Isleta Caves (Pleistocene of the United States)

Also known as Isleta 1; Isleta 2

Where: Bernalillo County, New Mexico (34.9° N, 106.9° W: paleocoordinates 34.9° N, 106.9° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

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

• faunal composition suggests "that deposition started only a short time before general extinction of Pleistocene mammals"

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

• caves are "the result of gases entrapped in a lava or of drainage of liquid lava"

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the LACM

• Museum of Southwestern Biology and Los Angeles County Museum collections

•"collections were made on several occasions by biology students and by the authors"

Primary reference: A. H. Harris and J. S. Findley. 1964. Pleistocene-Recent fauna of the Isleta Caves, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. American Journal of Science 262:114-120 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 93141: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 05.01.2010

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Reptilia
 Squamata - Teiidae
Cnemidophorus perplexus
Cnemidophorus perplexus whiptail lizard
 Squamata - Iguanidae
Crotaphytus collaris
Crotaphytus collaris Say 1823 Collared lizard
 Squamata - Crotalidae
? Crotalus sp.
? Crotalus sp. Linnaeus 1758 rattlesnake
 Squamata - Colubridae
Salvadora grahamiae, Pituophis catenifer, Lampropeltis getulus
Salvadora grahamiae colubrid snake
Pituophis catenifer gopher snake
Lampropeltis getulus Linnaeus 1766 kingsnake
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus sp.
Mammuthus sp. Brookes 1828 mammoth
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus sp.
Equus sp. Linnaeus 1758 horse
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bison sp., Ovis sp.
Bison sp. Hamilton-Smith 1827 bison
"Bison or Bos" is also present
Ovis sp. Linnaeus 1758 sheep
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Antilocapra americana
Antilocapra americana Ord 1815 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
"Tanupolama sp." = Hemiauchenia, Camelops sp.
"Tanupolama sp." = Hemiauchenia Gervais and Ameghino 1880 camel
Camelops sp. Leidy 1854 camel
 Carnivora - Felidae
"Felis lynx" = Lynx lynx, "Felis concolor" = Puma concolor
"Felis lynx" = Lynx lynx Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian lynx
"Felis concolor" = Puma concolor Linnaeus 1771 puma
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes velox, "Vulpes fulva" = Vulpes vulpes, Urocyon sp., Canis cf. lupus, Canis latrans
Vulpes velox Say 1823 swift fox
"Vulpes fulva" = Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus 1758 red fox
Urocyon sp. Baird 1857 gray fox
Canis cf. lupus Linnaeus 1758 gray wolf
Canis latrans Say 1823 coyote
 Carnivora - Ursidae
"Tremarctotherium sp." = Arctodus, Ursus americanus
"Tremarctotherium sp." = Arctodus Leidy 1854 bear
Ursus americanus Pallas 1780 black bear
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustela nigripes, Taxidea taxus
Mustela nigripes Audubon and Bachman 1851 black-footed ferret
Taxidea taxus Schreber 1778 American badger
 Carnivora - Mephitidae
Mephitis mephitis
Mephitis mephitis Schreber 1776 striped skunk
 Rodentia - Erethizontidae
Erethizon dorsatum
Erethizon dorsatum Linnaeus 1758 North American porcupine
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Onychomys torridus, Onychomys leucogaster, "Lagurus cf. curtatus" = Lemmiscus curtatus, Neotoma cinerea, Neotoma albigula, Reithrodontomys sp., Peromyscus sp., Arvicolinae indet.
Onychomys torridus Coues 1874 grasshopper mouse
Onychomys leucogaster Wied-Neuwied 1841 northern grasshopper mouse
"Lagurus cf. curtatus" = Lemmiscus curtatus Cope 1868 sagebrush vole
Neotoma cinerea Ord 1815 bushy-tailed woodrat
Neotoma albigula Hartley 1894 white-throated woodrat
Reithrodontomys sp. Giglioli 1874 harvest mouse
Peromyscus sp. Gloger 1841 deer mouse
Arvicolinae indet. Gray 1821 vole
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
Thomomys bottae
Thomomys bottae Eydoux and Gervais 1836 Botta's pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Heteromyidae
Perognathus flavus, Dipodomys ordii, Dipodomys spectabilis, Dipodomys merriami, "Perognathus intermedius" = Chaetodipus intermedius
Perognathus flavus Baird 1855 pocket mouse
Dipodomys ordii Woodhouse 1853 Ord's kangaroo rat
spelt "Dipodomys ordi"
Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam 1890 bannertail kangaroo rat
Dipodomys merriami Mearns 1890 Merriam's kangaroo rat
"Perognathus intermedius" = Chaetodipus intermedius Merriam 1889 rock pocket mouse
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
"Citellus spilosoma" = Spermophilus, Marmota flaviventris, Cynomys gunnisoni
"Citellus spilosoma" = Spermophilus ground squirrel
Marmota flaviventris Audubon and Bachman 1841 yellow-bellied marmot
Cynomys gunnisoni Baird 1855 Gunnison's prairie dog
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Sylvilagus floridanus, Sylvilagus audubonii, Lepus sp.
Sylvilagus floridanus Allen 1890 eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus audubonii Baird 1858 desert cottontail
spelt "Sylvilagus auduboni"
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
 Primates - Hominidae
Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens Linnaeus 1758 human
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
Antrozous pallidus, Myotis thysanodes
Antrozous pallidus Le Conte 1856 pallid bat
Myotis thysanodes Miller 1897 vesper bat