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Research : PaleoBios
Abstracts (numbers 1–16) PaleoBios 1, June 15, 1967 Oreodonts of the Tick Canyon Formation, Southern California DAVID P. WHISTLER NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 2, July 15, 1967 Pre-burial abrasion of articulated asteroid skeletons D. BRYAN BLAKE Although asteroids usually become disarticulated rapidly after death, Recent forms collected on the beach of Baja California show noteworthy transport abrasion but little tendency for disarticulation. A relatively complete fossil starfish therefore cannot be, by itself, considered proof of rapid deposition of the containing sediment; in evaluating ossicle morphology of such specimens, the possibility of pre-depositional abrasion should be considered. PaleoBios 3, July 15, 1967 A Pleistocene vampire bat (Desmodus stocki) from Potter Creek Cave, Shasta County, California J. HOWARD HUTCHISON NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 4, February 1, 1968 Megabelodon minor (Mammalia: Proboscidea), a new species of mastodont from the Esmeralda Formation of Nevada J.E. MAWBY A single fossil mandible from the Esmeralda Formation (Late Miocene-Early Pliocene) of Nevada represents a new species of gomphotheriid proboscidean, allied with the "spoon-billed" mastodonts of the Tertiary of the Great Plains. Mandibles with long symphysis but no lower tusks were developed in at least three independent lines of Tertiary gomphotheres, represented by the genera Megabeladon, Gnathabelodon, and Eubeladon. PaleoBios 5, June 1, 1968 Brackish water ostracods from La Jolla Submarine Canyon 7200–500 years before present JOHN C. HOLDEN NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 6, October 15, 1968 Rodents from the Hartman Ranch Local Fauna, California EVERETT LINDSAY Fossil rodents, represented by approximately 140 isolated teeth, were collected from the lower part of the Sespe Formation near Sespe Gorge, Ventura County, California. Age of the fauna is Uintan. The Hartman Ranch small mammal fauna includes Pareumys sp., Namatomys fantasma n. sp., Griphonys sp., and Simimys sp. PaleoBios 7, December 30, 1968 Megahippus and Hyohippus (Mammalia: Perissodactyla) from the Esmeralda Formation of Nevada J.E. MAWBY A specimen from the Esmeralda Formation (Mio-Pliocene) of Nevada provides new information concerning the poorly known anchitheriine horse, Megahippus McGrew. Hypohippus nevadensis Merriam, from the same formation, approaches Megahippus in size, but lacks the characteristic megahippine specialization of the dentition. PaleoBios 8, June 1, 1969 A molluscan faunal assemblage from the Arcturus Formation, Nevada THOMAS E. YANCEY NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 9, December 1, 1969 An investigation of the diatoms from four Tertiary lake bed deposits in western Nevada GUNILLA SMEDMAN NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 10, April 15, 1970 A re-evaluation of mandibles of Allodesmus (Carnivora: Otariidae) from the Round Mountain Silt, Kern County, California. LAWRENCE G. BARNES A series of Allodesmus mandibles from the late middle Miocene Sharktooth Hill bonebed in the Round Mountain Silt of Kern County, California forms the basis for a study of the variation in a sample including the holotype of A. kelloggi Mitchell (1966). The range of variation in the sample encompasses the features of the holotype of A. kernensis Kellogg (1922), and A. kelloggi is therefore considered a junior synonym of A. kernensis. The mandibles show variation in the position of teeth and the development of other structures. The magnitude of variation is comparable to that in a series of mandibles of the living species Zalophus californianus Lesson. PaleoBios 11, January 30, 1971 Imagotaria (Mammalia: Otariidae) from the Late Miocene Santa Margarita Formation near Santa Cruz, California LAWRENCE G. BARNES Fossil jaws and skull fragments of one individual referable to the extinct otariid genus Imagotaria have been recovered from the Santa Margarita Formation near Olympia in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County, California. The specimen supplies additional information on the anatomy of Imagotaria and extends the known geographic range of the genus 200 miles northward from the type locality of I. downsi in Santa Barbara County. Because of the differences in dentition, the new fossils cannot be referred confidently to I. downsi and may represent a more primitive form identified herein only as Imagotaria sp. PaleoBios 12, March 30, 1971 Uintatherium (Mammalia: Dinocerata) from the Uintan (Middle to Late Eocene) of Southern California J. HOWARD HUTCHISON NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 13, September 30, 1971 A Pliocene colubrid snake (Reptilia: Colubridae) from west-central Nevada JOHN RUBEN An articulated, but incomplete, fossilized snake, from the middle member (approximately Middle Pliocene) of the Truckee Formation of west-central Nevada is Coluber sp. Linnaeus, 1758 (Reptilia: Colubridae). The specimen's original overall body length, about 830 mm, indicates that the serpent was about two years old and sexually mature at the time of its death. Presence of three fossilized fishes (at least one of which is Gasterosteus doryssus Jordan, 1907) within the rib cage of the specimen gives evidence that: (1) just prior to its death, the serpent maintained a summer home range that bordered on, or surrounded, a lake or stream; (2) the serpent was feeding on small fish shortly before it died (this the first recorded instance of Coluber consuming fish); (3) the specimen may have died as a result of its inability to properly swallow, or regurgitate, one of the fish; (4) the specimen probably died during the northern summer season. PaleoBios 14, December 29, 1972 Miocene mammals, stratigraphy and environment of Muruarot Hill, Kenya CARY T. MADDEN Fossil mammals from Muruarot Hill in northwestern Kenya are conspecific with mammals in the Early Miocene fauna of Rusinga Island indicating that the age of the Muruarot Hill fauna, long disputed, is almost certainly Early Miocene. Analyses of the sediments and the gastropod and mammal fauna indicates that the paleoenvironment of the site was probably semi-arid and relatively open with shallow, swampy lakes. PaleoBios 15, February 28, 1974 The Hemingfordian mammal fauna of the Vedder Locality, Branch Canyon Formation, Santa Barbara, California. Part I. Insectivora, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, and Rodentia (Sciuridae) J. HOWARD HUTCHISON and EVERETT H. LINDSAY The Vedder mammal locality of Hemingfordian Land Mammal Age is located in a non-marine tongue of the predominantly marine Branch Canyon Formation. The Branch Canyon Formation has "Temblor" Stage megainvertebrate fossils and Saucesian Stage foraminiferal fossils. Taxa from the locality include a shrew (cf. Limnoecus sp.), mole (Scalopoides sp.), bat (?Phyllostomatidae), rabbit (Hypolagus cf. H. apachensis), pika (Cuyamalagus dawsoni n. gen., n. sp.), ground squirrel (Miospermophilus sp.), and flying squirrel (Blackia sp.). Rodents and horses to be discussed in subsequent parts of the faunal study form the basis for the age determination of the fauna. PaleoBios 16, April 30, 1974 The Hemingfordian mammal fauna of the Vedder locality Branch Canyon Formation, Santa Barbara, California. Part II. Rodentia (Eomyidae and Heteromydiae) EVERETT H. LINDSAY The Vedder fauna is a Hemingfordian (middle Miocene) assemblage of land mammals from the dominantly marine Branch Canyon Formation in the Transverse Ranges of southern California. Five species of extinct rodents (Eomys sp., Pseudotheridomys cuyamensis n. sp., Mookomys cf. M. altifluminus, Proheteromys sulculus, and Proheteromys magnus) from the Vedder locality, UCMP locality V6761, are described. PaleoBios 17, July 25, 1974 Heptranchias howellii (Reed, 1946) (Selachii: Hexanchidae) in the Eocene of the United States and British Columbia BRUCE J. WELTON Notidanion howellii Reed, 1946 (Selachii: Hexanchidae) from the Eocene Shark River Formation of New Jersey is referred to the genus Heptranchias. Teeth of Heptranchias from the Eocene of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Lincoln Creek Formation of Washington, and the Keasey and Nestucca Formations of Oregon are considered to be conspecific with Heptranchias howellii. H. howellii is chronologically restricted to strata of Narizian and lower Refugian age in the northeastern Pacific and is interpreted