RTMP BB 31, DPP (Cretaceous of Canada)

Also known as Bonebed 31

Where: Alberta, Canada (50.8° N, 111.5° W: paleocoordinates 58.1° N, 76.0° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Dinosaur Park Formation (Belly River Group), Late/Upper Campanian (83.5 - 70.6 Ma)

• Microvertebrate sites of Brinkman (1990) are "...placed in stratigraphic sequence by reference to a disconformity located about sixty meters below the base of the Lethbridge Coal (Eberth, 1990). The stratigraphic position of each site is expressed in terms of meteres above or below the disconformity (Fig. 2, Brinkman, 1990)" where positive numbers are above and negative below.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: crevasse splay; fine-grained, medium, sideritic, silty sandstone

• Splay deposits typically comprise stacked sequences of interlaminated sands and siltstones separated by erosional surfaces, thus indicating repeated flooding and aggradation.
• BB 31 occurs within a 2.0 m thick fining-upward lithosome of locally contorted carbonaceous sediments that displays a faint horizontal lamination and locally developed ripple lamination. BB 31 includes locally developed iron-rich (sideritic) sediments associated with concentrated disarticulated pisidiid clam valves and rare unionids. At BB 31 the lower half of the lithosome is dominated by contorted lenses and laminae of silty, fine-to-medium-grained sandstone. The sandstones contain the densest accumulations of microfossils and pisidiid valves as well as a few disarticulated unionid valves and rare gastropod shells.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: replaced with siderite

Collected by R. A. Mussieux & D. Tanke in 1984; reposited in the TMP

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), sieve,

• BB 31 was the first site in Dinosaur Park to yield egg shell fragments (fragments are <1 cm in maximum dimension).

Primary reference: D. B. Brinkman. 1986. Microvertebrate sites: progress and prospectus. In B. G. Naylor (ed.), Field Trip Guidebook to Dinosaur Provincial Park, 2 June 1986. Dinosaur Systematics Symposium, Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta 24-37 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 47816: authorized by Robin Whatley, entered by Robin Whatley on 02.03.2005, edited by Matthew Carrano, Philip Mannion, Patricia Holroyd and John Alroy

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• "many invertebrate shells"
Bivalvia
 Cardiida - Sphaeriidae
Sphaerium recticardinale5 fingernail clam
 Unionida - Unionidae
Unionidae indet.5 Rafinesque 1820 freshwater mussel
Gastropoda
 Prosobranchia -
Prosobranchia indet.5 Milne-Edwards 1848 snail
rare
Gnathostomata
  -
Osteichthyes
 Acipenseriformes - Acipenseridae
Acipenser albertensis2 Lambe 1902 sturgeon
Reptilia
 Ornithischia -
 Ornithischia - Ceratopsidae
Ceratopsidae indet.2 Marsh 1888 ceratopsid
 Ornithischia - Pachycephalosauridae
Pachycephalosauridae indet.3 Sternberg 1945 ornithischian
 Ornithischia - Hadrosauridae
Hadrosauridae indet.2 Cope 1869 hadrosaurid
 Ornithischia - Spheroolithidae
Spheroolithus albertensis10 Zelenitsky and Hills 1997 ornithopod
 Ornithischia -
cf. Thescelosaurus neglectus5 Gilmore 1913 ornithopod
 Theropoda -
Paronychodon sp.3 Cope 1876 maniraptoran
 Theropoda - Dromaeosauridae
cf. Dromaeosauridae indet.2 Colbert and Russell 1969 maniraptoran
Richardoestesia sp.3 Currie et al. 1990 maniraptoran
Saurornitholestes langstoni2 Sues 1978 maniraptoran
Dromaeosaurus sp.3 Matthew and Brown 1922 maniraptoran
Aves
  -
? Aves indet.3 Linnaeus 1758 bird
Reptilia
 Theropoda - Elongatoolithidae
Porituberoolithus warnerensis10 Zelenitsky et al. 1996 theropod
Continuoolithus canadensis10 Zelenitsky et al. 1996 theropod
dinosaur egg shell fragments
 Loricata - Krokolithidae
Krokolithes sp.10 Hirsch 1985 crocodile eggshell
 Crocodylia -
Leidyosuchus canadensis2 Lambe 1907 crocodilian
 Choristodera -
Champsosaurus natator2 Parks 1933 choristodere
 Testudinata - Baenidae
Baenidae indet. Cope 1882 turtle
 Testudines - Chelydridae
Chelydridae indet. Swainson 1839 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionychinae indet.1 Gray 1825 softshell turtle
 Squamata -
Mammalia
  -
Mammalia indet.2 Linnaeus 1758 mammal
 Theriamorpha -
Metatheria indet.3 Huxley 1880 metatherian
 Allotheria -
Multituberculata indet.3 Cope 1884 multituberculate
Amphibia
 Proteida - Batrachosauroididae
Opisthotriton kayi5 Auffenberg 1961 salamander
 Caudata - Urodela
Scapherpeton tectum5 Cope 1876 salamander
 Salientia -
Anura indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
Anura "indet. 3"8 Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
TMP 1987.029.0085*, maxilla
Anura "Unnamed genus and species I"9 Fischer von Waldheim 1813 frog
TMP 1986.130.0047*, frontoparietal
Tyrrellbatrachus brinkmani6 Gardner 2015 frog
TMP 1986.033.0033 (maxilla)
Hensonbatrachus kermiti7 Gardner and Brinkman 2015 frog
TMP 1985.70.07 (maxilla)
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
Lepisosteus sp. Agassiz 1843 gar
may be same as Atractosteus occidentalis in Table 1?
 Amiiformes - Amiidae
"Kindleia sp." = Cyclurus5
"Kindleia sp." = Cyclurus5 Agassiz 1839 bowfin
 Aspidorhynchiformes - Aspidorhynchidae
 Teleostei -
 Albuliformes - Albulidae
Coriops amnicolus5 Estes 1969 bonefish
 Elopiformes - Phyllodontidae
Paralbula casei2 Estes 1969
 Salmoniformes -
Esocoidea indet.2 Bleeker 1859
Chondrichthyes
 Rajiformes - Rhinobatidae
Myledaphus bipartitus Cope 1876 guitarfish