Skull Spring (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as CIT 57; UO 2490, 2491, 2492

Where: Malheur County, Oregon (43.6° N, 117.5° W: paleocoordinates 44.4° N, 114.4° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Butte Creek Formation, Barstovian (16.0 - 13.6 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; volcaniclastic sediments

• Volcanic Sandstone

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: C. L. Gazin. 1932. A Miocene Mammalian Fauna From South-Eastern Oregon. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 418(3):37-86 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 19056: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 26.07.1994, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• not in the Sucker Creek Fm., contra Tedford et al. 1987
within the Red Basin and based on float material from several localities, most or all of which were a few miles south of UO 2495 and 2497
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Aplodontidae
Liodontia alexandrae Furlong 1910 mountain beaver
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Citellus ridgwayi n. sp.3, "Sciurus tephrus n. sp." = Protospermophilus tephrus, "Sciurus malheurensis n. sp." = Protospermophilus malheurensis
Citellus ridgwayi n. sp.3 Gazin 1932 ground squirrel
"Sciurus tephrus n. sp." = Protospermophilus tephrus Gazin 1932 squirrel
includes type of "Citellus ridgwayi"
"Sciurus malheurensis n. sp." = Protospermophilus malheurensis Gazin 1932 squirrel
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
"? Diprionomys oregonensis n. sp." = Peridiomys oregonensis
"? Diprionomys oregonensis n. sp." = Peridiomys oregonensis Gazin 1932 rodent
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Hesperogaulus gazini n. sp.7 Korth 1999 rodent
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hypohippus sp. Leidy 1858 anchitheriine horse
may include "? Chalicotheriidae indet." according to Skinner 1968
Parahippus coloradensis Gidley 1907 anchitheriine horse
Merychippus brevidontus2 Bode 1935 horse
"Merychippus isonesus" = Acritohippus isonesus Cope 1889 horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuinae indet.5 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
Blastomerycinae indet.1 Frick 1937 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Dromomeryx borealis Cope 1877 ruminant
includes type of "Rakomeryx gazini" of Frick 1937
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Paracosoryx sp.4 Frick 1937 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
Ticholeptus zygomaticus8 Cope 1878 oreodont
assigned to "Metoreodon cf. profectus" and "Pronomotherium sp." by Thorpe 1937, but i.d. confirmed by Schultz and Falkenbach 1940; this is probably T. zygomaticus of Kelly and Lander 1988 from "Skull Springs"
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon cf. frendens Matthew 1924 bear-dog
"Amphicyon sinapius" = Cynelos sinapius Matthew 1902 bear-dog
cf. Pliocyon medius Matthew 1918 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
"Martes (Tomictis) gazini n. sp." = Plionictis gazini
"Martes (Tomictis) gazini n. sp." = Plionictis gazini Hall 1931 mustelid carnivore
from CIT 57: see Hall 1931
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursavus cf. primaevus6 Gaillard 1899 bear
 Carnivora - Canidae
? Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 canid
Euoplocyon brachygnathus10 Douglass 1903 bone-crushing dog
Paratomarctus temerarius10 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
 Proboscidea - Proboscidea
Proboscidea indet.9 proboscidean
UO 2491