Obigarm (Pliocene of Tajikistan)

Also known as Obigharm

Where: Tajikistan (38.0° N, 71.0° E: paleocoordinates 38.2° N, 70.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

When: Pliocene (5.3 - 2.6 Ma)

• Upper Pliocene, Middle Villafranchian, MN17. In the Kuruksay formation, at the base of the loess-Palaeosol formation that appears to start at 2.5Ma in China. Palaeomagnetic data indicate the lower part of the Matuyama Chron. Howvere a 1960s Uranium series date is given as 370,000 +_ 120,000 years.

Environment/lithology:

• The bone-bearing horizon is a 2m thick and 5m long lens within a section 35m thick. This consists of hard loess and loess-like sediments with layers of calcareous tuffs; basally the sediments lie on granite.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Older material is kept at the Zoological Institute of Alam-Ata (Kazakhstan). The two faunal lists are very different, only overlapping on the presence of Equus stenonis/Equus sp. (small stenonid). Both faunal lists have been entered.

Primary reference: M.V. Sotnikova, A.E. Dodonov, and A.V. Pen'kov. 1997. Upper Cenozoic bio-magnetic stratigraphy of Central Asian mammalian localities. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 133:243-258 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 34396: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 29.08.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus cf. etruscus Cuvier 1823 bear
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felidae indet.1 Gray 1821 cat
Acinonyx cf. pardinensis Croizet and Jobert 1828 cheetah
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Gazella sp.1 Blaineville 1816 gazelle
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Paracamelus sp. Schlosser 1903 camel
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis, Equus sp.1
"Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis Cocchi 1867 horse
Equus stenonis ssp.
Equus sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 horse
Equus caballus mosbachensis
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinocerotidae indet.1 Gray 1821 rhinoceros
"Dicerorhinus mercki" = Dihoplus kirchbergensis1 Jäger 1839 rhinoceros
Stephanorhinus cf. etruscus2 Falconer 1868 rhinoceros