Re #1148 - Cantaure Formation (Miocene of Venezuela)

Where: Falcon, Venezuela (11.9° N, 69.8° W: paleocoordinates 11.2° N, 66.6° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Cantaure Formation, Burdigalian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• Clays, sandstone, and limestones of up to 75, thick, although no single section is completely exposed. Collection apparently derived from near middle part of that thickness. Overlies unconformably Cretaceous rocks and is conformably overlain by limestones on middle to upper Miocene. Jung (1965) regarded the collection as early Middle Miocene, though more recent authors, including Vermeij (2001) indicate an Early Miocene (Burdigalian) age. Formation formerly referred to as "Cerro Pelado".

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: coastal; unlithified, micaceous, shelly/skeletal, silty claystone

• Tropical shallow-water assemblage, neritic, no deep-water genera present, normal salinity, perhaps nearby brackish source.
• Clay, massive, micaceous, slightly silty, and locally containing abundant fossils.

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the BMNH, NMB, PRI, USNM

Collection methods: quarrying,

• All material is reposited in the Natural History Museum (NMB), Basel, Switzerland, with some voucher specimens in the British Museum, PRI, and USNM.

Primary reference: P. Jung. 1965. Miocene Mollusca from the Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela. Bulletins of American Paleontology 49(223):389-652 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 60703: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 20.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Bivalvia and Gastropoda. Balanus, corals, numerous otoliths, and Calianassa fragments are commonly found, though not listed.
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
"Anadara (Scapharca) aff. cornellana" = Anadara (Rasia) cornellana, "Anadara (Scapharca) tirantensis" = Anadara (Rasia) tirantensis, Anadara (Cunearca) inutilis, Anadara (Scapharca) cf. spiekeri
"Anadara (Scapharca) aff. cornellana" = Anadara (Rasia) cornellana Hodson et al. 1927 ark
"Anadara (Scapharca) tirantensis" = Anadara (Rasia) tirantensis Hodson et al. 1927 ark
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Trigoniocardia hannai Olsson 1932 cockle
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"? Psammacoma cf. falconensis" = Psammacoma gatunensis
"? Psammacoma cf. falconensis" = Psammacoma gatunensis Toula 1909 tellin clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Clementia (Clementia) dariena Conrad 1855 venus clam
"Cyclinella venezuelana" = Cyclinella cyclica Guppy 1866 venus clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium (Dentalium) bocasense Olsson 1922 tusk shell
Gastropoda
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
Architectonica kartseni sundial
Subspecies: A. (A.) nobilis nobilis and nobilis karsteni
Architectonica nobilis Röding 1798 sundial
 Sorbeoconcha - Ficidae
Ficus carbasea Guppy 1866 fig shell
Subspecies: F. carbasea carbasea
 Neogastropoda - Costellariidae
Fusiturricula jaquensis Sowerby 1850 ribbed mitre
Knefastia kugleri ribbed mitre
 Neogastropoda - Turbinellidae
Turbinella falconensis Hodson 1931 snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Prunum (Prunum) quirosense Hodson 1927 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Eupleura kugleri Jung 1965 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
"Oliva (Oliva) cf. cylindrica" = Oliva cylindrica
"Oliva (Oliva) cf. cylindrica" = Oliva cylindrica Sowerby 1850 olive snail
 Neogastropoda - Drilliidae
"Crassispira henekeni" = Hindsiclava henekeni Sowerby 1850 snail
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus aristos cone shell
Conus molis Brown and Pilsbry 1911 cone shell
Conus talis Jung 1965 cone shell
Conus aff. imitator Brown and Pilsbry 1911 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Terebridae
"Terebra (Strioterebrum) "sp. A"" = Strioterebrum, "Terebra (Strioterebrum) "sp. B"" = Strioterebrum, "Terebra (Strioterebrum) ulloa" = Strioterebrum ulloa, Terebra (Paraterebra) sulcifera
"Terebra (Strioterebrum) "sp. A"" = Strioterebrum Sacco 1891 auger snail
"Terebra (Strioterebrum) "sp. B"" = Strioterebrum Sacco 1891 auger snail
"Terebra (Strioterebrum) ulloa" = Strioterebrum ulloa Olsson 1932 auger snail
Terebra (Paraterebra) sulcifera Sowerby 1849 auger snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Polystira barretti Guppy 1866 turrid
 Neogastropoda - Melongenidae
Melongena melongena Linnaeus 1758 snail
Subspecies: Melongena melongena consors
 Neogastropoda - Buccinidae
Cymatophos paraguanensis Hodson and Hodson 1931 true whelk
 Neogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
 Neogastropoda - Mitridae
 Sorbeoconcha - Eocypraeidae
"Marginocypraea wegeneri" = Sphaerocypraea wegeneri
"Marginocypraea wegeneri" = Sphaerocypraea wegeneri Schilder 1939 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
"Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena, Neverita paraguanensis
"Natica (Naticarius) canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Subspecies: N. (N.) canrena antinacca
Neverita paraguanensis Hodson 1927 moon snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella matarucana Hodson 1926 turret shell
Turritella machapoorensis Maury 1925 turret shell
Subspecies: T. machapoorensis wiedenmayeri
Turritella cocoditana Hodson 1926 turret shell
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae