PBDB Collection

Chesapeake Bay (Upper Calvert) (Miocene to of the United States)

Also known as Cat Creek; Chesapeake Beach; Drum Cliff; Governor Run; Kenwood Beach; Long Beach; Plum Point; Randle Cliff; Scientist's Cliff

Where: Calvert County, Maryland (38.4° N, 76.5° W: paleocoordinates 38.6° N, 72.8° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Plum Point Member (Calvert Formation), Burdigalian to Burdigalian (20.4 - 13.8 Ma)

• Beds 4–13 are late Burdigalian-Langhian

Environment/lithology: transition zone or lower shoreface; sandy claystone

• Mollusk (especially Pycnodonte percrassa)-bearing blue-green (at the base) to greenish (in the middle) to brown (at the top) sandy clay.

•Subtropical, not far from shore

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: R. H. Tedford and M. E. Hunter. 1984. Miocene marine-nonmarine correlations, Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, North America. Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 47:129-151 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 18518: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Mark Uhen and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• beds 13 to 15; 15 is in the Choptank Fm. according to Tedford and Hunter but in the Calvert Fm. according to Wright and Eshelman 1987unless otherwise noted, provenance at this level is assumed by Tedford and HunterCat Creek and Drum Cliff are in St. Mary's Co.: Wright and Eshelman 1987

Show authors, comments, and common names

Reptilia
Testudines -	"Chelonia indet." = Testudines⁴ "Chelonia indet." = Testudines⁴ Batsch 1788 turtle
Testudines - Testudinidae	Floridemys hurdi n. sp.⁶ Floridemys hurdi n. sp.⁶ Weems and George 2013 turtle CMM 4666 (holotype), nuchal (Weems and George 2013, fig. 12)
Mammalia
Artiodactyla - Protoceratidae	Protoceratidae indet.⁵ Protoceratidae indet.⁵ Marsh 1891 protoceratid
Artiodactyla - Camelidae	? Aepycamelus sp. ? Aepycamelus sp. Macdonald 1956 camel
Cetacea - Physeteridae	Orycterocetus crocodilinus² Orycterocetus crocodilinus² Cope 1867 sperm whale
Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae	"Prosthennops niobrarensis" = Colbertchoerus niobrarensis⁷, "Prosthennops xiphodonticus" = Stirtonhyus xiphodonticus⁷ "Prosthennops niobrarensis" = Colbertchoerus niobrarensis⁷ Colbert 1935 peccary Governor's Run Road, ? bed 15 "Prosthennops xiphodonticus" = Stirtonhyus xiphodonticus⁷ Barbour 1925 peccary Kenwood Beach, ? bed 14; Scientist's Cliff, bed 14
Perissodactyla - Equidae	Archaeohippus sp., Equinae indet.¹ Archaeohippus sp. Gidley 1906 anchitheriine horse provenance is questioned by Wright and Eshelman 1987 on biochronological grounds, but their argument seems poor in light of the Norden Bridge fauna Equinae indet.¹ Steinmann and Döderlein 1890 horse
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	? Aphelops sp. ? Aphelops sp. Owen 1845 rhinoceros beds 13 and 14
Perissodactyla - Tapiridae	Tapiravus cf. validus Tapiravus cf. validus Marsh 1871 tapir
Carnivora - Amphicyonidae	Amphicyonidae indet.¹ Amphicyonidae indet.¹ Haeckel 1886 bear-dog
Proboscidea - Mammutidae	"Gomphotherium calvertensis" = Gomphotherium obscurum "Gomphotherium calvertensis" = Gomphotherium obscurum Leidy 1869 mastodon beds 13 and 14
Chondrichthyes
Hexanchiformes - Hexanchidae	"Notidanus primigenius" = Notorhynchus primigenius³ "Notidanus primigenius" = Notorhynchus primigenius³ Agassiz 1835 sevengill shark
Heterodontiformes - Heterodontidae	"Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca³ "Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca³ Agassiz 1843 bullhead shark var. eastmani, n. var.
Squatiniformes - Squatinidae	Squatina occidentalis³ Squatina occidentalis³ Eastman 1904 angel shark
Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdidae	Galeocerdo aduncus³ Galeocerdo aduncus³ Agassiz 1835 tiger shark
Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae	Prionodon egertoni³ Prionodon egertoni³ Agassiz 1843 blue shark
Carcharhiniformes - Sphyrnidae	Sphyrna laevissima³ Sphyrna laevissima³ Cope 1867 hammerhead shark
Carcharhiniformes - Hemigaleidae	Hemipristis serra³ Hemipristis serra³ Agassiz 1835 ground shark
Lamniformes - Lamnidae	"Oxyrhina hastalis" = Carcharodon hastalis³, "Oxyrhina retroflexa" = Isurus retroflexus³ "Oxyrhina hastalis" = Carcharodon hastalis³ Agassiz 1838 white shark "Oxyrhina retroflexa" = Isurus retroflexus³ Agassiz 1838 mackerel shark
Lamniformes - Odontaspididae	"Odontaspis cuspidata" = Araloselachus cuspidatus³, Odontaspis actutissima³ "Odontaspis cuspidata" = Araloselachus cuspidatus³ Agassiz 1843 sand tiger shark Odontaspis actutissima³ Agassiz 1843 sand tiger shark
Myliobatiformes - Rhinopteridae	Rhinoptera sp.³ Rhinoptera sp.³ Cuvier 1829 cownose ray
Myliobatiformes - Aetobatidae	"Aetobatis arcuatus" = Aetobatus irregularis³ "Aetobatis arcuatus" = Aetobatus irregularis³ Agassiz 1843 stingray

¹Alroy 2002; ²Kellogg 1965; ³Leriche 1942; ⁴Uhen 2007; ⁵Webb 1998; ⁶Weems and George 2013; ⁷Wright and Eshelman 1987