Olive Locality (Cretaceous of Lebanon)

Also known as Abeih

Where: Lebanon (33.7° N, 35.5° E: paleocoordinates 9.1° N, 31.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Abeih Formation, Early/Lower Aptian (125.5 - 122.5 Ma)

• Overlies Chouf Sandstone and underlies Mdairej Limestone. Abeih rangegs from Barremian to Lower Aptian.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: coastal; brown, argillaceous sandstone

• "relatively shallow waters, perhaps not more than 50 fathoms deep, of normal salinity, and with a sandy substratum present"
• "buff to brown, medium to coarse-grained, argillaceous sandstone"

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the AMNH

Collection methods: surface (float),

• late 19th century collection of Reverend William Bird and 20th century collection of Professor Day at the American University in Beirut, plus 19th century 1940 AMNH collection, totalling "almost 5000 specimens"

Primary reference: H. E. Vokes. 1946. Contributions to the paleontology of the Lebanon Mountains, Republic of Lebanon. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 87(3):139-216 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 69180: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 20.02.2007

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• no rudists or cephalopods are present
unclassified
  -
Bivalvia
 Arcida - Arcidae
 Arcida - Glycymerididae
Arcullaea olea n. gen. n. sp., Arcullaea limopsiformis n. sp.
Arcullaea olea n. gen. n. sp. clam
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
 Pectinida - Neitheoidae
Neithea syriaca Conrad 1852 scallop
subgenus Neitheops
 Ostreida - Malleidae
Isognomon orientalis Hamlin 1884 oyster
"more than 200 specimens" at the American University plus at least five at the AMNH
 Ostreida - Bakevelliidae
Pseudoptera sp. Meek 1873 oyster
said to be new
 Ostreida - Gryphaeidae
Exogyra sp. Say 1820 oyster
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
"Ostrea dieneri" = Lopha dieneri, Ostrea alicula
"Ostrea dieneri" = Lopha dieneri Blanckenhorn 1890 oyster
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
 Lucinida - Lucinidae
"Lucina" percancellata clam
eight American University, two AMNH
Callucina olea n. sp. clam
 Pandorida - Laternulidae
? Laternula sp. Röding 1798 clam
said to be new
 Pholadida - Pleuromyidae
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
 Cardiida - Corbiculidae
Eocallista beiha n. sp. clam
Eocallista olea n. sp. clam
? Eocallista hamlini clam
at least "several other" specimens are known
 Cardiida - Arcticidae
Agapella rotunda n. gen. n. sp. clam
 Cardiida - Mactridae
Geltena mactriforma n. gen. n. sp.
Geltena mactriforma n. gen. n. sp. clam
 Cardiida - Neomiodontidae
 Cardiida - Cardiidae
 Cardiida - Donacidae
 Cardiida - Tellinidae
"Linearia olea n. sp." = Linearis, "Linearia sp." = Linearis, ""Tellina" elliptica" = Laciolina magna
"Linearia olea n. sp." = Linearis tellin clam
"Linearia sp." = Linearis Conrad 1860 tellin clam
""Tellina" elliptica" = Laciolina magna Spengler 1798 tellin clam
 Carditida - Astartidae
Amphiaraus seleniscus n. gen. n. sp.
Amphiaraus seleniscus n. gen. n. sp. clam
 Carditida - Carditidae
 Carditida - Crassatellidae
Mediraon divaricatum n. gen. n. sp. clam
Pachythaerus similoides n. sp. Vokes 1946 clam
 Trigoniida - Trigoniidae
Trigonia lewisi clam
37 at the American University plus four at the AMNH
Trigonia libanotica n. sp. clam
"more than 400"
Trigonia pseudocrenulata Notling 1884 clam
nine at the American University plus one at the AMNH
 Nuculida - Nuculidae