K 12255 - 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 60653: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 19.05.2006

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.
Gastropoda
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella (Broderiptella) bifastigata Nelson 1870 turret shell
Subspecies: T. (B.) bifastigata cartagenensis
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
"Cymia brightoniana" = Cymia (Cymia) brightoniana Maury 1925 murex snail
Chicoreus (Triplex) cornurectus1 Guppy 1876 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Volutidae
"Bullata maturensis" = Closia (Bullata)
"Bullata maturensis" = Closia (Bullata) volute
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Brachidontes (Brachidontes) sp. Swainson 1840 mussel
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Chama cf. macerophylla2 Gmelin 1791 jewel box
[entered as Chama macrophylla]
 Cardiida - Veneridae
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora, Chione (Nioche) veatchiana
"Chione (Lirophora) sanctidavidis" = Lirophora venus clam
Chione (Nioche) veatchiana Maury 1912 venus clam
 Cardiida - Solecurtidae
Tagelus (Tagelus) plebeius Lightfoot 1786 clam
 Cardiida - Donacidae
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
Strigilla (Strigilla) carnaria Linnaeus 1758 tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
Eurytellina punicea Born 1778 tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
 Cardiida - Semelidae
Semele proficua Pulteney 1799 clam
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam