Casa Blanca (Eocene of the United States)

Also known as TMM 42486; Spillway Quarry

Where: Webb County, Texas (27.5° N, 99.4° W: paleocoordinates 29.5° N, 89.8° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Laredo Formation, Late/Upper Uintan (46.2 - 40.4 Ma)

• Uinta C

Environment/lithology: estuary or bay; sandstone

• "tropical coastal conditions... mangrove swamp... estuarine" (Westgate 1989)
• "massive sandstone, fine-grained"

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Reposited in the TMM

Collection methods: bulk, quarrying, sieve,

• "Vertebrates were recovered by plaster jacketing and bulk sampling. More than 5,000 kg of sediment was screen-washed... [using] fine screen with a mesh of 11 x 7 threads /cm2"

Primary reference: J. W. Westgate. 1988. Biostratigraphic implications of the first Eocene land-mammal fauna from the North American coastal plain. Geology 16:995-998 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 16542: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Mark Uhen and Patricia Holroyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• two isolated specimens are from nearby TMM 41871 and TMM 42185, which are in the same unit

•Westgate 1990 reports NISP 101 excluding rodents and indeterminate records; later publications report 288, for a total of 389 plus two species lacking counts; Westgate 1988 reports "nearly 700" and Westgate 1990 "over 700," and I believe the discrepancy is due to counting indeterminate specimens

