Sabanita [lower Gatun Fm]: Tortonian, Panama

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Acipenseriformes - Acipenseridae
Acipenser sp. Linnaeus 1758
Reptilia - Crocodilia
Crocodilia indet. Owen 1842
SMU 76452 (8 teeth) (see Hastings et al. 2013)
Reptilia - Testudines
Chelonia indet. (Latreille 1800)
one carapace piece
Mammalia
Mammalia indet. Linnaeus 1758
rib fragments
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Istiophoridae
Makaira cf. nigricans Lacépède 1802
Fierstine 1999
"true localition" uncertain but "presumably" the same as that of Gillette 1984
Actinopteri - Istiophoriformes - Sphyraenidae
Sphyraena barracuda (Edwards 1771)
Actinopteri - Myctophiformes - Myctophidae
Myctophidae indet. Gill 1893
otoliths; two forms
Actinopteri - Pleuronectiformes - Soleidae
? Soleidae indet.
otoliths
Actinopteri - Pleuronectiformes - Bothidae
Bothidae indet.
otoliths; three forms
Actinopteri - Scombriformes - Trichiuridae
Trichiurus cf. lepturus Linnaeus 1758
Actinopteri - Ophidiiformes - Ophidiidae
Ophidiidae indet. Rafinesque 1810
otoliths
Actinopteri - Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae indet. (Cuvier 1828)
otoliths; "extinct" form
? Equetus sp. Rafinesque 1815
otoliths; two forms
Cynoscion sp. Gill 1861
otoliths
Umbrina sp. Cuvier 1817
otoliths
Larimus sp. Cuvier and Valenciennes 1830
otoliths
Actinopteri - Percichthyidae
Percichthyidae indet. Jordan and Eigenman 1890
otoliths; "Synagrops-like"
Actinopteri - Haemulidae
Haemulon sp. Cuvier 1829
otoliths; two forms
Pomadasys sp. Lacépède 1802
otoliths; two forms
Actinopteri - Spariformes - Sparidae
Sparidae indet. (Cuvier 1817)
otoliths
Actinopteri - Perciformes
Bairdiella sp. Gill 1861
otoliths
Actinopteri - Gobiiformes - Gobiidae
Gobiidae indet. Bonaparte 1832
otoliths; three forms
Actinopteri - Siluriformes - Ariidae
Cathorops sp. Jordan and Gilbert 1883
otoliths
Bagre sp. Mitchill 1815
otoliths
Actinopteri - Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
Lepisosteus sp. Agassiz 1843
Chondrichthyes - Dalatiidae
cf. Isistius sp. Gill 1864
Chondrichthyes - Orectolobiformes - Ginglymostomatidae
Ginglymostoma delfortriei Daimeries 1889
Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdidae
Galeocerdo cf. aduncus (Agassiz 1835)
Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Galeocerdo cf. contortus Gibbes 1847
cf. Carcharhinus sp. de Blainville 1816
Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna arambourgi
Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus 1758)
Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Hemigaleidae
Hemipristis serra Agassiz 1835
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Otodontidae
Procarcharodon megalodon (Agassiz 1835)
"P. megalodon megalodon"
Chondrichthyes - Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus 1758)
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Dasyatidae
Dasyatis sp. Rafinesque 1810
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Rhinopteridae
Rhinoptera sp. Cuvier 1829
Chondrichthyes - Myliobatiformes - Aetobatidae
Aetobatus arcuatus (Agassiz 1843)
see common names

Geography
Country:Panama
Coordinates: 9.3° North, 79.8° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:9.1° North, 78.4° West
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Tortonian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
*Period:Late/Upper Tertiary *Epoch:Middle Miocene
*Local age/stage:Late/Upper Hemingfordian - Early/Lower Barstovian
Key time interval: Tortonian
Age range of interval: 11.63 - 7.246 m.y. ago
Age estimate: 11.5 Ma (other)
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Gatun Member:lower Gatun
Stratigraphy comments: thought to be "basal" in section. AGE: Late/Upper Hemingfordian-Early/Lower Barstovian in Gillete (1984). Emended to Tortonian based on more recent dating (Hendy, 2012). Sr dating for nearby sections indicates an age of approximately 11.5 Ma (Hendy, unpublished data)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: argillaceous claystone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "marly clay"
Environment:marine indet.
Geology comments: formation is primarily "sandstone and siltstone" but fossiliferous horizon is a clay
environment not discussed but clearly marine
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:bulk,salvage,surface (float),chemical,sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Collection method comments: "site had been exposed by heavy-equipment excavations for a housing development and had lain bare to erosion for several years. Fossil teeth and bones were exposed there along with abundant molluscan remains... Approximately one English ton... of sediment was collected and screen-washed by traditional wet-sieving methods... 25-mesh screen... heavy-liquid sorting" was used
Metadata
Database number:24237
Authorizer:J. Alroy Enterer:J. Alroy
Modifier:P. Mannion Research group:vertebrate
Created:2002-08-02 14:27:29 Last modified:2013-04-17 10:39:50
Access level:the public Released:2002-08-02 14:27:29
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
6853. D. D. Gillette. 1984. A marine ichthyofauna from the Miocene of Panama, and the Tertiary Caribbean faunal province. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 4(2):172-186 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]

Secondary references:

6854 H. L. Fierstine. 1999. Makaira sp., cf. M. nigricans Lacepede, 1802 (Teleostei: Perciformes: Istiophoridae) from the late Miocene, Panama, and its probable use of the Panama seaway. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19(3):430-437 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
46370 A. K. Hastings, J. I. Bloch, C. A. Jaramillo, A. F. Rincon, and B. J. Macfadden. 2013. Systematics and biogeography of crocodylians from the Miocene of Panama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33(2):239-263 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]