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 | |
Gastropoda | |
Epitonium (Asperiscala) rohri wentletrap
Epitonium (Epitonium) aff. foliaceiscostatum wentletrap | |
Niso grandis snail
Eulima "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail | |
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell | |
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell | |
Carinodrillia meraca snail
Miraclathurella ralla snail | |
Polinices stanislasmeunieri, "Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail | |
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata, "Olivella (Dactylidia) mutica" = Olivella mutica
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail
"Olivella (Dactylidia) mutica" = Olivella mutica Say 1822 olive snail | |
Strombinophos perdoctus true whelk | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail | |
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum1, Anachis (Costoanachis) fraudans
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail | |
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata)
"Bullata maiae" = Closia (Bullata) volute | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail
Calotrophon hutchisoni murex snail | |
Strioterebrum cf. baculiforme auger snail
Strioterebrum aff. laevifasciola Maury 1917 auger snail | |
Ithycythara hilaris 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 | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Turbonilla "sp. A", Turbonilla "sp. B", Turbonilla "sp. D", Pyramidella (Callolongchaeus) aff. jamaicensis, Pyramidella (Callolongchaeus) cf. daidemata, Eulimella (Ebalina) mitis
Turbonilla "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. B" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. D" Risso 1826 snail | |
Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) melajoensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Rictaxis sp. Dall 1871 snail | |
"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 | |
Sulcoretusa aff. sulcata d'Orbigny 1841 snail
Rhizorus "sp. B" Montfort 1810 snail | |
Acteocina canaliculata Say 1826 barrel-bubble
Cylichnella altera snail | |
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail | |
Bivalvia | |
Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga, "Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi, "Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga pointed nut clam
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi Angas 1878 pointed nut clam
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam | |
Solen (Solen) sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam | |
Juliacorbula aequivalvis, "Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula), Tenuicorbula melajoensis, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp.
Juliacorbula aequivalvis Philippi 1836 clam
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula) Iredale 1930 clam
Tenuicorbula melajoensis Jung 1969 clam
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam | |
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam | |
Tellidora sp., "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), Merisca trinidadensis
Tellidora sp. Morch 1856 tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
Atrina sp. Gray 1842 oyster | |
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis, "Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam | |
Arcopsis adamsi Dall 1886 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam |