Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.6° N, 61.1° W)
• Paleocoordinates: 10.8° N, 58.5° W (Wright 2013)
• coordinate based on nearby landmark
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Melajo Clay Member (Springvale Formation), Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)
• 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.
• bed-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: offshore; unlithified, yellow, blue, silty claystone and unlithified, coarse-grained sandstone
Size class: macrofossils
Reposited in the PRI, USNM
Collection methods: quarrying,
• 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.
Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 60399: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 14.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)
Taxonomic list
Gastropoda | |
Rictaxis sp. Dall 1871 snail | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail | |
Epitonium (Asperiscala) rohri wentletrap
Epitonium (Epitonium) aff. foliaceicostatum wentletrap | |
Niso grandis snail | |
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell | |
Crepidula plana Say 1822 slipper shell
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 Chinese hat snail | |
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum1
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 dove shell | |
Strombinophos perdoctus true whelk | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Miraclathurella ralla snail
Carinodrillia meraca snail | |
Ithycythara hilaris snail | |
Polystira "sp. B" Woodring 1928 turrid | |
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail | |
? Calotrophon hutchisoni murex snail
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail | |
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena, Polinices stanislasmeunieri
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail | |
Caecum "sp. A" Fleming 1813 snail
Caecum "sp. B" Fleming 1813 snail
Caecum "sp. C" Fleming 1813 snail | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Cylichnella altera snail
Acteocina canaliculata Say 1826 barrel-bubble | |
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Bivalvia | |
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella, Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga, "Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam
Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga pointed nut clam
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi Angas 1878 pointed nut clam | |
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula), Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp.
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula) Iredale 1930 clam
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam | |
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia, Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle | |
Tellidora sp., "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), Merisca trinidadensis, Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana
Tellidora sp. Morch 1856 tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana tellin clam | |
Semele laevis costaricensis Olsson 1922 clam
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam | |
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus, "Dosinia (Dosinia) grandis" = Dosinia ponderosa, Dosinia (Dosinia) sp., "Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus venus clam
"Dosinia (Dosinia) grandis" = Dosinia ponderosa Gray 1838 ponderous dosinia
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam | |
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca, Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark |