Dark Canyon Cave (Pleistocene of the United States)

Where: Eddy County, New Mexico (32.3° N, 104.3° W: paleocoordinates 32.3° N, 104.3° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

• "Most of the bird and mammal bones were found at depths from 50 inches to 8 1/2 ft" underlying "a Basket-maker culture" found "to a depth of 36-38 inches"

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

• none given

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: bone collector

Reposited in the LACM

Collection methods: quarrying,

• discovered and collected "A few years ago" by "Wm. H. Balgemann of Carlsbad"

Primary reference: H. Howard. 1971. Quaternary avian remains from Dark Canyon Cave, New Mexico. The Condor 73(2):237-240 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 71670: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 04.05.2007

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equidae indet.
Equidae indet. Gray 1821 horse
"horse teeth"
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Antilocapridae indet.
Antilocapridae indet. Gray 1866 pronghorn
"extinct" and "presumably Stockoceros conklingi"
Aves
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Aquila chrysaetos, Accipiter cooperii, Neophrontops americanus, Buteo nitidus, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus
Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus 1758 golden eagle
Accipiter cooperii Bonaparte 1828 Cooper's hawk
Neophrontops americanus Miller 1916 Old World vulture
Buteo nitidus Latham 1790 gray-lined hawk
Buteo jamaicensis Gmelin 1788 red-tailed hawk
Buteo lagopus Pontoppidan 1763 rough-legged hawk
 Suliformes - Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocorax auritus
Phalacrocorax auritus Lesson 1831 double-crested cormorant
 Passeriformes - Corvidae
Corvus corax
Corvus corax Linnaeus 1758 common raven
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Aix sponsa, ? Mergus sp., "Anas ? carolinensis" = Anas crecca carolinensis, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas acuta, Anabernicula cf. oregonensis, Aythya valisineria
Aix sponsa Linnaeus 1758 wood duck
? Mergus sp. Linnaeus 1758 merganser
"Anas ? carolinensis" = Anas crecca carolinensis Gmelin 1789 green-winged teal
Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus 1758 mallard
Anas acuta Linnaeus 1758 northern pintail
Anabernicula cf. oregonensis Howard 1964 dabbling duck
Aythya valisineria Wilson 1814 canvasback
 Caprimulgiformes - Caprimulgidae
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii Audubon 1844 common poorwill
 Psittaciformes - Psittacidae
Psittacidae indet.
Psittacidae indet. Illiger 1811 parrot
 Columbiformes - Columbidae
Ectopistes migratorius, "Zenaidura macroura" = Zenaida macroura
Ectopistes migratorius Linnaeus 1758 passenger pigeon
"Zenaidura macroura" = Zenaida macroura Linnaeus 1758 mourning dove
 Cuculiformes - Cuculidae
Geococcyx conklingi
Geococcyx conklingi Howard 1931 cuckoo
 Strigiformes - Tytonidae
Tyto alba
Tyto alba Scopoli 1769 barn owl
 Strigiformes - Strigidae
Asio ? flammeus, "Speotyto cunicularia" = Athene cunicularia, Bubo virginianus
Asio ? flammeus Pontoppidan 1763 short-eared owl
"Speotyto cunicularia" = Athene cunicularia Molina 1782 burrowing owl
Bubo virginianus Gmelin 1788 great horned owl
 Podicipediformes - Podicipedidae
"Podiceps caspicus" = Podiceps nigricollis
"Podiceps caspicus" = Podiceps nigricollis Brehm 1831 black-necked grebe
 Cathartiformes - Cathartidae
Coragyps occidentalis, "Gymnogyps amplus" = Gymnogyps californianus
Coragyps occidentalis Miller 1909 New World vulture
"Gymnogyps amplus" = Gymnogyps californianus Shaw 1797 condor
 Galliformes - Phasianidae
Meleagris ? gallopavo, Tympanuchus ? pallidicinctus
Meleagris ? gallopavo Linnaeus 1758 wild turkey
Tympanuchus ? pallidicinctus Ridgway 1873 lesser prairie chicken
 Galliformes - Galloidae
Tetraonidae indet.
Tetraonidae indet. Linnaeus 1758 grouse
"Grouse, 2 species?"
 Galliformes - Odontophoridae
Odontophoridae indet.
Odontophoridae indet. Gould 1844 New World quail
"Quail, 2 species?"
 Charadriiformes - Charadriidae
"Eupoda montana" = Charadrius montanus
"Eupoda montana" = Charadrius montanus Townsend 1837 mountain plover
 Charadriiformes - Burhinidae
Burhinus sp.
Burhinus sp. Illiger 1811 thick-knee
two forms, one extinct
 Falconiformes - Falconidae
Falco mexicanus, "Falco swarthi" = Falco (Hierofalco) swarthi, Falco sparverius, "Caracara prelutosa" = Caracara cheriway
Falco mexicanus Schlegel 1850 Prairie falcon
"Falco swarthi" = Falco (Hierofalco) swarthi Miller 1927 falcon
Falco sparverius Linnaeus 1758 American kestrel
"Caracara prelutosa" = Caracara cheriway Jacquin 1784 crested caracara