Amherst Collection at Mule Creek (Cretaceous of the United States)

Where: Niobrara County, Wyoming (43.3° N, 104.2° W: paleocoordinates 49.2° N, 71.6° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Pierre Shale Formation (Montana Group), Campanian (83.6 - 72.1 Ma)

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; shale

Size class: macrofossils

Collected by Amherst College in 1903

Primary reference: F. B. Loomis. 1915. A new mosasaur from the Fort Pierre. American Journal of Science 39(233):555-566 [M. Carrano/H. Street]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 105717: authorized by Matthew Carrano, entered by Hallie Street on 24.02.2011

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Chondrichthyes
 Lamniformes - Anacoracidae
"Corax sp." = Squalicorax
"Corax sp." = Squalicorax Whitley 1939 crow shark
two teeth and three strings of vertebrae
Osteichthyes
 Heteromi - Stratodontidae
Empo sp.
Empo sp. Cope 1872 ray-finned fish
skull bones and vertebrae
Actinopteri
 Crossognathiformes - Pachyrhizodontidae
Pachyrhizodus sp.
Pachyrhizodus sp. Agassiz 1850
vertebrae
 Ichthyodectiformes - Ichthyodectidae
Portheus sp., Ichthyodectes sp.
Portheus sp. Cope 1871
one pair of lower jaws
Ichthyodectes sp. Cope 1870
18 strings of vertebrae, portions of the tail, dentale, and maxilla
 Ichthyodectiformes - Saurodontidae
Saurocephalus sp.
Saurocephalus sp. Harlan 1824
two crushed skulls
Reptilia
 Plesiosauria - Elasmosauridae
Elasmosaurus sp.
Elasmosaurus sp. Cope 1868 elasmosaur
one paddle and part of a second
 Squamata - Mosasauridae
Platecarpus brachycephalus
Platecarpus brachycephalus Loomis 1915 mosasaur
many parts of skeletons
Gastropoda
 Basommatophora - Siphonariidae
Anisomyon subovulatus
 Neogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
Fasciolaria ? flexicostata
 Sorbeoconcha - Aporrhaidae
Aporrhais biangulata
Aporrhais biangulata Meek and Hayden 1856 snail
 Vanikoroidea - Vanikoridae
Vanikoro ambigua
Cephalopoda
 Ammonitida - Heteroceratidae
Heteroceras ? cochleatum
Scaphopoda
  -
Entalis ? paupercula
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
Nuculana ? equilateralis
Nuculana ? equilateralis pointed nut clam
 Nuculanida - Yoldiidae
Yoldia ventricosa
 Ostreida - Pteriidae
"Pteria linguiformis" = Phelopteria linguaeformis
"Pteria linguiformis" = Phelopteria linguaeformis Evans and Shumard 1854 pearl oyster
 Pectinida - Entoliidae
Syncyclonema rigida
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Chlamys nebrascensis
 Pectinida - Oxytomidae
Pteria nebrascana
Pteria nebrascana Evans and Shumard 1857 scallop
 Myalinida - Inoceramidae
"Inoceramus sagensis" = Inoceramus (Cataceramus) sagensis, Inoceramus crispii
"Inoceramus sagensis" = Inoceramus (Cataceramus) sagensis Owen 1852 clam
var. nebrascensis
Inoceramus crispii clam
var. barbabini
 Cardiida - Veneridae
"Callista deweyi" = Dosiniopsis deweyi, Callista peplucida
"Callista deweyi" = Dosiniopsis deweyi Meek and Hayden 1856 venus clam
Callista peplucida venus clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Protocardia rara