{{Short description|Geologic formation in Svalbard, Norway}} {{Infobox rockunit | name = Vikinghøgda Formation | image = | caption = | type = [[Formation (stratigraphy)|Formation]] | age = [[Induan]]-[[Olenekian]] ([[Induan|Griesbachian]]-[[Spathian]])<br />~{{fossil range|252|247.2}} | period = Olenekian | prilithology = [[Mudstone]], [[siltstone]] | otherlithology = [[Shale]], [[sandstone]] | namedfor = | namedby = | region = [[Svalbard]] | country = [[Norway]] | coordinates = | paleocoordinates = {{coord|42.2|N|10.4|E|display=inline}} | unitof = [[Sassendalen Group]] | subunits =Deltadalen Member, Lusitaniadalen Member, Vendomdalen Member | underlies =[[Botneheia Formation]] | overlies =[[Kapp Starostin Formation]] | thickness = | extent = | area = | map = {{Location map+ | Svalbard | relief = 1 | width = 250 | float = center | places = {{Location map~ | Svalbard | lat_deg = 78.3 | lon_deg = 16.9 | mark = Pink ff0080 pog.svg | marksize = 12 }} }} | map_caption = }}
The '''Vikinghøgda Formation''' is a [[Formation (geology)|geologic formation]] in [[Svalbard]], [[Norway]]. It preserves [[fossils]] dating back to the [[Early Triassic]] ([[Induan|Griesbachian]]-[[Spathian]]) [[Period (geology)|period]].<ref>[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displayStrata?geological_group=&formation=Vikingh%F8gda&group_formation_member=Vikingh%F8gda Vikinghøgda Formation] at [[Fossilworks]].org</ref> It is split into three [[Member (geology)|members]], from oldest to youngest: the Deltadalen Member ([[Induan]]), Lusitaniadalen Member ([[Smithian (regional geological stage)|Smithian]]), and Vendomdalen Member ([[Spathian]]). The formation can be found in central [[Spitsbergen]] ([[Sassendalen]], [[Dickson Land]], [[James I Land]]), southern Spitsbergen, as well as the smaller islands of [[Barentsøya]] and [[Edgeøya]]. The type locality is positioned in the vicinity of Vikinghøgda and Sticky Keep, two low peaks along the southeast edge of Sassendalen (Sassen Valley) in Spitsbergen. The two upper members of the Vikinghøgda Formation were previously grouped together as the '''Sticky Keep Formation'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Mørk |first1=Atle |last2=Elvebakk |first2=Geir |last3=Forsberg |first3=Arne W. |last4=Hounslow. |first4=Mark W. |last5=Nakrem. |first5=Hans Arne |last6=Vigran |first6=Jorunn Os |last7=Weitschat |first7=Wolfgang |date=1999 |title=The type section of the Vikinghøgda Formation: a new Lower Triassic unit in central and eastern Svalbard |url=http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/6558 |journal=Polar Research |language=en |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=51–82 |doi=10.1111/j.1751-8369.1999.tb00277.x |bibcode=1999PolRe..18...51M |issn=0800-0395 |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hurum |first1=Jørn Harald |last2=Engelschiøn |first2=Victoria S. |last3=Økland |first3=Inghild |last4=Bratvold |first4=Janne |last5=Ekeheien |first5=Christina P. |last6=Roberts |first6=Aubrey J. |last7=Delsett |first7=Lene Liebe |last8=Hansen |first8=Bitten B. |last9=Mørk |first9=Atle |last10=Nakrem |first10=Hans Arne |last11=Druckenmiller |first11=Patrick S. |last12=Hammer |first12=Øyvind |date=2018-10-04 |title=The history of exploration and stratigraphy of the Early to Middle Triassic vertebrate-bearing strata of Svalbard (Sassendalen Group, Spitsbergen) |url=https://njg.geologi.no/vol-91-100/details/1/2177-2177 |journal=Norwegian Journal of Geology |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=165–174 |doi=10.17850/njg98-2-04 |s2cid=216704366 |hdl=10852/71101 |hdl-access=free |archive-date=2023-02-08 |access-date=2023-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208035054/https://njg.geologi.no/vol-91-100/details/1/2177-2177 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Subunits == The Vikinghøgda Formation is formed by fine-grained marine sediments, such as mudstones, shales, siltstones, and fine sandstones. There is a trend of finer sediments, deeper waters, and higher organic content through the formation. Though fossils are only abundant in the middle part (Lusitaniadalen Member) of the formation, [[index fossils]] can be found throughout the whole formation. The Vikinghøgda Formation is one of the better records of Early Triassic [[chronostratigraphy]] in the Boreal realm, owing to a combination of continuous sedimentation, distinctive index fossils, [[palynomorph]] stratigraphy, [[magnetostratigraphy]],<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hounslow |first1=M. W. |last2=Peters |first2=C. |last3=Mork |first3=A. |last4=Weitschat |first4=W. |last5=Vigran |first5=J. O. |date=2008-09-01 |title=Biomagnetostratigraphy