Purple Hills (Eocene of the United States)

Also known as USGS Loc. D-1177, 1315, 1316, UMRB1, RB2

Where: Big Horn County, Wyoming (44.5° N, 108.0° W: paleocoordinates 49.2° N, 90.8° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Willwood Formation, Wasatchian (55.8 - 50.3 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Reposited in the USGS

Primary reference: T. M. Bown, K. D. Rose, E. L. Simons and S. L. Wing. 1994. Distribution and stratigraphic correlation of upper Paleocene and lower Eocene fossil mammal and plant localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Tatman formations, southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1540:1-103 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 15578: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• placed in Bown section by Bown et al.
Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Leptictidae
Palaeictops bicuspis Cope 1880 eutherian
 Primates - Microsyopidae
Microsyops latidens Cope 1882 primate
 Primates - Notharctidae
Cantius abditus Gingerich and Simons 1977 primate
may include specimen from USGS D-2003 at the 479 m level of Rose et al. 1999
 Primates - Paromomyidae
Phenacolemurinae indet. Simpson 1955 primate
 Primates - Omomyidae
Absarokius metoecus Bown and Rose 1987 tarsier
 Perissodactyla - Helaletidae
Helaletidae indet. Osborn 1892 odd-toed ungulate
new helaletid of Bown
 Perissodactyla - Palaeotheriidae
Hyracotherium sp. Owen 1841 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Xenicohippus grangeri Bown and Kihm 1981 horse
 Theriamorpha - Phenacodontidae
"Phenacodus brachypternus" = Copecion brachypternus, Phenacodus vortmani
"Phenacodus brachypternus" = Copecion brachypternus Cope 1882 condylarth
Phenacodus vortmani Cope 1880 condylarth
 Artiodactyla - Diacodexeidae
Diacodexis metsiacus Cope 1882 even-toed ungulate
Bunophorus sp. Sinclair 1914 even-toed ungulate
 Procreodi - Arctocyonidae
Anacodon ursidens Cope 1882 condylarth
Chriacus sp. Cope 1883 condylarth
said to be new
 Creodonta - Oxyaenidae
Oxyaenidae indet. Cope 1877 creodont
 Creodonta -
Didelphodus absarokae Cope 1881 creodont
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Tritemnodon cf. strenuus Cope 1875 creodont
cf. Prototomus sp. Cope 1874 creodont
 Theriamorpha - Viverravidae
Didymictis sp. Cope 1875 placental
Viverravus acutus Matthew and Granger 1915 placental
 Theriamorpha -
Miacis exiguus Matthew and Granger 1915 placental
 Carnivora - Miacidae
Miacidae indet. Cope 1880 carnivoran
 Theriamorpha -
Vassacyon cf. promicrodon Wortman and Matthew 1899 placental
Vulpavus canavus Cope 1881 placental
Vulpavus australis Matthew and Granger 1915 placental
 Condylarthra - Hyopsodontidae
Hyopsodus sp. Leidy 1870 condylarth
Hyopsodus cf. minor Loomis 1905 condylarth
 Cimolesta - Pantolestidae
Palaeosinopa veterrima Matthew 1901 eutherian
 Cimolesta - Coryphodontidae
Coryphodon sp. Owen 1845 pantodont
 Cimolesta - Esthonychidae
Esthonyx sp. Cope 1874 tillodont
presumably sensu stricto