Thomson Quarry (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as Sheep Creek Quarry; Stonehouse Draw; Thompson Quarry

Where: Sioux County, Nebraska (42.4° N, 103.8° W: paleocoordinates 43.1° N, 99.9° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: middle Member (Sheep Creek Formation), Hemingfordian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• Sheep Creek Ash is dated at 16.3 +/- 0.13 Ma (SCLF AA): MacFadden et al. 1990; Woodburne 1996a uses a date of 17.0 Ma but is simply following Tedford et al. 1987; if sample is same as KA 891 of Evernden et al. 1964, it is the No. 3 ash of Skinner et al. from the top of the middle Sheep Creek Fm.

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Collected by Albert Thomson in 1923, 1925, 1938, 1947; reposited in the AMNH

• apparently all of the pre-1934 collections from the Sheep Creek Fm. sensu stricto are from this locality

•note, however, that "Sheep Creek Quarry" is also used for Trojan Quarry

Primary reference: M. F. Skinner, S. M. Skinner, and R. J. Gooris. 1977. Stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of late Cenozoic deposits in central Sioux County, western Nebraska. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 158(5):263-370 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 18001: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot and Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• type of Brachyerix incertis ("Talpa incerta") is said by Matthew 1924 to be from "Thomson's B" but by Skinner et al. to be from Trojan Quarry (see)
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
"Mesogaulus vetus n. sp." = Alphagaulus vetus, "Mesogaulus novellus n. sp." = Galbreathia novellus
"Mesogaulus vetus n. sp." = Alphagaulus vetus Matthew 1924 rodent
see also Korth 2000d
"Mesogaulus novellus n. sp." = Galbreathia novellus Matthew 1924 rodent
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Aphelops megalodus9 Cope 1873 rhinoceros
Teleoceras americanum9 Yatkola and Tanner 1979 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Tylocephalonyx skinneri4 Coombs 1979 chalicothere
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Archaeohippus penultimus n. sp. Matthew 1924 anchitheriine horse
Hypohippus sp.8 Leidy 1858 anchitheriine horse
Supplemental Table S1
Merychippus primus Osborn 1918 horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Hesperhys vagrans7 Douglass 1903 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Protolabis saxeus n. sp., "Miolabis tenuis n. sp." = Paramiolabis tenuis
Protolabis saxeus n. sp. Matthew 1924 camel
"Miolabis tenuis n. sp." = Paramiolabis tenuis Matthew 1924 camel
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
"Blastomeryx medius n. sp." = Blastomeryx gemmifer
"Blastomeryx medius n. sp." = Blastomeryx gemmifer Cope 1874 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
"Dromomeryx scotti" = Subdromomeryx antilopinus5, Sinclairomeryx riparius n. sp.
"Dromomeryx scotti" = Subdromomeryx antilopinus5 Scott 1893 ruminant
also "D. wilsoni" type; see also Stirton 1944
Sinclairomeryx riparius n. sp. Matthew 1924 ruminant
see also Frick 1937; includes his type of "S. sinclairi"
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
Merychyus relictus, "Brachycrus wilsoni n. sp." = Brachycrus laticeps
Merychyus relictus Matthew and Cook 1909 oreodont
see Schultz and Falkenbach 1947, as from both Thomson Quarry and 1921 "Sheep Creek Quarry"
"Brachycrus wilsoni n. sp." = Brachycrus laticeps Douglass 1900 oreodont
see Schultz and Falkenbach 1940
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon frendens n. sp., "Amphicyon idoneus n. sp." = Cynelos idoneus, Pliocyon sp.6
Amphicyon frendens n. sp. Matthew 1924 bear-dog
"Amphicyon idoneus n. sp." = Cynelos idoneus Matthew 1924 bear-dog
Pliocyon sp.6 Matthew 1918 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Sthenictis bellus n. sp. Matthew 1932 mustelid carnivore
see Matthew 1932b
Brachypsalis matutinus n. sp. Matthew 1924 mustelid carnivore
Dinogale siouxensis n. sp. Cook and Macdonald 1962 mustelid carnivore
originally described by Cook and Macdonald 1962 from Stonehouse Draw
 Carnivora - Canidae
Leptocyon leidyi10, Osbornodon fricki11, "Cynarctoides mustelinus n. sp." = Cynarctoides acridens, "Tomarctus optatus n. sp." = Protomarctus optatus
Leptocyon leidyi10 Tedford et al. 2009 canine
Osbornodon fricki11 Wang 1994 canid
"Cynarctoides mustelinus n. sp." = Cynarctoides acridens Barbour and Cook 1914 bone-crushing dog
see Matthew 1932b, Wang et al. 1999
"Tomarctus optatus n. sp." = Protomarctus optatus Matthew 1924 bone-crushing dog
see also Wang et al. 1999
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
"Testudo angusticeps n. sp." = Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) angusticeps
"Testudo angusticeps n. sp." = Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) angusticeps Matthew 1924 turtle
Matthew 1924
Aves
 Charadriiformes - Burhinidae
Burhinus lucorum n. sp.3 Bickart 1981 thick-knee
Skinner specimen collected in 1947 from Thomson Quarry
 Charadriiformes - Jacanidae
Jacanidae indet.2 Stejneger 1885 shorebird
 Falconiformes - Falconidae
Pediohierax ramenta1 Wetmore 1936 raptor
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Urubitinga enecta n. sp.12 Wetmore 1923 black hawk
new specimen collected in 1925 by Albert Thomson in "Stonehouse Draw"
Neophrontops vetustus n. sp.14 Wetmore 1943 Old World vulture
H. J. Cook specimen collected in 1938 from "Stonehouse Draw Quarry"
Buteogallus enecta2 black-hawks
 Psittaciformes - Psittacidae
Conuropsis fratercula n. sp.13 Wetmore 1926 Carolina parakeet
"Horizon A... Sheep Creek Beds... collected in 1923 in the Snake Creek quarries... by Albert Thomson": provenance questionable according to Skinner et al.
 Neornithes -
Strigiformes indet.2 Wagler 1830 owl
 Gruiformes - Aramidae
Aramornis longurio n. sp.13 Wetmore 1926 limpkin
"Horizon A... collected in 1923 in the Snake Creek Quarries... by Albert Thomson"
 Galliformes - Odontophoridae
Cyrtonyx cooki2 Wetmore 1934 New World quail