of the Vikinghogda Formation, Svalbard (Arctic Norway), and the geomagnetic polarity timescale for the Lower Triassic |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241247092 |journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin |language=en |volume=120 |issue=9–10 |pages=1305–1325 |doi=10.1130/B26103.1 |bibcode=2008GSAB..120.1305H |issn=0016-7606}}</ref> and trace metal [[cyclostratigraphy]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Zuchuat |first1=V. |last2=Sleveland |first2=A. R. N. |last3=Twitchett |first3=R. J. |last4=Svensen |first4=H. H. |last5=Turner |first5=H. |last6=Augland |first6=L. E. |last7=Jones |first7=M. T. |last8=Hammer |first8=Ø. |last9=Hauksson |first9=B. T. |last10=Haflidason |first10=H. |last11=Midtkandal |first11=I. |last12=Planke |first12=S. |date=2020-09-15 |title=A new high-resolution stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental record spanning the End-Permian Mass Extinction and its aftermath in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018220301772 |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |language=en |volume=554 |article-number=109732 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109732 |bibcode=2020PPP...55409732Z |s2cid=218955779 |issn=0031-0182|hdl=10852/81143 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
=== Deltadalen Member === The Deltadalen Member is named after the small stream valley which runs between Vikinghøgda and Sticky Keep. The member consists of about 70 meters of silty shales and fine sandstones, lying above the eroded surface of the Permian-age [[Kapp Starostin Formation]]. Some of the sandstone beds may be [[Glauconitic sandstone|glauconitic]] or [[Hummocky cross-stratification|hummocky]], and [[calcareous]] nodules may be present.<ref name=":0" /> Fossils are rare and restricted to these nodules, though they include a variety of [[silicified]] [[Ammonoidea|ammonoids]], [[conodont]]s, [[Bivalvia|bivalves]], and [[Gastropoda|gastropods]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Foster |first1=William J. |last2=Danise |first2=Silvia |last3=Twitchett |first3=Richard J. |date=2017-10-03 |title=A silicified Early Triassic marine assemblage from Svalbard |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2016.1245680 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=15 |issue=10 |pages=851–877 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2016.1245680 |s2cid=54030401 |issn=1477-2019|hdl=2158/1152798 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Some index fossils have biostratigraphic significance, such as the ammonoid ''[[Otoceras|Otoceras boreale]]'' and the conodonts ''[[Neogondolella|Neogondolella carinata]]'' and ''[[Neospathodus|Neospathodus svalbardensis]]''. These species constrain the member to the Induan stage, between the early Griesbachian and early Dienerian substages. The sandiest intervals can be found at the base and the top of the member. The [[depositional environment]] is reconstructed as a shallow marine setting influenced by storms and nearby [[River delta|deltaic]] sediments.<ref name=":0" />
The Deltadalen Member has been equated with two other Induan-age formations in its vicinity: the [[Vardebukta Formation]] (exposed in western and southern Spitsbergen) and the [[Havert Formation]] (under the [[Barents Sea]]).<ref name=":0" />
A 2020 study reported that the [[Permian-Triassic boundary]] occurs near the start of the Deltadalen Member. This was supported by several lines of evidence. The conodont ''[[Hindeodus parvus]]'', which defines the base of the Triassic, was reported from a sediment layer 4.1 meters above the base of the member. An overlying [[tephra]] bed was dated to 252.13 ± 0.62 Ma via [[Uranium–lead dating|U-Pb radiometric dating]], an age which is congruent with other reported estimates for the boundary.<ref name=":1" />
=== Lusitaniadalen Member === The Lusitaniadalen Member is named after a glacier on the western flank of Vikinghøgda. The member is about 90 meters thick, mostly composed of laminated silty mudstones. Sandstone beds are less common, though when they occur, they are hummocky. Fossiliferous calcareous nodules are abundant in the sandstone-bearing layers, encasing well-preserved fossils of both invertebrates and vertebrates. The [[ammonoid]] index fossils ''[[Euflemingites|Euflemingites romunderi]]'' and ''[[Wasatchites|Wasatchites tardus]]'' indicate that the Lusitaniadalen Member was deposited during the Smithian substage of the Olenekian stage. The most common ammonoid is ''[[Arctoceras]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Bitten Bolvig |last2=Bucher |first2=Hugo |last3=Schneebeli-Hermann |first3=Elke |last4=Hammer |first4=Øyvind |title=The middle Smithian (Early Triassic) ammonoid ''Arctoceras blomstrandi'': conch morphology and ornamentation in relation to stratigraphy |year=2021 |journal=Papers in Palaeontology |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=1435–1457 |doi=10.1002/spp2.1348 |bibcode=2021PPal....7.1435H |doi-access=free}}</ref> Fish and amphibian fossils have also been found in this member, particularly at the "Fish Niveau" bonebed. This horizon also produced the oldest known [[ichthyopterygian]] reptile fossil.<ref name="K23"/> The depositional environment corresponds to a deeper and calmer conditions, indicative of a major [[Marine transgression|transgression]] (sea level rise) affecting the [[continental shelf]].<ref name=":0" />
The Lusitaniadalen Member has been equated with the Iskletten Member of the [[Twillingodden Formation|Tvillingodden Formation]] (in western Spitsbergen) and the lower part of the [[Klappmyss Formation]] (under the Barents Sea). It has also been previously described as the Iskletten Member of the Sticky Keep Formation.<ref name=":0" />
=== Vendomdalen Member === Dark shale (laminated mudstone) dominates the 90-meter-thick Vendomdalen Member, though silty yellowish [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomitic]] beds also occur. Very large dolomite nodules or [[Lens (geology)|lenses]], some over a meter in width, can also be found in this member. However, fossil-bearing concretions are rarer and more deformed than in the Lusitaniadalen Member. Fossils include abundant bivalves and Spathian ammonoid index fossils, such as ''[[Bajarunia|Bajarunia euomphala]]'', ''[[Keyserlingites|Keyserlingites subrobustus]]'', and ''[[Parasibirites|Parasibirites elegans]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Marine reptile and fish bonebeds also occur in the Vendomdalen Member, the two most prominent being the older "''Grippia'' Niveau" and younger "Lower Saurian Niveau".<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Maxwell |first1=Erin E. |last2=Kear |first2=Benjamin P. |date=2013 |title=Triassic ichthyopterygian assemblages of the Svalbard archipelago: a reassessment of taxonomy and distribution |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/11035897.2012.759145 |journal=GFF |language=en |volume=135 |issue=1 |pages=85–94 |doi=10.1080/11035897.2012.759145 |bibcode=2013GFF...135...85M |s2cid=129092001 |issn=1103-5897|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Bitten Bolvig |last2=Hammer |first2=Øyvind |last3=Nakrem |first3=Hans Arne |date=2018-10-04 |title=Stratigraphy and age of the Grippia niveau bonebed, Lower Triassic Vikinghøgda Formation, Spitsbergen |url=https://njg.geologi.no/images/NJG_articles/NJG_Vol98_Nr2_Hansen.pdf |journal=Norwegian Journal of Geology |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=175–187 |doi=10.17850/njg98-2-02|s2cid=134204517 }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Bratvold |first1=Janne |last2=Delsett |first2=Lene Liebe |last3=Hurum |first3=Jørn Harald |date=2018-10-04 |title=Chondrichthyans from the ''Grippia'' bonebed (Early Triassic) of Marmierfjellet, Spitsbergen |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328183978 |journal=Norwegian Journal of Geology |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=189–217 |doi=10.17850/njg98-2-03|s2cid=132293043 |hdl=10852/71103 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=Engelschiøn |first1=Victoria Sjøholt |last2=Delsett |first2=Lene Liebe |last3=Roberts |first3=Aubrey Jane |last4=Hurum |first4=Jørn Harald |date=2018-10-04 |title=Large-sized ichthyosaurs from the Lower Saurian niveau of the Vikinghøgda Formation (Early Triassic), Marmierfjellet, Spitsbergen |url=https://njg.geologi.no/vol-91-100/details/1/2179-2179 |journal=Norwegian Journal of Geology |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=239–265 |doi=10.17850/njg98-2-05|s2cid=135275680 |hdl=10852/71102 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The Vendomdalen Member corresponds to the deepest part of the continental shelf, with high organic matter deposition and no influence from storm events.<ref name=":0" />
The Vendomdalen Member has been equated with the Kaosfjellet Member of the Tvillingodden Formation (in western Spitsbergen) and the upper part of the Klappmyss Formation (under the Barents Sea). It has also been previously described as the Kaosfjellet Member of the Sticky Keep Formation.<ref name=":0" />
== Paleobiota ==
===Tetrapods=== [[Tetrapod]] remains occur in several horizons of the Vikinghøgda Formation. The fossils belong to [[ichthyosauriform]] and possibly [[sauropterygian]] reptiles and [[temnospondyl]] [[amphibians]].
====Reptiles==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" |- ! colspan="5" align="center" | '''[[Reptile]]s of the Vikinghøgda Formation''' |- ! Taxon / Genus !! Species !! Subunit !! Notes !! Images |- |''[[Cymbospondylus]]'' |''C''. sp. |Vendomdalen Member (Lower Saurian Niveau) |A large [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] [[Ichthyosauria|ichthyosaur]]<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> | rowspan="11" |[[File:Grippia1DB.jpg|thumb|150px|''[[Grippia longirostris]]'']] |- |[[Reptile|Reptilia]] |indet. |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An indeterminate reptile fossil (SVT 203) previously referred to ''Grippia longirostris''. Postcranial proportions differ from all known ichthyosauromorphs, and may instead suggest affinities with ''[[Helveticosaurus]]'' or [[Placodontia|placodonts]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Motani |first=Ryosuke |date=2000 |title=Skull of ''Grippia longirostris'': no contradiction with a diapsid affinity for the Ichthyopterygia |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-4983.00115 |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=01–14 |doi=10.1111/1475-4983.00115|bibcode=2000Palgy..43....1M |s2cid=129452053 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> |- |''[[Grippia]]'' |''G. longirostris'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) | A small basal [[ichthyopterygia]]n<ref name=":3" /> |- |[[Ichthyopterygia]] |indet. |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau),<ref name="K23" /> Vendomdalen Member<ref name=":2" /> |Indeterminate ichthyopterygian remains. Pelagic-adapted ichthyopterygian fossils from the Lusitaniadalen Member are the oldest known from Svalbard and the world.<ref name="K23">{{Cite journal |last1=Kear |first1=Benjamin P. |last2=Engelschiøn |first2=Victoria S. |last3=Hammer |first3=Øyvind |last4=Roberts |first4=Aubrey J. |last5=Hurum |first5=Jørn H. |date=2023 |title=Earliest Triassic ichthyosaur fossils push back oceanic reptile origins |journal=Current Biology |language=en |volume=33 |issue=5 |pages=R178–R179 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.053|pmid=36917937 |s2cid=257498390 |doi-access=free }}</ref> |- |''[[Isfjordosaurus]]'' |''I. minor'' |Vendomdalen Member (Lower Saurian Niveau) |An enigmatic [[Ichthyosauromorpha|ichthyosauromorph]], possibly a [[hupehsuchia]]n or basal ichthyopterygian<ref name=":3" /> |- |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|''[[Merriamosaurus]]'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|''M. hulkei'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|Vendomdalen Member (Lower Saurian Niveau) |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|An ichthyopterygian based on forelimb fossils, initially described under the preoccupied name ''Rotundopteryx hulkei.'' Most likely a [[junior synonym]] of ''Pessopteryx nisseri''.<ref name=":3" /> |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Omphalosaurus]]'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|''O. nisseri'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|Vendomdalen Member (Lower Saurian Niveau) |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|Weathered jaw fragments and other [[Omphalosauridae|omphalosaurid]]-like fossils of uncertain validity, some of which have also been named as ''O. merriami'' or referred to ''Pessopteryx nisseri''.<ref name=":3" /> |- |''O''. sp.<ref name=":2" /> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' and Lower Saurian Niveaus) |Some fossils referred to ''Omphalosaurus'' appear to legitimately belong to the genus.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Ekeheien |first1=Christina Pokriefke |last2=Delsett |first2=Lene Liebe |last3=Roberts |first3=Aubrey Jane |last4=Hurum |first4=Jørn Harald |date=2018-10-04 |title=Preliminary report on ichthyopterygian elements from the Early Triassic (Spathian) of Spitsbergen |url=https://njg.geologi.no/vol-91-100/details/1/2176-2176 |journal=Norwegian Journal of Geology |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=219–238 |doi=10.17850/njg98-2-07|s2cid=134421320 |hdl=10852/71099 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> |- |''[[Pessopteryx]]'' |''P. nisseri'' |Vendomdalen Member (Lower Saurian Niveau) |A large [[Shastasauridae|shastasaurid]]-like ichthyosaur, previously utilized as a [[Chimera (paleontology)|chimera]] encompassing various ichthyopterygian fossils from the Lower Saurian Niveau.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /> |- |''[[Quasianosteosaurus]]'' |''Q. vikinghoegdai'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |A medium-sized ichthyopterygian<ref name=":3" /> |- |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|''[[Svalbardosaurus]]'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|''S. crassidens'' |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |style="background:#E6E6E6;"|A dubious tetrapod based on large teeth initially referred to ichthyosaurs, but more likely belonging to temnospondyl amphibians.<ref name=":3" /> |}
