Lago Alajuela (Miocene of Panama)

Also known as UF VP YPA088

Where: Panama (9.2° N, 79.6° W: paleocoordinates 9.0° N, 78.2° W)

• coordinate stated in text

When: Alajuela Formation, Tortonian (11.6 - 7.2 Ma)

• Comparison of the mean ratio with the global seawater 87Sr/86Sr curve for the Neogene [13] indicates a late Miocene age of 9.77 ± 0.22 Ma for this por- tion of the Alajuela Formation (Fig 5). The strontium dates also confirm a late Miocene age for the associated vertebrate fossils including the biochronologically informative horses and proboscidean Gomphotherium sp.

Environment/lithology: marine; sandstone

• The Alajuela Formation includes a >25 m-thick basal package of interbedded, clast-supported conglomerates and litharenite sandstones that grades into an ~85 m-thick package of calcareous sandstones and calcarenites, representing a transition from tide-dominated, potentially estuarine, coastal environments to wave-dominated, shallow-water carbonate environments [10,18]. The 82 m-thick composite section (Fig 3), measured in proximity to the fossil localities on the southern extent of Lago Alajuela (Table 1), is subdivided into three distinctive lithological intervals to summarize major facies transitions during this transgression.

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: B. J. MacFadden, D. S. Jones, N. A. Jud, J. W. Moreno, G. S. Morgan, R. W. Portell, V. J. Perez, S. M. Moran, and A. R. Wood. 2017. Integrated Chronology, Flora and Faunas, and Paleoecology of the Alajuela Formation, Late Miocene of Panama. PLoS One 12(1):e0170300 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 187583: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 02.08.2017

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Annonoxylon
  -
Annonoxylon sp. Boureau 1950
Angiospermae
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Palmoxylon sp. Schenk 1882 palm
species A & B
 Fabales - Fabaceae
Fabaceae indet. Lindley 1836 legume
 Rosales - Rosaceae
Parinarioxylon sp. Pfeiffer and Heurn 1928 rose
 Malpighiales - Phyllanthaceae
 Sapindales - Sapindaceae
Sapindaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 soapberry
 Malvales - Malvaceae
Malvaceae indet. de Jussieu 1789 mallow
Thecostraca
 Balanomorpha - Balanidae
cf. Tamiosoma sp. Conrad 1856 barnacle
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Callianassidae
Callianassidae indet. Dana 1852 decapod
Polychaeta
  -
Polychaeta indet. Grube 1850
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Hippoporidridae
Hippoporidra sp. Canu and Bassler 1927
Stenolaemata
 Cyclostomata - Plagioeciidae
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Yoldiidae
Yoldiidae indet. Habe 1977 clam
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea sp. Sacco 1897 oyster
 Pectinida - Plicatulidae
Plicatula sp. Lamarck 1801 scallop
 Pectinida - Anomiidae
Anomia sp. Linnaeus 1758 jingle
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Euvola sp. Dall 1898 scallop
Nodipecten sp. Dall 1898 scallop
 Arcida - Arcidae
Arcidae indet. Lamarck 1809 clam
 Carditida - Carditidae
Venericardia sp. Lamarck 1801 clam
 Solenida - Pharidae
Ensis sp. Schumacher 1817 clam
 Hiatellida - Hiatellidae
Panopea sp. Menard 1807 clam
 Cardiida - Gastrochaenidae
Gastrochaenidae indet. Gray 1840 clam
 Cardiida - Veneridae
Chionopsis sp. Olsson 1932 venus clam
Chione sp. von Mühlfield 1811 venus clam
Lirophora sp. Conrad 1863 venus clam
Macrocallista sp. Meek 1876 venus clam
Pitar sp. Römer 1857 venus clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
Corbulidae indet. Lamarck 1818 clam
Scaphopoda
  -
Scaphopoda indet. Bronn 1862 tusk shell
Gastropoda
 Opisthobranchia - Haminoeidae
Haminoeidae indet. Pilsbry 1895 snail
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
Architectonicidae indet. Gray 1850 snail
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
Calyptraea sp. Lamarck 1799 slipper shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Strombidae
Strombus sp. Linnaeus 1758 conch
 Neogastropoda - Turbinellidae
Turbinella sp. Lamarck 1799 snail
 Neogastropoda - Marginellidae
Marginellidae indet. Fleming 1828 margin shell
 Neogastropoda - Olividae
Oliva sp. Bruguière 1789 olive snail
Olivella sp. Swainson 1831 olive snail
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp. Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Terebridae
Terebra sp. Bruguière 1789 auger snail
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
Turridae indet. Swainson 1840 turrid
 Neogastropoda - Melongenidae
Melongena sp. Schumacher 1817 snail
 Neogastropoda - Buccinidae
Cymatophos sp. Pilsbry and Olsson 1941 true whelk
 Sorbeoconcha - Xenophoridae
Xenophora sp. Fischer von Waldheim 1807 carrier shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Tonnidae
Malea sp. Valenciennes 1833 tun shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 cowry
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Naticidae indet. Guilding 1834 moon snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritellidae indet. Lovén 1847 turret shell
 Cerithioidea - Cerithiidae
Cerithiidae indet. Fleming 1822 cerith snail
Cephalopoda
 Coleoidea -
Coleoidea indet. Bather 1888
Aves
 Aves -
Reptilia
 Crocodylia - Gavialidae
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudinidae indet. Batsch 1788 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet. Gray 1825 softshell turtle
 Testudines - Cheloniidae
Cheloniidae indet. Bonaparte 1832 sea turtle
 Testudines - Podocnemididae
Bairdemys sp. Gaffney and Wood 2002 sideneck turtle
n. sp.
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium sp. Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
 Sirenia - Dugongidae
cf. Dugongidae indet. Gray 1821 dugong
 Placentalia -
cf. Carnivora indet. Bowdich 1821 carnivoran
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Dinohippus sp. Quinn 1955 horse
Cormohipparion sp. Skinner and MacFadden 1977 hipparionine horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuidae indet. Palmer 1897 peccary
Chondrichthyes
 Carcharhiniformes - Hemigaleidae
Hemipristis serra Agassiz 1835 ground shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna mokarran hammerhead shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Negaprion brevirostris Poey 1868 lemon shark
Carcharhinus sp. de Blainville 1816 requiem shark
 Lamniformes - Otodontidae
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon
"Carcharocles megalodon" = Otodus megalodon Agassiz 1835 megalodon
 Rhinopristiformes - Pristidae
Pristis sp. Linck 1790 sawfish
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816 eagle ray
Rhinoptera sp. Cuvier 1829 cownose ray
Echinoidea
 Clypeasteroida - Clypeasteridae
Clypeaster sp. Lamarck 1801 sand dollar