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 | |
Enhydrocyon pahinsintewakpa12, Paraenhydrocyon josephi12, Otarocyon cooki13, Archaeocyon falkenbachi n. sp.13, Archaeocyon leptodus13, Cormocyon haydeni13
Enhydrocyon pahinsintewakpa12 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
Paraenhydrocyon josephi12 Cope 1881 canid 3 mi W of Muddy Creek locality and Muddy Creek sensu stricto
Archaeocyon falkenbachi n. sp.13 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)"
Archaeocyon leptodus13 Schlaikjer 1935 bone-crushing dog "Muddy Creek Area... medial Arikareean... Niobrara and Platte counties"
Cormocyon haydeni13 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog "West of Spanish Diggings, upper part of the lower Arikaree Group... Niobrara County"
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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 cursor8, "Desmatochoerus (Paradesmatochoerus) monroecreekensis n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor9, "Mesoreodon scotti n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor7, Sespia ultima n. sp.10, "Pithecistes copei n. sp." = Leptauchenia decora10, "Cyclopidius lullianus n. sp." = Leptauchenia lullianus11, "Mesoreodon megalodon" = Desmatochoerus megalodon3, "Merycoides giganteus n. sp." = Desmatochoerus megalodon8, "Megoreodon fricki n. sp." = Megoreodon grandis9, Pseudodesmatochoerus hoffmani n. gen. n. sp.9
"Merycoides nebraskensis" = Merycoides cursor8 Douglass 1907 oreodont "Muddy Creek"; type of ssp. Merycoides nebraskensis blairi
"Desmatochoerus (Paradesmatochoerus) monroecreekensis n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor9 Douglass 1903 oreodont F:AM 37551
"Mesoreodon scotti n. sp." = Mesoreodon minor7 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 n. sp." = Leptauchenia decora10 Leidy 1856 oreodont "Monroe Creek"; also their "L. margaryae" type from "below 'white layer'"
"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 megalodon8 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 grandis9 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
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Pseudolabis dakotensis5, Miotylopus taylori5, "Oxydactylus gibbi n. sp." = Miotylopus gibbi2, "Protomeryx leonardi n. sp." = Miotylopus leonardi2
"Oxydactylus gibbi n. sp." = Miotylopus gibbi2 Loomis 1911 camel opposite Spanish Diggings Spring; see also Prothero 1996d
"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
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Diceratherium annectens6 Marsh 1873 rhinoceros "Middle Arikareean, Monroe Creek Formation, 3.5 miles west of Muddy Creek Bridge, Niobrara County, Wyoming"
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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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"Florentiamys kennethi" = Florentiamys tiptoni Macdonald 1970 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"
Sanctimus stouti n. sp. Wahlert 1983 rodent "Muddy Creek, Niobrara- Platte Co. boundary, Wyo.; Monroe Creek Formation"
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