Glencartholm
Geological Conservation Review site | GCR #2758 | Palaeontology | Carboniferous - Permian Fish / Amphibia
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Summary
Glencartholm is one of the most important Carboniferous fish sites in the world. Important differences in faunal content exist between here and the other two Carboniferous Lagerstatten at Bear Gulch and Mazon Creek in the USA which have comparable palaeoenvironments and many genera in common. Glencartholm lacks several elements which are present at the two later sites. The horizon is very low in the Visean, and the fish are found in a thin bed within the Glencartholm Volcanic Group. The fauna is remarkable because of the numbers of complete specimens found and for the variety of types contained; about 35 species are so far recorded. The assemblage contains both marine and freshwater forms. It has been suggested that these remains accumulated in a creek, shut off at intervals from the sea. Glencartholm is the only known locality for 20 species and the type locality for a further 6 species which are also found elsewhere; the majority are palaeoniscids (24 species), with sharks and holocephalians making up 7 species. Rhadinichthys canobiensis is the most common fish here, many other species are known only from one or two specimens. Rhabdoderma huxleyi is unique to this site and is the oldest known coelacanth. Glencartholm also yields the earliest platysomids, earliest Elonichthys and earliest members of the Amphicentridae.
Related geosites
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