Also known as Big Muddy River; Castle Butte; Spanish Diggings; Spanish Mines
Where: Goshen County, Wyoming (42.0° N, 104.2° W: paleocoordinates 42.9° N, 98.4° W)
• coordinate based on political unit
When: Arikareean (29.5 - 18.5 Ma)
• supposed "Upper Harrison" beds of Loomis 1911 are actually beneath the Harrison Fm. in early Arikareean rocks: McKenna and Love 1972
•"Lower Harrison" is referred to "Lower Rosebud" by Loomis 1925
•oreodonts of Schultz and Falkenbach 1949 are supposedly from the Monroe Creek Fm., but according to Stevens and Stevens 1996, "the Gering (the lower sediments of the 'lower Harrison beds') and Monroe Creek formations in the Muddy Creek area cannot be distinguished lithologically"
•may be a stratigraphic composite: Coombs 1978b
• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported
Size class: macrofossils
Primary reference: J. H. Wahlert. 1983. Relationships of the Florentiamyidae (Rodentia, Geomyoidea) based on cranial and dental morphology. American Museum Novitates 2769:1-23 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details
Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis
PaleoDB collection 17472: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 27.09.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
•Merychyus "minimus" was listed by Loomis but omitted by Schultz and Falkenbach: Coombs 1978b
| Mammalia | |
"Menoceras cooki" = Menoceras arikarense6
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Moropus sp.1 Marsh 1877 chalicothere also mentioned by Coombs 1998, who seems unsure that this is actually Moropus
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Nanotragulus loomisi n. sp.4
Nanotragulus loomisi n. sp.4 Lull 1922 ruminant "Castle Butte, Big Muddy River, near Spanish Mines... lower Harrison"
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"Merycoides nebraskensis" = Merycoides cursor7, Pseudodesmatochoerus hoffmani n. gen. n. sp.8, "Mesoreodon megalodon" = Desmatochoerus megalodon3, "Merycoides giganteus n. sp." = Desmatochoerus megalodon7, "Megoreodon fricki n. sp." = Megoreodon grandis8, "Desmatochoerus (Paradesmatochoerus) monroecreekensis n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor8, "Mesoreodon scotti n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor6, Sespia ultima n. sp.9, "Pithecistes copei" = Leptauchenia decora9, "Cyclopidius lullianus n. sp." = Leptauchenia lullianus10
"Merycoides nebraskensis" = Merycoides cursor7 Douglass 1907 oreodont "Muddy Creek"; type of ssp. Merycoides nebraskensis blairi
"Mesoreodon megalodon" = Desmatochoerus megalodon3 Peterson 1907 oreodont "Muddy Creek in eastern Wyoming"; presumably "M. sp." of Coombs 1978b; also from "near Spanish Diggings": Schultz and Falkenbach 1949
"Merycoides giganteus n. sp." = Desmatochoerus megalodon7 Peterson 1907 oreodont "Muddy Creek"; also "Pseudodesmatochoerus hoffmani" type of Schultz and Falkenbach 1954 from Monroe Creek fm. "'high brown sand,' 2 mi. west of Bridge, Muddy Creek"
"Megoreodon fricki n. sp." = Megoreodon grandis8 Douglass 1907 oreodont also their "M. grandis" type and "Desmatochoerus hatcheri" type respectively from "Muddy Creek, Niobrara County"; both above and below the "white layer" at Muddy Creek; and above the "white layer" at Muddy Creek
"Desmatochoerus (Paradesmatochoerus) monroecreekensis n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor8 Douglass 1903 oreodont F:AM 37551
"Mesoreodon scotti n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor6 Douglass 1903 oreodont "Harrison formation at Muddy Creek"; includes "Desmatochoerus monroecreekensis" type of Schultz and Falkenbach 1954 from Monroe Creek fm., Muddy Creek
"Pithecistes copei" = Leptauchenia decora9 Leidy 1856 oreodont "Monroe Creek"; also their "L. margaryae" type from "below 'white layer'"
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Pseudolabis dakotensis5, "Protomeryx leonardi n. sp." = Miotylopus leonardi2, "Oxydactylus gibbi n. sp." = Miotylopus gibbi2, Miotylopus taylori5
"Protomeryx leonardi n. sp." = Miotylopus leonardi2 Loomis 1911 camel from "three miles below the 'Spanish Diggings' spring... (and) five miles further up the Muddy Creek"; see also Prothero 1996d
"Oxydactylus gibbi n. sp." = Miotylopus gibbi2 Loomis 1911 camel opposite Spanish Diggings Spring; see also Prothero 1996d
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Archaeocyon leptodus12, Archaeocyon falkenbachi n. sp.12, Cormocyon haydeni12, Otarocyon cooki12, Paraenhydrocyon josephi11, Enhydrocyon pahinsintewakpa11
Archaeocyon leptodus12 Schlaikjer 1935 bone-crushing dog "Muddy Creek Area... medial Arikareean... Niobrara and Platte counties"
Archaeocyon falkenbachi n. sp.12 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog "Muddy Creek Area, 1.5 mi west of bridge, 65 feet below the white layer, lower Arikaree Group (medial Arikareean)"
Cormocyon haydeni12 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog "West of Spanish Diggings, upper part of the lower Arikaree Group... Niobrara County"
Paraenhydrocyon josephi11 Cope 1881 canid 3 mi W of Muddy Creek locality and Muddy Creek sensu stricto
Enhydrocyon pahinsintewakpa11 Macdonald 1963 canid Muddy Creek locality, "high" beds and above "a white layer"; 1 mi W of Muddy Creek loc., low; 3 mi W of Muddy Creek loc., low and below the white layer; N side of Muddy Creek loc., high and middle
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"Florentiamys kennethi" = Florentiamys tiptoni Macdonald 1970 rodent "Muddy Creek, Niobrara-Platte Co. boundary, Wyo.; Monroe Creek Formation"
Sanctimus stouti n. sp. Wahlert 1983 rodent "Muddy Creek, Niobrara- Platte Co. boundary, Wyo.; Monroe Creek Formation"
Sanctimus simonisi n. sp. Wahlert 1983 rodent "Muddy Creek, Niobrara- Platte Co. boundary, Wyo.; Monroe Creek Formation"
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