Braggs-Upper Prairie Bluff (Cretaceous of the United States)

Where: Lowndes County, Alabama (32.1° N, 86.8° W: paleocoordinates 35.3° N, 64.9° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Prairie Bluff Formation (Selma Group), Late/Upper Maastrichtian (70.6 - 66.0 Ma)

• At Braggs the Prairie Bluff Formation unconformably overlies the fossiliferous Ripley Formateion. The Clayton Formation disconformably overlies the Prairie Bluff Formation.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shallow subtidal; unlithified, silty, sandy limestone

• An impure silty to sandy chalk with subordinate amounts of clay, sand and chalky limestone is approximately 30m thick.

Size class: mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (in situ),

• Some areas were sampled on the outcrop surface, others were excavated with pick and shovel and some more specimens came from screenwashing bulk sediments.

Primary reference: J. R. Bryan and D. S. Jones. 1989. Fabric of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Marine Macrofaunal Transition at Braggs, Alabama. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 69:279-301 [A. Miller/J. Sessa]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 83238: authorized by Arnold Miller, entered by Jocelyn Sessa on 12.08.2008

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Faunal lists were supplemented by a US Geological Survey Open File Report (Sohl and Koch 1983). Most of the species listed from Ripley, Lower and Middle Prairie Bluff were taken from the Open File Report.
Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Cubitostera tecticosta, ? Hoploscaphies sp., ? Pseudualimea reticulata, Spirorbula sp.
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Micrabaciidae
Micrabacia cribaria
Echinoidea
  -
Echinoidea indet.
Echinoidea indet. Leske 1778 sea urchin
Spatangoid echiniod
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
Nuculana whitfieldi, Nuculana corbetensis
Nuculana whitfieldi pointed nut clam
Nuculana corbetensis pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
Nucula percrassa, Nucula sp.
Nucula sp. Lamarck 1799 nut clam
 Trigoniida - Megatrigonioidae
Scabrotrigonia eufaulensis
 Carditida - Crassatellidae
? Crassatellidae indet., Crassatella vadosa
? Crassatellidae indet. Férussac 1822 clam
Crassatella vadosa Morton 1834 clam
 Solenida - Pharidae
Leptosolen bipticatus
 Pholadida - Pholadidae
Martesia sp., Opertochasma sp., Clavipholas pectorosa
Martesia sp. Sowerby 1824 clam
Opertochasma sp. Stephenson 1953 clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
"Caesticorbula crassaplica" = Caestocorbula crassiplica
"Caesticorbula crassaplica" = Caestocorbula crassiplica Gabb 1860 clam
Caesticorbula Caesticorbula crassaplica
 Cardiida - Arcticidae
Veniella conradi, Etea carolinensis
Veniella conradi Morton 1833 clam
Etea carolinensis Conrad 1875 clam
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Cymbophora sp.
Cymbophora sp. Gabb 1869 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Cyprimeria alta, Aphrodina tippana, Legumen ellipticum, Cyclorisma parva
Cyprimeria alta venus clam
Aphrodina tippana venus clam
Legumen ellipticum venus clam
Cyclorisma parva venus clam
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"Linearia metastriata" = Linearis, ? Solyma sp., Tellina munda
"Linearia metastriata" = Linearis tellin clam
? Solyma sp. Conrad 1870 tellin clam
Tellina munda tellin clam
 Cardiida - Icanotiidae
? Icanotia sp.
? Icanotia sp. Stoliczka 1870 clam
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
Granocardium lowei, Protocardia sp.
Granocardium lowei cockle
Granocardium Granocardium lowei
Protocardia sp. Beyrich 1845 cockle
Protocardia ? Brevicardium sp.
 Pholadomyida - Pholadomyidae
Pholadomya tippana
 Poromyida - Poromyidae
Liopistha protexta
Liopistha protexta Conrad 1853 clam
 Pandorida - Laternulidae
? Laternula robusta
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
? Lucina sp.
? Lucina sp. Bruguière 1797 clam
 Myoida -
Eufistulina ripleyana
 Mytilida - Crenellidae
Crenella senica
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
Lithophaga sp., Botula carolinensis
Lithophaga sp. Röding 1798 mussel
