PBDB Collection

Wannagan Creek Quarry (Paleocene of the United States)

Where: Billings County, North Dakota (47.0° N, 103.7° W: paleocoordinates 52.0° N, 81.9° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Bullion Creek Formation, Tiffanian (61.7 - 56.8 Ma)

• Bullion Creek (Tongue River) Fm., 20 m below lignite bed marking base of Sentinel Butte Fm.

•

•Two beds, upper and lower (lignitic)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: mire or swamp; gray shale and carbonaceous shale

• shale represents "a paludal environment" or "a swamp forest... the water had an estimated depth of 2 or 3 m" (Erickson 1982)

• "lignitic silt and clay"; fossiliferous lower level is "a lignitic shale" (Erickson 1982)

Size class: macrofossils

Collected by B. Erickson and crew in 1970–1996

Collection methods: quarrying, surface (in situ),

Primary reference: B. R. Erickson. 1991. Flora and fauna of the Wannagan Creek Quarry: Late Paleocene of North America. Scientific Publications of the Science Museum of Minnesota 7(3):1-19 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Carrano]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 15000: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Jered Karr, Philip Mannion, Matthew Carrano and Patricia Holroyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Insecta
Odonata - Gomphaeschnidae	Gomphaeschna schrankii n. sp.⁸ Gomphaeschna schrankii n. sp.⁸ Lewis 1988 true dragonfly SMM
Mammalia
Theriamorpha - Peradectidae	Peradectes sp. Peradectes sp. Matthew and Granger 1921 marsupial
Proteutheria - Palaeoryctidae	cf. Pararyctes sp., cf. Palaeoryctes sp. cf. Pararyctes sp. Van Valen 1966 eutherian cf. Palaeoryctes sp. Matthew 1913 eutherian
Cimolesta - Apatemyidae	Labidolemur soricoides Labidolemur soricoides Matthew and Granger 1921 eutherian
Theriamorpha - Phenacodontidae	Ectocion sp., Phenacodus sp. Ectocion sp. Cope 1882 condylarth Phenacodus sp. Cope 1873 condylarth
Procreodi - Arctocyonidae	Thryptacodon sp., Thryptacodon cf. australis Thryptacodon sp. Matthew and Granger 1915 condylarth Thryptacodon cf. australis Simpson 1935 condylarth
Theriamorpha - Viverravidae	Bryanictis cf. microlestes¹ Bryanictis cf. microlestes¹ Simpson 1935 placental
Theriamorpha - Nyctitheriidae	Leptacodon sp. Leptacodon sp. Matthew and Granger 1921 placental "cf. Leptacodon" is also listed, but as a lipotyphlan instead of a proteuthere, indicating that both the true Leptacodon and the "L." packi genus are present
Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae	Entomolestes sp. Entomolestes sp. Matthew 1909 hedgehog
Theriamorpha - Pantolestoidae	Propalaeosinopa sp. Propalaeosinopa sp. Simpson 1927 placental two forms, one said to be new
Primates - Plesiadapidae	Plesiadapis sp., Plesiadapis cf. fodinatus Plesiadapis sp. Gervais 1877 primate Plesiadapis cf. fodinatus Jepsen 1930 primate
Primates - Paromomyidae	Ignacius sp., Phenacolemurinae indet.¹ Ignacius sp. Matthew and Granger 1921 primate Phenacolemurinae indet.¹ Simpson 1955 primate
Multituberculata - Neoplagiaulacidae	Neoplagiaulax hazeni, Neoplagiaulax cf. hunteri, Neoplagiaulax mckennai Neoplagiaulax hazeni Jepsen 1940 multituberculate Neoplagiaulax cf. hunteri Simpson 1936 multituberculate Neoplagiaulax mckennai Sloan 1987 multituberculate
Multituberculata - Ptilodontidae	Ptilodus sp., Ptilodus wyomingensis Ptilodus sp. Cope 1881 multituberculate Ptilodus wyomingensis Jepsen 1940 multituberculate
Reptilia
Squamata - Amphisbaenidae	Amphisbaenidae indet. Amphisbaenidae indet. worm lizard
Squamata - Necrosauridae	Provaranosaurus sp.⁴ Provaranosaurus sp.⁴ Gilmore 1942 squamates
Squamata - Anguidae	Anguidae indet.⁴ Anguidae indet.⁴ Gray 1825 squamates
Squamata - Varanidae	Varanidae indet. Varanidae indet. Hardwicke and Gray 1824 monitor lizard
Testudinata - Baenidae	Baenidae indet. Baenidae indet. Cope 1882 turtle
Testudines - Trionychidae	Trionychidae indet.² Trionychidae indet.² Gray 1825 softshell turtle
Testudines - Panchelydridae	Protochelydra zangerli n. gen. n. sp. Protochelydra zangerli n. gen. n. sp. Erickson 1973 turtle SMM P72.34.20 - holotype
Loricata -	"Leidyosuchus formidabilis n. sp." = Borealosuchus formidabilis⁶ "Leidyosuchus formidabilis n. sp." = Borealosuchus formidabilis⁶ Erickson 1976 crocodilian SMM P71.16.28 Complete skull
Crocodylia - Alligatoridae	Wannaganosuchus brachymanus n. gen. n. sp.⁷ Wannaganosuchus brachymanus n. gen. n. sp.⁷ Erickson 1982 crocodilian
Aves
Charadriiformes - Dakotornithidae	Dakotornis cooperi n. gen. n. sp.⁵ Dakotornis cooperi n. gen. n. sp.⁵ Erickson 1975 shorebird SMM P74.24.106 - holotype (complete right humerus), P.75.22.7, P.75.22.25
Charadriiformes - Graculavidae	Graculavidae indet.³ Graculavidae indet.³ Fürbringer 1888 shorebird SMM P.96.9.3
Anseriformes - Presbyornithidae	Presbyornis isoni³ Presbyornis isoni³ Olson 1994 waterfowl SMM P96.9.2
Reptilia
Choristodera -	Champsosaurus sp.⁷, Champsosaurus gigas Champsosaurus sp.⁷ Cope 1876 choristodere Champsosaurus gigas Erickson 1972 choristodere
Amphibia
Salientia -	Anura indet. Anura indet. frog
Caudata - Urodela	Scapherpeton sp., Piceoerpeton willwoodense⁹ Scapherpeton sp. Cope 1876 salamander Piceoerpeton willwoodense⁹ Meszoely 1967 salamander trunk vertebrae SMM P76.28.237 and P76.28.238
Angiospermae
Nymphaeales - Nymphaeaceae	Nelumbium sp.⁷ Nelumbium sp.⁷ Jussieu 1789 water lily

Coniferales - Cupressaceae	Cupressaceae indet.⁷ Cupressaceae indet.⁷ Gray 1822 cypress "taxodid" or "cypress" trees
Polypodiopsida
Salviniales - Polypodiidae	Azolla sp.⁷ Azolla sp.⁷ Lamarck 1783

¹Alroy 2002; ²Alroy 2006; ³Benson 1999; ⁴ElShafie 2024; ⁵Erickson 1975; ⁶Erickson 1976; ⁷Erickson 1982; ⁸Lewis 1988; ⁹Naylor and Krause 1981