PBDB Collection

Laetoli Beds Upper (Pliocene of Tanzania)

Also known as Laetolil, Garusi, Southern Serengeti, Vogel River Series

Where: Eastern Drift Valley, Tanzania (3.1° S, 35.1° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 4.3° S, 35.0° E (Wright 2013)

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Laetoli Beds (upper) Member (Vogel River Series Formation), Pliocene (5.3 - 2.6 Ma)

• Max age on base of upper unit of Laetolil Bed (3.76+/-0.03), min age on tuff 8 (3.46+/-0.12)

Environment/lithology: eolian; lithified, tuffaceous, gray, calcareous sandstone

• Primarily eolian tuff w/ some airfall tuff & 8 horizons of xenoliths

•Datum Plane: top of lower unit of Laetolil beds

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Preservation: mold/impression, trace, replaced with calcite

Collection methods: quarrying, surface (float), surface (in situ), sieve,

Primary reference: M. D. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 1987. Laetoli: a Pliocene Site in Northern Tanzania. Clarendon Press, Oxford, Great Britain [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Kosnik]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 32050: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 03.06.2003, edited by Mike Sommers

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

unclassified
-	Edourdia laetoliensis, Subulonia pseudinvoluta, Euonyma leakeyi, Streptostele aff. urguessensis, Propoecilogale bolti, Urocyclidae indet., Trochonanina "sp. A", Trochonanina "sp. B", cf. Rhamphiophis sp., Streptopegia sp. Edourdia laetoliensis Subulonia pseudinvoluta Euonyma leakeyi Streptostele aff. urguessensis Propoecilogale bolti Urocyclidae indet. Trochonanina "sp. A" Trochonanina "sp. B" cf. Rhamphiophis sp. Streptopegia sp.
Insecta
Blattodea - Termitidae	Termitidae indet. Termitidae indet. Latreille 1802 termite
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora - Achatinidae	Achatina cf. zanzibaria Achatina cf. zanzibaria slug
Reptilia
Galliformes - Numididae	Numida sp. Numida sp. Linnaeus 1766 helmeted guineafowl
Galliformes - Phasianidae	Francolinus "sp. large", Francolinus "sp. small" Francolinus "sp. large" Stephens 1819 francolin Francolinus "sp. small" Stephens 1819 francolin
Aves
Struthioniformes - Struthionidae	Struthionidae indet. Struthionidae indet. Vigors 1825 ostrich
Strigiformes - Strigidae	Bubo sp. Bubo sp. Dumeril 1806 eagle-owl
Accipitriformes - Accipitridae	"Torgos sp." = Aegypius "Torgos sp." = Aegypius Savigny 1809 Old World vulture
Reptilia
Squamata - Crotalidae	Bitis cf. arietans Bitis cf. arietans Merrem 1820 puff adder arietans/olduvaiensis
Squamata - Elapidae	Naja robusta Naja robusta cobra
Squamata - Boidae	Python boidae, Python sebae Python boidae boa Python sebae Gmelin 1789 rock python
Testudines - Testudinidae	Geochelone laetoliensis, "Geochelone brachygularis" = Stigmochelys brachygularis Geochelone laetoliensis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987 turtle "Geochelone brachygularis" = Stigmochelys brachygularis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987 turtle
Mammalia
Proboscidea - Elephantidae	Loxodonta exoptata Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941 African elephant
Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae	Deinotherium bozasi Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934 deinothere originally entered as "Deinotherium bozeasi"
Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae	Orycteropus sp. Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791 aardvark
Macroscelidea - Rhynchocyonidae	Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus elephant shrew
Rodentia - Sciuridae	Xerus cf. janenschi, Xerus sp., Paraxerus sp. Xerus cf. janenschi African ground squirrel Xerus sp. Hemprich and Ehrenberg 1833 African ground squirrel Paraxerus sp. Forsyth Major 1893 African Bush Squirrel
Rodentia - Bathyergidae	Heterocephalus quenstedti Heterocephalus quenstedti naked mole-rat