====Amphibians==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" |- ! colspan="5" align="center" | '''[[Temnospondyli|Temnospondyls]] of the Vikinghøgda Formation''' |- ! Taxon / Genus !! Species !! Subunit !! Notes !! Images |- |''[[Aphaneramma]]'' |''A. rostratum'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A long-snouted [[Lonchorhynchinae|lonchorhynchine]] [[Trematosauridae|trematosaurid]]<ref name="K16">{{Cite journal |last1=Kear |first1=Benjamin P. |last2=Poropat |first2=Stephen F. |last3=Bazzi |first3=Mohamad |date=2016 |title=Late Triassic capitosaurian remains from Svalbard and the palaeobiogeographical context of Scandinavian Arctic temnospondyls |url=https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.1144/SP434.11 |journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications |language=en |volume=434 |issue=1 |pages=113–126 |doi=10.1144/SP434.11 |bibcode=2016GSLSP.434..113K |s2cid=131531829 |issn=0305-8719|url-access=subscription }}</ref> | rowspan="7" |[[File:Aphaneramma12DB.jpg|thumb|150x150px|''[[Aphaneramma]]'']] |- |''[[Boreosaurus]]'' |''B. thorslundi'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Brachyopidae|brachyopid]] or [[Rhytidosteidae|rhytidosteid]]<ref name="K16" /> |- |''[[Lyrocephaliscus]]'' |''L. euri'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Trematosaurinae|trematosaurine]] trematosaurid, formerly known as ''Lyrocephalus''.<ref name="K16" /> |- |''[[Peltostega]]'' |''P. erici'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A rhytidosteid<ref name="K16" /> |- |''[[Platystega]]'' |''P. depressa'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A trematosaurine trematosaurid<ref name="K16" /> |- |''[[Tertrema]]'' |''T. acuta'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A relatively short-snouted trematosaurid, possibly a lonchorhynchine<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Slodownik |first1=Miriam A. |last2=Mörs |first2=Thomas |last3=Kear |first3=Benjamin P. |date=2021 |title=Reassessment of the Early Triassic trematosaurid temnospondyl ''Tertrema acuta'' from the Arctic island of Spitsbergen |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2021.1900209 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=41 |issue=1 |article-number=e1900209 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.1900209 |bibcode=2021JVPal..41E0209S |s2cid=235574341 |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}</ref> |- |''[[Sassenisaurus]]'' |''S. spitzbergensis'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |Possibly an early [[Capitosauria|capitosaur]]<ref name="K16" /> |}
=== Fish === A diverse fish assemblage has been described from the late Smithian<ref name="Kogan&Romano2016">{{Cite journal |last1=Kogan |first1=Ilja |last2=Romano |first2=Carlo |year=2016 |title=A new postcranium of ''Saurichthys'' from the Early Triassic of Spitsbergen |journal=Freiberger Forschungshefte C (Paläontologie, Stratigraphie, Fazies 23) |volume=550 |pages=205–221 |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/136748/1/Kogan&Romano2016_A_new_postcranium_of_Saurichthys_from_the_Early_Triassic_of_Spitsbergen-1.pdf |isbn= 978-3-86012-552-6}}</ref> (early [[Olenekian]]) aged "Fish Niveau" (Lusitaniadalen Member, lower part of the "Sticky Keep Member") and other horizons, including [[lungfish]], [[coelacanth]]s, [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]], and [[Hybodontiformes|hybodont]] sharks.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cox |first1=C. B. |last2=Smith |first2=David G. |date=1973 |title=A review of the Triassic vertebrate faunas of Svalbard |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0016756800036190/type/journal_article |journal=Geological Magazine |language=en |volume=110 |issue=5 |pages=405–418 |doi=10.1017/S0016756800036190 |bibcode=1973GeoM..110..405C |s2cid=128809142 |issn=0016-7568|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":4"/><ref name ="Brinkmann2010">{{cite journal |last1=Brinkmann |first1=Winand |last2=Romano |first2=Carlo |last3=Bucher |first3=Hugo |last4=Ware |first4=David |last5=Jenks |first5=Jim |year=2010 |title=Palaeobiogeography and stratigraphy of advanced gnathostomian fishes (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes) in the Early Triassic and from selected Anisian localities (Report 1863–2009) |journal=Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie, Teil II |volume=2009 |pages=765–812 |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/34071/1/Brinkmann_et_al2010_Palaeobiogeography%20and%20Stratigraphy%20of%20Advanced%20Gnathostomian%20Fishes%20in%20the%20Early%20Triassic%20and%20from%20selected%20Anisian%20Localities-2.pdf}}.</ref> Most [[taxa]] were described by [[Erik Stensiö]].<ref name="Stensiö1921">{{cite book |last=Stensiö |first=E. |year=1921 |title=Triassic fishes from Spitzbergen 1 |pages=xxviii+307 |publisher=Adolf Holzhausen |location=Wien}}</ref><ref name="Stensiö1925">{{cite journal |last=Stensiö |first=E. |year=1925 |title=Triassic fishes from Spitzbergen 2 |journal=Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar |volume=3 |pages=1–261}}</ref> The lists below are based on Kogan & Romano<ref name="Kogan&Romano2016"/> and Bratvold et al.<ref name=":4"/>
====Lobe-finned fish==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" |- ! colspan="5" align="center" | '''[[Sarcopterygii]] of the Vikinghøgda Formation''' |- ! Taxon / Genus !! Species !! Subunit !! Notes !! Images |- |''[[Ceratodus (genus)|Ceratodus]]'' |''C.'' sp. |Vendomdalen Member (below Lower Saurian Niveau) | Tooth plate of a [[lungfish]]<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> | rowspan="12" |[[File:Ceratodus BW.jpg|thumb|150x150px|''[[Ceratodus (genus)|Ceratodus]]'']] |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Axelia]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''A. robusta'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Coelacanthidae|coelacanthid]] [[coelacanth]] |- |''A. elegans'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A coelacanthid coelacanth |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Mylacanthus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''M. lobatus'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A coelacanthid coelacanth, quite similar to ''Axelia''.<ref name="Forey1998"/> |- |''M. spinosus'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A coelacanthid coelacanth, quite similar to ''Axelia''.<ref name="Forey1998"/> |- | rowspan="3" |''[[Sassenia]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''S. tuberculata'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Rhabdodermatidae|rhabdodermatid]] coelacanth |- |''S.''? ''guttata'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A rhabdodermatid coelacanth? Dubious generic attribution.<ref name="Forey1998">{{cite book |last=Forey |first=Peter L. |year=1998 |title=History of the coelacanth fishes |publisher=Chapman & Hall |location=London |page=434 |isbn=978-0-412-78480-4}}</ref> |- |''S.'' sp. |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A rhabdodermatid coelacanth |- |''[[Scleracanthus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''S. asper'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) | A coelacanth, quite similar to ''Axelia''.<ref name="Forey1998"/> |- | rowspan="3" |''[[Wimania]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''W. sinuosa'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A relatively large coelacanthid coelacanth |- |''W.''? ''multistriata'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A coelacanth |- |''W.''? sp. |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A coelacanth |}
====Ray-finned fish==== {{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" |- ! colspan="5" align="center" | '''[[Actinopterygii]] of the Vikinghøgda Formation''' |- ! Taxon / Genus !! Species !! Subunit !! Notes !! Images |- | rowspan="3" |''[[Acrorhabdus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''A. bertili'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Ptycholepiformes|ptycholepid]] | rowspan="18" |[[File:Saurichthys (Mensch & Natur-Museum, München).jpg|thumb|150x150px|''[[Saurichthys]]'']] |- |''A. asplundi'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A ptycholepid |- |- |''A. latistriatus'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A ptycholepid |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Birgeria]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''B. aldingeri'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A [[Birgeriidae|birgeriid]].The material was originally referred to ''B. mougeoti'',<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> the [[type species]] of ''Birgeria'', but was later ascribed to its own species |- |''B.'' sp. |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A partial skull of a large ''Birgeria''<ref name="Scheyer2014">{{cite journal |last1=Scheyer |first1=Torsten M. |last2=Romano |first2=Carlo |last3=Jenks |first3=Jim |last4=Bucher |first4=Hugo |year=2014 |title=Early Triassic Marine Biotic Recovery: The Predators' Perspective |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=3 |article-number=e88987 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0088987 |pmid=24647136 |pmc=3960099 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...988987S |doi-access=free}}</ref> |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''[[Bobasatrania]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''B. nathorsti'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A large [[Bobasatraniiformes|bobasatraniform]] that was originally referred to as ''[[Platysomus]] nathorsti''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |- | rowspan="3" |''[[Boreosomus]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''B. arcticus'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A [[Ptycholepiformes|ptycholepid]] and the [[type species]] of ''Boreosomus'', which was originally described as ''[[Acrolepis]] arctica'' by [[Arthur Smith Woodward]] |- |''B. reuterskioldi'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A ptycholepid<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |- |''B.''? ''scaber''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) | |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''[[Pteronisculus]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''P. gyrolepidoides'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A poorly known [[Rhadinichthyidae|rhadinichthyid]] or [[Turseoidae|turseoid]], It was originally described as ''Glaucolepis gyrolepidoides'',<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> but later referred to the genus ''Pteronisculus'' because the [[genus]] name ''Glaucolepis'' is [[preoccupied]] |- |''[[Pygopterus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''P. degeeri'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A [[Pygopteridae|pygopterid]]. ''Pygopterus'' is one of the [[genera]] of ray-finned fish that crossed the [[Permian-Triassic extinction|Permian-Triassic boundary]] |- | rowspan="6" |''[[Saurichthys]]'' |''S. elongatus'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) and possibly in beds slightly above it |A [[Saurichthyiformes|saurichthyiform]] with a slender, elongated [[rostrum (anatomy)|rostrum]]<ref name="Stensiö1925"/> |- |''S. hamiltoni'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A saurichthyiform<ref name="Stensiö1925"/> |- |''S. ornatus'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A saurichthyiform. This species is known primarily from skull remains<ref name="Stensiö1925"/><ref name="Kogan&Romano2016"/> |- |''S. ornatus''? |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A saurichthyiform. Based on one specimen that shows the [[postcranium]] and which has a different scale pattern than ''S. ornatus''<ref name="Kogan&Romano2016"/> |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''S. wimani'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A saurichthyiform. Based on a specimen preserving the skull and anteriormost body portion that was originally described as "''Belonorhynchus''" ''wimani'' by [[Arthur Smith Woodward]]. A later found postcranium was referred to this species<ref name="Kogan&Romano2016"/> |- |''S.'' sp. |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |A saurichthyiform<ref name="Stensiö1925"/> |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''[[Teffichthys]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''T. woodwardi'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A [[Perleidiformes|perleidiform]]. It was originally described as ''[[Colobodus]] altilepis'' by [[Arthur Smith Woodward]] but later referred to as ''Perleidus woodwardi''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> (the species name was changed to avoid confusion with the [[type species]] of ''Perleidus'', ''P. altolepis''). The Early Triassic species of ''Perleidus'' were later ascribed to a different [[genus]], ''Teffichthys''<ref name="Marramà et al. 2017">{{Cite journal |author1=Marramà, G. |author2=Lombardo, C. |author3=Tintori, A. |author4=Carnevale, G. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017 |title=Redescription of "''Perleidus''"(Osteichthyes, Actinopterygii) from the Early Triassic of northwestern Madagascar. |journal=Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia |volume=123 |issue=2 |pages=219–242 |doi=10.13130/2039-4942/8328|doi-access=free}}</ref> |- |}
====Cartilaginous fish==== Chondrichthyan remains are predominantly known from the Vendomdalen Member (''[[Grippia]]'' Niveau). Several [[species]] listed below are also present in the nearby [[Vardebukta Formation]], of Dienerian (late [[Induan]]) age.
{{paleobiota-key-compact}} {| class="wikitable" align="center" |- ! colspan="5" align="center" | '''[[Chondrichthyes]] of the Vikinghøgda Formation''' |- ! Taxon / Genus !! Species !! Subunit !! Notes !! Images |- | rowspan="7" |''[[Acrodus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''A. gaillardoti''<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''[[Grippia]]'' Niveau) |An [[Acrodontidae|acrodontid]] [[Hybodontiformes|hybodontiform]] shark. Only known from isolated teeth | rowspan="20" |[[File:Hybodus hauffianus.png|thumb|150x150px|''[[Hybodus]]'']] |- |''A. lateralis''<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth |- |''A. oppenheimeri'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |- |''A. scaber'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |- |''A. spitzbergensis'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |- |''A. vermiformis'' |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |- |''A.'' sp.<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth |- | rowspan="3" |''[[Hybodus]]''<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |''H. microdus''/<br />''H.'' ?''microdus''<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |A [[Hybodontidae|hybodontid]] hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth |- |''H. rapax''<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |A hybodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth |- |''H. sasseniensis''<ref name=":4"/> |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |A hybodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''[[Lissodus]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''L. angulatus'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A [[Lonchidiidae|lonchidiid]] hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth that were originally described as ''[[Polyacrodus]] angulatus'' |- |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''[[Nemacanthus]]'' |style="background:#fbdddb;"|''N.'' sp. |style="background:#fbdddb;"|Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |style="background:#fbdddb;"|A [[Palaeospinacidae|palaeospinacid]] [[Synechodontiformes|synechodontiform]] shark. Only known from [[fin spine]]s<ref name=":4"/> |- | rowspan="2" |''[[Palaeobates]]'' |''P. polaris'' |Lusitaniadalen Member (Fish Niveau),<br />Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark known from teeth<ref name=":4"/> and skelettal elements. Skull and [[postcranium|postcranial]] elements are only known from the Fish Niveau<ref name="Stensiö1921"/><ref name="Romano & Brinkmann 2010">{{cite journal |last1=Romano |first1=Carlo |last2=Brinkmann |first2=Winand |title=A new specimen of the hybodont shark Palaeobates polaris with threedimensionally preserved Meckel's cartilage from the Smithian (Early Triassic) of Spitsbergen |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |date=December 2010 |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=1673–1683 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2010.521962|bibcode=2010JVPal..30.1673R |s2cid=86411191 }}</ref> |- |''P.'' sp. |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |An acrodontid hybodontiform shark. Only known from isolated teeth<ref name="Stensiö1921"/> |- |''[[Polyacrodus]]'' |''P.'' sp. |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |A [[Polyacrodontidae|polyacrodontid]] hybodontiform shark known from skull<ref name=":4"/> |- | rowspan="3" |[[Hybodontoidea]] |Gen. et sp. indet.1 |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |Basal plate of cephalic spine<ref name=":4"/> |- |Gen. et sp. indet.2 |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |Fin spine<ref name=":4"/> |- |Gen. et sp. indet.3 |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |Fin spine<ref name=":4"/> |- | rowspan="2" |[[Synechodontiformes]] |Gen. et sp. indet.1 |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |Isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |- |Gen. et sp. indet.2 |Vendomdalen Member (''Grippia'' Niveau) |Isolated teeth<ref name=":4"/> |}
== See also == * [[List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Norway]]
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vikinghogda Formation}} [[Category:Geologic formations of Norway]] [[Category:Triassic System of Europe]] [[Category:Triassic Norway]] [[Category:Induan Stage]] [[Category:Olenekian Stage]] [[Category:Mudstone formations]] [[Category:Siltstone formations]] [[Category:Shale formations]] [[Category:Sandstone formations]] [[Category:Geology of Svalbard]]