to be a deep water form, occurring in association with upper bathyal-lower neritic invertebrate faunas. PaleoBios 18, July 10, 1975 Pathology of two fossil sea cows (Mammalia: Sirenia) DARYL P. DOMNING1 and FREDRIC L. FRYE2 Pathological conditions in two fossil sirenian skeletons from California include imperfectly healed fractures, osteomyelitis, and ossifying spondylosis in Metaxytherium jordani (Late Miocene), and an unidentified condition grossly resembling osteitis deformans or osteitis fibrosa in Hydrodamalis sp. nov. (Late Pliocene). This is the first natural occurrence of osteomyelitis noted in a sirenian. PaleoBios 19, August 30, 1975 Collection of taphonomic information from fossil and Recent vertebrate specimens, with a selected bibliography KATHLEEN MUNTHE and SAMUEL A. McLEOD NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 20, January 12, 1976 A mandible of Beckia (Mammalia: Mustelidae) from Contra Costa County, California STEPHEN W. EDWARDS A second specimen of Beckia Bryant, from the Mio-Pliocene undifferentiated Contra Costa Group in Contra Costa County, California, closely resembles the type of Beckia grangerensis Bryant. The Kendall-Mallory local fauna, which includes the specimen of Beckia, appears to be slightly older than the Black Hawk Ranch local fauna, and late Clarendonian in age. PaleoBios 21, January 12, 1976 An investigation of individual growth and possible age relationships in a population of Protothaca staminea (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) ANNALISA BERTA Examination of various quantitative approaches to the determination of molluscan shell growth suggests that the bivalve shell is potentially valuable as a tool for the chronological recording of environmental events. PaleoBios 22, June 8, 1976 Identification of the native cyprinids (Pisces: Cyprinidae) of California based upon their basioccipitals RICHARD W. CASTEEL The forms of the basioccipitals of the native Cyprinidae of California were investigated in order to assess the value of this bone for identification of genus and species. Seven major types of masticatory processes were identified and these, in combination with characters of the basioccipital as seen in lateral aspect, provide a means for identifying most of the genera, species, and, in some cases, subspecies of native California cyprinids. A key is provided and illustrations of the basioccipitals of the native California cyprinids in ventral and lateral views are presented. PaleoBios 23, July 19, 1976 Evolution of the Thylacosmilidae, extinct saber-toothed marsupials of South America LARRY G. MARSHALL The family Thylacosmilidae, predaceous South American extinct saber-tooth marsupials, includes five species: Thylacosmilus atrox Riggs, 1933 (including T. lentis Riggs, 1933), of Huayquerian (middle Pliocene) through early Montehermosan (late Pliocene) age; Notosmilus pattersoni J. L. Kraglievich, 1960, of Chapadmalalan (latest Pliocene) age; Hyaenodonops chapalmalensis Ameghino, 1908, of Chapadmalalan age; Achlysictis lelongi Ameghino, 1891, of early Montihermosan and possibly Huayquerian age; and A. pungens (Ameghino, 1904) of middle Montehermosan age. PaleoBios 24, January 31, 1977 A review of Paleocene and Eocene Leptictidae (Mammalia: Eutheria) from North America MICHAEL J. NOVACEK Abundant and widely distributed fossils demonstrate a diversity of leptictid species in North America during the Paleocene and Eocene epochs. The late Cretaceous genus Gypsonictops markedly contrasts with the Tertiary leptictids, but is recognized as the most closely related sister taxon of the latter. The genus Diacodon is removed from the Leptictidae because the type species, D. alticuspis, more closely resembles adapisoricid insectivores. Three major leptictid lineages are known from the Paleocene and Eocene of North America. One lineage, the genus Prodiacodon, shows the retention of primitive sectorial features in the dentition. The second lineage, Palaeictops, shows a more derived "bunodont" condition. Palaeictops, particularly P. matthewi (n. sp.), is undoubtedly closely related to the Oligocene Leptictis. Myrmecoboides represents the third early divergent lineage not closely related with other leptictid genera. A new species, Prodiacodon crustulum, from the Puercan of Montana shows a combination of dental characters intermediate between Gypsonictops (Hypoconus) and Prodiacodon puercensis. PaleoBios 25, June 13, 1977 A new genus of murid rodent from the Miocene of Pakistan and comments on the origin of the Muridae LOUIS L. JACOBS Antemus chinjiensis, new genus and species, from middle Miocene Siwalik deposits of Pakistan is the oldest and most primitive member of the Muridae yet described. It confirms that murids evolved from the Cricetidae and allows determination of homology of upper molar cusps. The present centers of diversity of the Muridae are the result of emigration from a south Asian center of origin no earlier than Miocene time. PaleoBios 26, June 20, 1977 A new species of Gregorymys (Rodentia: Geomyidae) from the Miocene of Colorado JENS MUNTHE Gregorymys larsoni n. sp. is a very late survivor of the Gregorymys lineage. It is known only from the Derby Peak fauna of late Barstovian or early Clarendonian age. Radiometric dates obtained from volcanic rocks above and below the sediments from which the Derby Peak fauna was collected range from approximately 13 to 10 million years before present. G. larsoni is temporally disjunct from all previously described species of the genus and may represent a population surviving only within a persistent refugium. PaleoBios 27, August 30, 1977 First record of Teleoceras (Rhinocerotidae) from Ringold Formation, Pliocene of Washington ERIC PAUL GUSTAFSON The first identifiable vertebrate specimen from the conglomerate middle member of the Ringold Formation, Franklin County, Washington, is a mandible of the short-legged rhinocerotid Teleoceras. The middle member of the Ringold had been considered Blancan (Pliocene) in age because of the presence of the early Blancan White Bluffs local fauna in immediately overlying beds. The Teleoceras mandible is younger than basalts dated at 8.6 million years. It is similar to Teleoceras specimens from the Hemphillian McKay Reservoir local fauna of Oregon, and is probably late Hemphillian in age. PaleoBios 28, August 1, 1978 Studies on fossil phyllodont fishes: a new species of Phyllodus (Elopiformes: Albulboidea) from the Late Cretaceous of Montana RICHARD ESTES1 and ROBERT HIATT2 Phyllodus paulkatoi, n. sp., from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of Montana, is the first Cretaceous record and most primitive member of the genus, lacking the transverse widening of the central row of teeth on the basibranchial tooth plate. A cladistic arrangement of the Phyllodontinae suggests that phyllodontids are derived from albulids through the Early Cretaceous albulid Casierius. Phyllodontids represent a poorly-known but common group of albuloid fishes known only from oral tooth plates; the group was distributed along a shallow water "track" extending from epicontinental seas on the North American continent across the North Atlantic to Europe, apparently becoming extinct shortly after separation of Europe and North America in the Early Eocene. PaleoBios 29, 1979 The Hemingfordian mammal fauna of the Vedder locality Branch Canyon Formation, Santa Barbara, California. Part III. Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla and summary JENS MUNTHE Searching for abstract text PaleoBios 30, 1979 Leidyosuchus canadensis (Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) from the Early Paleocene of Montana MICHAEL T. GREENWALD Searching for abstract text PaleoBios 31, May 15, 1980 Anniella (Sauria: Anguidae) from the Miocene of California JACQUES ARMAND GAUTHIER Vertebrae indistinguishable from those of Recent Anniella geronimensis and A. pulchra are described as a part of the Kendall-Mallory local fauna from the Bolinger Canyon Quarry in the undifferentiated Contra Costa Group, Contra Costa County, California. The vertebrae probably represent a single individual and mark the first appearance, approximately ten million years ago (Clarendonian; Upper Miocene), of Anniella, a highly specialized, fossorial genus of Anguidae. PaleoBios 32, 1980 The mammal-bearing Early Tertiary horizons of China G.V. SHKURKIN Searching for abstract text PaleoBios 33, 1980 Gallolestes pachymandibularis (Mammalia: Theria, incertae sedis) from Late Cretaceous