Optima (Neogene of the United States)

Also known as Guymon; OMNH V52; UCMP V-2902

Where: Texas County, Oklahoma (36.7° N, 101.4° W: paleocoordinates 37.0° N, 99.7° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Ogallala Formation, Hemphillian (10.3 - 4.9 Ma)

• Baskin 1981 says late Hemphillian

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: C. J. Hesse. 1936. A Pliocene Vertebrate Fauna From Optima, Oklahoma. University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences 24(3):57-70 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 18304: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 05.08.1992, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• much closer to Optima than to Guymon
new material of Savage 1941 seems to be entirely from a later collection
see also Schultz 1990e
Mammalia
 Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae
Megalonyx sp.5 Harlan 1825 edentate
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Mammut sp.9 Blumenbach 1799 mastodon
 Carnivora - Ursidae
"Agriotherium schneideri" = Huracan schneideri9
"Agriotherium schneideri" = Huracan schneideri9 Sellards 1916 bear
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Plesiogulo marshalli10 Martin 1928 mustelid carnivore
Pliotaxidea cf. nevadensis10 Butterworth 1916 badger
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Arctonasua fricki n. sp.2 Baskin 1982 procyonid carnivore
 Carnivora - Canidae
Borophagus secundus1 VanderHoof 1931 bone-crushing dog
"Canis ferox" = Eucyon ferox11 Miller and Carranza-Castaneda 1998 canine
Eucyon davisi10 Merriam 1911 canine
Vulpes stenognathus n. sp.9 Savage 1941 fox
 Carnivora - Felidae
Adelphailurus sp.10, "Machairodus cf. coloradensis" = Amphimachairodus coloradensis10, Lynx proterolyncis9
Adelphailurus sp.10 Hibbard 1934 cat
"Machairodus cf. coloradensis" = Amphimachairodus coloradensis10 Cook 1922 cat
Lynx proterolyncis9 Savage 1941 lynx
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Neohipparion gidleyi10 Merriam 1915 hipparionine horse
Neohipparion eurystyle Cope 1893 hipparionine horse
definitely Neohipparion based on figures of Hesse and Savage: JA pers. obs. 10.7.96
Nannippus lenticularis9 Cope 1893 hipparionine horse
definitely Nannippus based on Savage's figures: JA pers. obs. 10.7.96
Astrohippus ansae1 Matthew and Stirton 1930 horse
Dinohippus leidyanus6 Osborn 1918 horse
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Teleoceras guymonense n. sp.8 Prothero 2005 rhinoceros
pers. comm.: said to be a new species
Teleoceras hicksi7 Cook 1927 rhinoceros
pers. comm.: probably "T. cf. fossiger" of Savage 1941 and "T. sp."
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassuinae indet.9 Palmer 1897 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Alforjas taylori10 Harrison 1979 camel
probably "? Alticamelus sp." of Savage 1941
"Hemiauchenia vera" = Pleiolama vera10 Matthew 1909 camel
Megatylopus matthewi10 Webb 1965 camel
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
? Texoceros minorei n. sp.3 Frick 1937 pronghorn
see also MacFadden et al. 1979
Texoceros guymonensis n. sp.3 Frick 1937 pronghorn
presumably includes "Capromeryx altidens"
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Pediomeryx hemphillensis9 Stirton 1936 ruminant
"? Drepanomeryx"; includes type of "Yumaceras falkenbachi" of Frick 1937
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Hypolagus cf. vetus9 Kellogg 1910 rabbit
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Mylagaulidae indet. Cope 1881 rodent
said to be "Mylagaulus sp." by Savage 1941
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Marmota sp.4 Frisch 1775 marmot
new specimens; definitely not Paenemarmota
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Dipoides sp.9 Jaeger 1835 beaver