Cedar Creek (Lower) (Oligocene of the United States)

Also known as Clyde Ward Ranch

Where: Logan County, Colorado (40.8° N, 103.1° W: paleocoordinates 42.0° N, 95.2° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Cedar Creek Member (Brule Formation), Orellan (33.9 - 33.3 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: E. C. Galbreath. 1953. A contribution to the Tertiary geology and paleontology of northeastern Colorado. University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions Vertebrata 4:1-120 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 17081: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Chris Bell, Terri Cleary and Clint Boyd

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• includes Mellinger locality (UCM 78099)
Cedar Creek sequence is in the vicinity of Pawnee Buttes
Korth and Hageman 1988 believe that the entire Cedar Creek beds are of the same age as Orella D; however, Prothero 1996c shows that it spans at least one magnetic reversal and probably two
level indeterminate: Coloradoeumys galbreathi Martin 1980a: type "Hesperocyon" coloradensis Wang and Tedford 1996: type, UK Colorado 46, Cedar Creek Mbr., Logan Co. Parictis sp. Hunt 1998a: "Cedar Creek beds, Chimney Canyon, Logan County"
Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Leptictidae
Leptictidae indet.1 Gill 1872 eutherian
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
? Ischyromys sp.1 Leidy 1856 rodent
Ischyromys typus Leidy 1856 rodent
 Rodentia - Florentiamyidae
Ecclesimus tenuiceps5 Galbreath 1948 rodent
 Rodentia - Aplodontidae
"Prosciurus relictus" = Altasciurus relictus
"Prosciurus relictus" = Altasciurus relictus Cope 1873 mountain beaver
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Cedromus wardi Wilson 1949 squirrel
 Rodentia - Heliscomyidae
Apletotomeus incohatus6 Reeder 1960 rodent
= Geomyoidea indet. ("? Proheteromys sp." DUPLICATE REF 2851 or 2852); = Apletotomeus incohatus (Korth and Branciforte 2007)
Heliscomys vetus Cope 1873 rodent
additional specimen described by Galbreath 1962a
 Rodentia - Eomyidae
Adjidaumo minutus, "Paradjidaumo trilophus" = Adjidaumo trilophus
Adjidaumo minutus Cope 1873 rodent
"Paradjidaumo trilophus" = Adjidaumo trilophus Cope 1873 rodent
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Agnotocastor coloradensis n. sp. Wilson 1949 beaver
see Xu 1996
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Eumys elegans Leidy 1856 mouse
includes "E. obliquidens"
Scottimus ambiguus4 Korth 1981 mouse
Wilsoneumys planidens5 Wilson 1949 mouse
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Palaeolagus haydeni Leidy 1856 rabbit
Palaeolagus intermedius Matthew 1899 rabbit
confirmed by Dawson 1958
Megalagus turgidus Cope 1873 rabbit
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Domnina gradata, "Heterosorex compressus" = Noritrimylus compressus
Domnina gradata Cope 1873 shrew
"Heterosorex compressus" = Noritrimylus compressus Galbreath 1953 shrew
"Domnina compressa"
 Theriamorpha - Geolabididae
"Metacodon magnus" = Centetodon magnus Clark 1936 placental
Centetodon marginalis1 Cope 1873 placental
 Theriamorpha - Proscalopidae
Oligoscalops sp.2 Reed 1961 placental
from Mellinger locality
 Theriamorpha - Oligoryctidae
Oligoryctes sp.7 Hough 1956 placental
Mellinger locality
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Subhyracodon occidentalis Leidy 1850 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Hyracodontidae
Hyracodon sp. Leidy 1856 odd-toed ungulate
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Miohippus obliquidens1 Osborn 1904 anchitheriine horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuidae indet.1 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Poebrotherium wilsoni, "Poebrotherium labiatum" = Paratylopus labiatus
Poebrotherium wilsoni Leidy 1847 camel
"Poebrotherium labiatum" = Paratylopus labiatus Cope 1881 camel
 Artiodactyla - Entelodontidae
Archaeotherium mortoni Leidy 1850 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Leptochoeridae
Leptochoerus sp.1 Leidy 1856 even-toed ungulate
Stibarus obtusilobus1 Cope 1873 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Hypisodontidae
Hypisodus minimus Cope 1873 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Hypertragulidae
Hypertragulus calcaratus Cope 1873 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Leptomerycidae
Leptomeryx esulcatus Cope 1889 ruminant
Leptomeryx evansi Leidy 1853 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
Merycoidodontidae indet.1 Cook 1912 oreodont
 Creodonta - Hyaenodontidae
Hyaenodon mustelinus Scott 1894 creodont
Hyaenodon crucians Leidy 1853 creodont
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Pseudocynodictis gregarius" = Hesperocyon gregarius
"Pseudocynodictis gregarius" = Hesperocyon gregarius Cope 1873 canid
additional Cedar Creek records of Wang 1994: "below Pawnee Quarry"; "3 mi north of Grover"; "6 mi east of Pawnee Pit"; "near Pawnee Buttes"; Clyde Ward Ranch; Jack Casement Ranch; Micro Locality; Beaver Locality; Deadman's Draw; Oscar Olander Ranch; KU-CO-004, 006, 008, 011, 014, 033, 038, 042, 046, 075
 Macroscelidea - Amphilemuridae
Ankylodon annectens Patterson and McGrew 1937 elephant shrew
includes "A. progressus"
 Cimolesta - Apatemyidae
Sinclairella dakotensis3 Jepsen 1934 eutherian
Mellinger locality; mentioned by West 1973c DUPLICATE REF 1239 or 1240
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
"Peratherium fugax" = Herpetotherium fugax
"Peratherium fugax" = Herpetotherium fugax Cope 1873 marsupial
 Theriamorpha - Peradectidae
"Nanodelphys hunti" = Nanodelphys huntii1
"Nanodelphys hunti" = Nanodelphys huntii1 Cope 1873 marsupial
Reptilia
 Squamata - Hyporhinidae
"Hyporhina galbreathi n. sp." = Hyporhina antiqua8
"Hyporhina galbreathi n. sp." = Hyporhina antiqua8 Baur 1893 worm lizard
Holotype: "University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Paleo. No. 8221, consisting of a skull, complete save for the absence of the quadrate and a part of the squamosal." Taylor 1951 gave the locality name "Clyde Ward Ranch, Logan County, Colorado;" Galbreath 1953 gave locality as SW1/4 sec. 12, T. 11N., R 54 W
 Squamata - Rhineuridae
"Rhineura amblyceps n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii8, "Rhineura wilsoni n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii8
"Rhineura amblyceps n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii8 Baur 1893 worm lizard
KUVP No. 7649 (holotype), basal portion of skull. Same locality as H. galbreathi holotype, so placed here. Referred specimens: KUVP 7650, skull; KUVP 9041, fragmentary skull
"Rhineura wilsoni n. sp." = Rhineura hatcherii8 Baur 1893 worm lizard
KUVP No. 7651 (holotype), nearly complete skull lacking squamosal, quadrate, columella, extracolumella, and entire lower jaws
Aves
 Galliformes - Odontophoridae
"Odontophorinae indet." = Odontophoridae9
"Odontophorinae indet." = Odontophoridae9 Gould 1844 New World quail
"Cedar Creek facies... SW. 1/4 sec. 12, T. 11 N., R. 54 W.": placed in this fauna by Galbreath, who lists the specimen as "Phasianid sp."