Caribemys
Other fossils Favreina Globochaete Gryphaea mexicana - Pan de Azúcar Mb.Liostrea mairei L. sandalina - Zacarías Mb.Nanogyra (Nanogyra) nana - Zacarías Mb.Ostrea broughtoni - Zacarías Mb.Plicatula cf. weymouthiana - Zacarías Mb.Voltzia palmeri Perisphinctes sp. See also Bibliography Barrett, P.M.; Butler, R.J.; Edwards, N.P.; Milner, A.R. (2008), (PDF), Flugsaurier: Pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer - Hone, D.W.E., and Buffetaut, É. (eds). Zitteliana B, 28., pp. 1–264 De la Fuente, M.S.; Iturralde Vinent, M. (2001), (PDF), Journal Information , 75 (4): 860–869, Bibcode :, doi : Gasparini, Zulma (2009), (PDF), Palaeontology 52 (3): 661–669, Bibcode :, doi :, archived from (PDF) on 2011-07-16 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Gasparini, Z.; Fernández, M.; De La Fuente, M. (2004), , Palaeontology 47 (4): 919–927, Bibcode :, doi : Gasparini, Z.; Bardet, N.; Iturralde Vinent, M. (2002), , Geobios 35 (2): 201–211, Bibcode :, doi :, archived from on 2010-07-02 Gasparini, Z.; Iturralde Vinent, M. (2001), , Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte 2001 (9): 534–542, doi : Iturralde Vinent, Manuel; Norell, Mark A. (1996), (PDF), American Museum Novitates Further reading Bermúdez, Pedro J (1961), (PDF), Geología Cubana , 1 : 1–180 Colbert, Edwin H (1969), (PDF), American Museum Novitates Fernández, M.; Iturralde Vinent, M. (2000), , Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 : 191–193, doi : Pugaczewska, H (1978), "Jurassic pelecypods from Cuba", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 23 : 163–186 Schevill, W.E (1950), "An Upper Jurassic sepioid from Cuba", Journal of Paleontology 24 : 99–101 Thies, D (1989), (PDF), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 9 (1): 18–40, Bibcode :, doi :