USGS 20432 - 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 60410: 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.
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
 Carditida - Carditidae
"Carditamera (Bryssomera) aff. affinis" = Carditamera affinis
"Carditamera (Bryssomera) aff. affinis" = Carditamera affinis Sowerby 1823 clam
 Pholadida - Pholadidae
Martesia striata Linnaeus 1758 clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama cf. macerophylla Gmelin 1791 jewel box
[entered as Chama macrophylla]
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Mulinia sp. Gray 1837 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora venus clam
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Macoma (Psammacoma) "sp. B" Dall 1900 tellin clam
Strigilla (Strigilla) carnaria Linnaeus 1758 tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
Eurytellina punicea Born 1778 tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
Psammotreta galbana tellin clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Semele laevis Sowerby 1833 clam
Subspecies: Semele laevis costaricensis
Semele purpurascens Gmelin 1791 clam
Semele proficua Pulteney 1799 clam
Abra cf. aequalis Say 1822 abra
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Arcida - Arcidae
 Arcida - Noetiidae
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) sp." = Argopecten Monterosato 1889 calico scallop
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle
Gastropoda
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
"Bittium (Bittiolum) fretense" = Bittiolum, Cerithium harrisi
"Bittium (Bittiolum) fretense" = Bittiolum cerith snail
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Caecidae
Caecum "sp. D" Fleming 1813 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Tornidae
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Volvarina "sp. B" Hinds 1844 margin shell
Prunum (Prunum) dallianum Maury 1912 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
"Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana
"Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana Maury 1925 murex snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Perissityidae
Melongena melongena Linnaeus 1758 true whelk
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 true whelk
 Caenogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae