near Downs (USNM) (Cretaceous of the United States)

Also known as Trinacromerum bentonianum type

Where: Mitchell County County, Kansas (39.4° N, 98.5° W: paleocoordinates 39.9° N, 63.5° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Fairport Member (Carlile Shale Formation), Middle Turonian (93.5 - 89.3 Ma)

• "The geologic map of Landes (1930) shows that the only geologic unit exposed in this vicinity is the Fairport Chalk. This matches well with Cragin's (1888) description of the geology, as a few feet below the base of the dark septaria-bearing shale (Blue Hill) is equivalent to within the Fairport Chalk Member of the Carlisle Shale. The age of this specimen is early Middle Turonian" (Schumacher & Everhart 2005, p. 40).

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; limestone

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the UNSM

Collection methods: quarrying

Primary reference: B. A. Schumacher and M. J. Everhart. 2005. A stratigraphic and taxonomic review of plesiosaurs from the old "Fort Benton Group" of central Kansas: a new assessment of old records. Paludicola 5(2):33-54 [R. Benson/R. Benson/R. Butler]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 117805: authorized by Roger Benson, entered by Roger Benson on 27.09.2011

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Reptilia
 Plesiosauria - Polycotylidae
Trinacromerum bentonianum n. gen. n. sp. Cragin 1888 plesiosaur
USNM 10945 (holotype) and 10946 (paratype, form an 'adjacent locality')