Optima (Neogene of the United States)

Also known as Guymon; OMNH V52; UCMP V-2902

Where: Texas County, Oklahoma (36.7° N, 101.4° W: paleocoordinates 37.0° N, 99.7° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Ogallala Formation, Hemphillian (10.3 - 4.9 Ma)

• Baskin 1981 says late Hemphillian

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: C. J. Hesse. 1936. A Pliocene Vertebrate Fauna From Optima, Oklahoma. University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences 24(3):57-70 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 18304: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 05.08.1992, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• much closer to Optima than to Guymon
new material of Savage 1941 seems to be entirely from a later collection
see also Schultz 1990e
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Mammut sp.9 Blumenbach 1799 mastodon
 Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae
Megalonyx sp.5 Harlan 1825 edentate
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Dinohippus leidyanus6 Osborn 1918 horse
Astrohippus ansae1 Matthew and Stirton 1930 horse
Neohipparion gidleyi10 Merriam 1915 hipparionine horse
Neohipparion eurystyle Cope 1893 hipparionine horse
definitely Neohipparion based on figures of Hesse and Savage: JA pers. obs. 10.7.96
Nannippus lenticularis9 Cope 1893 hipparionine horse
definitely Nannippus based on Savage's figures: JA pers. obs. 10.7.96
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras hicksi7 Cook 1927 rhinoceros
pers. comm.: probably "T. cf. fossiger" of Savage 1941 and "T. sp."
Teleoceras guymonense n. sp.8 Prothero 2005 rhinoceros
pers. comm.: said to be a new species
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
? Texoceros minorei n. sp.3 Frick 1937 pronghorn
see also MacFadden et al. 1979
Texoceros guymonensis n. sp.3 Frick 1937 pronghorn
presumably includes "Capromeryx altidens"
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Pediomeryx hemphillensis9 Stirton 1936 ruminant
"? Drepanomeryx"; includes type of "Yumaceras falkenbachi" of Frick 1937
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
"Hemiauchenia vera" = Pleiolama vera10 Matthew 1909 camel
Megatylopus matthewi10 Webb 1965 camel
Alforjas taylori10 Harrison 1979 camel
probably "? Alticamelus sp." of Savage 1941
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuinae indet.9 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Carnivora - Felidae
Lynx proterolyncis9, "Machairodus cf. coloradensis" = Amphimachairodus coloradensis10, Adelphailurus sp.10
Lynx proterolyncis9 Savage 1941 lynx
"Machairodus cf. coloradensis" = Amphimachairodus coloradensis10 Cook 1922 cat
Adelphailurus sp.10 Hibbard 1934 cat
 Carnivora - Ursidae
"Agriotherium schneideri" = Huracan schneideri9
"Agriotherium schneideri" = Huracan schneideri9 Sellards 1916 bear
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Plesiogulo marshalli10 Martin 1928 mustelid carnivore
Pliotaxidea cf. nevadensis10 Butterworth 1916 badger
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Arctonasua fricki n. sp.2 Baskin 1982 procyonid carnivore
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes stenognathus n. sp.9 Savage 1941 fox
"Canis ferox" = Eucyon ferox11 Miller and Carranza-Castaneda 1998 canine
Eucyon davisi10 Merriam 1911 canine
Borophagus secundus1 VanderHoof 1931 bone-crushing dog
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Hypolagus cf. vetus9 Kellogg 1910 rabbit
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Mylagaulidae indet. Cope 1881 rodent
said to be "Mylagaulus sp." by Savage 1941
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Marmota sp.4 Frisch 1775 marmot
new specimens; definitely not Paenemarmota
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Dipoides sp.9 Jaeger 1835 beaver