Elderberry Canyon Quarry (Eocene of the United States)

Where: White Pine County, Nevada (39.0° N, 114.1° W: paleocoordinates 43.4° N, 101.0° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: "Sheep Pass" Formation, Bridgerian (50.3 - 46.2 Ma)

• from "a bed of limestone about 25 to 30 cm thick"

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - small; limestone

• "a shallow, warm, heavily vegetated, permanent, hardwater lake"
• "limestone"

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: quarrying,

• much of the collection is from a quarry "approximately 2 by 3 m" in area

Primary reference: R. J. Emry. 1990. Mammals of the Bridgerian (middle Eocene) Elderberry Canyon Local Fauna of eastern Nevada. In T. M. Bown and K. D. Rose (eds.), Dawn of the Age of Mammals in the Northern Part of the Rocky Mountain Interior, North America. Geological Society of America Special Paper 243:187-210 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 16218: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Squamata indet.
Squamata indet. squamates
"lizards"
 Serpentes -
? Serpentes indet.
? Serpentes indet. snake
"possibly snakes"
Aves
  -
Aves indet.
Aves indet. Linnaeus 1758 bird
"At least two different birds"
Mammalia
 Chiroptera -
Microchiroptera indet.
Microchiroptera indet. Dobson 1875 bat
at least two forms
 Condylarthra - Hyopsodontidae
Hyopsodus paulus
Hyopsodus paulus Leidy 1870 condylarth
 Primates - Notharctidae
Notharctus tenebrosus
Notharctus tenebrosus Leidy 1870 primate
presumably sensu Gingerich 1979a
 Primates - Microsyopidae
Uintasorex sp.
Uintasorex sp. Matthew 1909 primate
 Primates - Plesiadapidae
Trogolemur myodes
Trogolemur myodes Matthew 1909 primate
 Rodentia - Zapodidae
Elymys complexus3
Elymys complexus3 Korth and Emry 1989 jumping mouse
 Rodentia - Sciuravidae
Knightomys sp.3, Sciuravus sp., Pauromys exallos3
Knightomys sp.3 Gazin 1961 rodent
Sciuravus sp. Marsh 1871 rodent
Pauromys exallos3 Korth and Emry 1989 rodent
 Rodentia - Reithroparamyidae
Reithroparamys cf. huerfanensis, Reithroparamys delicatissimus
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Microparamys sambucus3, Mattimys sp.
Microparamys sambucus3 Korth and Emry 1989 rodent
Mattimys sp. Korth 1984 rodent
 Artiodactyla - Homacodontidae
Antiacodon pygmaeus
Antiacodon pygmaeus Cope 1872 even-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Hyrachyidae
"Hyrachyus modestus" = Hyrachyus modestus, "Hyrachyus affinis" = Hyrachyus modestus
"Hyrachyus modestus" = Hyrachyus modestus Leidy 1870 odd-toed ungulate
"Hyrachyus affinis" = Hyrachyus modestus Leidy 1870 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla -
Helaletes nanus, Fouchia elyensis2, Isectolophus latidens
Helaletes nanus Marsh 1871 odd-toed ungulate
Fouchia elyensis2 Emry 1989 odd-toed ungulate
"Hyrachyidae undescribed genus":
Isectolophus latidens Osborn et al. 1878 odd-toed ungulate
 Theriamorpha - Epoicotheriidae
? Tetrapassalus cf. mckennai
? Tetrapassalus cf. mckennai Simpson 1959 placental
 Theriamorpha - Viverravidae
Viverravidae indet., Viverravus minutus
Viverravidae indet. Wortman and Matthew 1899 placental
Viverravus minutus Wortman 1901 placental
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Sinopa rapax1
Sinopa rapax1 Leidy 1871 creodont
 Theriamorpha - Pantolestoidae
Pantolestes longicaudus
Pantolestes longicaudus Cope 1872 placental
 Cimolesta - Apatemyidae
Apatemys bellus
Apatemys bellus Marsh 1872 eutherian
Amphibia
 Salientia -
Anura indet.
Anura indet. frog
"a variety of small anuran amphibians"
Deuteropoda
  -
Ostracoda indet.
Ostracoda indet. Latreille 1802 ostracod
Gastropoda
  -
Gastropoda indet.
Gastropoda indet. Cuvier 1795 snail
Bivalvia
  -
Bivalvia indet.
Bivalvia indet. Linnaeus 1758 clam
unclassified
  -
Plantae indet.
Plantae indet. Haeckel 1866
"root casts and other plant impressions"
1Alroy 2002; 2Emry 1989; 3Emry and Korth 1989