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 60635: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Bivalvia | |
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella, "Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi Angas 1878 pointed nut clam | |
Tenuicorbula melajoensis, "Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula), Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp.
Tenuicorbula melajoensis Jung 1969 clam
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula) Iredale 1930 clam
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam | |
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labeanus, Cyclinella sp., Dosinia (Dosinia) sp.
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labeanus venus clam
Cyclinella sp. Dall 1902 venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam | |
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam | |
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana, Merisca trinidadensis, Tellidora sp., Macoma (Psammacoma) "sp. A", "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina)
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam
Tellidora sp. Morch 1856 tellin clam
Macoma (Psammacoma) "sp. A" Dall 1900 tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam | |
Ostrea sp. Linnaeus 1758 oyster | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam | |
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark | |
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Gastropoda | |
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell | |
Polinices stanislasmeunieri, "Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail | |
Malea sp. Valenciennes 1833 tun shell | |
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata, "Olivella (Dactylidia) aff. mutica" = Olivella mutica
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail
"Olivella (Dactylidia) aff. mutica" = Olivella mutica Say 1822 olive snail | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail
Typhis sp. Montfort 1810 murex snail
Calotrophon hutchisoni murex snail | |
Strombinophos perdoctus true whelk
Metula aff. cancellata Gabb 1873 true whelk
Metaphos ? sp. Olsson 1964 true whelk | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Anachis (Costoanachis) fraudans, "Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum1, "Strombina ? melajoensis" = Sincola (Dorsina) melajoensis
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail
"Strombina ? melajoensis" = Sincola (Dorsina) melajoensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Niso grandis snail
Eulima "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell | |
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail | |
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail |