Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.6° N, 61.1° W: paleocoordinates 10.5° N, 59.6° W)
• coordinate based on nearby landmark
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Melajo Clay Member (Springvale Formation), Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)
• The Melajo Clay Member of the Springvale Formation is correlated with the Savaneta Glaconitic Sandstone Member of the Springvale Formation, although part of it may be younger. The Melajo fauna is late Miocene in age. The Melajo Clay rests transgressively on the phyllites of the Northern Range with a basal conglomerate of about 1 m thickness. The conglomerate graes into a 1.5 m thick limestone, which is overlain by a bed of sand of about 1 m thickness. Above the sand is the Melajo Clay. The total thickness of the Melajo Clay is about 200 ft. It is unconformably overlain by Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits.
• bed-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: offshore; unlithified, yellow, blue, silty claystone and unlithified, coarse-grained sandstone
Size class: macrofossils
Reposited in the PRI, USNM
Collection methods: quarrying,
• All material descibed in this report is reposited in the Naturhistorisches Mueum, Basel, or the USNM. Additional material collection from this unit is found at PRI.
Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 60634: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Bivalvia | |
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
Arcopsis adamsi Dall 1886 clam | |
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis, "Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam | |
Atrina sp. Gray 1842 oyster | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam | |
Tenuicorbula melajoensis, "Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula), Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp., Juliacorbula aequivalvis
Tenuicorbula melajoensis Jung 1969 clam
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula) Iredale 1930 clam
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam
Juliacorbula aequivalvis Philippi 1836 clam | |
Tellidora sp., Merisca trinidadensis, "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina)
Tellidora sp. Morch 1856 tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam | |
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam | |
Solen (Solen) sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam | |
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi, Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga, "Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi Angas 1878 pointed nut clam
Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga pointed nut clam
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam | |
Gastropoda | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni, "Calliostoma decipiens" = Calliostoma (Calliostoma) decipiens
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail
"Calliostoma decipiens" = Calliostoma (Calliostoma) decipiens Guppy 1867 top snail | |
Cylichnella altera snail
Acteocina canaliculata Say 1826 barrel-bubble | |
Sulcoretusa aff. sulcata d'Orbigny 1841 snail
Rhizorus "sp. B" Montfort 1810 snail | |
Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) melajoensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Eulimella (Ebalina) mitis, Pyramidella (Callolongchaeus) aff. jamaicensis, Pyramidella (Callolongchaeus) cf. daidemata, Turbonilla "sp. A", Turbonilla "sp. B", Turbonilla "sp. D"
Turbonilla "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. B" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. D" Risso 1826 snail | |
Rictaxis sp. Dall 1871 snail | |
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail | |
Epitonium (Asperiscala) rohri wentletrap
Epitonium (Epitonium) aff. foliaceiscostatum wentletrap | |
Niso grandis snail
Eulima "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail | |
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell | |
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena, Polinices stanislasmeunieri
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Anachis (Costoanachis) fraudans, "Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum1
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail | |
Strombinophos perdoctus true whelk | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail | |
"Olivella (Dactylidia) mutica" = Olivella mutica, Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata
"Olivella (Dactylidia) mutica" = Olivella mutica Say 1822 olive snail
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail | |
Polystira "sp. B" Woodring 1928 turrid | |
Agladrillia lassula, "Crassispira (Crassispira) cf. caroniana" = Hindsiclava caroniana
Agladrillia lassula snail
"Crassispira (Crassispira) cf. caroniana" = Hindsiclava caroniana Maury 1925 snail | |
Strioterebrum cf. baculiforme auger snail
Strioterebrum aff. laevifasciola Maury 1917 auger snail | |
Ithycythara hilaris snail | |
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata)
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata) volute | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail
Calotrophon hutchisoni murex snail | |
Miraclathurella ralla snail
Carinodrillia meraca snail | |
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell |