USGS 20434 - Courbaril Member, Point Courbaril (Pliocene of Trinidad and Tobago)

Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.2° N, 61.6° W: paleocoordinates 10.2° N, 60.9° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Courbaril Member (Morne l'Enfer Formation), Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• Collection is from the Courbaril Sand and Clay Member of the Upper Morne l'Enfer Formation. The Courbaril fauna is considered to be of early Pliocene age and is probably slightly older than the Matura fauna.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shoreface; poorly lithified sandstone and claystone

• The assemblage as a whole points to a nearshore environment, with some brackish influence (compared with Melajo Clay assemblages).
• Poor reporting of lithologies. Named as the "Courbaril Sand and Clay Member", so these lithologies are assigned.

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 60647: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Mollusca. Crab claws, corals, fish teeth, and scarce foraminifera also exist in the unit, though are not listed. Van de Bold (1963) also lists ostracords from several localities.
Gastropoda
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella (Broderiptella) bifastigata Nelson 1870 turret shell
Subspecies: T. (B.) bifastigata cartagenensis
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Triphoridae
 Neogastropoda - Volutidae
"Bullata maturensis" = Closia (Bullata)
"Bullata maturensis" = Closia (Bullata) volute
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemostoma Linnaeus 1767 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Prunum (Prunum) dallianum Maury 1912 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
Anachis (Anachis) asphaltoda, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum
"Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum Guppy 1874 snail
 Neogastropoda - Nassariidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Tornidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
Serpulorbis decussatus Gmelin 1791 worm shell
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
 Opisthobranchia - Cylichnidae
Cylichnella sp. Gabb 1873 snail
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Mulinia sp. Gray 1837 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus, "Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora, Dosinia (Dosinia) sp.
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama cf. macerophylla Gmelin 1791 jewel box
[entered as Chama macrophylla]
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana, "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina), Eurytellina punicea, "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella)
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
Eurytellina punicea Born 1778 tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
 Cardiida - Donacidae
Donax striatus Linnaeus 1767 clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
 Cardiida - Solecurtidae
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
 Pholadida - Pholadidae
Martesia striata Linnaeus 1758 clam
Pholas sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea cf. virginica Gmelin 1791 oyster
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten Monterosato 1889 calico scallop
 Arcida - Arcidae
 Arcida - Noetiidae
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae