Poison Ivy Quarry (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as Ashfall; UNSM Ap-116

Where: Antelope County, Nebraska (42.3° N, 98.0° W: paleocoordinates 42.7° N, 95.4° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Cap Rock Member (Ash Hollow Formation), Clarendonian (13.6 - 10.3 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Primary reference: M. R. Voorhies. 1990. Vertebrate biostratigraphy of the Ogallala Group in Nebraska. In T. C. Gustavson (ed.), Geologic Framework and Regional Hydrology: Upper Cenozoic Blackwater Draw and Ogallala Formations, Great Plains 115-151 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 18324: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 05.08.1992, edited by Anna Behrensmeyer and Patricia Holroyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• most of the small mammals are from the sandstone level beneath the main ash layer

•">20" horse skeletons in total

•Perkins 1998 "tentatively" correlates the main ash bed with the Ibex Hollow ash bed, dated in Idaho at 11.93 +/- 0.03 Ma (SCLF Ar/Ar)

•list of Voorhies 1985 differs considerably, but in most cases because of preliminary identifications; however, "cf. Leptocyon sp." is omitted by Voorhies 1990 and is of unclear status

Angiospermae
 Poales - Poaceae
Berriochloa communis4 grass
from gut contents
Berriochloa primaeva4 grass
from gut contents
Aves
 Gruiformes - Gruidae
Balearica exigua4 crowned cranes
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
Rallidae indet.4 Vigors 1825 rail
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Apatosagittarius terrenus n. gen. n. sp.4 Feduccia and Voorhies 1989 hawk
Anchigyps voorhiesi4 Zhang and Feduccia 2012 hawk
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Hesperotestudo orthopygia4 Cope 1878 turtle
ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Testudinidae
 Testudines - Emydidae
Chrysemys sp.4 Gray 1844 painted turtle
skeletons, said to be new sp.
 Squamata - Scincidae
Plestiodon sp.4 Dumeril and Bibron 1839 skink
from gut contents
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubridae indet.4 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
 Squamata - Iguanidae
Sceloporus sp.4 Wiegmann 1828 spiny lizard
two species; from gut contents
 Squamata - Teiidae
Cnemidophorus cf. sexlineatus4 Linnaeus 1766 six-lined racerunner
from gut contents
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
cf. Eubelodon sp.4 Barbour 1914 gomphothere
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Myotis sp.2 Kaup 1829 vesper bat
a bat
 Carnivora - Canidae
Cynarctus cf. voorhiesi4 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
Leptocyon sp.4 Matthew 1918 canine
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"? Protohippus simus" = Protohippus supremus4 Leidy 1869 horse
Pliohippus pernix Marsh 1874 horse
agrees with JA pers. obs. 17.6.91
Cormohipparion occidentale4 Leidy 1856 hipparionine horse
JA pers. obs.: "Cormohipparion occidentale"; new small, short notch species
Pseudhipparion gratum Leidy 1869 hipparionine horse
Neohipparion affine Leidy 1869 hipparionine horse
JA pers. obs. 17.6.91
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras major Hatcher 1894 rhinoceros
accords with Mead 1999a, Prothero 1989 pers. comm.
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Protolabis heterodontus4 Cope 1874 camel
Megatylopus sp.4 Matthew and Cook 1909 camel
Procamelus grandis Gregory 1939 camel
Aepycamelus sp. Macdonald 1956 camel
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
"Merychyus novomexicanus" = Ustatochoerus medius novomexicanus1
"Merychyus novomexicanus" = Ustatochoerus medius novomexicanus1 Frick 1929 oreodont
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
Longirostromeryx wellsi Matthew 1904 musk deer
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Talpidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 mole
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Erinaceidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 hedgehog
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Ammospermophilus junturensis3 Shotwell and Russell 1963 antelope squirrel
Spermophilus cyanocittus3 Korth 1997 ground squirrel
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
Mioheteromys cf. amplissimus3 Korth 1997 rodent
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
"Phelosaccomys hibbardi" = Parapliosaccomys hibbardi3
"Phelosaccomys hibbardi" = Parapliosaccomys hibbardi3 Storer 1973 pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Copemys sp.4 Wood 1936 mouse
from gut contents
Antecalomys phthanus3 Korth 1998 mouse
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Ceratogaulus cf. anecdotus4 Korth 2000 rodent
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Hesperolagomys sp. Clark et al. 1964 pika
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae