Lothagam-Nawata and Nachukui Formations (Miocene to of Kenya)

Also known as ETE Locality 1060, "Lothagam 1, 2 & 3", Lothagam, Lothagam- horizon indet.

Where: Kenya (2.9° N, 36.1° E: paleocoordinates 2.6° N, 35.5° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: All Member (Nawata and Nachukui Formation), Messinian to Messinian (7.2 - 2.6 Ma)

• Base of Nawata formation dated by K-Ar to 7.44 +/- 0.05 Ma on the Lower Marker (43 m above the base of the Nawata formation). Underlying Nabwal Arangan Beds are dated from 14.2 +/- 0.02 Ma to 9.1 +/- 0.02 Ma, but no fossils are known to derive from these horizons. Top of the Nachukui Formation is undated, however KBS tuff located near the top of the section is 1.88 +/- 0.02 Ma.

• group-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-lacustrine; poorly lithified, pebbly, volcaniclastic, silty, sandy sandstone

• Mostly fluvial deposition, with evidence of a lake (the Lonyumun Lake) only late in the sequence. Paleoenvironments suggested to be generally dry with a seasonal rainfall regime.
• Lothagam is an uplifted fault block with sediments that have been divided into the Nabwal Arangan beds, the Nawata Formation, the Nachukui Formation, and the Galana Boi Formation (holocene).

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, quarrying, surface (in situ), mechanical,

• This collection consists of fossil specimens recovered from Lothagam that cannot be assigned to a more specific horizon (formation or member). Most specimens listed here derive from early research at the site led by B. Patterson. Collection is housed at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi under the designation KNM-LT.

Primary reference: M. G. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 2003. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa 678 [A. Behrensmeyer/R. Bobe/R. Bobe]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 22237: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 30.06.1999, edited by John Damuth and Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
2
ETE occurrence; species: Aepycerotini
2
ETE occurrence; species: Alcelaphini sp3-Old
2
ETE occurrence; species: long horns
2
ETE occurrence; species: short horns
sp.2
ETE occurrence; species: long horns
sp.2
ETE occurrence; species: short horns
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: Papioninae
2
ETE occurrence; species: Colobinae 2 spp.
sp.2
ETE occurrence; species: nov.
harvardi2
ETE occurrence; species: mak - original genus name "Hexaprotodonsp."
crabs2
ETE occurrence; species: mak - replaced genus name sp. with family name
spp.2
ETE occurrence; species: Characoids
spp.2
ETE occurrence; species: Mormyroidei
cf. sp.2
ETE occurrence; species: or Parapelomys
spp.2
ETE occurrence; species: Muridae 2 spp.
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: lutrine
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: mellivorine
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: musteline
spp.2
ETE occurrence; species: Osteoglossidae
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: aff. Erymnochelys
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: aff. Potamochoeroides
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: giant tortoise
indet.2
ETE occurrence; species: Ursidae lg
spp.2
ETE occurrence; species: Viverridae 3 or 4 spp.
indet.2
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Suidae
indet.2
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Papionini
sitifense2
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: mak - removed quote marks from species name
Aves
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
cf. Struthio sp. Linnaeus 1758 ostrich
Reptilia
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet. Gray 1825 softshell turtle
Trionychinae indet. Gray 1825 softshell turtle
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Turkanemys pattersoni n. sp. Wood 2003 sideneck turtle
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934 deinothere
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Elephantidae indet. Gray 1821 elephant
Stegotetrabelodon orbus Maglio 1970 elephant
"Primelephas gomphotheroides" = Primelephas korotorensis Coppens 1965 elephant
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Anancus kenyensis MacInnes 1942 gomphothere
 Carnivora - Felidae
Dinofelis sp. Zdansky 1924 cat
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Eurygnathohippus sp. Van Hoepen 1930 hipparionine horse
large sp.
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Hexaprotodon sp. Falconer and Cautley 1836 pygmy hippo
Archaeopotamus lothagamensis n. gen.1 Weston 2000 hippopotamus
"Hexaprotodon harvardi" = Archaeopotamus harvardi Coryndon 1977 hippopotamus
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Nyanzachoerus jaegeri Coppens 1971 pig
"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus Hopwood 1926 giant forest hog
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
cf. Sivatherium sp. Falconer and Cautley 1836 giraffe
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Tragoportax sp. Pilgrim 1937 antelope
sp. A
Aepyceros premelampus n. sp. Harris 2003 impala
Alcelaphini indet. Brookes 1876 antelope
Damalacra sp. Gentry 1980 antelope
sp. A
Reduncini indet. Knottnerus-Meyer 1907 antelope
Kobus presigmoidalis n. sp. Harris 2003 antelope
Hippotragini indet. Sundevall 1845 antelope
Madoqua sp. Ogilby 1837 dikdik
Bovini indet. Gray 1821 antelope
Boselaphini indet. Knottnerus-Meyer 1997 antelope
Tragelaphus kyaloae Harris 1991 antelope
Tragelaphus nakuae Arambourg 1941 antelope
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Colobinae sp. Blyth 1875 monkey
sp. A
cf. Parapapio sp. Jones 1937 monkey