Horsetail Creek (Eocene of the United States)

Also known as Horse Tail Creek

Where: Logan County, Colorado (40.8° N, 103.1° W: paleocoordinates 42.1° N, 94.6° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Horsetail Creek Member (White River Formation), Chadronian (37.2 - 33.9 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: E. D. Cope. 1875. Report on the vertebrate paleontology of Colorado. Annual Report of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories 1873:427-533 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano/M. Carrano]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 16977: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot, Terri Cleary and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• entire member is of reversed polarity: Prothero 1996c
"Cylindrodon fontis": Galbreath 1969 see discussion of this species by Emry and Korth 1996a; Molly and Mabel loc., Section 36 loc., and Shable Butte loc.

"Caenopus mitis" is of uncertain provenance

"Archaeotherium ramosus" and "A. potens" are of uncertain provenance

•list excludes Trigonias Quarry (see)

Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
"Peratherium fugax" = Herpetotherium fugax5
"Peratherium fugax" = Herpetotherium fugax5 Cope 1873 marsupial
 Perissodactyla - Brontotheriidae
"Symborodon bucco n. sp." = Megacerops bucco1, Megacerops riggsi n. sp.13, "Megaceratops acer n. sp." = Megacerops acer2, "Megaceratops helocerus n. sp." = Menodus heloceras2, "Symborodon torvus n. gen. n. sp." = Menodus torvus2
"Symborodon bucco n. sp." = Megacerops bucco1 Cope 1873 brontothere
Megacerops riggsi n. sp.13 Osborn 1916 brontothere
"Megaceratops acer n. sp." = Megacerops acer2 Cope 1873 brontothere
"Megaceratops helocerus n. sp." = Menodus heloceras2 Cope 1873 brontothere
"Symborodon torvus n. gen. n. sp." = Menodus torvus2 Cope 1873 brontothere
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Mesohippus proteulophus" = Mesohippus bairdi5
"Mesohippus proteulophus" = Mesohippus bairdi5 Leidy 1850 anchitheriine horse
 Perissodactyla - Hyracodontidae
Hyracodon sp.5 Leidy 1856 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Trigonias osborni5 Lucas 1900 rhinoceros
two new specimens
Penetrigonias dakotensis14 Peterson 1920 rhinoceros
"Aceratherium mite n. sp." = Subhyracodon mitis Cope 1875 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Anthracotheriidae
Anthracotheriidae indet.5 Leidy 1869 anthracothere
 Artiodactyla - Entelodontidae
Archaeotherium mortoni5, Archaeotherium crassum5, "Archaeotherium ramosus" = Pelonax ramosus5, "Archaeotherium potens" = Pelonax potens5
Archaeotherium mortoni5 Leidy 1850 even-toed ungulate
includes "A. crassum"; latter is said by Troxell 1920c to be from "Probably Cedar Creek beds... near Gerry's Ranch"; assignment to Horsetail Creek by Galbreath based on co-occurrence with titanotheres
Archaeotherium crassum5 Marsh 1873 even-toed ungulate
"Archaeotherium ramosus" = Pelonax ramosus5 Cope 1874 even-toed ungulate
"Occurrence probably here rather than in the Cedar Creek member, but not yet demonstrated"
"Archaeotherium potens" = Pelonax potens5 Marsh 1893 even-toed ungulate
"Occurrence probably here rather than in the Cedar Creek member, but not yet demonstrated"
 Artiodactyla - Hypisodontidae
Hypisodus sp.5 Cope 1873 ruminant
form A
 Artiodactyla - Leptomerycidae
Leptomeryx esulcatus5 Cope 1889 ruminant
Leptomeryx evansi5 Leidy 1853 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Oromerycidae
Eotylopus sp.5 Matthew 1910 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Poebrotherium eximium8 Hay 1902 camel
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
