The Quseir Formation is a geological formation in the vicinity of the Kharga Oasis in Egypt.Quseir Formation at Fossilworks.org It is Campanian in age. The lithology largely consists of soft shale with hard bands of sandstone, siltstone and phosphorite. The environment of deposition was nearshore to freshwater fluvio-lacustrine characterized by moist and aquatic habitats with a tropical warm-humid climate. It is conformably overlain by the marine late Campanian-Maastrichtian Duwi Formation, and unconformably overlies the Turonian Taref Formation. The sauropod dinosaurs Mansourasaurus and Igai are known from the formation, as well as the proximal fibula of an indeterminate theropod and possible remains tentively assigned to Spinosaurus. Additionally the lungfish genera Lavocatodus and Protopterus, the crocodyliform Wahasuchus and the bothremydid turtle Khargachelys are also known.
Fossil content
Dinosaurs Theropods including a proximal fibula and specimens tentatively assigned to Cenomanian theropod genera Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus are now classified as Theropoda indet.
Sauropods Sauropods of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images Mansourasaurus M. shahinae A lithostrotian titanosaur Igai I. semkhu A saltasaurid titanosaur
Theropods Theropods of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images cf.Abelisauridae IndeterminateProximal fibula (MUVP 187)TheropodaCaudal vertebra (MUVP 199)
Fish
Bony fish Bony fish of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images Lavocatodus L. giganteus A lavocatodid lungfish L. humei L. protopteroides Protopterus P. nigeriensis A protopterid lungfishLepisosteoidea IndeterminateMut Member
Cartilaginous Fish Cartilaginous Fishes of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes ImagesScapanorhynchusS. rapaxMut MemberTeethA close relative of the living goblin shark
Crocodylomorphs Crocodylomorpha of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images Dyrosauridae indet. IndeterminateMandibular symphysis Wahasuchus W. egyptensis A mesoeucrocodylianWadisuchusSara Saber, Belal S Salem, Khaled Ouda, Abdullah S Gohar, Sanaa El-Sayed, Patrick M O’Connor, Hesham M Sallam, An early dyrosaurid (Wadisuchus kassabi gen. et sp. nov.) from the Campanian of Egypt sheds light on the origin and biogeography of Dyrosauridae, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 205, Issue 2, October 2025, zlaf134, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf134W. kassabiSkullsA dyrosaurid.
Turtles Turtles of the Quseir Formation Genus Species Location Stratigraphic position Material Notes Images Khargachelys K. caironensis A bothremydid side-necked turtle
References