Lago Alajuela (Miocene of Panama)

Also known as UF VP YPA088

Where: Panama (9.2° N, 79.6° W: paleocoordinates 9.0° N, 78.2° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: Alajuela Formation, Tortonian (11.6 - 7.2 Ma)

• Comparison of the mean ratio with the global seawater 87Sr/86Sr curve for the Neogene [13] indicates a late Miocene age of 9.77 ± 0.22 Ma for this por- tion of the Alajuela Formation (Fig 5). The strontium dates also confirm a late Miocene age for the associated vertebrate fossils including the biochronologically informative horses and proboscidean Gomphotherium sp.

Environment/lithology: marine; sandstone

• The Alajuela Formation includes a >25 m-thick basal package of interbedded, clast-supported conglomerates and litharenite sandstones that grades into an ~85 m-thick package of calcareous sandstones and calcarenites, representing a transition from tide-dominated, potentially estuarine, coastal environments to wave-dominated, shallow-water carbonate environments [10,18]. The 82 m-thick composite section (Fig 3), measured in proximity to the fossil localities on the southern extent of Lago Alajuela (Table 1), is subdivided into three distinctive lithological intervals to summarize major facies transitions during this transgression.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: B. J. MacFadden, D. S. Jones, N. A. Jud, J. W. Moreno, G. S. Morgan, R. W. Portell, V. J. Perez, S. M. Moran, and A. R. Wood. 2017. Integrated Chronology, Flora and Faunas, and Paleoecology of the Alajuela Formation, Late Miocene of Panama. PLoS One 12(1):e0170300 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 187583: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 02.08.2017

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Humiriaceoxylon sp., Glottidia sp., Chaperia sp., Cyclostamata indet., cf. Prinocidaris sp.
Reptilia
 Crocodylia - Gavialidae
Tomistominae indet.
Aves
 Aves -
Aves indet.
Reptilia
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Bairdemys sp.
Bairdemys sp. Gaffney and Wood 2002 sideneck turtle
n. sp.
 Testudines - Cheloniidae
Cheloniidae indet.
Cheloniidae indet. Bonaparte 1832 sea turtle
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudinidae indet.
Testudinidae indet. Batsch 1788 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet.
Trionychidae indet. Gray 1825 softshell turtle
Mammalia
 Placentalia -
cf. Carnivora indet.
cf. Carnivora indet. Bowditch 1821 carnivoran
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuidae indet.
Tayassuidae indet. Palmer 1897 peccary
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Cormohipparion sp., Dinohippus sp.
Cormohipparion sp. Skinner and MacFadden 1977 hipparionine horse
Dinohippus sp. Quinn 1955 horse
 Sirenia - Dugongidae
cf. Dugongidae indet.
cf. Dugongidae indet. Gray 1821 dugong
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium sp.
Gomphotherium sp. Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
Chondrichthyes
 Rhinopristiformes - Pristidae
Pristis sp.
Pristis sp. Linck 1790 sawfish
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Rhinoptera sp., Myliobatis sp.
Rhinoptera sp. Cuvier 1829 cownose ray
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816 eagle ray
 Carchariniformes - Hemigaleidae
Hemipristis serra
Hemipristis serra Agassiz 1835 ground shark
 Carchariniformes - Carcharhinidae
Negaprion brevirostris, Carcharhinus sp.
Negaprion brevirostris Poey 1868 lemon shark
Carcharhinus sp. de Blainville 1816 requiem shark
 Carchariniformes - Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna mokarran
Sphyrna mokarran hammerhead shark
 Lamniformes - Otodontidae
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon Agassiz 1835 megalodon
Echinoidea
 Clypeasteroida - Clypeasteridae
Clypeaster sp.
Clypeaster sp. Lamarck 1801 sand dollar
Polychaeta
  -
Polychaeta indet.
Polychaeta indet. Grube 1850
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Hippoporidridae
Hippoporidra sp.
Hippoporidra sp. Canu and Bassler 1927
Stenolaemata
 Cyclostomata - Plagioeciidae
Plagioeciidae indet.
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
Arcidae indet.
Arcidae indet. Lamarck 1809 clam
 Pectinida - Plicatulidae
Plicatula sp.
Plicatula sp. Lamarck 1801 scallop
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia sp.
Anomia sp. Linnaeus 1758 jingle
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Euvola sp., Nodipecten sp.
Euvola sp. Dall 1898 scallop
Nodipecten sp. Dall 1898 scallop
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea sp.
Crassostrea sp. Sacco 1897 oyster
 Carditida - Carditidae
Venericardia sp.
Venericardia sp. Lamarck 1801 clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Corbulidae indet.
Corbulidae indet. Lamarck 1818 clam
 Cardiida - Gastrochaenidae
Gastrochaenidae indet.
Gastrochaenidae indet. Gray 1840 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Macrocallista sp., Lirophora sp., Chione sp., Chionopsis sp., Pitar sp.
Macrocallista sp. Meek 1876 venus clam
Lirophora sp. Conrad 1863 venus clam
Chione sp. von Mühlfield 1811 venus clam
Chionopsis sp. Olsson 1932 venus clam
Pitar sp. Römer 1857 venus clam
 Solenida - Pharidae
Ensis sp.
Ensis sp. Schumacher 1817 clam
 Hiatellida - Hiatellidae
Panopea sp.
Panopea sp. Menard 1807 clam
 Protobranchia - Yoldiidae
Yoldiidae indet.
Yoldiidae indet. Habe 1977 clam
Scaphopoda
  -
Scaphopoda indet.
Scaphopoda indet. Bronn 1862 tusk shell
Cephalopoda
 Coleoidea -
Coleoidea indet.
Coleoidea indet. Bather 1888
Gastropoda
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
Architectonicidae indet.
Architectonicidae indet. Gray 1850 snail
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea sp.
Calyptraea sp. Lamarck 1799 slipper shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Turritellidae
Turritellidae indet.
Turritellidae indet. Lovén 1847 turret shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Cerithiidae
Cerithiidae indet.
Cerithiidae indet. Fleming 1822 cerith snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Strombidae
Strombus sp.
Strombus sp. Linnaeus 1758 conch
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Oliva sp., Olivella sp.
Oliva sp. Bruguière 1789 olive snail
Olivella sp. Swainson 1831 olive snail
 Neogastropoda - Buccinidae
Cymatophos sp.
Cymatophos sp. Pilsbry and Olsson 1941 true whelk
 Neogastropoda - Melongenidae
Melongena sp.
Melongena sp. Schumacher 1817 snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Marginellidae indet.
Marginellidae indet. Fleming 1828 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Terebridae
Terebra sp.
Terebra sp. Bruguière 1789 auger snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Turridae indet.
Turridae indet. Swainson 1840 turrid
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp.
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Turbinellidae
Turbinella sp.
Turbinella sp. Lamarck 1799 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Tonnidae
Malea sp.
Malea sp. Valenciennes 1833 tun shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae indet.
Cypraeidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 cowry
 Sorbeoconcha - Xenophoridae
Xenophora sp.
Xenophora sp. Fischer von Waldheim 1807 carrier shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Naticidae indet.
Naticidae indet. Guilding 1834 moon snail
 Opisthobranchia - Haminoeidae
Haminoeidae indet.
Haminoeidae indet. Pilsbry 1895 snail
Thecostraca
 Balanomorpha - Balanidae
cf. Tamiosoma sp.
cf. Tamiosoma sp. Conrad 1856 barnacle
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Callianassidae
Callianassidae indet.
Callianassidae indet. Dana 1852 decapod
Angiospermae
 Sapindales - Sapindaceae
Sapindaceae indet.
Sapindaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 soapberry
 Malvales - Malvaceae
Malvaceae indet.
Malvaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 mallow
 Malpighiales - Phyllanthaceae
? Phyllanthaceae indet.
 Rosales - Rosaceae
Parinarioxylon sp.
Parinarioxylon sp. Pfeiffer and Heurn 1928 rose
 Fabales - Fabaceae
Fabaceae indet.
Fabaceae indet. Lindley 1836 legume
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Palmoxylon sp.
Palmoxylon sp. Schenk 1882 palm
species A & B
Annonoxylon
  -
Annonoxylon sp.
Annonoxylon sp. Boureau 1950