PBDB Collection

Virgin Valley (Miocene of the United States)

Also known as UCMP 1065, 1090, 1095
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235

Where: Humboldt County, Nevada (41.1° N, 117.8° W: paleocoordinates 41.9° N, 114.7° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Virgin Valley Formation, Barstovian (16.3 - 12.5 Ma)

• spans a rhyolite vent dated at 15.72 +/- 0.07 Ma on biotite and overlies a rhyolite with a youngest date of 16.11 +/- 0.03 on sanidine (both SLCF 40Ar/39Ar)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Reposited in the UCMP

Primary reference: R. A. Stirton. 1940. The Nevada Miocene and Pliocene mammalian faunas as faunal units. Proceedings of the Sixth Pacific Science Congress 2:627-640 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 19103: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Perkins et al. 1998 indicate that the Virgin Valley section is bracketed by Ar/Ar dates of 16.28 +/- 0.02 Ma (rhyolite at base) and 15.18 +/- 0.03 Ma (ash near top)

Show authors, comments, and common names

Mammalia
Proboscidea - Mammutidae	"Miomastodon merriami n. sp." = Miomastodon proavus⁶ "Miomastodon merriami n. sp." = Miomastodon proavus⁶ Cope 1873 mastodon
Carnivora - Procyonidae	Bassariscus antiquus Bassariscus antiquus Matthew and Cook 1909 ringtail from UCMP 1095: see Hall 1927 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Carnivora - Canidae	"Tomarctus optatus" = Protomarctus optatus, "Cynodesmus kelloggi n. sp." = Paracynarctus kelloggi "Tomarctus optatus" = Protomarctus optatus Matthew 1924 bone-crushing dog NOT confirmed by Wang et al. 1999! DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 "Cynodesmus kelloggi n. sp." = Paracynarctus kelloggi Merriam 1911 bone-crushing dog UCMP 1065 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae	Ticholeptus zygomaticus¹ Ticholeptus zygomaticus¹ Cope 1878 oreodont
Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae	Hesperhys sp. Hesperhys sp. Douglass 1903 peccary DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Artiodactyla - Moschidae	"Blastomeryx mollis n. sp." = Problastomeryx primus "Blastomeryx mollis n. sp." = Problastomeryx primus Matthew 1908 musk deer see Merriam 1911, Frick 1937 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae	Dromomerycinae indet.¹, Cranioceratini indet.¹ Dromomerycinae indet.¹ Frick 1937 ruminant Cranioceratini indet.¹ Frick 1937 ruminant
Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae	Paracosoryx sp.¹ Paracosoryx sp.¹ Frick 1937 pronghorn
Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae	Moropus merriami² Moropus merriami² Holland and Peterson 1913 chalicothere UCMP 1065
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	Teleoceras medicornutum⁵, Aphelops megalodus⁵, Peraceras profectum⁴ Teleoceras medicornutum⁵ Osborn 1904 rhinoceros Aphelops megalodus⁵ Cope 1873 rhinoceros Peraceras profectum⁴ Matthew 1899 rhinoceros pers. comm.: "Aphelops"
Perissodactyla - Equidae	Merychippus brevidontus, Merychippus cf. californicus, Hypohippus cf. osborni, "Parahippus avus" = Desmatippus avus Merychippus brevidontus Bode 1935 horse first mentioned by Bode 1934 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 Merychippus cf. californicus Merriam 1915 horse assigned to "M. cf. seversus" by Downs 1961, but see Hulbert and MacFadden 1991 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 Hypohippus cf. osborni Gidley 1907 anchitheriine horse DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 "Parahippus avus" = Desmatippus avus Marsh 1874 anchitheriine horse DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Lagomorpha - Leporidae	Hypolagus parviplicatus n. sp.³ Hypolagus parviplicatus n. sp.³ Dawson 1958 rabbit from UCMP 1065; "H. vetus" of Dice 1917
Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae	Oreolagus nevadensis n. sp. Oreolagus nevadensis n. sp. Kellogg 1910 pika see Dice 1917 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Rodentia - Castoridae	Monosaulax skinneri¹ Monosaulax skinneri¹ Stout 1999 beaver
Rodentia - Aplodontidae	Liodontia alexandrae n. sp. Liodontia alexandrae n. sp. Furlong 1910 mountain beaver from UCMP 1090 also at UCMP 1095: see Gazin 1932 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Rodentia - Mylagaulidae	"Mylagaulus pristinus" = Alphagaulus pristinus, Hesperogaulus sp.¹ "Mylagaulus pristinus" = Alphagaulus pristinus Douglass 1903 rodent DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 Hesperogaulus sp.¹ Korth 1999 rodent

¹Alroy 2002; ²Coombs 2004; ³Dawson 1958; ⁴Prothero 1989; ⁵Prothero 2005; ⁶Stock 1936