USGS 19860 - 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 60417: 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 Saunders in an unpublished report listed foraminifera from this locality.
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Gastropoda
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) guppyi" = Pseudotorinia
"Architectonica (Pseudotorinia) guppyi" = Pseudotorinia snail
 Neritoidea - Neritidae
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea
"Neritina (Vitta) cf. virginia" = Neritina virginea Linnaeus 1758 snail
 Pseudomelanoidea - Pseudomelaniidae
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
Epitonium (Asperiscala) cf. candeanum d'Orbigny 1842 wentletrap
Epitonium (Epitonium) albidum Orbigny 1842 wentletrap
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Vermicularia spirata Philippi 1836 turret shell
Vermicularia trilineata Guppy 1864 turret shell
 Vanikoroidea - Eulimidae
Niso sp. Risso 1826 snail
Balcis "sp. A" Leach 1847 snail
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Trochita radians Lamarck 1816 slipper shell
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
"Crucibulum (Crucibulum) subsutum" = Crucibulum subsutum Guppy 1867 slipper shell
Crucibulum (Crucibulum) piliferum Guppy 1867 slipper shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Triphoridae
 Sorbeoconcha - Cerithiopsidae
"Seila cf. adamsi" = Seila adamsii Lea 1845 snail
Retilaskeya bicolor2 Adams 1845 snail
Cerithiopsis ? sp. Hanley 1849 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
Serpulorbis decussatus Gmelin 1791 worm shell
Petaloconchus cf. floridanus Olsson and Harbison 1953 worm shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Bursidae
"Bursa (Marsupina) bufo" = Marsupina bufo
"Bursa (Marsupina) bufo" = Marsupina bufo Bruguiére 1792 frog shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Triviidae
"Erato maugeriae" = Archierato maugeriae
"Erato maugeriae" = Archierato maugeriae Gray 1832 snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Volvarina "sp. B" Hinds 1844 margin shell
Prunum (Prunum) dallianum Maury 1912 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Thais (Stramonita) cf. haemostoma Linnaeus 1767 murex snail
Typhis (Typhinellus) sowerbii1 Broderip 1833 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Cystiscidae
"Persicula (Rabicea) cf. interruptolineata" = Persicula interruptalineata
"Persicula (Rabicea) cf. interruptolineata" = Persicula interruptalineata Megerle von Mühlfeld 1818 snail
 Neogastropoda - Mitridae
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Olivella (Olivella) sp. Swainson 1831 olive snail
 Neogastropoda - Nassariidae
Pallacera cf. gaudelupensis, "Nassarius (Uzita) cf. albus" = Nassarius antillarum
"Nassarius (Uzita) cf. albus" = Nassarius antillarum d'Orbigny 1847 snail
 Neogastropoda - Buccinidae
Strombinophos sp. Pilsbry and Olsson 1941 true whelk
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Polystira "sp. A" Woodring 1928 turrid
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone 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 - Caecidae
Caecum "sp. E" Fleming 1813 snail
 Trochoidea - Turbinidae
"Astraea (Astralium) cf. brevispina" = Astralium
"Astraea (Astralium) cf. brevispina" = Astralium snail
 Trochoidea - Skeneidae
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
Calliostoma laticarinatum Guppy 1867 top snail
"Calliostoma decipiens" = Calliostoma (Calliostoma) decipiens Guppy 1867 top snail
Calliostoma plicomphalus Guppy 1867 top snail
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail
Microgaza oblita top snail
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
 Patellida - Lottiidae
Acmaea sp. Eschscholtz 1830 limpet
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Saccella) perlepida" = Saccella
"Nuculana (Saccella) perlepida" = Saccella pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea cf. virginica Gmelin 1791 oyster
 Pectinida - Plicatulidae
Plicatula gibbosa Lamarck 1801 scallop
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. gibbus" = Argopecten gibbus, "Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) demiurgus" = Argopecten demiurgus, "Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) rutamensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. gibbus" = Argopecten gibbus Linnaeus 1758 calico scallop
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) demiurgus" = Argopecten demiurgus Dall 1898 calico scallop
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) rutamensis" = Argopecten calico scallop
 Arcida - Glycymerididae
 Arcida - Noetiidae
Arcopsis adamsi Dall 1886 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam
 Arcida - Arcidae
"Arca (Arca) zebra" = Byssoarca zebra, "Barbatia (Acar) domingensis" = Acar domingensis, Lunarca billingsiana
"Arca (Arca) zebra" = Byssoarca zebra Swainson 1833 ark
Subspecies: Arca (A.) zebra zebra
"Barbatia (Acar) domingensis" = Acar domingensis Lamarck 1819 miniature ark
Lunarca billingsiana Maury 1912 ark
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Juliacorbula aequivalvis Philippi 1836 clam
"Notocorbula aff. disparilis" = Corbula (Notocorbula) clam
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Mulinia sp. Gray 1837 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Tivela (Tivela) austeniana Maury 1912 venus clam
"Chione (Lirophora) sp." = Lirophora Conrad 1863 venus clam
Anomalocardia brasiliana Gmelin 1792 venus clam
"Chione (Chione) cancellata" = Chione cancellata Linnaeus 1767 venus clam
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama sp. Linnaeus 1758 jewel box
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis, "Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle
 Cardiida - Donacidae
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Strigilla (Strigilla) carnaria Linnaeus 1758 tellin clam
Strigilla (Pisostrigilla) pisiformis Linnaeus 1758 tellin clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam
 Carditida - Crassatellidae
Crassinella martinicensis d'Orbigny 1853 clam
 Carditida - Carditidae
 Carditida - Condylocardiidae