 Arcida - Cucullaeidae
"Cucullaea capax" = Idonearca capax
"Cucullaea capax" = Idonearca capax Conrad 1858 clam
Cucullaea Idonearca capax
 Arcida - Parallelodontidae
Nemodon sp., Nemodon eufaulensis
Nemodon sp. Conrad 1869 clam
 Arcida - Arcidae
Striarca saffordi
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Camptonectes bubonis
Camptonectes bubonis Stephenson 1941 scallop
Camptonectes Camptonectes bubonis
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia argentaria
Anomia argentaria Morton 1833 jingle
Anomia Anomia argentaria
 Pectinida - Plicatulidae
Plicatula sp.
Plicatula sp. Lamarck 1801 scallop
 Pectinida - Limidae
Lima deatsvillensis
 Ostreida - Pinnidae
Pinna sp., Pinna laqueata
Pinna sp. Linnaeus 1758 oyster
Pinna laqueata Conrad 1858 oyster
Pinna Pinna laqueata
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Rastellum mesenterica, Gryphaeostrea vomer, "Exogyra costata" = Exogyra (Exogyra) costata
Gryphaeostrea vomer Morton 1828 oyster
"Exogyra costata" = Exogyra (Exogyra) costata Say 1820 oyster
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Dentalium pauperculum
Gastropoda
 Opisthobranchia - Scaphandridae
Ellipsoscapha ? mortoni
Ellipsoscapha ? mortoni Forbes 1845 snail
 Opisthobranchia - Cylichnidae
Cylichna sp.
Cylichna sp. Lovén 1846 snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Haustator bilira, Turritella ? trilira, Turritella vertebroides, Turritella tippana, Laxispira monilifera
Haustator bilira Stephenson 1941 turret shell
Turritella ? trilira Conrad 1860 turret shell
Turritella vertebroides Morton 1834 turret shell
Turritella tippana Conrad 1858 turret shell
Laxispira monilifera Sohl 1964 turret shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Aporrhaidae
Pterocerella tippana, Pugnellus densatus
 Neogastropoda - Volutidae
Longoconcha ? dalli
Longoconcha ? dalli Stephenson 1941 volute
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
"Lowenstamia cucullata" = Sohliina cucullata
"Lowenstamia cucullata" = Sohliina cucullata Sohl 1964 murex snail
 Neogastropoda - Paladmetidae
Paladmete cancellaria
Paladmete cancellaria Conrad 1858 snail
 Neogastropoda - Turbinellidae
Napulus sp.
Napulus sp. Stephenson 1941 snail
 Neogastropoda - Pyropsidae
Pyropsis sp.
Pyropsis sp. Conrad 1860 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Perissityidae
? Stantonella sp., Buccinopsis sp., ? Bellifusus sp., Anomalofusus sp., ? Remera sp.
? Stantonella sp. Wade 1926 true whelk
Buccinopsis sp. Conrad 1857 true whelk
? Bellifusus sp. Stephenson 1941 true whelk
Anomalofusus sp. Wade 1916 true whelk
? Remera sp. Stephenson 1941 true whelk
 Caenogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
Euspira rectilabrum, Gyrodes sp.
Euspira rectilabrum Conrad 1858 moon snail
Gyrodes sp. Conrad 1860 moon snail
Cephalopoda
 Ammonitida - Scaphitidae
Discoscaphites sp.
Discoscaphites sp. Meek 1870 ammonite
 Ammonitida - Baculitidae
"Baculites carinatus" = Eubaculites carinatus, Baculites sp.
"Baculites carinatus" = Eubaculites carinatus Morton 1834 ammonite
Baculites sp. Lamarck 1799 ammonite
 Ammonitida - Sphenodiscidae
? Sphenodiscus pleurisepta
? Sphenodiscus pleurisepta Conrad 1857 ammonite
Polychaeta
 Serpulimorpha -
Hamulus onyx, ? Ornatoporta marylandica
Hamulus onyx Morton 1834
 Sabellida - Serpulidae
Serpula ? adnata
Serpula ? adnata Wade 1926
Stenolaemata
 Cyclostomata - Cerioporidae
Ceriopora vesiculosa
 Cyclostomata - Heteroporidae
? Dysnoetopora celleporoides
 Cyclostomata - Tubuliporidae
Pleuronea alveolata
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Antroporidae
? Antropora damicornis
 Cheilostomata - Bitectiporidae
? Hippoporina sp.
? Hippoporina sp. Neviani 1895
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Dakoticancridae
Avitelmessus grapsoideus
Avitelmessus grapsoideus Rathbun 1923 crab
 Decapoda - Menippidae
Menippe sp.
Menippe sp. De Haan 1833 crab
 Decapoda - Xanthidae
Xanthidae "sp. B", Xanthidae "sp. A"
Xanthidae "sp. B" MacLeay 1838 stone crab
Xanthidae "sp. A" MacLeay 1838 stone crab
 Decapoda - Callianassidae
cf. Callianassa mortoni
cf. Callianassa mortoni Rathbun 1935 decapod
Brachydontes
  -
? Brachydontes sp.
? Brachydontes sp. Swainson 1840