USGS 18411 - Melajo Clay, Melago River area: Late/Upper Miocene, Trinidad and Tobago
List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
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Bivalvia
- Arcida
- Arcidae
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Barbatia sp.
Gray 1842
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Bivalvia
- Pectinida
- Pectinidae
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Pecten (Pecten) archon
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Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) demiurgus
Dall 1898
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| recombined as Argopecten demiurgus | ||||||||||
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Bivalvia
- Carditida
- Crassatellidae
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Eucrassatella trinitaria
(Maury 1925)
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| recombined as Eucrassatella (Hybolophus) trinitaria | ||||||||||
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Bivalvia
- Pholadida
- Corbulidae
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Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae
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Notocorbula islatrinitatis
(Maury 1925)
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| recombined as Varicorbula islatrinitatis | ||||||||||
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Bivalvia
- Cardiida
- Veneridae
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Chione (Lirophora) caroniana
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| original and current combination Lirophora | ||||||||||
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Macrocallista maculata
(Linnaeus 1758)
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Bivalvia
- Cardiida
- Solecurtidae
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Tagelus (Mesopleura) mansfieldi
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Bivalvia
- Cardiida
- Tellinidae
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Apolymetis trinitaria
(Dall 1900)
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| recombined as Florimetis trinitaria | ||||||||||
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Macoma (Psammacoma) informal sp. A
(Dall 1900)
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| original and current combination Psammacoma | ||||||||||
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Bivalvia
- Cardiida
- Semelidae
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Semele claytoni
Maury 1917
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| Subspecies: Semele claytoni couvensis | ||||||||||
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Semele aff. anteriocosta
Vokes 1938
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Bivalvia
- Cardiida
- Cardiidae
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Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis
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| original and current combination Dallocardia | ||||||||||
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Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) melajoensis
Jung 1969
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| recombined as Trigoniocardia (Goniacardia) melajoensis | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Olividae
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Jaspidella sanctidominici
(Maury 1917)
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Oliva (Oliva) couvana
Maury 1925
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
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Ancilla (Euburna) caroniana
Maury 1925
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| recombined as Eburna caroniana | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Buccinidae
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Colubraria sp.
Schumacher 1817
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Hanetia semiglobosa
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Nassariidae
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Pallacera informal sp. A
Woodring 1964
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Nassarius (Uzita) informal sp. A
(Adams and Adams 1853)
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Fasciolariidae
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Fusinus sp.
Rafinesque 1815
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Cancellariidae
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Cancellaria cf. sanctifrancisci
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Cystiscidae
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Persicula (Rabicea) couviana
(Maury 1925)
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| synonym of Persicula propeobesa | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Marginellidae
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Prunum (Egouena) calypsonis
(Maury 1925)
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Prunum (Egouena) springvalensis
(Maury 1925)
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Volvarina informal sp. A
(Hinds 1844)
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Costellariidae
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Conomitra sp.
Conrad 1865
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Muricidae
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Murex (Murex) chrysostoma
Sowerby 1834
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| recombined as Vokesimurex chrysostoma | ||||||||||
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Thais (Stramonita) informal sp. A
(Schumacher 1817)
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| original and current combination Stramonita | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Neogastropoda
- Conidae
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Conus springvalensis
Mansfield 1925
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| recombined as Conus imitator springvalensis | ||||||||||
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Conus couvaensis
Vokes 1938
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Gastropoda
- Eulimidae
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Balcis egregia
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Gastropoda
- Naticidae
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Natica (Naticarius) canrena
(Linnaeus 1758)
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| recombined as Naticarius canrena | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Vermetidae
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Petaloconchus sculpturatus
Lea 1846
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| Subspecies: P. sculpturatus alcimus | ||||||||||
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Gastropoda
- Calyptraeidae
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Calyptraea centralis
(Conrad 1841)
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Gastropoda
- Sorbeoconcha
- Turritellidae
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Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata
(Guppy 1867)
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Gastropoda
- Heterostropha
- Mathildidae
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Mathilda informal sp. A
Semper 1865
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Gastropoda
- Pyramidellidae
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Turbonilla riosecana
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Gastropoda
- Trochidae
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Calliostoma decipiens
(Guppy 1867)
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| recombined as Calliostoma (Calliostoma) decipiens | ||||||||||
| see common names | ||||||||||
Geography
| Country: | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Coordinates: | 10.6° North, 61.1° West (view map) |
| Paleocoordinates: | 10.5° North, 59.6° West |
| Basis of coordinate: | based on nearby landmark |
| Geographic resolution: | outcrop |
Time
| Period: | Neogene | Epoch: | Miocene |
| 10 m.y. bin: | Cenozoic 6 | ||
| Key time interval: | Late/Upper Miocene | ||
| Age range of interval: | 11.60800 - 5.33300 m.y. ago |
Stratigraphy
| Formation: | Springvale | Member: | Melajo Clay | ||
| Regional section: | Melajo River | ||||
| Stratigraphic resolution: | bed | ||||
| Stratigraphy comments: The Melajo Clay Member of the Springvale Formation is correlated with the Savaneta Glaconitic Sandstone Member of the Springvale Formation, although part of it may be younger. The Melajo fauna is late Miocene in age. The Melajo Clay rests transgressively on the phyllites of the Northern Range with a basal conglomerate of about 1 m thickness. The conglomerate graes into a 1.5 m thick limestone, which is overlain by a bed of sand of about 1 m thickness. Above the sand is the Melajo Clay. The total thickness of the Melajo Clay is about 200 ft. It is unconformably overlain by Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits. Collection is derived from the basal limestone | |||||
Lithology and environment
| Primary lithology: | shelly/skeletal poorly lithified conglomeratic "limestone" |
| Includes fossils? | Y |
| Lithology description: Limestone with large mollusks, that graded out of a conglomerate. | |
| Environment: | shallow subtidal indet. |
| Geology comments: The Melajo fauna can be divided into two assemblages: one occurring the limestone and coarse sand near the base of the Melajo Clay, the other on in the overlying clay and silty clay. The difference of the two assemblages is facies controlled. The basal assemblage represents a typical, tropical, near-shore fauna, whereas the overlying assemblage points to a deeper environment. This collection is derived from the basal assemblage, a carbonate and shallow water environment and is hence assigned to a carbontae - shallow subtidal environment. | |
Taphonomy
| Modes of preservation: | body |
| Size of fossils: | macrofossils |
| Preservation of anatomical detail: | good |
Collection methods and comments
| Collection excludes: | some macrofossils,some microfossils |
| Collection methods: | selective quarrying,field collection |
| Reason for describing collection: | taxonomic analysis |
| Museum repositories: | PRI,USNM |
| Collection method comments: 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. | |
| Taxonomic list comments:Exhaustive for Mollusca, although author suggests that further collection would reveal additional forms. Corals, bryozoa and spines of echinoderms also exists in the unit, though are not listed. Van de Bold (1963) also lists ostracords from several localities. Foraminiferal assemblages are also listed in unpublished reports by Saunders. | |
Metadata
| Database number: | 60408 | ||
| Authorizer: | A. Hendy | Enterer: | A. Hendy |
| Modifier: | A. Hendy | Research group: | marine invertebrate |
| Collections that are a subset of this one: | |||
| Created: | 2006-05-14 12:52:13 | Last modified: | 2013-11-25 13:37:23 |
| Access level: | the public | Released: | 2006-05-14 12:52:13 |
| Creative Commons license: | CC BY |
Reference information
Primary reference:
| 17317. | P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy] |