PBDB Collection

Rusinga Island (Miocene of Kenya)

Also known as ETE Locality 543, Rusinga Island,

Where: Kenya (0.4° S, 34.1° E: paleocoordinates 1.6° S, 32.0° E)

When: Burdigalian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• ETE dating method: time_unit, ETE age comment: 0. New total-fusion K-Ar ages indicate that all of the fossiliferous formations that make up the lower part of the Early Miocene Kisingiri sequence in western Kenya at Rusinga Island, Mfwangano Island, and Karungu were deposited during an interval of less than 0.5 million years at c. 17.8 Ma ago.

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

• ETE rock type adj: 0, ETE lithology comments: 0

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: ETE Size: .; ETE reference list: 409, ; ETE museum list:

Primary reference: W. W. Bishop and J. D. Clark. 1965. Background to Evolution in Africa. University of Chicago Press, Chicago [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Kosnik]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 21725: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 28.08.1995, edited by Mark Uhen, John Alroy and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Mammalia
Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae	Myorycteropus africanus n. gen. n. sp.² Myorycteropus africanus n. gen. n. sp.² MacInnes 1955 aardvark
Artiodactyla - Giraffidae	Canthumeryx sirtensis¹ Canthumeryx sirtensis¹ Hamilton 1973 giraffe
Carnivora - Amphicyonidae	Hecubides euryodon⁴, Hecubides macrodon n. sp.⁴ Hecubides euryodon⁴ Savage 1965 bear-dog Hecubides macrodon n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 bear-dog
Carnivora - Viverridae	Kichechia zamanae n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Kichechia zamanae n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 civet
Carnivora - Felidae	"Metailurus africanus" = Pseudaelurus africanus⁴ "Metailurus africanus" = Pseudaelurus africanus⁴ Andrews 1914 cat
Creodonta -	Anasinopa leakeyi n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Anasinopa leakeyi n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 creodont
Creodonta - Hyainailouridae	Metapterodon kaiseri⁴, Pterodon nyanzae⁴, Pterodon africanus⁴, Leakitherium hiwegi n. gen. n. sp.⁴, "Metapterodon zadoki n. sp." = Isohyaenodon zadoki⁴ Metapterodon kaiseri⁴ Stromer 1926 creodont Pterodon nyanzae⁴ Savage 1965 creodont Pterodon africanus⁴ Andrews 1903 creodont Leakitherium hiwegi n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 creodont "Metapterodon zadoki n. sp." = Isohyaenodon zadoki⁴ Savage 1965 creodont
Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae	Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) matthewi⁴, Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) andrewsi⁴, Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) pilgrimi n. sp.⁴ Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) matthewi⁴ Savage 1965 creodont Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) andrewsi⁴ Savage 1965 creodont Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) pilgrimi n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 creodont
Ptolemaiida - Kelbidae	Kelba quadeemae n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Kelba quadeemae n. gen. n. sp.⁴ Savage 1965 mammal
Aves
Accipitriformes - Accipitridae	cf. Accipiter tachiro⁵ cf. Accipiter tachiro⁵ Daudin 1800 African goshawk
Reptilia
Testudines - Pelomedusidae	Pelusios rusingae n. sp.⁶ Pelusios rusingae n. sp.⁶ Williams 1954 sideneck turtle Coryndon Museum Ru F3617, a partial carapace and plastron.
Testudines - Testudinidae	Impregnochelys pachytectis n. gen. n. sp.³ Impregnochelys pachytectis n. gen. n. sp.³ Meylan and Auffenberg 1986 turtle collected by L. S. B. Leakey in 1935 somewhere on Rusinga Island and "assumed to be from the uppermost Kathwanga Series"

¹Hamilton 1978; ²MacInnes 1955; ³Meylan and Auffenberg 1986; ⁴Savage 1965; ⁵Walker and Dyke 2006; ⁶Williams 1954