Locality A, Mustang Draw, Rita Blanca Lake ( of the United States)

Where: Hartley County, Texas (35.7° N, 102.4° W: paleocoordinates 35.8° N, 101.8° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Rita Blanca Formation, Blancan (4.9 - 1.8 Ma)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified, calcareous claystone

• At its maximum level, Rita Blanca Lake may have had a length of 6 miles, a width of 3.5 miles, and an area of about 16 square miles. The maximum depth of water was not much greater than 125 feet and the actual depth was probably less. Formed in wind-eroded deflation basins.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: adpression

Reposited in the ANSP, USNM

Primary reference: J. E. Sublette. 1969. Aquatic insects of the Rita Blanca lake deposits. Paleoecology of an early Pleistocene lake on the high plains of Texas. Geological Society of America Memoir 113:117-122 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 154909: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 18.03.2014

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
  -
Insecta indet.2 Linnaeus 1758 insect
JE 346, B121, B300, 421, B222 (might be a leafhopper); B261, B200 (small Hemiptera?); 101 (Hymenoptera?); 132 (Nematocera cf. Tipulidae?); 79 (Aphididae?), 146
 Odonata - Coenagrionidae
? Coenagrionidae indet. Kirby 1890 narrow-winged damselfly
328
 Odonata - Libellulidae
Libellulidae indet. Rambur 1842 common skimmer
51, 120, 133, 169, 205, 318, 391, B-108, B-129, 13-137, B-149, B-152, B-191, B-215, B-223, B-308, 25R.C., 40R.C.
 Odonata - Aeshnidae
Aeshnidae indet. Leach 1815 darner dragonfly
134, 159, 241, 311, 323, 448, B-284, JE-404, P-60-68
 Trichoptera - Molannidae
? Molannidae indet. Wallengren 1891 caddisfly
432, JE 381
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
? Aleocharinae indet.2 Fleming 1821 rove beetle
C-10
 Coleoptera - Scarabaeidae
cf. Diplotaxis sp.2 Kirby 1837 scarab beetle
B100-B120
 Coleoptera - Curculionidae
Cleonus (Cleonidius) ritablancaensis n. sp.1 Sleeper 1969 snout beetle
98, B153
Cleonus (Cleonidius) channingensis n. sp.1 Sleeper 1969 snout beetle
B248(B182)
 Coleoptera - Chrysomelidae
cf. Phaedon sp.2 Latreille 1829 leaf beetle
B232
Disonycha sp.2 Chevrolat 1836 flea beetle
86, C7
 Coleoptera - Coccinellidae
Hippodamia ? convergens2 Guerin-Meneville 1842 convergent lady beetle
JE 354-356
 Coleoptera - Meloidae
Lytta sp.2 Fabricius 1775 blister beetle
433-481, 36-68
Epicauta sp.2 Dejean 1834 blister beetle
JE 399-JE 403
 Coleoptera - Carabidae
Carabidae indet.2 Latreille 1802 ground beetle
B302, 88, 493
cf. Selenophorus sp.2 Dejean 1829 ground beetle
214 and unnumbered
 Dicondylia -
Hymenoptera indet.2 Linnaeus 1758 winged insect
35 R.C., 447, 56
 Hymenoptera -
Ichneumonoidea indet.2 Latreille 1802 wasp
C-6 (probably Braconidae)
 Hymenoptera - Ichneumonidae
Ichneumonidae "indet. 1"2 Latreille 1802 ichneumon wasp
B232
Ichneumonidae "indet. 2"2 Latreille 1802 ichneumon wasp
280
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Formicidae indet.2 Latreille 1802 ant
B119
Formicinae indet.2 Latreille 1802 ant
94-C19, 78-111
Dorylinae indet.2 Leach 1815 army ant
258
Myrmicinae indet.2 Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau 1835 ant
480
 Hymenoptera - Thynnidae
cf. Myzinum sp.2 Latreille 1803 wasp
171
 Hymenoptera - Pompilidae
Pompilidae indet.2 Latreille 1804 spider wasp
JE 340-JE 357
 Hymenoptera -
Apoidea indet.2 Latreille 1802 apoid wasp
B218, 257
 Dicondylia -
Hemiptera "indet. 1"2 Linnaeus 1758 true bug
148
Hemiptera "indet. 2"2 Linnaeus 1758 true bug
JE 397 (probably Lygaeidae or Corizidae, or Coreidae)
Hemiptera "indet. 3"2 Linnaeus 1758 true bug
B170 (most likely Lygaeidae, but Pyrrhocoridae or Corizidae possible)
Hemiptera "indet. 4"2 Linnaeus 1758 true bug
237 (probably Lygaeidae cf. Ligyrocoris)
 Hemiptera - Cicadellidae
Cicadellidae "indet. 1"2 Latreille 1825 leafhopper
107
Cicadellidae "indet. 2"2 Latreille 1825 leafhopper
270, 102
Cicadellidae "indet. 3"2 Latreille 1825 leafhopper
JE 395, 173 ("several"), B280, B122, B204
cf. Deltocephalinae indet.2 Dallas 1870 leafhopper
JE 347, B241
 Hemiptera - Lygaeidae
? Nysius sp.2 Dallas 1851 milkweed bug
477, 173-201-B150 ("dozens"), JE 378, B192-B173, 66, B252, 60, 89, JE 367, 83, 219 R.C., 116, B269, B203, 67
 Hemiptera - Tingidae
Tingidae indet.2 Laporte 1833 lace bug
C-3
 Hemiptera - Delphacidae
"? Areopodidae indet." = Delphacidae2
"? Areopodidae indet." = Delphacidae2 Leach 1815 planthopper
75
 Diptera - Culicidae
Aedes sp. Meigen 1818 mosquito
"rare occurrence"
Culex sp. Linnaeus 1758 mosquito
181
 Diptera - Chironomidae
? Tanytarsus sp. van der Wulp 1874 non biting midge
250, 289
Chironomus (Chironomus) kirklandi n. sp. Sublette 1969 non biting midge
USNM 66660 (holotype)
"Chironomus (Endochironomus) sp." = Endochironomus Kieffer 1918 non biting midge
437
? Tanypodinae indet. Skuse 1889 non biting midge
B-209, C-196
? Orthocladiinae indet. Lenz 1921 non biting midge
 Diptera -
Calyptratae indet.2 Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 fly
B226-B273
Acalyptratae indet.2 Macquart 1835 fly
335
 Diptera - Syrphidae
cf. Syrphus sp.2 Fabricius 1775 hover fly
B264-B303
 Diptera - Bombyliidae
Bombyliidae indet.2 Latreille 1802 bee fly
B130