Locality 3, Quebrada de Portachuelo, first high waterfall (Permian of Venezuela)

Where: Merida, Venezuela (8.0° N, 71.3° W: paleocoordinates 5.5° S, 34.4° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Palmarito Formation, Kungurian (279.3 - 272.3 Ma)

• Assigned to Upper Palmarito Limestones; samples collected over lateral distance of 1 m through stratigraphic interval of ~1 m. Fusulinids and ammonoids suggest that locality 4 (and underlying localities 1 and 2) are "late Leonardian" (Kungurian) in age. Palmarito Fm contains Perrinites hilli and Parafusulina of Kungurian age.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lagoonal or restricted shallow subtidal; shelly/skeletal, gray, silty wackestone and gray, calcareous siltstone

• Moderate to low current energy, in warm, shallow water, possibly with restricted access to the open ocean. Dolomite rhombs may suggest somewhat hypersaline conditions. Mixture of hard and soft substrates (hard substrates provided by sponges).
• Thick to massive beds of dense, petroliferous, dark gray silty limestones, compositionally biomicrites but texturally wackestones, separated by partings of medium gray calcareous siltstone. Sand and silt-sized angular quartz and rock fragments and small siliceous spheres (volcanic spherulites?). Laminated and containing dolomite rhombs.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: replaced with silica

Collection methods: bulk, chemical,

• Samples collected over lateral distance of 1 m through stratigraphic interval of ~1 m. Prepared by hydrochloric acid etching.

Primary reference: P.R. Hoover. 1981. Paleontology, Taphonomy, and Paleoecology of the Palmarito Formation (Permian of Venezuela). Bulletins of American Paleontology 80(313):1-138 [D. Bottjer/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 41507: authorized by David Bottjer, entered by Matthew Clapham on 15.07.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Hexactinellida
  -
Hexactinellida indet. Schmidt 1870 glass sponge
Root tufts
Demospongiae
 Agelasida - Thaumastocoeliidae
"Girtyocoelia dunbari" = Girtyocoelia beedei, "Apocoelia sphaera n. gen. n. sp." = Girtyocoelia sphaera
"Girtyocoelia dunbari" = Girtyocoelia beedei Girty 1909 demosponge
"Apocoelia sphaera n. gen. n. sp." = Girtyocoelia sphaera Rigby 1984 demosponge
 Agelasida - Guadalupiidae
Cystothalamia nana n. sp. Rigby 1984 demosponge
Guadalupia minuta Rigby 1984 demosponge
 Agelasida - Aphrosalpingidae
? Vesicocaulis sp. Ott 1967 demosponge
 Agelasida - Sebargasiidae
? Amblysiphonella sp. Steinmann 1882 demosponge
 Verticillitida - Colospongiidae
Colospongia monilis Rigby 1984 demosponge
 Lithistida - Chiastoclonellidae
Defordia digitata n. sp. Rigby 1984 demosponge
Defordia verrucula n. sp. Rigby 1984 demosponge
Anthozoa
 Rugosa -
Rugosa indet. horn coral
Solitary forms
Strophomenata
 Productida - Productidae
? Spinifrons grandicosta Hoover 1981
cf. grandicosta n. sp.
 Orthotetida - Derbyiidae
Derbyia sp. Waagen 1884
Reflects minimum estimate based on valve ratios
 Orthotetida - Meekellidae
Meekella skenoides Girty 1908
Rhynchonellata
 Spiriferinida - Spiriferellinidae
 Athyridida - Neoretziidae
 Athyridida - Athyrididae
Composita cf. pilula Cooper and Grant 1976
Cleiothyridina cf. nana Cooper and Grant 1976
 Rhynchonellida - Pontisiidae
Pontisia cf. stehlii Cooper and Grant 1969
ssp. tumidosa
 Terebratulida - Pseudodielasmatidae
? Oligothyrina sp. Cooper 1956
Stenolaemata
 Cystoporata - Fistuliporidae
Gastropoda
  -
Gastropoda indet. Cuvier 1795 snail
New genus of high-spired form
 Euomphalina - Euomphalidae
"Straparollus (Euomphalus) sp." = Euomphalus
"Straparollus (Euomphalus) sp." = Euomphalus Sowerby 1814 snail
 Euomphalina - Anomphalidae
Anomphalus "n. sp." Meek and Worthen 1866 snail
 Cerithimorpha - Orthonemidae
? Cibecuia sp. Winters 1956 snail
 Caenogastropoda - Orthonematidae
Orthonema sp. Meek and Worthen 1862 snail
 Trochoidea - Liotiidae
Dichostasia complex Yochelson 1956 snail
 Pleurotomariacea -
"? Pleurotomariacea indet." = Pleurotomarioidea
"? Pleurotomariacea indet." = Pleurotomarioidea Swainson 1840 snail
2 genera
 Murchisoniina - Soleniscidae
"Strobeus" sp. de Koninck 1881 snail
 Murchisoniina - Phymatopleuridae
Worthenia sp. de Koninck 1883 snail
Discotomaria cf. basisulcata Batten 1956 snail
? Lamellospira sp. Batten 1958 snail
 Murchisoniina - Gosseletinidae
Apachella sp. Winters 1956 snail
Apachella aff. franciscana Chronic 1952 snail
Crinoidea
  -
Crinoidea indet. Miller 1821 Sea lily
Columnals