Virgin Valley: Barstovian, Nevada

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Oreolagus nevadensis n. sp. (Kellogg 1910)
see Dice 1917 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Hypolagus parviplicatus n. sp. Dawson 1958
Dawson 1958
from UCMP 1065; "H. vetus" of Dice 1917
Mammalia - Rodentia - Aplodontidae
Liodontia alexandrae n. sp. (Furlong 1910)
from UCMP 1090 also at UCMP 1095: see Gazin 1932 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 (6 measurements)
Mammalia - Rodentia - Mylagaulidae
Mylagaulus pristinus Douglass 1903
recombined as Alphagaulus pristinus
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mylagaulus cf. laevis Matthew 1902
Korth 1999
    = Hesperogaulus sp. Korth 1999
Alroy 2002
replaces ID of Shotwell 1958b: not clear why this is omitted by Stirton, as it was described by Kellogg 1910
Mammalia - Rodentia - Castoridae
Monosaulax sp. Stirton 1935
Korth 2000
    = Monosaulax skinneri Stout 1999
Alroy 2002
said to be "M. pansus" by Stirton 1935
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Tomarctus optatus Matthew 1924
recombined as Protomarctus optatus
NOT confirmed by Wang et al. 1999! DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Cynodesmus kelloggi n. sp. (Merriam 1911)
recombined as Paracynarctus kelloggi
UCMP 1065 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mammalia - Carnivora - Procyonidae
Bassariscus antiquus Matthew and Cook 1909
from UCMP 1095: see Hall 1927 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 (1 measurement)
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Merychippus cf. californicus Merriam 1915
assigned to "M. cf. seversus" by Downs 1961, but see Hulbert and MacFadden 1991 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Merychippus brevidontus Bode 1935
first mentioned by Bode 1934 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Parahippus avus (Marsh 1874)
recombined as Desmatippus avus
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Hypohippus cf. osborni Gidley 1907
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235 (1 measurement)
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Peraceras profectum (Matthew 1899)
Prothero 1989
pers. comm.: "Aphelops"
Aphelops megalodus (Cope 1873)
Prothero 2005
Teleoceras medicornutum Osborn 1904
Prothero 2005
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Macrotherium merriami (Holland and Peterson 1913)
Coombs 1979
UCMP 1065
    = Moropus merriami Holland and Peterson 1913
Coombs 2004
Mammalia - Merycoidodontidae
Ticholeptus sp. Cope 1878
Kelly and Lander 1988
    = Ticholeptus zygomaticus Cope 1878
Alroy 2002
replaces ID of Thorpe 1937: "? Merychyus
Mammalia - Palaeomerycidae
Dromomeryx sp. Douglass 1909
    = Dromomerycinae indet. Frick 1937
Alroy 2002
replaces Rakomeryx sp. of Frick 1937 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Cranioceras sp. Matthew 1918
Stirton 1944
    = Cranioceratini indet. Frick 1937
Alroy 2002
DUPLICATE REF 3236 or 3879
Mammalia - Antilocapridae
Cosoryx sp. Leidy 1869
    = Paracosoryx sp. Frick 1937
Alroy 2002
original and current combination Cosoryx (Paracosoryx)
assigned to subgenus Paracosoryx by Frick 1937; includes "Merycodus" of Stirton 1944, "M. nr. furcatus" of Merriam 1911 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mammalia - Moschidae
Blastomeryx mollis n. sp. Merriam 1911
synonym of Problastomeryx primus
see Merriam 1911, Frick 1937 DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mammalia - Tayassuidae
Hesperhys sp. Douglass 1903
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Mammutidae
Miomastodon merriami n. sp. (Osborn 1921)
Stock 1936
synonym of Miomastodon proavus
see common names

Geography
Country:United States State/province:Nevada County:Humboldt
Coordinates: 41.1° North, 117.8° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:41.9° North, 114.7° West
Basis of coordinate:based on political unit
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Miocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 5
*Period:Tertiary
Key time interval:Barstovian
Age range of interval:16.30000 - 12.50000 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Virgin Valley
Stratigraphy comments: 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)
Lithology and environment
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Museum repositories:UCMP
Taxonomic list comments: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)
Metadata
Also known as:UCMP 1065, 1090, 1095
DUPLICATE REF 3234 or 3235
Database number:19103
Authorizer:J. Alroy, J. Marcot Enterer:J. Alroy, J. Marcot
Modifier:J. Alroy Research group:vertebrate
Created:1993-02-18 00:00:00 Last modified:2007-09-09 16:53:01
Access level:the public Released:1993-02-18 00:00:00
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
3234. 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]

Secondary references:

6294 J. Alroy. 2002. Synonymies and reidentifications of North American fossil mammals. [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Kouvari]
1275 M. C. Coombs. 1979. Tylocephalonyx, a new genus of North American dome-skulled chalicotheres (Mammalia, Perissodactyla). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 164(1):1-64 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen]
17216 M. C. Coombs. 2004. Moropus merriami in the early Barstovian Lower Snake Creek fauna of Nebraska, with comments on biogeography of North American chalicotheres. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 285:191-208 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
1335 M. R. Dawson. 1958. Later Tertiary Leporidae of North America. University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions Vertebrata 6:1-75 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/P. Holroyd]
2070 T. S. Kelly and E. B. Lander. 1988. Biostratigraphy and Correlation of Hemingfordian and Barstovian Land Mammal Assemblages, Caliente Formation, Cuyama Valley Area, California. In W. J. M. Bazeley (ed.), Tertiary Tectonics and Sedimentation in the Cuyama Basin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, California 1-19 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]
2137 W. W. Korth. 1999. Hesperogaulus, a new genus of mylagaulid rodent (Mammalia) from the Miocene (Barstovian to Hemphillian) of the Great Basin. Journal of Paleontology 73(5):945-951 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]
2142 W. W. Korth. 2000. Paludicola 2(4):279-281 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
6328 D. R. Prothero. 1989. Personal communication regarding rhinocerotid identifications. [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
51726 D. R. Prothero. 2005. The Evolution of North American Rhinoceroses. 1-218 [J. Marcot/J. Marcot]
59115 D. R. Prothero. 2011. Systematics of the Musk Deer (Artiodactyla: Moschidae: Blastomerycinae) From the Miocene of Nevada. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 53:610-615 [J. Marcot/J. Marcot]
3236 R. A. Stirton. 1944. Comments on the relationships of the cervoid family Palaeomerycidae. American Journal of Science 242(12) [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Ju]
3276 C. Stock. 1936. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 473(3) [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]