Chama-El Rito (Miocene of the United States)

Where: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico (36.5° N, 107.0° W: paleocoordinates 37.1° N, 103.9° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: upper Chama-El Rito Member (Tesuque Formation), Barstovian (16.0 - 13.6 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial

Primary reference: R. H. Tedford. 1981. Mammalian biochronology of the late Cenozoic basins of New Mexico. Geological Society America Bulletin 92 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Ju]more details

PaleoDB collection 19287: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 30.04.1994, edited by Jonathan Marcot

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• includes Conical Hill Quarry, a.k.a. CHQ; not clear from discussion of Tedford 1981 or Tedford and Barghoorn 1993 whether the main Chama-El Rito fauna is significantly older than that of CHQ
referred sediments of the Chama-El Rito Mbr. are dated at 10.3 +/- 0.3 and 10.57 +/- 0.26 Ma KA by Dethier et al. 1986; average is 10.44 Ma; however, these dates appear to be much younger than the fauna itself
not the same as El Rito
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Castoridae
"Eucastor cf. planus" = Nothodipoides planus6, Eucastor cf. tortus6
"Eucastor cf. planus" = Nothodipoides planus6 Stirton 1935 beaver
CHQ
Eucastor cf. tortus6 Leidy 1858 beaver
 Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Notogaulus minor2 Korth 2013 rodent
"Conical Hill Quarry"
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Untermannerix copiosus5 Rich 1981 hedgehog
Metechinus amplior5 Rich 1981 hedgehog
Conical Hill Quarry
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Aphelops megalodus4 Cope 1873 rhinoceros
"Conical Hill Quarry"
Peraceras profectum4 Matthew 1899 rhinoceros
"Conical Hill Quarry", "District #1", and "Chama-el-Rito"
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hypohippus cf. affinis6 Leidy 1858 anchitheriine horse
CHQ
"Merychippus" sp. Leidy 1856 horse
CHQ: "C." sphenodus of MacFadden 1984b
"Merychippus" coloradense3 Osborn 1918 horse
Protohippus sp.6 Leidy 1858 horse
CHQ
Pliohippus sp.6 Marsh 1874 horse
CHQ
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Michenia sp.6 Frick and Taylor 1971 camel
Protolabis sp.6 Cope 1876 camel
Aepycamelus sp.6 Macdonald 1956 camel
 Artiodactyla - Moschidae
"Blastomeryx francesca" = Blastomeryx gemmifer6, "Longirostromeryx blicki" = Longirostromeryx wellsi6
"Blastomeryx francesca" = Blastomeryx gemmifer6 Cope 1874 musk deer
"Longirostromeryx blicki" = Longirostromeryx wellsi6 Matthew 1904 musk deer
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
Cranioceras teres6 Cope 1874 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Ramoceros ramosus Cope 1874 pronghorn
 Artiodactyla - Merycoidodontidae
"Merychyus medius" = Ustatochoerus medius1
"Merychyus medius" = Ustatochoerus medius1 Leidy 1858 oreodont
 Carnivora - Canidae
Carpocyon webbi7 Wang et al. 1999 bone-crushing dog
Paratomarctus temerarius7 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
CHQ; also "Middle of Ojo Caliente locality"
Aelurodon ferox6 Leidy 1858 bone-crushing dog
 Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Gomphotherium obscurum1 Leidy 1869 mastodon