Bet-Meir Formation

Bet-Meir Formation
Stratigraphic range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Amminadav Formation
Location
Country	Palestine[1]

The Bet-Meir Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation in the West Bank (Palestine). Pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the formation, in addition to several ray-finned fish and early snakes, most of which are known from the Ein Yabrud quarries. It underlies the just slightly younger Amminadav Formation, and it is uncertain whether most of the paleobiota belong to one formation or the other.[1][2]

Paleobiota

The majority of species here cannot be confidently assigned the Bet-Meir Formation, and some may instead belong to the younger Amminadav Formation.[2][3]

Fish

Genus	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Aipichthyoides	A. galeatus A. formosus		An aipichthyoidid lamprimorph
Dercetoides	D. venator		A dercetid aulopiform
Hastichthys	H. gracilis		A dercetid aulopiform
Enchodus	E. brevis		An enchodontid aulopiform
Judeichthys	J. haasi		A gonorynchid
Judeoberyx	J. princeps		A trachichthyoid trachichthyform
Pachyamia	P. latimaxillaris		An amiid
Parenchodus	P. longipterygius		An enchodontid aulopiform
Pharmacichthys	P. judensis		A pharmacichthyid lamprimorph
Ramallichthys	R. orientalis		A gonorynchid
Rhombichthys	R. intoccabilis		A paraclupeid clupeomorph
Saurorhamphus	S. judeaensis		A eurypholid aulopiform
Scalacurvichthys	S. naishi		A pycnodontid
Serrilepis	S. longidens		A halecid aulopiform
Yabrudichthys	Y. striatus		An enchodontoid aulopiform

Reptiles

Turtles

Genus	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Algorachelus	A. parvus		A bothremyid side-necked turtle
Pelomedusidae	indet.		An indeterminate pelomedusid side-necked turtle

Squamates

Genus	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Haasiasaurus	H. gittelmani		An early mosasaur
Haasiophis	H. terrasanctus		A simoliophiid snake, notable for its hindlimbs
Mesoleptos	M. zendrinii[4]		A basal mosasauroid
Pachyrhachis	P. problematicus		A simoliophiid snake, notable for its hindlimbs

Pterosaurs

Genus	Species	Presence	Notes	Images
Pterosauria	indet.		An indeterminate pterosaur

See also

• List of pterosaur-bearing stratigraphic units

References

1. "Bet-Meir, West Bank, Palestine". mindat.org.
2. "Bet Meir or Amminadav, West Bank, Palestine". mindat.org.
3. Bouziane Khalloufi, René Zaragüeta-Bagils & Hervé Lelièvre (2010). "Rhombichthys intoccabilis, gen. et sp. nov. (Ellimmichthyiformes, Clupeomorpha, Teleostei), from the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) of Ein Yabrud, Middle East: anatomial descriptions and phylogenetic implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (1): 57–67. Bibcode:2010JVPal..30...57K. doi:10.1080/02724630903409089. S2CID 86625975.
4. Cabezuelo-Hernández, Alberto; Pérez-García, Adán (2023). "A New Species of the Pythonomorph Carentonosaurus from the Cenomanian of Algora (Guadalajara, Central Spain)". Animals. 13 (7): 1197. doi:10.3390/ani13071197. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 10093179. PMID 37048453.