Chesapeake Bay (Upper Calvert) (Miocene to of the United States)

Also known as Cat Creek; Chesapeake Beach; Drum Cliff; Governor Run; Kenwood Beach; Long Beach; Plum Point; Randle Cliff; Scientist's Cliff

Where: Calvert County, Maryland (38.4° N, 76.5° W: paleocoordinates 38.6° N, 72.8° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Plum Point Member (Calvert Formation), Burdigalian to Burdigalian (20.4 - 13.8 Ma)

• Beds 4–13 are late Burdigalian-Langhian

Environment/lithology: transition zone or lower shoreface; sandy claystone

• Mollusk (especially Pycnodonte percrassa)-bearing blue-green (at the base) to greenish (in the middle) to brown (at the top) sandy clay.

•Subtropical, not far from shore

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: R. H. Tedford and M. E. Hunter. 1984. Miocene marine-nonmarine correlations, Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, North America. Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 47:129-151 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 18518: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Mark Uhen and Evangelos Vlachos

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• beds 13 to 15; 15 is in the Choptank Fm. according to Tedford and Hunter but in the Calvert Fm. according to Wright and Eshelman 1987unless otherwise noted, provenance at this level is assumed by Tedford and HunterCat Creek and Drum Cliff are in St. Mary's Co.: Wright and Eshelman 1987
Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Rhinoptera sp.3 Cuvier 1829 cownose ray
 Myliobatiformes - Aetobatidae
"Aetobatis arcuatus" = Aetobatus irregularis3
"Aetobatis arcuatus" = Aetobatus irregularis3 Agassiz 1843 stingray
 Heterodontiformes - Heterodontidae
"Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca3
"Sphyrna prisca" = Cestracion prisca3 Agassiz 1843 bullhead shark
var. eastmani, n. var.
 Squatiniformes - Squatinidae
Squatina occidentalis3 Eastman 1904 angel shark
 Hexanchiformes - Hexanchidae
"Notidanus primigenius" = Notorhynchus primigenius3
"Notidanus primigenius" = Notorhynchus primigenius3 Agassiz 1835 sevengill shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Prionodon egertoni3 Agassiz 1843 blue shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Hemigaleidae
Hemipristis serra3 Agassiz 1835 ground shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna laevissima3 Cope 1867 hammerhead shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdidae
Galeocerdo aduncus3 Agassiz 1835 tiger shark
 Lamniformes - Odontaspididae
Odontaspis actutissima3 Agassiz 1843 sand tiger shark
"Odontaspis cuspidata" = Araloselachus cuspidatus3 Agassiz 1843 sand tiger shark
 Lamniformes - Lamnidae
"Oxyrhina retroflexa" = Isurus retroflexus3, "Oxyrhina hastalis" = Carcharodon hastalis3
"Oxyrhina retroflexa" = Isurus retroflexus3 Agassiz 1838 mackerel shark
"Oxyrhina hastalis" = Carcharodon hastalis3 Agassiz 1838 white shark
Mammalia
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
? Aphelops sp. Owen 1845 rhinoceros
beds 13 and 14
 Perissodactyla - Tapiridae
Tapiravus cf. validus Marsh 1871 tapir
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Archaeohippus sp. Gidley 1906 anchitheriine horse
provenance is questioned by Wright and Eshelman 1987 on biochronological grounds, but their argument seems poor in light of the Norden Bridge fauna
Equinae indet.1 Steinmann and Döderlein 1890 horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
"Prosthennops xiphodonticus" = Stirtonhyus xiphodonticus, "Prosthennops niobrarensis" = Colbertchoerus niobrarensis
"Prosthennops xiphodonticus" = Stirtonhyus xiphodonticus Barbour 1925 peccary
Kenwood Beach, ? bed 14; Scientist's Cliff, bed 14
"Prosthennops niobrarensis" = Colbertchoerus niobrarensis Colbert 1935 peccary
Governor's Run Road, ? bed 15
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
? Aepycamelus sp. Macdonald 1956 camel
 Cetacea - Physeteridae
Orycterocetus crocodilinus2 Cope 1867 sperm whale
 Artiodactyla - Protoceratidae
Protoceratidae indet.5 Marsh 1891 protoceratid
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyonidae indet.1 Haeckel 1886 bear-dog
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Gomphotherium obscurum1 Leidy 1869 mastodon
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Floridemys hurdi n. sp.6 Weems and George 2013 turtle
CMM 4666 (holotype), nuchal (Weems and George 2013, fig. 12)
 Testudines -
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines4
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines4 Batsch 1788 turtle