Löwenstein Formation

The Löwenstein Formation (Stubensandstein in Baden-Württemberg, Burgsandstein in Bavaria) is a lithostratigraphic formation of the Keuper in Germany. It is underlain by the Mainhardt Formation and overlain by the Trossingen Formation. It dates back to the middle Norian.[1]

Löwenstein Formation Stratigraphic range: Mid Norian (Alaunian) 215.6–212 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Keuper
Underlies	Trossingen Formation
Overlies	Mainhardt Formation
Thickness	At least 80 m
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Other	Marl
Location
Region	Europe
Country	Germany   Switzerland
Extent	Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg

Vertebrate fauna

• Ceratodus elegans Vollrath, 1923, a lungfish from the Stubensandstein[2]

Archosaurs

Theropod tracks and an unnamed herrerasaur genus are known from the Lower Stubensandstein.[3]

Archosaurs of the Stubensandstein
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Dolichosuchus[4]	D. cristatus[4]		Middle[4]	"Tibia"[5]	Actually indeterminate coelophysoid remains[4]
Halticosaurus[4]	H. longotarsus[4]		Middle[4]	"Mandibular fragment, vertebrae, humerus, illium, femur, metatarsal."[5]	Later found to be indeterminate coelophysoid remains[4]
Plateosaurus[6]	P. gracilis[6]		Middle[4] Lower[3]	"[Twenty one] partial skeletons, isolated elements, [three] partial skulls, juvenile to adult."[7]	Yates assigned the type material of Sellosaurus gracilis to Plateosaurus gracilis [8]
	P. trossingensis				Type species.
Procompsognathus[4]	P. triassicus[4]		Middle[4]	"Partial postcranial skeleton."[9]
Teratosaurus[4]	T. minor[4]		Middle[4]		Galton and Benton showed that Teratosaurus is actually a rauisuchian.[10][11]
	T. trossingensis[4]		Middle[4]		Galton and Benton showed that Teratosaurus is actually a rauisuchian.[10][11]

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.

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Germany
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Switzerland

References

1. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Triassic, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 521–525. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
2. Ceratodus elegans n. sp. aus dem Stubensandstein. P Vollrath, Jahresberichte und Mitteilungen des Oberrheinischen Geologischen Vereins, 1923
3. "17.2 Baden-Württemberg, Germany; 1. Lower Stubensandstein," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 524.
4. "17.2 Baden-Württemberg, Germany; 2. Middle Stubensandstein," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 524.
5. "Table 3.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 50.
6. "17.2 Baden-Württemberg, Germany; '1. Lower Stubensandstein' and '2. Middle Stubensandstein,'" in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 524.
7. "Table 12.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 236.
8. Yates, A.M. (2003). "Species taxonomy of the sauropodomorph dinosaurs from the Löwenstein Formation (Norian, Late Triassic) of Germany". Palaeontology 46 (2): 317–337
9. "Table 3.1," in Weishampel, et al. (2004). Page 48.
10. Galton, P. M. (1985). "The poposaurid thecodontian Teratosaurus suevicus von Meyer, plus referred specimens mostly based on prosauropod dinosaurs". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, B, 116: 1-29.
11. Benton, M.J. (1986). "The late Triassic reptile Teratosaurus - a rauisuchian, not a dinosaur". Palaeontology 29: 293-301.

Bibliography

• Weishampel, David B.; Peter Dodson, and Halszka Osmólska (eds.). 2004. The Dinosauria, 2nd edition, 1–880. Berkeley: University of California Press. Accessed 2019-02-21. ISBN 0-520-24209-2