Waagenoperna occurrences are distributed in marine to littoral facies southwest of the Shanghai–Altay Mountain Range
They are intercalated with non-marine coal-bearing deposits, spanning the Triassic–Jurassic transition.
The genus range is extended into the Jurassic
Three new Waagenoperna assemblages are defined: 1. Carnian–early Norian, 2. Norian–Rhaetian, 3. Early Jurassic.
They indicate extensive marine transgressions which had an important influence on climate, biota and coal and oil formation.