Ceru di Cueba (Eocene of Netherlands Antilles)

Also known as NMB 12836, NMB 12903, NMB 12904, NMB 12905, NMB 12906, NMB 12907, NMB 13035

Where: Curacao, Netherlands Antilles (12.1° N, 68.8° W: paleocoordinates 10.8° N, 68.7° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Ceru di Cueba Formation, Bartonian (41.3 - 38.0 Ma)

• Collection derived from several horizons within the Ceru di Cueba Formation. Based on foraminifera the formation has been considered Late Eocene in age (Rutten (1928), Molengraaf (1929) and Rutten and Vermunt (1932), while Koch (1928, 1929) favors an Oligocene age. Rutsch favored a Late Eocene age and correlated the unit to the San Fernando beds of Vista Bella Quarry, Trinidad. Jung (1974) discounts an Oligocene age and suggests a middle or Late Eocene age. Foraminiferal evidence favors correlation to a late Middle Eocene age Santa Rita Formation of Venezuela. Jung (1974) suggests the Ceru di Cueba Formation should be correlated with the Ceru Mainsjie Formation, which would indicate a late Middle Eocene age. Assigned a Bartonian age on this basis.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: open shallow subtidal; lithified, pebbly, sandy limestone and poorly lithified, calcareous claystone

• Contains normal salinity faunas, coarse limestones with abundant larger foraminifera, one partially oolitic bed, and (in the basal unit) pebbles of underlying diabase bedrock and older formations. It is possible that these are resedimented deposits in deep water, but they are described as transgressive over the underlying igneous substrate, so a shallow subtidal environment is entered.
• Succession of limestones, with intercalations of sandstones, grits and conglomeratic layers, with small well rounded pebbles.

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the NMB

Collection methods: quarrying,

• Collections reposted in the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel (NMB). Collected by P. Jung (1971).

Primary reference: P. Jung. 1974. Eocene Mollusks from Curacao, West Indies. Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 84(1):483-500 [A. Miller/A. Hendy/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 60090: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 30.04.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Mollusca, although the authors suggest that careful collecting would yield further taxa. Eocene fossils from region have been reported previously by Hummelinck (1940) and mentioned by Molengraaf (1929), Rutsch (1939), and Schaub (1948).
Tubulostium
  -
Cephalopoda
 Nautilida - Aturiidae
Aturia peruviana Olsson 1928 nautiloid
Gastropoda
 Sorbeoconcha - Campanilidae
Campanile sp. Fischer 1884 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Naticidae indet. Guilding 1834 moon snail
Two "Naticidae indet.", one listed as large.
Natica sp. Scopoli 1777 moon snail
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Cypraeidae
? Gisortia sp. Jousseaume 1884 cowry
 Sorbeoconcha - Strombidae
Strombidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 true conch
"Terebellum" sp. Röding 1798 true conch
 Architaenioglossa - Ampullinidae
? Pachycrommium sp. Woodring 1928 snail
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
Architectonica sp. Röding 1798 sundial
 Heterostropha - Acteonidae
Bivalvia
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea cuebana Jung 1974 oyster
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia sp. Linnaeus 1758 jingle
? Carolia sp. Cantraine 1838 scallop
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
"Pseudomiltha megameris" = Superlucina megameris, Codakia sp.
"Pseudomiltha megameris" = Superlucina megameris Dall 1901 clam
Codakia sp. Scopoli 1777 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Veneridae indet. Rafinesque 1815 venus clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Nemocardium sp. Meek 1876 cockle
Dinocardium sp. Dall 1900 cockle
 Carditida - Carditidae
Venericardia sp. Lamarck 1801 clam