"Merycoidodon gracilis" = Miniochoerus gracilis5, "Merycoidodon culbertsoni" = Merycoidodon culbertsonii5, "Genetochoerus periculorum n. gen. n. sp." = Merycoidodon culbertsonii15
"Merycoidodon gracilis" = Miniochoerus gracilis5 Leidy 1851 oreodont
"Merycoidodon culbertsoni" = Merycoidodon culbertsonii5 Leidy 1848 oreodont
"Genetochoerus periculorum n. gen. n. sp." = Merycoidodon culbertsonii15 Leidy 1848 oreodont
AM 6397 (holotype)
 Artiodactyla - Leptochoeridae
Stibarus quadricuspis4 Hatcher 1901 even-toed ungulate
Stibarus obtusilobus5 Cope 1873 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuidae indet.17 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Carnivora - Nimravidae
Dinictis sp.5 Leidy 1854 false sabre-tooth
 Carnivora - Subparictidae
"Parictis dakotensis" = Subparictis dakotensis5
"Parictis dakotensis" = Subparictis dakotensis5 Clark 1936 carnivoran
confirmed by Baskin and Tedford 1996
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Brachyrhynchocyon sp.9 Scott and Jepsen 1936 bear-dog
"Chadronian... Cedar Creek area, Logan/Weld Cos."
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Pseudocynodictis paterculus" = Hesperocyon gregarius5
"Pseudocynodictis paterculus" = Hesperocyon gregarius5 Cope 1873 canid
localities listed by Wang 1994 include Two Miles Creek, KU-CO-071; Peevy Ranch, George Creek, KU-CO-088
 Theriamorpha - Apternodontidae
Apternodus iliffensis5 Galbreath 1953 placental
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Palaeolagus sp.10 Leidy 1856 rabbit
 Rodentia - Aplodontidae
Pelycomys rugosus5 Galbreath 1953 mountain beaver
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
"Ischyromys troxelli" = Ischyromys typus5, "Titanotheriomys veterior" = Ischyromys veterior5
"Ischyromys troxelli" = Ischyromys typus5 Leidy 1856 rodent
"Titanotheriomys veterior" = Ischyromys veterior5 Matthew 1903 rodent
 Rodentia - Eomyidae
Centimanomys major6 Galbreath 1955 rodent
Centimanomys galbreathi12 Martin and Ostrander 1986 rodent
Adjidaumo cf. minimus16 Matthew 1903 rodent
not A. minutus, contra Wood 1969: "A. small sp." of Galbreath; presumably "A. minutus" of Wahlert 1978 from "near Trigonias Quarry, Weld Co., Colorado, ?Chadronian"
"Paradjidaumo trilophus" = Adjidaumo trilophus5 Cope 1873 rodent
 Rodentia - Cylindrodontidae
Pseudocylindrodon cf. neglectus16, "Cylindrodon galbreathi n. sp." = Cylindrodon nebraskensis5
"Cylindrodon galbreathi n. sp." = Cylindrodon nebraskensis5 Hough and Alf 1956 rodent
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Eumys sp.11 Leidy 1856 mouse
new specimen, provenance considered certain based on association with titanothere
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Cremastosaurus rhambastes n. sp.7 Cope 1884 lizard
AMNH 1606 (holotype), seven dorsal vertebrae
 Squamata - Rhineuridae
"Rhineura coloradoensis n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii7
"Rhineura coloradoensis n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii7 Baur 1893 worm lizard
AMNH 1607 (holotype), three and a half articulated median dorsal vertebrae
 Testudines -
Testudo culbratus n. sp.2 Cope 1873 turtle
 Testudines - Testudinidae
"Testudo ligonius n. sp." = Stylemys nebrascensis2, "Testudo amphithorax n. sp." = Stylemys nebrascensis2, "Testudo laticuneus n. sp." = Gopherus laticuneus2, Testudo quadratus n. sp.3
"Testudo ligonius n. sp." = Stylemys nebrascensis2 Leidy 1851 turtle
"Testudo amphithorax n. sp." = Stylemys nebrascensis2 Leidy 1851 turtle
"Testudo laticuneus n. sp." = Gopherus laticuneus2 Cope 1873 gopher tortoise
Testudo quadratus n. sp.3 Cope 1884 turtle
AMNH 1149 (holotype), a fragmentary epiplastron and partial nuchal (Hay 1908, figs. 532, 533)