deposits in Baja California del Norte, Mexico WILLIAM A. CLEMENS Searching for abstract text PaleoBios 34, December 18, 1980 Osteopygis sp., a marine turtle from the Late Cretaceous Moreno Formation of California DAVID E. FOSTER An osteopygine toxochelyid turtle from the marine Cretaceous of California is the first Pacific appearance of the family and extends the geographic range of the group beyond previously known North Atlantic, North American "Western Interior Sea," and South American occurrences. The uncertain presence of nasal bones in this genus may require a reassessment of the traditional derivation of the genus Erquelinnesia from Osteopygis. PaleoBios 35, March 15, 1981 Skeletal morphology and function of the Miocene rodent Schizodontomys harkseni KATHLEEN MUNTHE Two specimens of Schizodontomys harkseni (Rodentia: Geomyidae) from Wyoming — a skeleton from the Split Rock local fauna site and a skull from the Uva Breaks area — extend the known geochronologic range of the taxon from the early Hemingfordian into the later Hemingfordian. These specimens also expand the known geographic distribution of the species, recognized previously from Oregon and southern South Dakota. Comparisons with other geomyids of both fossorial and saltatorial habitus suggest S. harkseni was at least quadrupedially saltatorial; it does not possess the fossorial specializations present in geomyines (Geomys and Thomomys) and shows many similarities to Heteromys and Dipodomys. This conclusion suggests that Schizodontomys, and perhaps the entire subfamily Pleurolicinae, should be removed from the family Geomyidae as it is currently diagnosed. PaleoBios 36, July 17, 1981 Pliometanastes protistus (Edentata: Megalonychidae) from Knight's Ferry, California with a discussion of early Hemphillian megalonychids SUE ELLEN HIRSCHFELD A well-preserved, partial skeleton of Pliometanastes protistus Hirschfeld and Webb, 1968, is described from the Siphon Canal locality (Early Hemphillian) in the Mehrten Formation near the Knight's Ferry, Stanislaus County, California. A tuff four meters overlying the sloth has been K-Ar dated at 8.19–.16 mybp (Hugh Wagner, personal communication, 1980) making this the earliest, most precisely dated and westernmost occurrence of P. protistus. PaleoBios 37, July 19, 1981 Emydoidea (Emydidae: Testudines) from the Barstovian (Miocene) of Nebraska J. HOWARD HUTCHISON A hypoplastron of Emydoidea sp. from the Barstovian of Nebraska provides the oldest record thus far of the Emys Group. Early records of Terrapene in conjunction with Emydoidea indicate a pre-Barstovian origin of the Emys Group and a probable earlier distribution of the Emys lineage to the Old World. PaleoBios 38,December 31, 1981 An index to Mesozoic Mammals: The First Two-Thirds of Mammalian History JOHN J. CHIMENT1 and VICTORIA J. CHIMENT2 [An index to the 1979 University of California Press edition of Mesozoic Mammals: The First Two-Thirds of Mammalian History, edited by Drs. Jason A. Lillegraven, Zophia Kielan-Jaworowska and William A. Clemens.] PaleoBios 39, 1983 A new salamander of the family Batrachosauridae from the Late Miocene of North America, with notes on other batrachosauroidids B.G. NAYLOR Searching for abstract text PaleoBios 40, December 22, 1983 Hesperornis in Alaska LAURIE J. BRYANT Hesperornis is reported from the Ignek Formation, Echooka River, Alaska. While not a northward extension of the range of this genus, its discovery in Alaska is an interesting addition to high-latitude Cretaceous vertebrate faunas. The age of this isolated specimen cannot be determined with precision but is doubtless late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Campanian). PaleoBios 41, December 28, 1983 Clypeaster biarritzensis Cotteau (Echinoidea) in Lower Asmari Formation (Early Oligocene) of southwest Iran J. WYATT DURHAM1 and FATHOLLAH MOJAB2 A collection of "sand dollar" type echinoids from the Lower Asmari Formation (Early Oligocene) near Yasuj in southwest Iran (30° 36' N Lat., 51° 41' E Long.) is referred to Clypeaster biarritzensis Cotteau. This species, described from the Tongrian (Early Oligocene) of southwest France, is also known from northern Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, and probably Somalia, and thus has a known geographic extent of nearly 5,000 km along the Tethyan Seaway. For comparison, the Recent C. reticulatus occurs from Natal to the Hawaiian Islands (about 18,000 km), while C. rarispina and C. humilis have geographic ranges on the order of 10,000 km but other living species of the genus mostly do not have such extensive ranges. PaleoBios 42, July 23, 1984 Fossil Odontocetes (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Almejas Formation, Isla Cedros, Mexico LAWRENCE G. BARNES PaleoBios 43, April 30, 1987 Belonostomus (Teleostei: Aspidorhynchidae) from the Late Paleocene of North Dakota LAURIE J. BRYANT A jaw fragment of Belonostomus from the Tongue River Formation (Tiffanian, late Paleocene) of Morton County, North Dakota, extends the known range of this genus some 8 million years into the Cenozoic. Like the Late Cretaceous Belonostomus longirostris from the Western Interior of North America, this specimen was collected from fresh water deposits. PaleoBios 44, July 31, 1987 Characters, stratigraphy, and "Depopperate" logic: an essay on phylogenetic reconstruction RICHARD A. LAWS and DAVID E. FASTOVSKY Phylogenetic reconstruction utilizing stratigraphy or morphology is based upon a number of untestable assumptions, and in the philosophical context, one is no less imperfact an indicator of phylogeny than the other. Concepts such as similarity, homology, and polarity in phylogenetic reconstruction are unsuited to hypothetico-deductive methods because no phylogenetic hypothesis may ever be unequivocably rejected. Phylogenies are thus developed by the weight of comfirming evidence. Stratigraphy provides important access to the historical dimension. Phylogeny reconstruction is best based upon a knowledgeable application of as many lines of evidence as are available; congruence between those lines indicates the most robust hypothesis. PaleoBios 45, October 31, 1987 Late Pliocene (Blancan) Scapanus (Scapanus) (Talpidae: Mammalia) from the Glenns Ferry Formation of Idaho J. HOWARD HUTCHISON Scapanus hagermanensis n. sp. from the Hagerman fauna of the Glenns Ferry Formation of central Idaho is the first fossil species that shows a close and suggested ancestral relationship to the extant species S. orarius and S. townsendii. It indicates that the differentiation of these species is younger than 3.4 Ma (middle Blancan age). A tooth from the Grand View fauna, high in the Glenns Ferry Formation, indicates the presence of a larger mole about the size of S. townsendii in the late Blancan (about 1.9–2.6 Ma). PaleoBios 46, January 31, 1988 Recent and fossil species of the genus Erginus from the North Pacific Ocean (Patellogastropoda: Mollusca) DAVID R. LINDBERG The status of the genus Erginus Jeffreys, 1877 is discussed for the first time since the taxon was proposed. The recent species Acmaea apicina Dall, 1879, Acmaea sybaritica Dall, 1871, Problacmaea moskalevi Golikov and Kussakin, 1972, Patella rubella Fabricius, 1780 and the fossil species Acmaea vaderensis Lindberg, 1979 and Acmaea asmiiformis Yokoyama, 1926 are here assigned to the genus. A new species Erginus puniceus, is described from the western boreal Pacific Ocean and the fossil species Erginus vaderensis from the Eocene of Washington is redescribed. PaleoBios 47 & 48, January 31, 1990 Systematics, stratigraphy, and chronology for mammalian fossils (Late Arikareean to Hemingfordian) from the uppermost John Day Formation, Warm Springs, Oregon LOWELL DINGUS Eighteen taxa of fossil mammals were collected from three geographic clusters of localities with Member I, the stratigraphically highest member in the western facies of the John Day Formation near Warm Springs, Oregon. The taxa include: Archaeolagus cf. macrocephalus, Mesogaulus aff. M. vetus, Entoptychus individens, ?Palaeocastor, Tomarctus or Euoplocyon, Parahippus aff. P. leonensis, Parahippus pawniensis, Anchitherium sp., Archaeohippus sp., cf. Floridaceras whitei, Cynorca sociale, Merycochoerus cf. matthewi, Merychyus (Merychyus) cf. arenarum, Merychyus (Merychyus) calaminthus, Michenia deschutensis n. sp., cf. Hypertragulus, Leptomerycini, Barbouromeryx (Bouromeryx) submilleri. PaleoBios 49, April 30, 1990 New fossil primates from the Uintan (Eocene) of Southern California