Kem Kem Group

Kem Kem Group
Kem Kem Group
Stratigraphic range: Cenomanian; ~
Type	Geological group
Sub-units	Douira Formation, Gara Sbaa Formation
Underlies	Cenomanian-Turonian limestone platform
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Location
Coordinates	32°50′N 4°50′W
Region	Er Rachidia, Tafilalt
Country	Morocco
Extent	central and eastern Morocco north and south of the Pre-African Trough
	Kem Kem Group (Morocco)

The Kem Kem Group (commonly known as the Kem Kem beds) is a geological group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two geological formations, with the lower Ifezouane Formation and the upper Aoufous Formation, with the Gara Sbaa Formation and Douira Formation used in the southern Tafilalt region. It is exposed on an escarpment along the Algeria–Morocco border.

The unit unconformably overlies Paleozoic marine units of Cambrian, Silurian and Devonian age, and is itself capped by limestone platform rock of Cenomanian-Turonian age. It primarily consists of deltaic deposits. The lower Gara Sbaa Formation primarily consists of fine and medium grained sandstone, while the Douira Formation consists of fining-upwards, coarse-to-fine grained sandstones intercalated with siltstones, variegated mudstones, and occasional thin gypsiferous evaporites.

Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the group. Recent fossil evidence in the form of isolated large abelisaurid bones and comparisons with other similarly aged deposits elsewhere in Africa indicates that the fauna of the Kem Kem Group (specifically in regard to the numerous predatory theropod dinosaurs) may have been mixed together due to the harsh and changing geology of the region when in reality they would likely have preferred separate habitats and likely would be separated by millions of years.

Vertebrate paleofauna

Cartilaginous fish

Cartilaginous fish
Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Acrodontidae indet.	Indeterminate			Members of Hybodontoidea
Bahariyodon	B. bartheli			A member of Hybodontoidea
Cenocarcharias	C. tenuiplicatus		One tooth	A member of the family Cretoxyrhinidae
Distobatus	D. nutiae			A member of Hybodontoidea
Haimirichia	H. amonensis		One tooth	A mackerel shark
Marckgrafia	M. lybica		13 teeth	A member of Batoidea
Onchopristis	O. numidus			A rajiform ray	Rostrum and teeth fossils from Onchopristis
Peyeria	P. libyca		Three teeth	A sawfish. Might be a junior synonym of Onchopristis numidus.
Tribodus	Tribodus sp.			A member of Hybodontoidea

Ray-finned fish

Ray-finned fish
Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Adrianaichthys	A. pankowskii		Isolated scales and two skulls	A member of Lepisosteiformes. Originally described as a species of Lepidotes, but subsequently transferred to a separate genus.	Life restoration of Aidachar
Agassizilia	A. erfoudina			Possibly a member of the family Pycnodontidae.
Agoultichthys	A. chattertoni			A long-bodied member of Actinopterygii of uncertain phylogenetic placement. Might be a member of the family Macrosemiidae or Ophiopsiellidae.
Aidachar	A. pankowskii			A member of Ichthyodectiformes
Bartschichthys	Bartschichthys sp.		Isolated pinnulae (spines that support each dorsal finlet)	A cladistian
Bawitius	cf. Bawitius sp.		Isolated scales and jaw fragments	A cladistian
Calamopleurus	C. africanus		A partial skull	A member of Amiiformes
Concavotectum	C. moroccensis			A member of Tselfatiiformes
Dentilepisosteus	D. kemkemensis			A member of Lepisosteiformes
Diplomystus	Diplomystus sp.			A deep-bodied teleost belonging to the group Clupeomorpha
Diplospondichthys	D. moreaui			A member of Actinopterygii of uncertain phylogenetic placement, possibly a teleost
Erfoudichthys	E. rosae		Isolated skull	A small-bodied teleost of unknown affinity
Neoproscinetes	N. africanus			A member of the family Pycnodontidae
Obaichthys	O. africanus		Isolated scales	A member of Lepisosteiformes
Oniichthys	O. falipoui		Near complete skeleton including skull	A member of Lepisosteiformes
Palaeonotopterus	P. greenwoodi			A member of Osteoglossomorpha
Serenoichthys	S. kemkemensis		Several articulated skeletons	A small cladistian
Spinocaudichthys	S. oumtkoutensis			An elongate freshwater acanthomorph
Stromerichthys	S. aethiopicus
Sudania	Sudania sp.		An isolated pinnula	A cladistian

