STUDIES ON WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PERMIAN BRACHIOPODS 9. 
THE STERLITAMAKIAN BRACHIOPOD FAUNA OF THE 
CUNCUDGERIE SANDSTONE, CANNING BASIN 
N. W. Archbold 
Department of Geology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, and 
Victoria College, Rusden Campus, 662 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168 
Archbold, N. W., 1990:05:31. Studies on Western Australian Permian brachiopods 9. The 
Sterlitamakian brachiopod fauna of the Cuncudgerie Sandstone, Canning Basin. Pro¬ 
ceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 102(1): 1-13. ISSN 0035-9211. 
The brachiopod fauna from isolated outcrops of the Early Permian Cuncudgerie Sand¬ 
stone in the southern Canning Basin is reviewed and described. New species described are 
Tornquistia subquadratus and Cyrtella koopi. The fauna is a correlative of other brachiopod 
faunas of Early Permian (Sterlitamakian) stratigraphical units elsewhere in Western Aus¬ 
tralia (Perth, Carnarvon and northern Canning Basins). 
THE ONSHORE Canning Basin of Western 
Australia measures some 800 km from north to 
south, 950 km from east to west and covers an 
area of 430,000 km 2 (Towner & Gibson 1983). 
Structural subdivisions of the basin are reviewed 
by Playford et al. (1975) and Towner & Gibson 
(1983). To date, most described Permian 
brachiopod faunas of the basin are from the 
thick sequences of the Fitzroy Trough in the 
north (e.g. see stratigraphy and faunal lists pro¬ 
vided by Guppy et al. 1958). Thin Permian 
sequences with isolated outcrops occur in the 
south of the basin, in the region of the Anketell 
Shelf (Playford et al. 1975: 364, fig. 54). Limited 
brachiopod faunas from these outcrops have 
been recorded in numerous reports (Dickins & 
Thomas 1956, Dickins 1961, Dickins 1976; the 
last of these was published in 1983 as part of a 
microfiche appendix in Towner & Gibson 1983 
who consolidated all previous reports). A few 
brachiopod specimens have been figured by 
Thomas (1971), Archbold (1983, 1986) and 
Archbold & Thomas (1984a). 
Of the southern Canning Basin faunas, that of 
the Cuncudgerie Sandstone (Traves et al. 1956) 
is the most diverse and is the subject of the pre¬ 
sent study. The Cuncudgerie Sandstone has been 
correlated by previous workers with the Nura 
Nura Member of the Poole Sandstone and with 
the marine horizon at the base of the Poole Sand¬ 
stone in the St George Range area (both northern 
Canning Basin). This correlation is supported by 
the present study although there is by no means a 
complete identity of faunas. This may be due to 
inadequate sampling of the units involved or dif¬ 
ferences in biofacies. Towner & Gibson (micro¬ 
fiche appendix number 5 in Towner & Gibson 
1983) considered the “Cuncudgerie facies” to be 
a more clastic facies equivalent of the Nura Nura 
member. 
AGE, PRESERVATION AND 
COLLECTIONS 
The described assemblage exhibits significant 
links with the fauna of the Sterlitamakian (Late 
Sakmarian) Callytharra Formation of the 
Carnarvon Basin. The age of that formation is 
well constrained bv ammonoids as indicated by 
Archbold (1982a).' 
Preservation of the material is of variable 
quality. Internal and external moulds, usually 
ferruginous, preserve sharp details of internal 
muscle scars and external ornament. Natural 
ferruginous casts of shells preserve less fine 
details but provide details of the gross form of 
the specimens. Many specimens are incom¬ 
plete. 
All specimens are registered with the Com¬ 
monwealth Palaeontological Collections (CPC) 
of the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology 
and Geophysics, Canberra. Specimens were col¬ 
lected by W. J. Koop (West Australian Pet¬ 
roleum Pty Ltd) in 1963 (locality number 
(TK5A) and by field parties of the Bureau of 
Mineral Resources. 
SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 
Order Strophomenida Opik, 1934 
Suborder Orthotetidina Waagen, 1884 
Superfamily Orthotetacea Waagen, 1884 
Family Orthotetidae Waagen, 1884 
Subfamily Orthotetinae Waagen, 1884 
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