Lothagam-Kaiyumung Mb.: Zanclean - Piacenzian, Kenya

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Hyperopisus sp.
31 specimens
Mormyriformes indet.
1 specimen
Labeo sp.
29 specimens
Alestes sp.
13 specimens
Sindacharax mutetii n. sp.
16 specimens
Sindacharax howesi n. sp.
650 specimens
Sindacharax deserti
52 specimens
Sindacharax greenwoodi
417 specimens
Sindacharax sp.
3457 specimens
informal Clarias/ Heterobranchus sp.
3 specimens
Semlikiichthys cf. rhachirhinchus
266 specimens
Dipnomorpha - Lepidosirenidae
Protopterus sp. Agassiz 1843
6 specimens
Mammalia - Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix sp. Linnaeus 1758
1 specimen
large sp.
Mammalia - Rodentia - Thryonomyidae
Thryonomys cf. gregorianus Thomas 1894
1 specimen
Mammalia - Primates - Cercopithecidae
Colobinae indet. (Blyth 1875)
1 specimen
large sp.
Theropithecus cf. brumpti Arambourg 1947
12 specimens
cf. Parapapio sp. Jones 1937
1 specimen
Mammalia - Primates - Hominidae
Australopithecus cf. afarensis Johanson et al. 1978
4 specimens
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Ceratotherium praecox
4 specimens
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Eurygnathohippus sp. Van Hoepen 1930
8 specimens
large sp.
Eurygnathohippus sp. Van Hoepen 1930
1 specimen
small sp.
Mammalia - Suidae
Nyanzachoerus pattersoni
3 specimens
Notochoerus euilus (Hopwood 1926)
20 specimens
original and current combination Hylochoerus euilus
Mammalia - Bovidae
Raphicerus sp. Smith 1827
2 specimens
originally entered as "Raphiceras sp."
Hippotragini indet. Sundevall 1845
2 specimens
? Praedamalis sp. Dietrich 1950
4 specimens
Alcelaphini indet. Brookes 1876
2 specimens
Damalacra sp. Gentry 1980
1 specimen
sp. A
Reduncini indet. Knottnerus-Meyer 1907
1 specimen
Kobus presigmoidalis n. sp. Harris 2003
1 specimen
Aepyceros premelampus n. sp. Harris 2003
9 specimens
Simatherium aff. kohllarseni
2 specimens
Tragelaphus cf. scriptus (Pallas 1766)
1 specimen
Tragelaphus kyaloae Harris 1991
3 specimens
Bovini indet. Gray 1821
3 specimens
Mammalia - Giraffidae
Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947
3 specimens
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Dinofelis aronoki Werdelin and Lewis 2001
1 specimen
Leptailurus sp. Severtzov 1858
1 specimen
caracal
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
cf. Canis sp. Linnaeus 1758
1 specimen
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934
1 specimen
Reptilia - Testudines - Podocnemididae
Turkanemys pattersoni n. sp. Wood 2003
2 specimens
Reptilia
Euthecodon brumpti (Joleaud 1920)
3 specimens
original and current combination Tomistoma brumpti
Rimasuchus n. gen. lloydi (Fourtau 1918)
4 specimens
    = Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni Brochu and Storrs 2012
Brochu and Storrs 2012
KNM-LT 26305 (incomplete skull)
Reptilia - Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
cf. Struthio sp. Linnaeus 1758
1 specimen
Actinopteri - Osteoglossiformes - Gymnarchidae
Gymnarchus sp. Cuvier 1829
65 specimens
Actinopteri - Tetraodontiformes - Tetraodontidae
Tetraodon sp. Linnaeus 1758
32 specimens
Actinopteri - Perciformes
Perciformes indet. Bleeker 1859
86 specimens
Percoidei indet. (Bleeker 1859)
63 specimens
Actinopteri - Cichliformes - Cichlidae
Tilapiini indet. Carnevale et al. 2003
52 specimens
Actinopteri - Centropomidae
Lates niloticus (Linnaeus 1758)
22 specimens
Actinopteri - Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae indet. Rafinesque 1815
3 specimens
Barbus sp. Cuvier and Cloquet 1816
84 specimens
Actinopteri - Characiformes - Alestidae
Hydrocynus sp. Cuvier 1816
492 specimens
Actinopteri - Characiformes - Characidae
Characidae indet.
3 specimens
Actinopteri - Siluriformes
Siluriformes indet.
36 specimens
Actinopteri - Siluriformes - Mochokidae
Synodontis sp. Cuvier 1816
7 specimens
Actinopteri - Siluriformes - Claroteidae
Clarotes sp. Kner 1855
1 specimen
Actinopteri - Siluriformes - Bagridae
Bagridae indet. Bleeker 1852
4 specimens
Bagrus aff. sp. Bosc 1816
1 specimen
Cladistia - Polypteriformes - Polypteridae
Polypterus sp. Lacépède 1803
13 specimens
see common names

Geography
Country:Kenya
Coordinates: 2.9° North, 36.1° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:2.7° North, 35.6° East
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Pliocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
*Period:Tertiary
*International age/stage:Tortonian - Piacenzian
Key time interval:Zanclean - Piacenzian
Age range of interval:5.33300 - 2.58800 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Nachukui Member:Kaiyumung
Stratigraphic resolution:member
Stratigraphy comments: Not well dated. Top of underlying member is estimated at 3.9 Ma. KBS tuff in overlying strata is 1.88 +/- 0.02 Ma.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:pebbly poorly lithified sandy sandstone
Secondary lithology: poorly lithified mudstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: Characterized by pebble-rich quartzofeldspathic sandstones and mudstones with well-developed vertic features.
Environment:fluvial-lacustrine indet. Tectonic setting:rift
Geology comments: Vertebrate fossils common, no isotopically datable materials recovered. Kaiyumung strata may record a third period of fluvial deposition in the Lothagam deposits, suggested by lack of tephra markers, implying a shift in prevailing sediment distribution patterns.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Degree of concentration:dispersed
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:medium
Articulated whole bodies:none
Associated major elements:some
Disassociated major elements:many
Disassociated minor elements:many
Size sorting:poor
Fragmentation:frequent
Feeding/predation traces:fractures
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some macrofossils
Collection methods:bulk,surface (in situ),mechanical,sieve,field collection
Collection size:6009 specimens
Reason for describing collection:paleoecologic analysis
Collection method comments: Held at the National Musuems of Kenya, Nairobi under designation KNM-LT-
Metadata
Also known as:Lothagam-Nachukui fm, Kaiyumung mb.
Database number:22239
Authorizer:A. Behrensmeyer, P. Mannion Enterer:A. Behrensmeyer, S. Cote, P. Mannion
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:vertebrate
Created:1999-06-30 00:00:00 Last modified:2022-04-26 08:38:59
Access level:the public Released:1999-06-30 00:00:00
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

8636.ETE M. G. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 2003. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa 678 [A. Behrensmeyer/R. Bobe/R. Bobe]

Secondary references:

46593 C. A. Brochu and G. W. Storrs. 2012. A giant crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene of Kenya, the phylogenetic relationships of Neogene African crocodylines, and the antiquity of Crocodylus in Africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32(3):587-602 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
5448ETE 1183M. G. Leakey and C. Feibel. 1996. Lothagam: a record of faunal change in the late Miocene of East Africa. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(3):556-570 [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/J. Alroy]