Vaingana, Eua Island (Eocene of Tonga)

Where: Tonga (21.4° S, 174.9° W: paleocoordinates 31.1° S, 175.8° W)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• No lithostratigraphic nomenclature for unit mentioned in 1970 or in later publications on Western Pacific Island Cenozoic strata (i.e. Ladd (1972, 1982). The collection is derived from a soft fossiliferous layer [unknown thickness] between two harder limestones. The exact extent of the richly fossiliferous bed is not known but is probably limited both horizontally and vertically. Eua is the oldest island in the Tonga island group that has a plutonic core and a series of volcanic rocks and sediments that are partly blanketed by thick limestones of late Eocene age. Younger volcanic rocks and sediments of late Tertiary age are also present.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: offshore shelf; poorly lithified, tuffaceous limestone

• Foraminifera suggest a depth of deposition of about 200 ft, but other groups, notably smaller forams, mollusks, ostracods, corals, brachiopods, barnacles, point to a considerably greater depth of deposition.
• Soft tuffaceous limestone.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: mold/impression

Reposited in the USNM

Collection methods: bulk, chemical,

• Derived from one 40-pound sample collected by Kondo [recent land snail taxonomist under orders to find locality and collect material] in 1967

Primary reference: R. Todd. 1970. Smaller Foraminifera of Late Eocene Age From Eua, Tonga. Geological Survey Professional Paper 640(A):1-23 [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 43006: authorized by Austin Hendy, entered by Austin Hendy on 08.08.2004, edited by Mark Uhen and Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Exhaustive for mollusks. