Where: Trinidad and Tobago (10.6° N, 61.1° W: paleocoordinates 10.5° N, 59.6° W)
• coordinate based on nearby landmark
• outcrop-level geographic resolution
When: Melajo Clay Member (Springvale Formation), Late/Upper Miocene (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)
• The Melajo Clay Member of the Springvale Formation is correlated with the Savaneta Glaconitic Sandstone Member of the Springvale Formation, although part of it may be younger. The Melajo fauna is late Miocene in age. The Melajo Clay rests transgressively on the phyllites of the Northern Range with a basal conglomerate of about 1 m thickness. The conglomerate graes into a 1.5 m thick limestone, which is overlain by a bed of sand of about 1 m thickness. Above the sand is the Melajo Clay. The total thickness of the Melajo Clay is about 200 ft. It is unconformably overlain by Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits.
• bed-level stratigraphic resolution
Environment/lithology: offshore; unlithified, yellow, blue, silty claystone and unlithified, coarse-grained sandstone
Size class: macrofossils
Reposited in the PRI, USNM
Collection methods: quarrying,
• All material descibed in this report is reposited in the Naturhistorisches Mueum, Basel, or the USNM. Additional material collection from this unit is found at PRI.
Primary reference: P. Jung. 1969. Miocene and Pliocene mollusks from Trinidad. Bulletins of American Paleontology 55(247):293-697 [A. Miller/A. Hendy]more details
Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis
PaleoDB collection 60399: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 14.05.2006
Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)
Taxonomic list
Scaphopoda | |
Dentalium (Dentalium) divulgatum tusk shell | |
Bivalvia | |
Noetia (Noetia) sheldoniana Maury 1912 clam
Noetia (Eontia) centrota Guppy 1867 clam | |
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis, "Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca
Anadara (Anadara) inaequilateralis Maury 1917 ark
"Anadara (Scapharca) placata" = Scapharca clam | |
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten
"Aequipecten (Plagioctenium) cf. maturensis" = Argopecten calico scallop | |
Anomia simplex d'Orbigny 1845 jingle | |
Crassinella guppyi Dall 1896 clam | |
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula), Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) helenae, Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp.
"Notocorbula sp." = Corbula (Notocorbula) Iredale 1930 clam
Caryocorbula (Caryocorbula) sp. Gardner 1926 clam | |
Trigoniocardia (Trigoniocardia) maturensis, "Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia
"Trachycardium (Dallocardia) sanctidavidis" = Dallocardia cockle | |
Semele aff. anteriocosta Vokes 1938 clam | |
Tellidora sp., Merisca trinidadensis, Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana, "Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella), "Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina), "? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina)
Tellidora sp. Morch 1856 tellin clam
Merisca trinidadensis tellin clam
Temnoconcha aff. brasiliana tellin clam
"Moerella (Moerella) elinguis" = Tellina (Moerella) tellin clam
"Eurytellina melajoensis" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam
"? Eurytellina oligoscissulata" = Tellina (Eurytellina) tellin clam | |
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora, "Dosinia (Dosinia) grandis" = Dosinia ponderosa, Dosinia (Dosinia) sp., Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus, Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus
"Chione (Lirophora) caroniana" = Lirophora venus clam
"Dosinia (Dosinia) grandis" = Dosinia ponderosa Gray 1838 venus clam
Dosinia (Dosinia) sp. Scopoli 1777 venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) circinatus venus clam
Pitar (Lamelliconcha) labreanus venus clam | |
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi, Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga, "Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella
"Adrana perprotracta" = Adrana newcombi Angas 1878 pointed nut clam
Calorhadia (Calorhadia) solivaga pointed nut clam
"Nuculana (Saccella) ludificans" = Saccella pointed nut clam | |
Gastropoda | |
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni
"Calliostoma olssoni" = Calliostoma (Elmerlinia) olssoni Maury 1925 top snail | |
Cylichnella altera snail
Acteocina canaliculata Say 1826 barrel-bubble | |
Rictaxis sp. Dall 1871 snail | |
Epitonium (Asperiscala) rohri wentletrap
Epitonium (Epitonium) aff. foliaceicostatum wentletrap | |
Niso grandis snail | |
Cerithium harrisi cerith snail | |
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata, Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes, Turritella (Broderiptella) bifastigata
Turritella (Broderiptella) planigyrata Guppy 1867 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) aff. mimetes Brown and Pilsbry 1911 turret shell
Turritella (Broderiptella) bifastigata Nelson 1870 turret shell Subspecies: T. (B.) bifastigata cartagenensis
| |
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena, Polinices stanislasmeunieri
"Natica (Naticarius) aff. canrena" = Naticarius canrena Linnaeus 1758 moon snail
Polinices stanislasmeunieri Maury 1917 moon snail | |
Cyclostremiscus (Ponocyclus) pentagonus Gabb 1873 snail | |
Caecum "sp. A" Fleming 1813 snail
Caecum "sp. B" Fleming 1813 snail
Caecum "sp. C" Fleming 1813 snail | |
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa, "Strombina (Sincola) crassilabrum" = Sincola (Sincola) crassilabrum1
"Anachis (Costoanachis) obesa" = Parvanachis obesa Adams 1845 snail | |
Strombinophos perdoctus true whelk | |
Nassarius (Uzita) trinitatensis Jung 1969 snail | |
Olivella (Minioliva) fundarugata olive snail | |
Polystira "sp. B" Woodring 1928 turrid | |
Ithycythara hilaris snail | |
Eupleura lehneri Jung 1969 murex snail
? Calotrophon hutchisoni murex snail | |
Miraclathurella ralla snail
Carinodrillia meraca snail | |
Crepidula plana Say 1822 slipper shell
Calyptraea centralis Conrad 1841 slipper shell |