Rodentia - Hystricidae	Hystrix leakeyi, Hystrix cf. makapanensis, Xenohystrix crassidens Hystrix leakeyi porcupine Hystrix cf. makapanensis porcupine Xenohystrix crassidens porcupine
Rodentia - Pedetidae	Pedetes laetoliensis Pedetes laetoliensis springhaas
Rodentia - Nesomyidae	Dendromus sp. Dendromus sp. Smith 1829 African climbing mice
Rodentia - Muridae	"Mastomys cinereus" = Epimys (Mastomys), Steatomys sp., Thallomys laetolilensis, Tatera cf. inclusa, Saccostomus major "Mastomys cinereus" = Epimys (Mastomys) rat Steatomys sp. Peters 1846 fat mouse Thallomys laetolilensis mouse Tatera cf. inclusa large naked-soled gerbil Saccostomus major pouched mouse
Rodentia - Cricetidae	Cricetidae indet. Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 rodent
Lagomorpha - Leporidae	Serengetilagus praecapensis Serengetilagus praecapensis rabbit
Primates - Cercopithecidae	cf. Papio sp., Parapapio ado, cf. Paracolobus sp. cf. Papio sp. Erxleben 1777 baboon Parapapio ado Hopwood 1936 monkey cf. Paracolobus sp. Leakey 1969 monkey
Primates - Hominidae	Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus afarensis Johanson et al. 1978 australopithecine
Primates - Galagidae	Galago sadimanensis Galago sadimanensis Walker 1987 galago
Artiodactyla - Camelidae	Camelus sp. Camelus sp. Linnaeus 1758 camel
Artiodactyla - Suidae	"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus, Potamochoerus porcus "Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus Hopwood 1926 giant forest hog Potamochoerus porcus Linnaeus 1758 red river hog
Artiodactyla - Giraffidae	Giraffa cf. jumae, Giraffa stillei Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967 giraffe originally entered as "cf. jumae cf. jumae" Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947 giraffe
Artiodactyla - Bovidae	Tragelaphus sp., Simatherium kohllarseni, Parmularius pandatus, Praedamalis deturi, Gazella janenschi, ? Raphicerus sp., aff. Pelea sp., Brabovus nanincisus Tragelaphus sp. de Blainville 1816 antelope Simatherium kohllarseni antelope Parmularius pandatus Gentry 1987 antelope Praedamalis deturi Dietrich 1950 antelope Gazella janenschi gazelle ? Raphicerus sp. Smith 1827 antelope aff. Pelea sp. Gray 1851 antelope originally entered as "aff. Pezea sp." Brabovus nanincisus Gentry 1987 antelope nanincisus
Perissodactyla - Equidae	Hipparion sp. Hipparion sp. de Christol 1832 hipparionine horse
Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae	Ancylotherium hennigi Ancylotherium hennigi chalicothere
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	Diceros bicornis, Ceratotherium praecox Diceros bicornis Linnaeus 1758 black rhinoceros Ceratotherium praecox white rhino
Tribosphenida - Sivatheridae	"Sivatherium maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium "Sivatherium maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium Pomel 1893 placental
Carnivora - Mustelidae	Mellivora capensis Mellivora capensis Schreber 1776 honey badger
Carnivora - Canidae	Canidae indet., Vulpes sp., aff. Canis brevirostris Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 canid Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775 fox aff. Canis brevirostris canine
Carnivora - Felidae	Felis "sp. small", Felis "sp. medium", Felis "sp. large", Panthera aff. gombaszoegensis, Panthera cf. pardus, Megantereon sp., Homotherium sp. Felis "sp. small" Linnaeus 1758 cat Felis "sp. medium" Linnaeus 1758 cat Felis "sp. large" Linnaeus 1758 cat Panthera aff. gombaszoegensis Kretzoi 1938 cat gombaseogensis/palaeosinensis Panthera cf. pardus Linnaeus 1758 leopard Megantereon sp. Croizet and Jobert 1828 cat Homotherium sp. Fabrini 1890 cat
Carnivora - Herpestidae	Mungos dietrichi, Helogale palaeogracilis, Herpestes palaeoserengetensis, Herpestes ichneumon Mungos dietrichi mongoose Helogale palaeogracilis dwarf mongoose Herpestes palaeoserengetensis mongoose Herpestes ichneumon Linnaeus 1758 Egyptian mongoose
Carnivora - Viverridae	Viverra leakeyi Viverra leakeyi Petter 1963 civet
Madoqua avifluminis
-	"Madoqua avifluminis" = Praemadoqua avifluminis "Madoqua avifluminis" = Praemadoqua avifluminis Dietrich 1950