•said to be Uinta C

unclassified
  -
Lycopodiopsida
 Selaginellales - Selaginellaceae
Selaginella sp.8 Beauvois 1804 spikemoss
Angiospermae
 Mesangiosperms - Arecaceae
Nypa sp.3 van Wurmb 1779 palm
 Malvales - Bombacaceae
Polypodiopsida
 Polypodiales - Polypodiidae
 Schizaeales - Polypodiidae
Deuteropoda
  -
Ostracoda indet.8 Latreille 1802 ostracod
Ostracoda
 Podocopida - Bythocyprididae
Bythocypris indet.8 Brady 1880 ostracod
Malacostraca
 Decapoda -
Decapoda indet.8 Latreille 1802 decapod
Bivalvia
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
? Brachidontes sp.8 Swainson 1840 mussel
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Gastropoda
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Naticidae indet.8 Guilding 1834 moon snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
Turritella cortezi8 turret shell
Osteichthyes
 Acipenseriformes -
Cylindracanthus sp.9 Leidy 1856 ray-finned fish
Aves
  -
Aves indet.6 Linnaeus 1758 bird
 Neornithes -
Gruiformes indet.8 Bonaparte 1854 bird
Reptilia
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Allognathosuchus sp.6 Mook 1921 crocodilian
Caimaninae indet.9 Brochu 1999 crocodilian
 Crocodylia - Planocraniidae
"Pristichampsus cf. vorax" = Boverisuchus vorax6
"Pristichampsus cf. vorax" = Boverisuchus vorax6 Troxell 1925 crocodilian
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emydidae indet.6 Rafinesque 1815 turtle
 Testudines - Pantestudinidae
Hadrianus sp.6 Cope 1872 turtle
 Testudines - Kinosternoidea
Xenochelys sp.6 Hay 1906 mud turtle
cf. Baptemys sp.6 Leidy 1870 mud turtle
 Testudines - Carettochelyidae
cf. Allaeochelys sp.6 Noulet 1867 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychidae indet.2 Gray 1825 softshell turtle
 Squamata - Anguidae
Glyptosaurinae indet.6 Marsh 1872 squamates
Glyptosaurinae indet.9 Marsh 1872 squamates
 Squamata - Palaeophiidae
Pterosphenus schucherti6 Lucas 1898 snake
Pterosphenus schucherti9 Lucas 1898 snake
Mammalia
 Sirenia - Sirenia
 Condylarthra - Hyopsodontidae
Hyopsodus cf. uintensis Osborn 1902 condylarth
 Placentalia -
Chiroptera indet.11 Blumenbach 1779 bat
 Theriamorpha -
Procynodictis cf. vulpiceps Wortman and Matthew 1899 placental
 Carnivora - Miacidae
cf. Miocyon sp.1 Matthew 1909 carnivoran
 Acreodi -
cf. Simidectes magnus Peterson 1919 mesonychian
 Acreodi - Mesonychidae
cf. Harpagolestes uintensis10 Scott 1888 condylarth
Harpagolestes cf. uintensis10 Scott 1888 condylarth
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Epihippus sp.11 Marsh 1878 horse
 Perissodactyla - Amynodontidae
Amynodon advenus Marsh 1875 odd-toed ungulate
also present at TMM 42185
 Perissodactyla - Hyracodontidae
? Triplopus sp.8 Cope 1880 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Brontotheriidae
Notiotitanops mississippiensis10 Gazin and Sullivan 1942 brontothere
 Artiodactyla - Protoceratidae
Toromeryx cf. marginensis Wilson 1974 protoceratid
Leptoreodon leptolophus Golz 1976 protoceratid
additional specimen from TMM 41871 described by Wilson 1984
Leptoreodon pusillus Golz 1976 protoceratid
 Artiodactyla - Agriochoeridae
Protoreodon parvus8 Scott and Osborn 1887 agriochoerid
Protoreodon petersoni Gazin 1955 agriochoerid
 Artiodactyla - Leptochoeridae
Laredochoerus edwardsi n. gen. n. sp.8 Westgate 1994 even-toed ungulate
Laredochoerus edwardsi n. sp.7 Westgate 1994 even-toed ungulate
 Theriamorpha - Geolabididae
Centetodon pulcher Marsh 1872 placental
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Ischyromyidae indet. Alston 1876 rodent
two forms
Mytonomys cf. robustus Peterson 1919 rodent
Microparamys sp. Wood 1959 rodent
not Laredomys
Thisbemys sp. Wood 1959 rodent
 Rodentia - Eutypomyidae
Microeutypomys karenae n. sp.5 Walton 1993 rodent
 Rodentia -
cf. Nonomys sp.8 Emry and Dawson 1973 rodent
 Rodentia - Laredomyidae
Laredomys riograndensis n. sp.13 Wilson and Westgate 1991 rodent
may include unidentified mammal, said to be new
 Rodentia - Sciuravidae
Pauromys simplex n. sp.4 Walton 1993 rodent
 Rodentia - Cylindrodontidae
Cylindrodontidae indet. Miller and Gidley 1918 rodent
said to be new
 Primates - Omomyidae
Macrotarsius cf. jepseni, Omomys cf. carteri12, "? Mytonius sp. n. sp." = Ourayia8
Macrotarsius cf. jepseni Robinson 1968 tarsier
Omomys cf. carteri12 Leidy 1869 tarsier
"? Mytonius sp. n. sp." = Ourayia8 Gazin 1958 tarsier
 Primates - Microsyopidae
Microsyops sp. Leidy 1872 primate
 Primates -
Mahgarita cf. stevensi11 Wilson and Szalay 1976 primate
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
Herpetotherium marsupium1 Troxell 1923 marsupial
Peratherium comstocki Cope 1884 marsupial
Amphibia
 Salientia -
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
Lepisosteus sp.6 Agassiz 1843 gar
 Elopiformes - Megalopidae
Megalopidae indet.6 Jordan 1923
 Elopiformes - Phyllodontidae
 Perciformes -
Diaphyodus wilsoni n. sp.6 perch-like fish
 Acanthomorphata - Sciaenidae
Jefitchia sp.6 Frizzell and Dante 1965
 Siluriformes - Ariidae
cf. Arius sp.6 Cuvier and Valenciennes 1840 Ariid catfish
Chondrichthyes
 Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdidae
Galeocerdo eaglesomei6 White 1926 tiger shark
Galeocerdo eaglesomei8 White 1926 tiger shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Carcharhinus sp.6 de Blainville 1816 requiem shark
[entered as Carcarhinus sp.]
Carcharhinus sp.8 de Blainville 1816 requiem shark
 Lamniformes - Mitsukurinidae
Striatolamia macrota6 Agassiz 1838 goblin shark
Striatolamia macrota8 Agassiz 1838 goblin shark
 Rhinopristiformes - Pristidae
Pristis sp.6 Linck 1790 sawfish
Pristis sp.8 Linck 1790 sawfish
 Rajiformes - Rhinobatidae
Rhinobatos sp.6 Link 1790 guitarfish
 Myliobatiformes - Dasyatidae
Dasyatis sp.6 Rafinesque 1810 whiptail stingray
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp.6 Cuvier 1816 eagle ray
Rhinoptera sp.6 Cuvier 1829 cownose ray