Quesnel (Eocene of Canada)

Where: British Columbia, Canada (53.0° N, 122.5° W: paleocoordinates 55.3° N, 113.2° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Australian Creek Formation, Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• Lignite-bearing units along the Fraser River from Alexandria to above Quesnel assigned to the Fraser River Formation by Cameron & Birmingham (1970) and later to the Australian Creek Formation by Rouse & Mathews (1979). Said to be Oligocene by Scudder and early Oligocene by Long & Graham (1993). The Australian Creek Formation overlies basalts of the Endako Group, which have Ar-Ar ages between 51-45 Ma. The former early Oligocene age was based on palynomorphs and a brontothere tooth suggesting a Chadronian age (Piel 1971; Rouse and Mathews 1979; Hora and Hancock 1994, Eberle & Greenwood 2017), which is now correlated with the Priabonian.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; lithified shale

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: mold/impression, adpression

Collected by G.M. Dawson

Primary reference: S. H. Scudder. 1877. The insects of the Tertiary beds at Quesnel (British Colombia). Report of Progress of the Geological Survey of Canada 1875-1876 266-280 [M. Clapham/J. Karr/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 121480: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Jered Karr on 04.12.2011, edited by Karl Volkman

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Musci
 Bryales - Hypnaceae
Hypnum columbianum n. sp.1 Penhallow 1890
Insecta
 Dicondylia -
Odonata indet. Fabricius 1793 dragonfly
GSC 28 odonata head related to Diplax minuscula
 Neuroptera - Hemerobiidae
Bothromicromus lachlani n. gen. n. sp.2
Bothromicromus lachlani n. gen. n. sp.2 Scudder 1878 brown lacewing
GSC 36(37)
 Coleoptera - Nitidulidae
Prometopia depilis n. sp. Scudder 1877 sap beetle
GSC 24
 Hymenoptera - Ichneumonidae
Pimpla senecta n. sp. Scudder 1877 ichneumon wasp
GSC 10b(12)
Pimpla decessa n. sp. Scudder 1877 ichneumon wasp
GSC 9a
Pimpla saxea n. sp. Scudder 1877 ichneumon wasp
GSC 31
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Calyptites antediluvianum n. gen. n. sp., Formica arcana n. sp., "Hypoclinea obliterata n. sp." = Dolichoderus obliteratus, Aphaenogaster longaeva n. sp.
Calyptites antediluvianum n. gen. n. sp. Scudder 1877 ant
GSC 7
Formica arcana n. sp. Scudder 1877 ant
GSC 10a
"Hypoclinea obliterata n. sp." = Dolichoderus obliteratus Scudder 1877 ant
GSC 8, 14
Aphaenogaster longaeva n. sp. Scudder 1877 ant
GSC 33
 Hemiptera -
"Lachnus petrorum n. sp." = Geranchon petrorum, "Lachnus quesneli n. sp." = Sbenaphis quesneli2
"Lachnus petrorum n. sp." = Geranchon petrorum Scudder 1877 aphid
GSC 19
"Lachnus quesneli n. sp." = Sbenaphis quesneli2 Scudder 1878 aphid
34a
 Hemiptera - Pentatomidae
"Euschistus antiquus n. sp." = Teleoschistus antiquus2
"Euschistus antiquus n. sp." = Teleoschistus antiquus2 Scudder 1878 stink bug
38
 Diptera - Chironomidae
Chironomidae indet. Macquart 1838 non biting midge
GSC 18, 21, 27, 22, 23, 25, 26
 Diptera - Mycetophilidae
Brachypeza abita n. sp. Scudder 1877 fungus gnat
GSC 3(16)
Brachypeza procera n. sp. Scudder 1877 fungus gnat
GSC 4
Trichonta dawsoni n. sp. Scudder 1877 fungus gnat
GSC 6
Boletina sepulta n. sp. Scudder 1877 fungus gnat
GSC 9b
 Diptera - Sciaridae
Sciara deperdita n. sp.2 Scudder 1878 dark-winged fungus gnat
44
 Diptera -
Anthomyia burgessi n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 29
Anthomyia inanimata n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 30(32)
 Diptera - Sciomyzidae
Sciomyza revelata Scudder 1877 marsh fly
42, 43, 2
 Diptera - Heleomyzidae
Heteromyza senilis n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 1
 Diptera - Ulidiidae
Lithortalis picta n. gen. n. sp.
Lithortalis picta n. gen. n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 5
 Diptera - Pallopteridae
Palloptera morticina n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 20
 Diptera - Lauxaniidae
Lonchaea senescens n. sp. Scudder 1877 fly
GSC 17
 Diptera - Dolichopodidae
Dolichopus sp. Latreille 1796 long-legged fly
GSC 11
Arachnida
 Araneae -
"Aranea columbiae n. sp." = Araneaovoius columbiae2
"Aranea columbiae n. sp." = Araneaovoius columbiae2 Scudder 1878 spider