The Rybushka Formation is a upper Campanian geologic formation in the Penza and Saratov Oblasts of European Russia. The largest location of fossils is located near the village of Malaya Serdoba in the Penza region.
This formation is one of the largest in Europe in terms of its abundance of marine reptile and pterosaur remains, and the largest marine formation in Russia. One of the formation's unique features is the discovery of many species of fish, sharks, and marine reptiles previously known only from specific regions, such as North America and Western Europe. Pterosaur, fish and invertebrate fossils have been recovered from the formation.
Fossil content The following fossils have been reported from the formation:
Amylodon karamysh Archaeolamna kopingensis Bogolubovia orientalis Bonnerichthys gladius Cretalamna appendiculata C. cf. borealis C. cf. sarcoportheta Crassescyliorhinus germanicus Enchodus gladiolus E. petrosus E. dirus Eostriatolamia segedini E. venusta Hesperornis rossicus Ischyodus bifurcatus Volgadraco bogolubovi Pseudocorax laevis Protostega gigas Paralbula casei Squalicorax kaupi Squatina hassei Scyliorhinus elongatus Scapanorhynchus raphiodon Saurocephalus lanciformis Archaeolamna sp. Anomotodon sp. Chlamys sp. Cederstroemia sp. cf. Dolichorhynchops sp. Edaphodon sp. Elasmodus sp. Eostriatolamia sp. Gryphaeostrea sp. Heterodontus sp. Hesperornis sp. Monticulina sp. cf. Martinectes sp. Mosasaurus sp. Prognathodon sp. Platecarpus sp. Pachyrhizodus sp. Polycotylus sp. Solariella sp. Squatirhina sp. Synechodus sp. Rhinobatos spp. Clidastes propython Latoplatecarpus willistoni Lepidenteron lewesiensis Azhdarchidae indet. Chelospharginae indet. Chondrichthyes indet. Decapoda indet. Elasmobranchii indet. Elasmosauridae indet. Enchodontidae indet. Hemiscylliidae indet. Halisaurinae indet. Hesperornithiformes indet. Hesperornithidae indet. Lingulata indet. Mollusca indet. Mosasauridae indet. Osteichthyes indet. Plesiosauria indet. Polycotylidae indet. Plioplatecarpinae indet. Pteranodontidae indet. Squalidae indet. Teleostei indet. Testudinata indet. Tylosaurinae indet. ?Thoracosaurinae indet.
See also List of pterosaur-bearing stratigraphic units
References
Further reading M. S. Arkhangelsky, A. O. Averianov, and E. M. Pervushov. 2007. Short-necked plesiosaurs of the Family Polycotylidae from the Campanian of the Saratov Region. Paleontological Journal 41(6):656-660 A. V. Averianov and E. V. Popov. 2014. A pterosaurian vertebra from the Upper Cretaceous of the Saratov Region. Paleontological Journal 48(3):326-329 A. O. Averianov, M. S. Arkhangelsky, and E. M. Pervushov. 2008. A new Late Cretaceous azhdarchid (Pterosauria, Azhdarchidae) from the Volga region. Paleontological Journal 42(6):634-642 A. O. Averianov. 2007. New records of azhdarchids (Pterosauria, Azhdarchidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. Paleontological Journal 41(2):189-197 N. N. Bogoliubow. 1914. O ozvonkye pterodaktilya iz verkhnemelovykh otlozheniy Saratovskoy gubernii [A pterodactyl vertebra from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Saratov province]. Ezhegodnikie po Geologii i Mineralogii Rossii/Annuaire Géologique et Minéralogique de la Russie 16(1):1-7