MARK A. MASON PaleoBios 50, July 26, 1991 Preliminary report on a paleontologic investigation of the Lower and Middle members, Sespe Formation, Simi Valley Landfill, Ventura County, California THOMAS S. KELLY1,2, E. BRUCE LANDER1,2, DAVID P. WHISTLER1, MARK A. ROEDER2, and ROBERT E. REYNOLDS3 A paleontologic investigation employing wet screening and heavy liquid separation of rock samples from the lower and middle members of the continental Sespe Formation at the Simi Valley Landfill, Ventura County, California, is yielding large superposed samples of middle Eocene microvertebrates. This report documents the first records of identifiable mammals ("Peratherium" sp. undet., Sespedectes singularis, Simimys sp. undet.) from the lower member and the first records of Parasauromalus sp. undet.; cf. Tinosaurus sp. indet.; Paleoxantusia sp., cf. P. allisoni; melanosaurine anguids; cf. Batodonoides powayensis; Centetodon sp., cf. C. aztecus; "Namatomys" sp., cf. "N." fantasma; "Namatomys" n. sp.; Paradjidaumo n. sp.; Heliscomys n. sp.; Simimys n. sp.; Zapodidae? n. gen. and sp.; Miacis sp. undet.; Simimeryx n. sp.; and an indeterminate camelid from the middle member. A new local fauna, the Simi Valley Landfill Local Fauna of middle or late Duchesnean age, is recognized in the middle member, and lies stratigraphically higher than the Pearson Ranch Local Fauna. PaleoBios 51, September 19, 1991 A seed cone of Pinus sp. (Subsect. Oocarpae) from the Late Miocene of the Mickey Wash Area, Lyon County, Nevada HOWARD E. SCHORN1 and WILLIAM H. SHELTON2 NO ABSTRACT Fossil cutlassfish (Perciformes: Trichiuridae) teeth from the La Meseta Formation (Eocene), Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula DOUGLAS J. LONG NO ABSTRACT A Late Pleistocene occurrence of Equus and Camelops hesternus from the Flint Creek area, western Montana ROBERT G. DUNDAS NO ABSTRACT PaleoBios 52, February 27, 1992 New Middle Miocene camels from the Caliente Formation, Cuyama Valley Badlands, California THOMAS S. KELLY The continental Caliente Formation of the Cuyama Valley badlands, Ventura County, California, contains eight superposed local faunas that range in age from the Hemingfordian to the Hemphillian (middle to late Miocene). In ascending stratigraphic order, these local faunas include the Hidden Treasure Spring (late Hemingfordian), West Dry Canyon (late Hemingfordian), Lower Dome Spring (early Barstovian), Upper Dome Spring (late early Barstovian), Doe Spring (late Barstovian), Mathews Ranch (early Clarendonian), Nettle Spring (late Clarendonian), and Sequence Canyon (Hemphillian) local faunas. Two newly recognized genera of camels, Cuyamacamelus and Paramiolabis, are recorded from the Caliente Formation. Cuyamacamelus is morphologically distinct from all other known camel genera and is of uncertain affinities. Paramiolabis is a miolabine related to Miolabis. Paramiolabis and Miolabis are herein reassigned to the Miolabinae. Three new species of camel are recognized from the Caliente Formation (Cuyamacamelus jamesi, Paramiolabis taylori, and Miolabis fricki). Other species are assigned to Hesperocamelus sp., cf. H. alexandrae (Davidson), and Aepycamelus sp. indet. PaleoBios Home | Back Issues | Guidelines for Authors | Contact us
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Based on biochronologic correlations, nine taxa suggest a late Arikareean age for the fauna from Warm Springs: Entoptychus individens, Archaeolagus cf. macrocephalus, Merychyus cf. arenarum, Merychyus calaminthus, Merycochoerus cf. matthewi, Michenia deschutensis n. sp., and probably ?Palaeocastor, cf. Hypertragulus, and Leptomerycini. The new species of Camelidae, Michenia deschutensis, represents an intermediate stage of evolution between Michenia exilis and Michenia agatensis from the late Arikareean faunas of the Marsland (= upper Harrison) Formation of Nebraska. One taxon, Parahippus aff. P. leonensis, appears to be more primitive than its early Hemingfordian relative, P. leonensis. Three taxa are most closely related to early Hemingfordian forms: Mesogaulus aff. M. vetus, Parahippus pawniensis and cf. Floridaceras whitei. Only one form appears to be most closely related to a late Hemingfordian taxon, Barbouromeryx (Bouromeryx) submilleri.