Sand Below Ashfall Lagerstatte (Miocene of the United States)

Where: Antelope County, Nebraska (42.3° N, 98.0° W: paleocoordinates 42.7° N, 95.4° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Cap Rock Member (Ash Hollow Formation), Clarendonian (12.5 - 9.4 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; sandstone

• The basal sand contains an attritional assemblage of disarticulated vertebrate remains from animals that perished prior to the supervolcanic eruption (Voorhies, 1985; Herbel, 1994). This “fragmental layer” at the base of the Cap Rock Member was first recognized by Johnson (1936).

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Primary reference: S. T. Tucker, R. E. Otto, R. M. Joeckel and M. R. Voorhies. 2014. The geology and paleontology of Ashfall Fossil Beds, a late Miocene (Clarendonian) mass-death assemblage, Antelope County and adjacent Knox County, Nebraska, USA. Geological Society of America Field Guide 36:1-22 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 188779: authorized by Patricia Holroyd, entered by Patricia Holroyd on 18.09.2017

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Cryptantha auriculata
Gnathostomata
  -
Osteichthyes indet.
Amphibia
 Salientia -
cf. Lithobates pipiens
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo valentinensis
Bufo valentinensis Estes and Tihen 1964 toad
 Caudata - Urodela
Ambystoma tigrinum, Ambystoma minshalli
Ambystoma tigrinum Green 1825 tiger salamander
Ambystoma minshalli Tihen and Chantell 1963 mole salamander
Aves
 Gruiformes - Gruidae
Balearica exigua
Balearica exigua crowned cranes
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
Rallidae indet.
Rallidae indet. Vigors 1825 rail
 Passeriformes -
Passeriformes indet.
Passeriformes indet. Linnaeus 1758 perching bird
"Passerine (Gen. et. sp. indet.)"
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Apatosagittarius terrenus
Apatosagittarius terrenus Feduccia and Voorhies 1989 hawk
Reptilia
 Squamata - Colubridae
Salvadora paleolineata, Ameiseophis robinsoni, Nerodia sp., Thamnophis sp., Paleoheterodon tiheni
Salvadora paleolineata Holman 1973 colubrid snake
Ameiseophis robinsoni Holman 1976 colubrid snake
Nerodia sp. Baird and Girard 1853 water snake
Thamnophis sp. Fitzinger 1843 garter snake
Paleoheterodon tiheni Holman 1964 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Viperidae
Viperidae indet.
Viperidae indet. Oppel 1811 viper
 Squamata - Scincidae
Plestiodon sp.
Plestiodon sp. Dumeril and Bibron 1839 skink
 Squamata - Teiidae
Cnemidophorus cf. sexlineatus
Cnemidophorus cf. sexlineatus Linnaeus 1766 six-lined racerunner
 Testudines - Emydidae
Chrysemys sp.
Chrysemys sp. Gray 1844 painted turtle
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Hesperotestudo orthopygia
Hesperotestudo orthopygia Cope 1878 turtle
 Testudines - Kinosternoidea
Sternotherus odoratus
Sternotherus odoratus Latreille 1801 Common musk turtle
Mammalia
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis sp.
Myotis sp. Kaup 1829 vesper bat
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
cf. Eubelodon sp.
cf. Eubelodon sp. Barbour 1914 gomphothere
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Leptarctus sp.
Leptarctus sp. Leidy 1856 mustelid carnivore
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Ischyrocyon cf. gidleyi
Ischyrocyon cf. gidleyi Matthew 1902 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Canidae
Aelurodon sp., Epicyon cf. saevus, Epicyon cf. haydeni, Carpocyon cf. webbi, Cynarctus cf. voorhiesi, Leptocyon sp.
Aelurodon sp. Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
Epicyon cf. saevus Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
Epicyon cf. haydeni Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
Carpocyon cf. webbi Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
Cynarctus cf. voorhiesi Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
Leptocyon sp. Matthew 1918 canine
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Cormohipparion occidentale, Neohipparion affine, Pseudhipparion gratum, "? Protohippus simus" = Protohippus supremus, Pliohippus pernix
Cormohipparion occidentale Leidy 1856 hipparionine horse
Neohipparion affine Leidy 1869 hipparionine horse
Pseudhipparion gratum Leidy 1869 hipparionine horse
"? Protohippus simus" = Protohippus supremus Leidy 1869 horse
Pliohippus pernix Marsh 1874 horse
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras major, Aphelops sp.
Teleoceras major Hatcher 1894 rhinoceros
Aphelops sp. Owen 1845 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
"Ustatochoerus skinneri" = Ustatochoerus major
"Ustatochoerus skinneri" = Ustatochoerus major Leidy 1858 oreodont
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
"Prosthennops" sp.
"Prosthennops" sp. Matthew and Gidley 1904 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Protolabis heterodontus, Aepycamelus sp., Procamelus grandis, Megatylopus sp.
Protolabis heterodontus Cope 1874 camel
Aepycamelus sp. Macdonald 1956 camel
Procamelus grandis Gregory 1939 camel
Megatylopus sp. Matthew and Cook 1909 camel
 Artiodactyla - Gelocidae
Pseudoceras sp.
Pseudoceras sp. Frick 1937 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
Longirostromeryx wellsi
Longirostromeryx wellsi Matthew 1904 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
cf. Proantilocapra sp.
cf. Proantilocapra sp. Barbour and Schultz 1934 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Cranioceras sp.
Cranioceras sp. Matthew 1918 ruminant
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Talpidae indet., Domninoides sp.
Talpidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 mole
Domninoides sp. Green 1956 mole
"n. sp."
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Soricidae indet.
Soricidae indet. Fischer 1814 shrew
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Untermannerix copiosus, Metechinus nevadensis
Untermannerix copiosus Rich 1981 hedgehog
Metechinus nevadensis Matthew 1929 hedgehog
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotonidae indet.
Ochotonidae indet. Thomas 1897 pika
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Hypolagus sp., Hypolagus cf. fontinalis
Hypolagus sp. Dice 1917 rabbit
Hypolagus cf. fontinalis Dawson 1958 rabbit
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Ceratogaulus cf. anectodus
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Sigmodontinae indet., Copemys sp.
Sigmodontinae indet. Wagner 1843 mouse
"Sigmodontine (N. Gen. et. sp.)*"
Copemys sp. Wood 1936 mouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Spermophilus cyanocittus, Ammospermophilus junturensis
Spermophilus cyanocittus Korth 1997 ground squirrel
Ammospermophilus junturensis Shotwell and Russell 1963 antelope squirrel
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Eucastor sp.
Eucastor sp. Allen 1877 beaver
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
"Phelosaccomys hibbardi" = Parapliosaccomys hibbardi
"Phelosaccomys hibbardi" = Parapliosaccomys hibbardi Storer 1973 pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
Perognathus cf. minutus, Cupidinimus sp., Mioheteromys cf. amplissimus
Perognathus cf. minutus James 1963 pocket mouse
Cupidinimus sp. Wood 1935 rodent
Mioheteromys cf. amplissimus Korth 1997 rodent
Angiospermae
 Rosales - Ulmaceae
Celtis occidentalis
 Fagales - Juglandaceae
Juglandicarya sp.
Juglandicarya sp. Reid and Chandler 1933
 Poales - Poaceae
Paleoeriocoma hitchcockii, Berriochloa communis
 Poales - Cyperaceae
Cyperocarpus pulcherrima, Cyperocarpus terrestris, Carex graceii
Polypodiopsida
 Equisetales - Equisetidae
Equisetum sp.
Equisetum sp. Linnaeus 1753 horsetail