Skull Ridge (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: Skull Ridge Member (Tesuque Formation), Early/Lower Barstovian (16.3 - 12.5 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the AMNH

Primary reference: R. H. Tedford. 1981. Mammalian biochronology of the late Cenozoic basins of New Mexico. Geological Society America Bulletin 92 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Ju]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 19547: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 27.09.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot and Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• includes White Operation Quarry (see), but list is quite different
FT on zircon dates, in Ma:
No. 2 white ash: 14.6 +/- 1.2
No. 4 white ash: 14.1 +/- 1.1
second date on No. 4 ash (Izett & Naeser 1986): 12.7 +/- 1.4
No. 4 white ash redated at 15.42 +/- 0.06 Ma (SCLF Ar-Ar on sanidine) by McIntosh and Quade 1995; No. 3 white ash dated at 15.65 +/- 0.065 Ma according to Quade (1999 personal communication); White Operation Quarry is "just below" the No. 4 ash according to McIntosh and Quade
No. 2 ash redated at 15.59 +/- 0.07 Ma (SCLF AA on sanidine): Kuhle and Smith 2001
underlies Pojoaque Mbr.
"Cosoryx ilfonsensis" of Frick 1937 is omitted by Tedford and Barghoorn 1993
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Merychippus isonesus" = Acritohippus isonesus, "Merychippus cf. intermontanus" = Scaphohippus intermontanus, Anchitheriinae indet.14, Hypohippus cf. pertinax14, Megahippus sp.14
"Merychippus isonesus" = Acritohippus isonesus Cope 1889 horse
said to be "close to" isonesus
"Merychippus cf. intermontanus" = Scaphohippus intermontanus Merriam 1915 horse
Anchitheriinae indet.14 Leidy 1869 anchitheriine horse
"unnamed genus close to Anchitherium"; presumably includes "Anchitherium sp."
Hypohippus cf. pertinax14 Matthew 1918 anchitheriine horse
Megahippus sp.14 McGrew 1938 anchitheriine horse
"small"
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras brachyrhinum n. sp.10 Prothero 2005 rhinoceros
Peraceras profectum10 Matthew 1899 rhinoceros
Aphelops megalodus10 Cope 1873 rhinoceros
includes "Tesque Locality" and "Skull Ridge" from ""Skull Ridge Member"
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Merycodus sp.14 Leidy 1854 pronghorn
Cosoryx ilfonsensis3 Frick 1937 pronghorn
F:AM 31437
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
Blastomeryx gemmifer11 Cope 1874 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Dromomeryx borealis12 Cope 1877 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Michenia sp.14 Frick and Taylor 1971 camel
Protolabis sp.14 Cope 1876 camel
Australocamelus sp.14 Patton 1969 camel
Paramiolabis minutus9 Pagnac 2005 camel
Nothotylopus sp.14 Patton 1969 camel
Miolabis sp.14 Hay 1899 camel
Aepycamelus sp.14 Macdonald 1956 camel
Rakomylus raki4 Frick 1937 camel
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
Brachycrus siouense6 Sinclair 1915 oreodont
Merychyus sp. Leidy 1858 oreodont
see Schultz and Falkenbach 1947: "Lower... 'Santa Fe Beds'"
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Plithocyon sp.5 Ginsburg 1955 bear
said to be new; "Hemicyon sp."
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Bassariscus cf. parvus1 Hall 1927 ringtail
"west of Cuyamunque"; "southeast of White Operation"; "Third District"; "Skull Ridge" (sensu stricto); "west of highway and north of boundary of Pojoaque Grant, above #4 white ash"; "J Rak wash, 25 feet above ash F"
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon ingens, "Amphicyon sinapius" = Cynelos sinapius
Amphicyon ingens Matthew 1924 bear-dog
"Amphicyon sinapius" = Cynelos sinapius Matthew 1902 bear-dog
 Carnivora - Canidae
Osbornodon fricki n. sp.16 Wang 1994 canid
from Skull Ridge N of Pojoaque Church and S of Arroyo Seco
Leptocyon leidyi15 Tedford et al. 2009 canine
Microtomarctus cf. conferta14 Matthew 1918 bone-crushing dog
Psalidocyon marianae n. sp.17 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
"southeast of White Operation, Skull Ridge Member... Sante Fe County"
Paracynarctus kelloggi17 Merriam 1911 bone-crushing dog
"Cuyamunque"; "Tesuque"; "east of Tesuque"; "east of Tesuque Fault"; "west of Tesuque, Tesuque Boundary wash, light band east of Tesuque Fault"; "1 mi east of Cuyamunque"; and "5 ft below Ash A in block no. 3 south of Arroyo Seco, Skull Ridge"
Tomarctus brevirostris17 Cope 1873 bone-crushing dog
"Skull Ridge"; "Third District"
Tomarctus hippophaga17 Matthew and Cook 1909 bone-crushing dog
"Southeast of White Operation Wash"; "Cuyamunque"; "One mi north of White Operation"
Cynarctoides acridens17 Barbour and Cook 1914 bone-crushing dog
"Tesuque Grant, Skull Ridge Member... Santa Fe County"
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Metechinus amplior13 Rich 1981 hedgehog
Skull Ridge
Untermannerix copiosus13 Rich 1981 hedgehog
South Skull Ridge, Skull Ridge Mbr.
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Notogaulus minor8 Korth 2013 rodent
Notogaulus major8 Korth 2013 rodent
Alphagaulus vetus8 Matthew 1924 rodent
Ceratogaulus robustus n. sp.8 Korth 2013 rodent
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
"Cupidinimus cf. kleinfelderi" = Perognathoides kleinfelderi7
"Cupidinimus cf. kleinfelderi" = Perognathoides kleinfelderi7 Storer 1970 rodent
"Skull Ridge Member, east of Three Sisters Buttes"
Aves
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Palaeoborus umbrosus2 Cope 1874 Old World vulture