Carpinteria Asphalt Pit (Pleistocene of the United States)

Where: Santa Barbara County, California (34.4° N, 119.5° W: paleocoordinates 34.4° N, 119.5° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

• "The Pleistocene formation is practically in horizontal position and reaches a thickness in cliff-section of 10 to 12 feet"

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: tar; conglomeratic, carbonaceous sandstone

• "sharp sand and some gravel... thoroughly impregnated by petroleum... sometimes cross-bedded"

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: original chitin, original cellulose

Collected by N. Stuart in 1927

• discovered when "a steam shovel which was taking out road material over a deposit of asphalt disclosed some bones"; material is in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and/or CIT collection

Primary reference: R. Hoffmann, C. Stock, L. Miller, R. W. Chaney, and H. L. Mason. 1927. The Finding of Pleistocene Material in an Asphalt Pit at Carpinteria, California. Science 66:155-157 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 79630: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 15.03.2008, edited by Matthew Clapham and Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Arceuthobium sp., Chorizanthe sp.
Arceuthobium sp.
"twigs, scale-leaves, staminate and pistillate flowers, and fruits"
Chorizanthe sp.
organs not indicated, flowers is a guess
Mammalia
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Odocoileus sp.
Odocoileus sp. Rafinesque 1832 New World deer
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
"Equus cf. occidentalis" = Equus mexicanus
"Equus cf. occidentalis" = Equus mexicanus Hibbard 1955 horse
"Equus, near occidentalis"
 Carnivora - Mephitidae
Mephitis sp.
Mephitis sp. Cuvier 1800 skunk
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Canis ? ochropus" = Canis latrans, Urocyon cf. cinereoargenteus4, Aenocyon cf. dirus
"Canis ? ochropus" = Canis latrans Say 1823 coyote
"Canis, probably ochropus"
Urocyon cf. cinereoargenteus4 Schreber 1775 gray fox
"Urocyon, near californicus"
Aenocyon cf. dirus Leidy 1858 dire wolf
"Aenocyon, near dirus"
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp.
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Eutamias sp.
Eutamias sp. Trouessart 1880 chipmunk
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Mammut pacificus2
Mammut pacificus2 Dooley et al. 2019 mastodon
Reptilia
 Squamata - Anguidae
Elgaria multicarinata1
Elgaria multicarinata1 Blainville 1835 southern alligator lizard
 Squamata - Colubridae
Thamnophis sp.1, Coluber constrictor1
Thamnophis sp.1 Fitzinger 1843 garter snake
Coluber constrictor1 Linnaeus 1758 black racer
 Squamata - Iguanidae
Sceloporus occidentalis1
 Testudines - Emydidae
"Clemmys marmorata" = Emys marmorata1
"Clemmys marmorata" = Emys marmorata1 Baird and Girard 1852 western pond turtle
Aves
 Falconiformes - Vulturoidae
Teratornis merriami
Teratornis merriami Miller 1909 Merriam's teratorn
 Falconiformes - Falconidae
"Polyborus cheriway" = Caracara cheriway
"Polyborus cheriway" = Caracara cheriway Jacquin 1784 crested caracara
 Cuculiformes - Cuculidae
Geococcyx californianus
Geococcyx californianus Lesson 1829 Greater roadrunner
 Piciformes - Picidae
"Colaptes cafer" = Colaptes auratus cafer
"Colaptes cafer" = Colaptes auratus cafer Gmelin 1788 northern flicker
 Strigiformes - Strigidae
Bubo virginianus
Bubo virginianus Gmelin 1788 great horned owl
 Passeriformes -
Passeriformes indet.
Passeriformes indet. Linnaeus 1758 perching bird
 Passeriformes - Corvidae
Corvus corax
Corvus corax Linnaeus 1758 common raven
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Anas ? platyrhynchos
Anas ? platyrhynchos Linnaeus 1758 mallard
 Cathartiformes - Cathartidae
Gymnogyps californianus
Gymnogyps californianus Shaw 1797 California condor
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Accipitridae indet., Aquila chrysaetos, Neogyps errans, Neophrontops americanus
Accipitridae indet. Viellot 1816 hawk
"Buteonid hawks"
Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus 1758 golden eagle
Neogyps errans Miller 1916 Old World vulture
Neophrontops americanus Miller 1916 Old World vulture
Reptilia
 Galliformes - Odontophoridae
"Lophortyx californica" = Callipepla californica
"Lophortyx californica" = Callipepla californica Shaw 1798 California quail
 Galliformes - Meleagridae
Parapavo californica
Insecta
 Dicondylia -
Coleoptera indet.
Coleoptera indet. Linnaeus 1758 beetle
"remains of beetles"
 Coleoptera - Carabidae
Scaphinotus interruptus5
Scaphinotus interruptus5 Menetries 1843 ground beetle
 Coleoptera - Tenebrionidae
"Eleodes giganteus" = Eleodes (Xysta) gigantea3, "Eleodes acuticaudus" = Eleodes (Eleodes) acuticauda3, "Eleodes laticollis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) acuticauda3, "Eleodes grandicollis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) grandicollis3, "Eleodes gracilis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) gracilis3
"Eleodes giganteus" = Eleodes (Xysta) gigantea3 Mannerheim 1843 darkling beetle
"Eleodes acuticaudus" = Eleodes (Eleodes) acuticauda3 LeConte 1851 darkling beetle
"Eleodes laticollis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) acuticauda3 LeConte 1851 darkling beetle
"Eleodes grandicollis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) grandicollis3 Mannerheim 1843 darkling beetle
"Eleodes gracilis" = Eleodes (Eleodes) gracilis3 LeConte 1858 darkling beetle
Pinopsida
 Pinales - Pinaceae
Pinus muricata, Pinus radiata
Pinus radiata Don 1837 pine
"The conifers are all represented by wood, leaves, ovulate and staminate strobile"
 Coniferales - Cupressaceae
Cupressus goveniana
Dicotyledoneae
 Ericales - Ericaceae
Arctostaphylos sp.
Arctostaphylos sp. Adanson 1763 heather
"3 species... wood, leaves, flowers, and fruits"
Angiospermae
 Rosales - Pomaceae
Amelanchier sp.
Amelanchier sp. Medikus 1789 shadbush
"flowers"
 Proteales - Platanaceae
Platanus sp.
Platanus sp. Linnaeus 1753 plane tree
organs not indicated, leaves is a guess
1Brattstrom 1955; 2Dooley et al. 2019; 3Doyen and Miller 1980; 4Lutugin 1894; 5Miller 1978