Santa Cruz (Miocene of the United States)

Where: Santa Fe County, New Mexico (35.5° N, 106.2° W: paleocoordinates 36.1° N, 103.1° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: lower Pojoaque Member (Tesuque Formation), Barstovian (16.3 - 12.5 Ma)

• FT on zircon dates, in Ma:

•blue-gray ash: 9.4 +/- 0.9

•"probably" light blue or white ash: 11.4 +/- 1.1

•these dates are rejected on biochronological grounds by Tedford; this can be justified by paleomag (see Barghoorn 1981), so the date should not be used in calibration

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: R. H. Tedford and S. F. Barghoorn. 1993. Road Log Neogene geology of the EspaƱola Basin, New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin 2:169-178 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 19535: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 27.09.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• see also Tedford 1981

•includes Jacona Microfossil Quarry

Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium productum n. sp. Cope 1874 gomphothere
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Copemys loxodon Cope 1874 mouse
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Eucastor tortus Leidy 1858 beaver
"Eucastor or Monosaulax" of Tedford 1981
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
Mojavemys galushai n. sp.5 Korth and Chaney 1999 pocket gopher
UNSM 41614, 3 m below Pojoaque White Ash in the Pojoaque Member, North Pojoaque Bluffs, Rio Arriba County
Phelosaccomys neomexicanus5 Korth and Chaney 1999 pocket gopher
UNSM 41614
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
Perognathus minutus3 James 1963 pocket mouse
"Lower Pojoaque Bluffs, Pojoaque Member"
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
"Mylagaulus laevis" = Pterogaulus laevis, Notogaulus minor n. gen. n. sp.4, Notogaulus major4, Alphagaulus vetus4
"Mylagaulus laevis" = Pterogaulus laevis Matthew 1902 rodent
Notogaulus minor n. gen. n. sp.4 Korth 2013 rodent
type is from South Pojoaque Bluff locality; also from Santa Cruz locality s.s.
Notogaulus major4 Korth 2013 rodent
Santa Cruz locality s.s., and "Santa Clara locality"
Alphagaulus vetus4 Matthew 1924 rodent
from Southwest Pojoaque Bluffs locality
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Russellagus sp. Storer 1970 pika
Hesperolagomys sp. Clark et al. 1964 pika
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Metechinus amplior n. sp. Rich 1981 hedgehog
see Rich 1981
Untermannerix copiosus n. sp. Rich 1981 hedgehog
see Rich 1981
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Mystipterus sp. Hall 1930 mole
Gaillardia sp. Matthew 1932 mole
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Pseudocyon sp.2 Lartet 1851 bear-dog
Pojoaque Bluffs
 Carnivora - Ursidae
"Hemicyon ursinus" = Plithocyon ursinus
"Hemicyon ursinus" = Plithocyon ursinus Cope 1875 bear
at Pojoaque Bluffs: Hunt 1998a
 Carnivora - Canidae
Leptocyon vafer9 Leidy 1858 canine
Aelurodon stirtoni10 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
"Canis wheelerianus n. sp." = Aelurodon ferox Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
Epicyon haydeni10 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
"Spring west of San Ildefonso"; "San Ildefonso area"; "Half mi south of Battleship Mountain"; "Santa Fe area"; "Ojo Caliente, under lava mesa"
Epicyon saevus10 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
"San Ildefonso"; "Santa Cruz Red Layer"
Paratomarctus temerarius10 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
"Santa Cruz, First Wash"; "Red layer, Santa Cruz, Second Wash"; "Half mi west of Santa Cruz Dam, red layer"; Pojoaque Bluffs; North, South, and West Pojoaque Bluffs; San Ildefonso
Carpocyon webbi10 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
Microtomarctus conferta10 Matthew 1918 bone-crushing dog
"Camel Area"; "Third Division"; "lower Pojoaque Bluffs"; "Santa Cruz"; south Santa Cruz"; "West Cuyamunque"; "seventh wash, Santa Cruz area"; and general area Pojoaque and Tesuque sites
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
"Merychyus novomexicanus" = Ustatochoerus medius novomexicanus1 Frick 1929 oreodont
Ustatochoerus californicus Merriam 1919 oreodont
 Artiodactyla - Leptomerycidae
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
"Blastomeryx francesca" = Blastomeryx gemmifer, "? Longirostromeryx blicki" = Longirostromeryx wellsi
"Blastomeryx francesca" = Blastomeryx gemmifer Cope 1874 musk deer
"? Longirostromeryx blicki" = Longirostromeryx wellsi Matthew 1904 musk deer
said by Stirton 1944 to actually be Blastomeryx; may include "L. sp." of Tedford 1981 and/or "L. novomexicanus"
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Cosoryx sp. Leidy 1869 pronghorn
Ramoceros ramosus Cope 1874 pronghorn
"Meryceros crucensis" = Merycodus crucensis Frick 1937 pronghorn
"Meryceros sp." of Tedford and Barghoorn; unspecified level
Plioceros blicki n. sp. Frick 1937 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Cranioceras teres Cope 1874 ruminant
listed by Frick 1937 at "red layer"; "second wash, red layer"; "'green'"; "Rio Grande slope"
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Aepycamelus sp. Macdonald 1956 camel
Procamelus sp. Leidy 1858 camel
Michenia sp. Frick and Taylor 1971 camel
Protolabis sp. Cope 1876 camel
Australocamelus sp. Patton 1969 camel
Miolabis sp. Hay 1899 camel
Paramiolabis sp. Kelly 1992 camel
Nothotylopus sp. Patton 1969 camel
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hypohippus sp. Leidy 1858 anchitheriine horse
Megahippus cf. mckennai1 Tedford and Alf 1962 anchitheriine horse
Merychippus calamarius Cope 1875 horse
"Merychippus" coloradense6 Osborn 1918 horse
Protohippus sp. Leidy 1858 horse
Pliohippus sp. Marsh 1874 horse
possibly includes "Dinohippus sp." (probably based on unpublished MacFadden taxonomy: JA pers. obs.)
Cormohipparion sp. Skinner and MacFadden 1977 hipparionine horse
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras sp. Hatcher 1894 rhinoceros
Teleoceras brachyrhinum7 Prothero 2005 rhinoceros
Peraceras profectum8 Matthew 1899 rhinoceros
unspecified level in Pojoaque Mbr.; Tedford and Barghoorn list "P. crassus" and "a small species"
Aphelops megalodus7 Cope 1873 rhinoceros
"including A. cf. meridianus, Cope, 1875"; suspicious as "A." meridianus is actually Teleoceras