USGS 10991 - Courbaril Member, Point Courbaril (Pliocene of Trinidad and Tobago)

Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.2° N, 61.6° W: paleocoordinates 10.2° N, 60.9° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Courbaril Member (Morne l'Enfer Formation), Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• Collection is from the Courbaril Sand and Clay Member of the Upper Morne l'Enfer Formation. The Courbaril fauna is considered to be of early Pliocene age and is probably slightly older than the Matura fauna.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shoreface; poorly lithified sandstone and claystone

• The assemblage as a whole points to a nearshore environment, with some brackish influence (compared with Melajo Clay assemblages).
• Poor reporting of lithologies. Named as the "Courbaril Sand and Clay Member", so these lithologies are assigned.

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the PRI, USNM

Collection methods: quarrying,

• All material descibed in this report is reposited in the Naturhistorisches Mueum, Basel, or the USNM. Additional material collection from this unit is found at PRI.

Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 60409: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 14.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Mollusca. Crab claws, corals, fish teeth, and scarce foraminifera also exist in the unit, though are not listed. Van de Bold (1963) also lists ostracords from several localities.
Show authors, comments, and common names
Gastropoda
 Neritoidea - Neritidae
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
Epitonium (Epitonium) aff. foliaceicostatum, Epitonium (Epitonium) humphreysi
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
"Bittium (Bittiolum) fretense" = Bittiolum, Cerithium harrisi
"Bittium (Bittiolum) fretense" = Bittiolum cerith snail
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail
 Neogastropoda - Mangeliidae
Ithycythara sp.
Ithycythara sp. Woodring 1928 snail
 Neogastropoda - Nassariidae
Nassarius ? galbanus, Nassarius (Phrontis) vibex, Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, Anachis (Anachis) asphaltoda, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail
"Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum Guppy 1874 snail
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Chicoreus (Triplex) cornurectus1, "Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana, Risomurex galbensis, Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemostoma
Chicoreus (Triplex) cornurectus1 Guppy 1876 murex snail
"Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana Maury 1925 murex snail
Risomurex galbensis murex snail
Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemostoma Linnaeus 1767 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Prunum (Prunum) dallianum
Prunum (Prunum) dallianum Maury 1912 margin shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Triphoridae
Triphora guppyi
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea centralis
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
Diodora cavenensis
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) cf. semidecussata" = Pseudotorinia
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) cf. semidecussata" = Pseudotorinia snail
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum
Bivalvia
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia simplex
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten Monterosato 1889 calico scallop
 Arcida - Noetiidae
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana
 Arcida - Arcidae
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis, Anadara (Cunearca) filicata, Lunarca billingsiana
Lunarca billingsiana Maury 1912 ark
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
Lucina (Lucinisca) roigi
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Juliacorbula aequivalvis, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp.
Juliacorbula aequivalvis Philippi 1836 clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Cumingia galbensis, Semele aff. anteriocosta, Semele laevis, Abra cf. aequalis
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam
Semele laevis Sowerby 1833 clam
Subspecies: Semele laevis costaricensis
Abra cf. aequalis Say 1822 abra
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissurata" = Tellina (Eurytellina)
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissurata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
 Cardiida - Donacidae
Donax striatus
Donax striatus Linnaeus 1767 clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis, "Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama cf. macerophylla2
Chama cf. macerophylla2 Gmelin 1791 jewel box
[entered as Chama macrophylla]
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana, Dosinia (Dosinia) sp., "Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora venus clam
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam
1Landau and Marques da Silva 2010; 2Rosenberg 2005