Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group

As the town of Sydney grew in the 1800’s the search for building material and the later construction of railways in the colony revealed an extensive trove of Triassic fossils. Many were passed to and held in scientific collections to later be described. The Australian Museum was one of the instituti...

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Main Author: Graham McLean
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Australian Museum 2025-07-01
Series:Records of the Australian Museum
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author Graham McLean
author_facet Graham McLean
author_sort Graham McLean
collection DOAJ
description As the town of Sydney grew in the 1800’s the search for building material and the later construction of railways in the colony revealed an extensive trove of Triassic fossils. Many were passed to and held in scientific collections to later be described. The Australian Museum was one of the institutions which progressively built an extensive and diverse collection of this material. Drawing primarily on these resources, this study reviewed all known flora and fauna of the Middle Triassic Wianamatta Group of the Sydney Basin. Each taxon is illustrated, and a brief taxonomic history is included. To allow efficient access to specimens, museum registration numbers are listed and specimens’ positions in the collection noted. The range of the known biodiversity encompasses three temnospondyls, twelve fishes, fourteen insects, five crustaceans, two molluscs and two plants recovered from different sites across the basin. In some cases, this study also includes specimens and images from the Geological Survey of New South Wales, the Queensland Museum and the Natural History Museum, London. To place the collection in context, particularly for educators working with students, a brief geological description and inferred ecosystems of the Wianamatta Group are included.
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spelling doaj-art-e577698d8e2d4d9d96f0f24376b37a992025-08-20T03:30:56ZengAustralian MuseumRecords of the Australian Museum2201-43492025-07-014212910.3853/j.1835-4211.42.2025.1909Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta GroupGraham McLean0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2933-3418Australian Museum Research InstituteAs the town of Sydney grew in the 1800’s the search for building material and the later construction of railways in the colony revealed an extensive trove of Triassic fossils. Many were passed to and held in scientific collections to later be described. The Australian Museum was one of the institutions which progressively built an extensive and diverse collection of this material. Drawing primarily on these resources, this study reviewed all known flora and fauna of the Middle Triassic Wianamatta Group of the Sydney Basin. Each taxon is illustrated, and a brief taxonomic history is included. To allow efficient access to specimens, museum registration numbers are listed and specimens’ positions in the collection noted. The range of the known biodiversity encompasses three temnospondyls, twelve fishes, fourteen insects, five crustaceans, two molluscs and two plants recovered from different sites across the basin. In some cases, this study also includes specimens and images from the Geological Survey of New South Wales, the Queensland Museum and the Natural History Museum, London. To place the collection in context, particularly for educators working with students, a brief geological description and inferred ecosystems of the Wianamatta Group are included.sydney basintriassicwianamatta groupfossil sitesfossil fishfossil plantsfossil insectstemnospondylcrustaceanmollusc
spellingShingle Graham McLean
Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
Records of the Australian Museum
sydney basin
triassic
wianamatta group
fossil sites
fossil fish
fossil plants
fossil insects
temnospondyl
crustacean
mollusc
title Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
title_full Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
title_fullStr Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
title_full_unstemmed Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
title_short Sydney Basin in the Triassic–a review of the geology, flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The Wianamatta Group
title_sort sydney basin in the triassic a review of the geology flora and fauna and ecosystems the wianamatta group
topic sydney basin
triassic
wianamatta group
fossil sites
fossil fish
fossil plants
fossil insects
temnospondyl
crustacean
mollusc
work_keys_str_mv AT grahammclean sydneybasininthetriassicareviewofthegeologyfloraandfaunaandecosystemsthewianamattagroup