PJ 302 - Matura Member, Matura (Pliocene of Trinidad and Tobago)

Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.7° N, 61.1° W: paleocoordinates 10.6° N, 60.3° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Matura Member (Talparo Formation), Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• Collection is from the Matura Sand and Clay Member of the Talparo Formation. The Matura fauna is considered to be of early Pliocene age and is probably slightly younger than the Courbaril fauna. The Matura shell bed has variously been attributed to the Pliocene (Guppy 1864, 1867, 1874; Maury 1925; Kugler 1953; Woodring 1966) or Pleistocene (Kugler 1936).

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shoreface; poorly lithified, shelly/skeletal, brown, argillaceous, sandy mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sediments

• The Matura fauna is a typical tropical, nearshore assemblage.
• From blocks of highly limonitic, brown coquina with intercalations of clay and silt.

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 60416: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 14.05.2006

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for Mollusca. Several species of corals, bryozoa, lots of spines of echinodemrs, an Ophiuran (Berry 1935), fish teeth, otoliths, Balanus, and ostracods are present. Saunders in an unpublished report listed foraminifera from this locality.
Gastropoda
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Trochita radians Lamarck 1816 slipper shell
Crucibulum (Crucibulum) piliferum Guppy 1867 slipper shell
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Vermicularia spirata Philippi 1836 turret shell
Vermicularia ? trilineata Guppy 1864 turret shell
 Cerithioidea - Planaxidae
 Pseudomelanoidea - Pseudomelaniidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Vitrinellidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Hipponicidae
Cheilea cf. equestris Linnaeus 1758 hoof shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena, Tectonatica pusilla
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Tectonatica pusilla Say 1822 moon snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Rissoidae
Rissoina (Rissoina) sp. d'Orbigny 1840 snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Polystira "sp. A" Woodring 1928 turrid
 Neogastropoda - Terebridae
Hastula aff. hastata Gmelin 1791 auger snail
Strioterebrum sp. Sacco 1891 auger snail
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Typhis (Typhinellus) sowerbii1 Broderip 1833 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Olivella (Olivella) sp. Swainson 1831 olive snail
 Neogastropoda - Nassariidae
"Nassarius (Uzita) cf. albus" = Nassarius antillarum
"Nassarius (Uzita) cf. albus" = Nassarius antillarum d'Orbigny 1847 snail
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
Aesopus peculiaris, "Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Triviidae
"Erato maugeriae" = Archierato maugeriae
"Erato maugeriae" = Archierato maugeriae Gray 1832 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Triphoridae
 Sorbeoconcha - Cerithiopsidae
Retilaskeya bicolor2 Adams 1845 snail
"Seila cf. adamsi" = Seila adamsii Lea 1845 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
Petaloconchus cf. floridanus Olsson and Harbison 1953 worm shell
 Vanikoroidea - Eulimidae
Balcis "sp. A" Leach 1847 snail
Niso sp. Risso 1826 snail
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
 Trochoidea - Skeneidae
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
Calliostoma laticarinatum Guppy 1867 top snail
"Calliostoma decipiens" = Calliostoma (Calliostoma) decipiens Guppy 1867 top snail
Microgaza oblita top snail
 Trochoidea - Turbinidae
"Astraea (Astralium) cf. brevispina" = Astralium
"Astraea (Astralium) cf. brevispina" = Astralium snail
 Opisthobranchia - Cylichnidae
Acteocina canaliculata Say 1826 barrel-bubble
 Neritoidea - Neritidae
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail
 Heterostropha - Mathildidae
Mathilda "sp. A" Semper 1865 snail
 Heterostropha - Pyramidellidae
Turbonilla "sp. C" Risso 1826 snail
Turbonilla "sp. A" Risso 1826 snail
Triptychus (Peristichia) sp. Mörch 1875 snail
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) guppyi" = Pseudotorinia, "Architectonica (Architectonica) nobilis" = Architectonica nobilis
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) guppyi" = Pseudotorinia snail
"Architectonica (Architectonica) nobilis" = Architectonica nobilis Röding 1798 sundial
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Saccella) perlepida" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) perlepida" = Saccella pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
"Nucula (Lamellinucula) vieta" = Nucula (Nucula) vieta, Nucula (Lamellinucula) baccata
"Nucula (Lamellinucula) vieta" = Nucula (Nucula) vieta Guppy 1874 nut clam
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Pectinida - Plicatulidae
Plicatula gibbosa Lamarck 1801 scallop
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) rutamensis" = Argopecten, "Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) demiurgus" = Argopecten demiurgus
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) rutamensis" = Argopecten calico scallop
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) demiurgus" = Argopecten demiurgus Dall 1898 calico scallop
 Arcida - Arcidae
"Barbatia (Acar) domingensis" = Acar domingensis, "Arca (Arca) zebra" = Byssoarca zebra, Lunarca billingsiana, "Barbatia (? Fugleria) millifila" = Fugleria
"Barbatia (Acar) domingensis" = Acar domingensis Lamarck 1819 miniature ark
"Arca (Arca) zebra" = Byssoarca zebra Swainson 1833 ark
Subspecies: Arca (A.) zebra zebra
Lunarca billingsiana Maury 1912 ark
"Barbatia (? Fugleria) millifila" = Fugleria clam
Subspecies: B. (F.) millifera latrinidadis
 Arcida - Glycymerididae
 Arcida - Noetiidae
Arcopsis adamsi Dall 1886 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Juliacorbula aequivalvis Philippi 1836 clam
"Notocorbula aff. disparilis" = Corbula (Notocorbula) clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia, Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle
 Cardiida - Donacidae
Donax striatus Linnaeus 1767 clam
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Pseudochama aff. caloosana jewel box
[entered as Pseudochama calooosana]
Chama sp. Linnaeus 1758 jewel box
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Anomalocardia brasiliana Gmelin 1792 venus clam
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
"Chione (Chione) cancellata" = Chione cancellata Linnaeus 1767 venus clam
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Mulinia sp. Gray 1837 clam
 Carditida - Carditidae
 Carditida - Crassatellidae
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae