Isleta Caves (Pleistocene of the United States)

Also known as Isleta 1; Isleta 2

Where: Bernalillo County, New Mexico (34.9° N, 106.9° W: paleocoordinates 34.9° N, 106.9° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

• faunal composition suggests "that deposition started only a short time before general extinction of Pleistocene mammals"

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

• caves are "the result of gases entrapped in a lava or of drainage of liquid lava"

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the LACM

• Museum of Southwestern Biology and Los Angeles County Museum collections

•"collections were made on several occasions by biology students and by the authors"

Primary reference: A. H. Harris and J. S. Findley. 1964. Pleistocene-Recent fauna of the Isleta Caves, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. American Journal of Science 262:114-120 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 93141: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 05.01.2010

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Primates - Hominidae
Homo sapiens Linnaeus 1758 human
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
Sylvilagus audubonii Baird 1858 desert cottontail
spelt "Sylvilagus auduboni"
Sylvilagus floridanus Allen 1890 eastern cottontail
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Reithrodontomys sp. Giglioli 1874 harvest mouse
Neotoma albigula Hartley 1894 white-throated woodrat
Neotoma cinerea Ord 1815 bushy-tailed woodrat
Onychomys torridus Coues 1874 grasshopper mouse
Onychomys leucogaster Wied-Neuwied 1841 northern grasshopper mouse
Arvicolinae indet. Gray 1821 vole
"Lagurus cf. curtatus" = Lemmiscus curtatus Cope 1868 sagebrush vole
Peromyscus sp. Gloger 1841 deer mouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Cynomys gunnisoni Baird 1855 Gunnison's prairie dog
Marmota flaviventris Audubon and Bachman 1841 yellow-bellied marmot
"Citellus spilosoma" = Spermophilus ground squirrel
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
Thomomys bottae Eydoux and Gervais 1836 Botta's pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
Dipodomys ordii Woodhouse 1853 Ord's kangaroo rat
spelt "Dipodomys ordi"
Dipodomys merriami Mearns 1890 Merriam's kangaroo rat
Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam 1890 bannertail kangaroo rat
"Perognathus intermedius" = Chaetodipus intermedius Merriam 1889 rock pocket mouse
Perognathus flavus Baird 1855 pocket mouse
 Rodentia - Erethizontidae
Erethizon dorsatum Linnaeus 1758 North American porcupine
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Vulpes fulva" = Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus 1758 red fox
Vulpes velox Say 1823 swift fox
Canis cf. lupus Linnaeus 1758 gray wolf
Canis latrans Say 1823 coyote
Urocyon sp. Baird 1857 gray fox
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Taxidea taxus Schreber 1778 American badger
Mustela nigripes Audubon and Bachman 1851 black-footed ferret
 Carnivora - Mephitidae
Mephitis mephitis Schreber 1776 striped skunk
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus americanus, "Tremarctotherium sp." = Arctodus
Ursus americanus Pallas 1780 black bear
"Tremarctotherium sp." = Arctodus Leidy 1854 bear
 Carnivora - Felidae
"Felis lynx" = Lynx lynx, "Felis concolor" = Puma concolor
"Felis lynx" = Lynx lynx Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian lynx
"Felis concolor" = Puma concolor Linnaeus 1771 puma
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus sp. Linnaeus 1758 horse
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Antilocapra americana Ord 1815 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Ovis sp. Linnaeus 1758 sheep
Bison sp. Hamilton-Smith 1827 bison
"Bison or Bos" is also present
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelops sp., "Tanupolama sp." = Hemiauchenia
Camelops sp. Leidy 1854 camel
"Tanupolama sp." = Hemiauchenia Gervais and Ameghino 1880 camel
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus sp. Brookes 1828 mammoth
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Antrozous pallidus Le Conte 1856 pallid bat
Myotis thysanodes Miller 1897 vesper bat
Reptilia
 Squamata - Crotalidae
? Crotalus sp. Linnaeus 1758 rattlesnake
 Squamata - Colubridae
Lampropeltis getulus Linnaeus 1766 kingsnake
Pituophis catenifer gopher snake
Salvadora grahamiae colubrid snake
 Squamata - Iguanidae
Crotaphytus collaris Say 1823 Collared lizard
 Squamata - Teiidae
Cnemidophorus perplexus whiptail lizard