Cliffend, Middle Barton Beds, D, Hampshire (Eocene of the United Kingdom)

Where: England, United Kingdom (50.7° N, 1.7° W: paleocoordinates 48.6° N, 5.6° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: NP 17 nannofossil zone, Naish Member (Barton Clay Formation), Bartonian (41.3 - 38.0 Ma)

• this bed is 20 ft thick, the lettering of the beds starts with the lowest Barton beds

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; concretionary, ferruginous, shelly/skeletal, sandy claystone

• there's a layer of concretions at the base of this bed, it's followed by dark clays becoming increasingly sandy and ferruginous towards the middle portion. Fossils occur in thin impersistent layers.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: In the introduction, Burton says that he is reporting fauna "the horizons of which are known to the author", and states that he has collected 480 specimens. It is also clear that he is pulling from other sources, some published (in difficult to obtain British journals), some not. It's difficult to tell which are his and which aren't. This is not a definitive source for this collection, but I think it's a reasonable place to start.

Primary reference: E. S.t. J. Burton. 1933. Faunal Horizons of the Barton Beds in Hampshire. Proceedings of the Geologist's Association 44:131-167 [J. Alroy/E. Leckey/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 42641: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Erin Leckey on 03.08.2004, edited by Mark Uhen

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Plantae indet. Haeckel 1866
wood and rhizomes
 Coniferales - Cupressaceae
Sequoia sp. Endlicher 1847 coast redwood
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Turbinoliidae
Turbinolia forbesi stony coral
Turbinolia fredericiana Milne-Edwards and Haime 1850 stony coral
Polychaeta
 Sabellida - Serpulidae
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Lunulitidae
Stenolaemata
 Cyclostomata - Lichenoporidae
Bivalvia
 Nuculanida - Nuculanidae
""Leda" minima" = Nuculana
""Leda" minima" = Nuculana pointed nut clam
 Nuculida - Nuculidae
"Nucula bisulcata" = Nucula (Nuculoma) bisulcata
"Nucula bisulcata" = Nucula (Nuculoma) bisulcata Sowerby 1850 nut clam
 Mytilida - Mytilidae
"Modiola cf. dimidiata" = Modiolus dimidiatus
"Modiola cf. dimidiata" = Modiolus dimidiatus Münster 1841 mussel
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
"Ostrea plicata" = Cubitostrea plicata
"Ostrea plicata" = Cubitostrea plicata Solander 1766 oyster
 Carditida - Carditidae
"Venericardia sulcata" = Cyclocardia (Arcturellina) sulcata
"Venericardia sulcata" = Cyclocardia (Arcturellina) sulcata Solander 1766 clam
 Carditida - Crassatellidae
"Crassatellites sulcatus" = Crassatella
"Crassatellites sulcatus" = Crassatella clam
 Cardiida - Psammobiidae
 Cardiida - Veneridae
 Pholadida - Teredinidae
Teredo sp. Linnaeus 1758 clam
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
"Bicorbula gallica" = Corbula (Bicorbula) gallica Lamarck 1801 clam
"Corbula ficus" = Ficusocorbula ficus Solander 1766 clam
"Corbula rugosa" = Notocorbula rugosa Lamarck 1806 clam
Scaphopoda
 Dentaliida - Dentaliidae
Gastropoda
 Opisthobranchia - Retusidae
 Opisthobranchia - Bullidae
 Heterostropha - Ringiculidae
 Heterostropha - Architectonicidae
"Solariaxis canaliculatus" = Architectonica (Solariaxis)
"Solariaxis canaliculatus" = Architectonica (Solariaxis) sundial
 Heterostropha - Pyramidellidae
Odontostomia sp. Jefferys 1839 snail
 Neotaenioglossa - Calyptraeidae
"Calyptraea aperta" = Calyptraea (Trochita) aperta
"Calyptraea aperta" = Calyptraea (Trochita) aperta Solander 1766 slipper shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Rostellariidae
"Hippochrenes amplus" = Tibia (Hippochrenes) ampla
"Hippochrenes amplus" = Tibia (Hippochrenes) ampla Solander in Brander 1766 snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Ficidae
Ficus nexilis Solander and Brander 1766 fig shell
 Neogastropoda - Costellariidae
Conomitra parva ribbed mitre
 Neogastropoda - Muricidae
"Murex tricarinatus" = Pterynotus (Pterynotus) crenulatus tricarinatus Lamarck 1803 mustached bat
 Neogastropoda - Volutidae
"Volutospina ambigua" = Athleta (Volutospina), "Volutospina lucta" = Athleta (Volutospina)
"Volutospina ambigua" = Athleta (Volutospina) volute
"Volutospina lucta" = Athleta (Volutospina) volute
V. lucta rix
 Neogastropoda - Cancellariidae
Admete (Bonellitia) evulsa Solander 1766 snail
 Neogastropoda - Clavatulidae
"Surcula crassicosta" = Turricula, "Surcula exorta" = Turricula
"Surcula crassicosta" = Turricula snail
"Surcula exorta" = Turricula snail
 Neogastropoda - Drilliidae
 Neogastropoda - Borsoniidae
Asthenotoma zonulata Edwards 1861 snail
"Bathytoma turbida" = Epalxis (Bathytoma) turbida Solander in Brander 1766 snail
 Neogastropoda - Mangeliidae
 Neogastropoda - Turridae
"Hemipleurotoma callifera" = Gemmula
"Hemipleurotoma callifera" = Gemmula turrid
 Neogastropoda - Melongenidae
 Neogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Ranellidae
Sassia arguta triton shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
Natica (Euspira) labellata Lamarck 1804 moon snail
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
Epitonium sp. Bolten 1798 wentletrap
 Vanikoroidea - Eulimidae
Eulima sp. Risso 1826 snail
 Pseudomelanoidea - Pseudomelaniidae
"Drillia granulata" = Crassispira (Tripia) granulata
"Drillia granulata" = Crassispira (Tripia) granulata Lamarck 1804 snail
 Cerithioidea - Turritellidae
"Turritella imbricataria" = Haustator imbricataria, Turritella sp.
"Turritella imbricataria" = Haustator imbricataria Lamarck 1804 turret shell
Turritella sp. Lamarck 1799 turret shell
 Cerithioidea - Pachychilidae
Reptilia
 Testudines - Pancheloniidae
? Argillochelys sp. Lydekker 1889 turtle
Mammalia
 Cetacea - Basilosauridae
? Basiloterus hussaini Gingerich et al. 1997 whale
bed D or E
Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Teleostei indet.
vertebrae
 Gadiformes - Macrouridae
Otolithus (Macrurus) aff. gracilis Schubert 1905 grenadiers
 Spariformes - Sparidae
 Pleuronectiformes - Soleidae
"Otolithus (Berycidarum) bartonensis" = Eosolea bartonensis
"Otolithus (Berycidarum) bartonensis" = Eosolea bartonensis Frost 1934 flatfish
Chondrichthyes
 Lamniformes - Odontaspididae
"Odontaspis cuspidata" = Araloselachus cuspidatus
"Odontaspis cuspidata" = Araloselachus cuspidatus Agassiz 1843 sand tiger shark
 Lamniformes - Otodontidae
"Lamna obliqua" = Otodus obliquus, "Odontaspis macrota" = Otodus macrotus
"Lamna obliqua" = Otodus obliquus Agassiz 1838 mackerel shark
"Odontaspis macrota" = Otodus macrotus Agassiz 1838 mackerel shark