Punta Gorda [Esmeraldas Fm] (Pliocene of Ecuador)

Where: Manabi, Ecuador (1.0° N, 79.7° W: paleocoordinates 0.7° N, 78.9° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Esmeraldas Formation, Early/Lower Pliocene (5.3 - 3.6 Ma)

• AGE: Stated to be Late Miocene in text; Early Pliocene following Beu (2010). COMMENTS: Thought to be equivalent to the Borbon formation of the Rio Santiago section, resting unconformably on top of conglomerate beds containing Turritella altilira and other Miocene fossils probably not greater than 300 meters in thickness overlain unconformably by massive to wellbedded brown sandstones

•The beds at Quebrada Camarones have a low notherly to nearly horizontal dip, the cutbanks showing bare exposures sometimes rising as high as 30 feet

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; lithified, fine-grained, brown, yellow sandstone and lithified sandstone

• deep water fauna with a few shallow water forms that were badly worn, indicating transportation, while deep-water fauna were in perfect condition, suggesting turbidity currents.
• thin bedded to massive tuffaceous mudstones sometimes with interbeds of soft sandstones. small or medium-sized rounded pebbles are scattered throughout the formation, or more rarely concentrated into minor beds or seams of conglomerate. Large calcareous concretions, some rounded or with an irregular rootlike shape, generally with hollow centers are common at many places. The beds are highly foraminiferal, with pelagic types, often pure enough to form a foraminiferal oozelike sediment. On the fresh surface of the rock platform, the formation is hard, and of a gray-black or dark olive-green color.

•In this locality, fossils are found in a lens of rubble with angular chunks of hard shale or mudstone, polished pebbles of hard rocks with pieces of carbonized wood and crushed walnut.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: A. A. Olsson. 1964. Neogene Mollusks From Northwestern Ecuador [A. Miller/K. Bulinski]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 60772: authorized by Arnold Miller, entered by Kate Bulinski on 22.05.2006, edited by Austin Hendy

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Gastropoda
 Lepetellida - Fissurellidae
Puncturella (Esmeria) palmerae puncturella
new species
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
Scalina ferminiana Dall 1908 wentletrap
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Crucibulum (Dispotaea) springvaleense Rutsch 1942 slipper shell
Crucibulum (Crucibulum) spinosum Conrad 1855 slipper shell
Calyptraea sp. Lamarck 1799 slipper shell
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella sp. Lamarck 1799 turret shell
 Neogastropoda - Mitridae
Atrimitra mexicana Dall 1919 mitre shell
 Neogastropoda - Buccinidae
Neosconsia ecuadoriana Olsson 1964 true whelk
new species
Cantharus scrupeus true whelk
new species
Cantharus scissus true whelk
new species
"Kelletia ecuadoriana" = Siphonalia (Kelletia) true whelk
new species
Kelletia rugosa Olsson 1964 true whelk
new species
Metula nepele true whelk
new species
Northia (Northia) northiae Gray in Griffith & Pidgeon 1833 true whelk
Hanetia (Solenosteira) boggsi Pilsbry and Olsson 1941 true whelk
Metaphos pacificus true whelk
new species
Metaphos calathus true whelk
new species
Antillophos grandis true whelk
new species
Antillophos abundans true whelk
new species
 Neogastropoda - Nassariidae
Nassarius (Profundinassa) thielei Olsson 1964 snail
new species
Gordanops esmeraldensus snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
 Neogastropoda - Columbellidae
Anachis (Anachis) laudabilis snail
new species
Anachis (Alia) proba snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Cochlespiridae
"Ancistrosyrinx cedonulli" = Cochlespira (Ancistrosyrinx) cedonulli
"Ancistrosyrinx cedonulli" = Cochlespira (Ancistrosyrinx) cedonulli Reeve 1843 snail
reevi
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus gypsus cone shell
new species
Conus esmeraldus cone shell
new species
Conus cacuminatus Spieker 1922 cone shell
"Conus cf. planiliratus" = Conasprelloides planiliratus Sowerby 1850 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Pseudomelatomidae
Buridrillia dalli snail
new species
Buridrillia pilsbryi snail
new species
Buridrillia morrisoni snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Borsoniidae
Borsonella ? turbina snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Clathurellidae
Glyphostoma incertum snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Raphitomidae
Pleurotomella esmeralda Olsson 1964 snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Gemmula arundia turrid
new species
Dallora ecuadoria Olsson 1964 turrid
new species
Pachyturris carissa Olsson 1964 turrid
new species
Polystira oxytropis Sowerby 1834 turrid
ecuadoriana new subspecies
 Neogastropoda - Costellariidae
Fusiturricula thranis ribbed mitre
new species
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
Boreotrophon meridionalis murex snail
new species
Pteropurpura marksi Olsson 1964 murex snail
new species
Trophon ecuadorius murex snail
new species
 Neogastropoda - Volutidae
Mysterostropha gyrina, "Calliotectum fischeri" = Teremachia fischeri
Mysterostropha gyrina Olsson 1964 volute
new species
"Calliotectum fischeri" = Teremachia fischeri Olsson 1964 volute
new species
 Neogastropoda - Cancellariidae
Admete (Marksella) jumala Olsson 1964 admete
new species
"Trigonostoma triumpha" = Ventrilia triumpha Olsson 1964 snail
new species
Cancellaria (Cancellaria) esmeralda Olsson 1964 snail
new species
Cancellaria cerithea Olsson 1964 snail
new species
"Cancellaria (Calcarata) trochilia" = Sveltia trochilia Olsson 1964 snail
new species
 Sorbeoconcha - Ficidae
Ficus lanzi Olsson 1964 fig shell
new species
 Sorbeoconcha - Personidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Tonnidae
Malea ringens Swainson 1822 tun shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Cassidae
Semicassis centiquadrata1 Valenciennes 1832 snail
Echinophoria woodringi Olsson 1964 snail
new species
 Sorbeoconcha - Ranellidae
"Cymatium (Lampusia) cf. pileare" = Monoplex pilearis
"Cymatium (Lampusia) cf. pileare" = Monoplex pilearis Linnaeus 1758 triton shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Bursidae
Bursa rugosa2 Sowerby 1835 frog shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Xenophoridae
Xenophora dilecta carrier shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Capulidae
Capulus pacificus snail
new species
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Sinum lacondamini Olsson 1964 moon snail
new species
"Natica (Naticarius) othella" = Naticarius moon snail
burica
Natica (Natica) ella moon snail
new species
 Sorbeoconcha - Vermetidae
Serpulorbis sp. Sasso 1827 worm shell
 Opisthobranchia - Cylichnidae
Scaphander sp. Monfort 1810 snail
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
Arca (Arca) suspecta Olsson 1964 ark
new species
 Arcida - Limopsidae
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia peruviana d'Orbigny 1846 jingle
Placunanomia cumingii Broderip 1832 scallop
[entered as Placuanomia cumingii]
 Pectinida - Limidae
"Lima (Acesta) hertleini" = Acesta
"Lima (Acesta) hertleini" = Acesta file clam
new species
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
"Pecten (Flabellipecten) cf. serviceus" = Flabellipecten, Pecten (Pecten) gordus
"Pecten (Flabellipecten) cf. serviceus" = Flabellipecten scallop
Pecten (Pecten) gordus Olsson 1964 scallop
new species
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
"Ostrea (Alectryonia) megodon" = Undulostrea megodon
"Ostrea (Alectryonia) megodon" = Undulostrea megodon Hanley 1846 oyster
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
"Lucina (Lucinoma) chiripanica" = Lucinoma chiripanica
"Lucina (Lucinoma) chiripanica" = Lucinoma chiripanica Olsson 1942 clam
 Cardiida - Chamidae
Arcinella arcinella Linnaeus 1767 jewel box
cf. arcinella subspecies
 Cardiida - Veneridae
"Dosinia (Dosinidia) ponderosa" = Dosinia ponderosa
"Dosinia (Dosinidia) ponderosa" = Dosinia ponderosa Gray 1838 venus clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Trachycardium (Phlogocardia) belcheri Broderip and Sowerby 1829 cockle
Laevicardium viatorium cockle
new species
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"Phyllodina francisca" = Tellina (Phyllodina)
"Phyllodina francisca" = Tellina (Phyllodina) tellin clam
new species
 Carditida - Carditidae
"Cardita (Cardita) cuvieri" = Cardites crassicostata
"Cardita (Cardita) cuvieri" = Cardites crassicostata Sowerby 1825 clam
 Solemyida - Nucinellidae
"Nucinella cf. subdolus" = Nucinella woodii
"Nucinella cf. subdolus" = Nucinella woodii Dall 1898 Wood's Little Nut Clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
Nucula (Ennucula) docilis Olsson 1964 nut clam
new species
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
"Nuculana (Jupiteria) chiriquiana" = Saccella chiriquiana
"Nuculana (Jupiteria) chiriquiana" = Saccella chiriquiana Olsson 1942 pointed nut clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae