Ellesmere Island (Lower) (Eocene of Canada)

Also known as Bay Fiord; Locality 76-85 (locality 85 and CMN loc. P7502); D7 Locality; localities 44, 49 (= 76-49?), 76-60, 76H7-10-1, 76H7-10-3, Mck7/15/87-1

Where: Northwest Territories, Canada (78.5° N, 82.0° W: paleocoordinates 75.8° N, 30.2° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Margaret Formation (Eureka Sound Group), Wasatchian (55.8 - 50.3 Ma)

• said by Hickey et al. 1983 to be Clarkforkian and within Chron 25N, but clearly Wasatchian, and paleomag correlation seriously questioned by Kent et al. 1984

•Eureka Sound Group was originally treated as a formation, but broken into multiple formations by Miall (1986); the Margaret Formation is the same as Member IV of West et al. (1981)

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: deltaic; lithology not reported

• "lush proximal delta front to delta plain environment, with abundant channels and coal swamps" (Rose et al. 2004)

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Reposited in the CM

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), sieve,

• "Approximately 500 pounds of matrix from this locality [76-85] was screen-washed"

Primary reference: R. M. West, M. R. Dawson, and J. H. Hutchison. 1977. Fossils from the Paleogene Eureka Sound Formation, N.W.T., Canada; occurrence, climatic and paleogeographic implications. In West, R. M. (ed), Paleontology and plate tectonics with special reference to the history of the Atlantic Ocean. Milwaukee Public Museum Contributions in Biology and Geology 2:77-93 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 15583: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 30.04.1994, edited by Patricia Holroyd, K. Christopher Beard and Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• stratigraphic position unclear: Pachyaena sp. Eberle 2001: D7 Locality, Bay Fiord area

•"Chadronia sp." is listed by McKenna 1980a and Dawson 1990 but level is unclear

•"cf. Mesonyx sp." Dawson 1990: level not indicated

Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Leptictidae
Prodiacodon sp.6 Matthew 1929 eutherian
locality 85
 Cimolesta - Coryphodontidae
Coryphodon pisuqti n. sp.5 Dawson 2012 pantodont
and "C. subquadratus" Lucas 1998b: "C. sp." in part
Coryphodon pisuqti n. sp.5 Dawson 2012 pantodont
in part
 Acreodi - Mesonychidae
Pachyaena sp.8 Cope 1874 condylarth
D7 locality
 Perissodactyla - Brontotheriidae
Lambdotherium sp. Cope 1880 brontothere
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equidae indet.1 Gray 1821 horse
omitted by Dawson 1980
 Perissodactyla -
Thuliadanta mayri n. gen. n. sp.7
Thuliadanta mayri n. gen. n. sp.7 Eberle 2005 odd-toed ungulate
localities 76H7-10-3 (type of Thuliadanta), 76-60, 76H7-10-1, Mck7/15/87-1, 76-49
 Procreodi - Arctocyonidae
Anacodon sp.8 Cope 1882 condylarth
 Theriamorpha - Viverravidae
Viverravus sp.11 Marsh 1872 placental
at locality 85, see Eberle 2001, Eberle and McKenna 2002
 Theriamorpha -
cf. Vulpavus sp.6 Marsh 1871 placental
locality 85
Miacis sp.6 Cope 1872 placental
locality 85; "Miacidae indet."
Arcticanodon dawsonae n. gen. n. sp.12 Rose et al. 2004 placental
locality 76-85
 Creodonta - Oxyaenidae
Palaeonictis sp.8 de Blainville 1842 creodont
Locality 87H7-22-4
 Creodonta -
Prolimnocyon sp.3 Matthew and Granger 1915 creodont
confirmed and placed at locality 44 by Eberle 2001, Eberle and McKenna 2002; "Hyaenodontidae indet."; see also McKenna 1980a
 Theriamorpha - Pantolestoidae
Palaeosinopa nunavutensis n. sp.8 Eberle and McKenna 2002 placental
locality 85; two forms; apparently includes "Pantolestes sp." and "Pantolestes natans" of Dorr 1977
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Microparamys bayi n. sp.4 Dawson 2001 rodent
locality 85
Strathcona major n. sp.4 Dawson 2001 rodent
locality 85
Strathcona minor n. sp.4 Dawson 2001 rodent
locality 85
Paramys hunti n. sp.4 Dawson 2001 rodent
locality 85; also at locality 44: "Ischyromyidae indet."
? Paramyinae indet.4 Simpson 1945 rodent
locality 49
 Dermoptera -
Plagiomene sp. Matthew 1918 colugo
replaces ID of Dawson 1990; "Plagiomenidae indet."
 Primates - Paromomyidae
Paromomyidae indet. Simpson 1940 primate
"two species of Ignacius-like paromomyids": McKenna 1980a
 Multituberculata - Neoplagiaulacidae
Neoplagiaulacidae indet.1 Ameghino 1890 multituberculate
Reptilia
 Squamata - Boidae
Erycinae indet.9 Bonaparte 1825 sand boa
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet.9 Gray 1825 squamates
 Squamata - Varanidae
Varanidae indet.9 Hardwicke and Gray 1824 monitor lizard
genus and species unidentified
 Testudines -
Cryptodira indet.9 Cope 1868 turtle
genus incertae sedis
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet.2 Gray 1825 softshell turtle
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emydinae indet.9 Rafinesque 1815 turtle
genus and species unidentified
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Geochelone sp.9 Fitzinger 1835 turtle
 Testudines - Kinosternoidea
Kinosterninae indet.9 mud turtle
genus and species unidentified
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Allognathosuchus sp.9 Mook 1921 crocodilian
Amphibia
 Caudata - Urodela
Piceoerpeton willwoodense10 Meszoely 1967 salamander
Actinopteri
 Amiiformes - Amiidae
Amia cf. uintaensis9 Leidy 1873 bowfin
Amia fragosa9 Jordan 1927 bowfin
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
? Lepisosteus sp.9 Agassiz 1843 gar
 Esociformes - Esocidae
Esox sp.9 Linnaeus 1758 pike