Laetoli Beds Upper: Pliocene, Tanzania

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Edourdia laetoliensis
Subulonia pseudinvoluta
Euonyma leakeyi
Streptostele aff. urguessensis
Propoecilogale bolti
Urocyclidae indet.
Trochonanina informal sp. A
Trochonanina informal sp. B
cf. Rhamphiophis sp.
Streptopegia sp.
cf. Megacyon sp.
Reptilia - Boidae
Python boidae
Python sebae Gmelin 1789
Reptilia - Crotalidae
Bitis cf. arietans
original and current combination Clotho (Bitis)
arietans/olduvaiensis
Reptilia - Elapidae
Naja robusta
Reptilia - Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Struthionidae indet. Vigors 1825
Reptilia - Strigiformes - Strigidae
Bubo sp. Dumeril 1806
Reptilia - Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Torgos sp. Kaup 1828
synonym of Aegypius
Reptilia - Phasianidae
Francolinus informal sp. large Stephens 1819
Francolinus informal sp. small Stephens 1819
Reptilia - Numididae
Numida sp. Linnaeus 1766
Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
Geochelone laetoliensis (Meylan and Auffenberg 1987)
Geochelone brachygularis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987
recombined as Stigmochelys brachygularis
Mammalia - Macroscelidea - Rhynchocyonidae
Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus
Mammalia - Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae
Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934
originally entered as "Deinotherium bozeasi"
Mammalia - Primates - Cercopithecidae
cf. Paracolobus sp. Leakey 1969
Parapapio ado Hopwood 1936
cf. Papio sp. Erxleben 1777
Mammalia - Primates - Hominidae
Australopithecus afarensis Johanson et al. 1978
Mammalia - Primates - Galagidae
Galago sadimanensis Walker 1987
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Xerus cf. janenschi
Xerus sp. Hemprich and Ehrenberg 1833
Paraxerus sp. Forsyth Major 1893
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Steatomys sp. Peters 1846
Tatera cf. inclusa
Saccostomus major
Thallomys laetolilensis
Mastomys cinereus
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817
Mammalia - Rodentia - Nesomyidae
Dendromus sp. Smith 1829
Mammalia - Rodentia - Pedetidae
Pedetes laetoliensis
Mammalia - Rodentia - Bathyergidae
Heterocephalus quenstedti
Mammalia - Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix leakeyi
Hystrix cf. makapanensis
Xenohystrix crassidens
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Serengetilagus praecapensis
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mellivora capensis (Schreber 1776)
Mammalia - Carnivora - Herpestidae
Helogale palaeogracilis
Mungos dietrichi
Herpestes palaeoserengetensis
Herpestes ichneumon (Linnaeus 1758)
Mammalia - Carnivora - Viverridae
Viverra leakeyi Petter 1963
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Megantereon sp. Croizet and Jobert 1828
Homotherium sp. Fabrini 1890
Felis informal sp. small Linnaeus 1758
Felis informal sp. medium Linnaeus 1758
Felis informal sp. large Linnaeus 1758
Panthera aff. gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi 1938)
gombaseogensis/palaeosinensis
Panthera cf. pardus (Linnaeus 1758)
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817
aff. Canis brevirostris
Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775
Mammalia - Giraffidae
Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947
Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967
originally entered as "cf. jumae cf. jumae"
Mammalia - Bovidae
Gazella janenschi
Parmularius pandatus Gentry 1987
? Raphicerus sp. Smith 1827
aff. Pelea sp. Gray 1851
originally entered as "aff. Pezea sp."
Praedamalis deturi Dietrich 1950
Tragelaphus sp. de Blainville 1816
Simatherium kohllarseni
Brabovus nanincisus Gentry 1987
nanincisus
Mammalia - Suidae
Potamochoerus porcus (Linnaeus 1758)
Notochoerus euilus (Hopwood 1926)
original and current combination Hylochoerus euilus
Mammalia - Camelidae
Camelus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Mammalia - Sivatheridae
Sivatherium maurusium (Pomel 1893)
original and current combination Libytherium maurusium
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion sp. de Christol 1832
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Diceros bicornis (Linnaeus 1758)
Ceratotherium praecox
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Ancylotherium hennigi
Gastropoda - Heterostropha - Achatinidae
Achatina cf. zanzibaria
Insecta - Blattodea - Termitidae
Termitidae indet. (Latreille 1802)
Termitina
unclassified
Madoqua avifluminis (Dietrich 1950)
original and current combination Praemadoqua avifluminis
see common names

Geography
Country:Tanzania State/province:Eastern Drift Valley County:Eyasi Plateau
Coordinates: 3.1° South, 35.1° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:3.3° South, 34.7° East
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Pliocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
*Period:Late/Upper Tertiary - Late/Upper Tertiary *Epoch:Early/Lower Pliocene - Late/Upper Pliocene
Key time interval:Pliocene
Age range of interval:5.33300 - 2.58000 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Vogel River Series Member:Laetoli Beds (upper)
Stratigraphy comments: Max age on base of upper unit of Laetolil Bed (3.76+/-0.03), min age on tuff 8 (3.46+/-0.12)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:tuffaceous,gray lithified calcareous sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: Primarily eolian tuff w/ some airfall tuff & 8 horizons of xenoliths Datum Plane: top of lower unit of Laetolil beds
Environment:eolian indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,mold/impression,trace,replaced with calcite
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils,microfossils
Disassociated major elements:many
Disassociated minor elements:many
Size sorting:very poor
Fragmentation:frequent
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,surface (float),surface (in situ),sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Metadata
Also known as:Laetolil, Garusi, Southern Serengeti, Vogel River Series
Database number:32050
Authorizer:A. Behrensmeyer Enterer:A. Behrensmeyer, M. Sommers
Modifier:J. Alroy
Created:2003-06-03 07:40:33 Last modified:2017-05-23 16:34:15
Access level:the public Released:2003-06-03 07:40:33
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
4451.ETE 85M. D. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 1987. Laetoli: a Pliocene Site in Northern Tanzania. Clarendon Press, Oxford, Great Britain [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Kosnik]