Lobe-finned fish

Lobe-finned fish
Genus	Species	Location	Material	Notes	Images
Arganodus	A. tiguidiensis			A lungfish	Life restoration of Axelrodichthys The Queensland Lungfish, the only living member of Neoceratodus
Axelrodichthys	A.? lavocati			A mawsoniid coelacanth
Neoceratodus	N. africanus			A lungfish

Amphibians

Amphibians
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Anura indet.	Indeterminate		Douira Formation	Incomplete left ilium
Cretadhefdaa	C. taouzensis		Douira Formation	Posterior portion of the skull, incomplete squamosal, incomplete maxilla, three incomplete presacral vertebrae, one incomplete sacral vertebra	A neobatrachian frog with possible hyloid affinities.
cf. Kababisha	Indeterminate				A salamander belonging to the family Sirenidae
?Neobatrachia indet.	Indeterminate		Douira Formation	Incomplete humerus	A frog, possibly a member of Ranoidea.
Oumtkoutia	O. anae				A frog belonging to the family Pipidae

Lizards and snakes

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.

Lizards and snakes reported from the Continental Red Beds
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Bicuspidon	Bicuspidon hogreli				A polyglyphanodontid lizard.
Jeddaherdan	Jeddaherdan aleadonta			Partial mandible with teeth.	An iguanian belonging to the group Acrodonta, possibly a relative of the uromastycine agamids. Argued by Vullo et al. (2022) to actually come from Quaternary beds, and to be based on a fossil material of a member of the genus Uromastyx.
Lapparentophis	Lapparentophis ragei			Two isolated trunk vertebrae	An early snake.
Madtsoiidae indet.	Indeterminate			Vertebrae	An early snake.
?Nigerophiidae indet.	Indeterminate			Dorsal vertebrae	An early snake.
Norisophis	Norisophis begaa			One posterior and two mid-trunk vertebrae	A stem-snake.
Norisophis	Indeterminate			A mid-trunk vertebra	A stem-snake.
Simoliophis	cf. Simoliophis libycus			Vertebrae	An early snake.

Plesiosaurs

Plesiosaurs
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Leptocleididae indet.	Indeterminate

Turtles

Turtles reported from the Continental Red Beds
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes
Dirqadim	Dirqadim schaefferi				A Euraxemydid
Galianemys	G. emringeri				A Cearachelyin
Galianemys	G. whitei
Hamadachelys	Hamadachelys escuilliei

Crocodylomorphs

Crocodylomorphs reported from the Continental Red Beds
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Aegisuchus	Aegisuchus witmeri			"Partial braincase of a large individual with skull roof, temporal, and occipital regions."	An aegyptosuchid that may be a synonym of Laganosuchus.	Aegisuchus Araripesuchus Elosuchus cherifiensis Laganosuchus
Antaeusuchus	Antaeusuchus taouzensis			Paired mandibles and a partial right mandible	A peirosaurid.
Araripesuchus	Araripesuchus rattoides		Douira Formation
Elosuchus	Elosuchus cherifiensis		Gara Sbaa Formation Douira Formation		An Elosuchid. The material may represent two different species.
Hamadasuchus	Hamadasuchus rebouli		Gara Sbaa Formation Douira Formation?		A Peirosaurid.
Kemkemia	K. auditorei	Errachidia Province, Morocco		Known from an isolated caudal vertebra.	Initially thought to be a neotheropod, but subsequently discovered to be an indeterminate crocodyliform.
Laganosuchus	Laganosuchus maghrebensis				A Stomatosuchid.
Lavocatchampsa	Lavocatchampsa sigogneaurusselae			Anterior portion of a rostrum with mandible, with an almost complete dentition	A candidodontid notosuchian.

Dinosaurs

Indeterminate lithostrotian remains once misattributed to the Titanosauridae are present in the province of Ksar-es-Souk, Morocco.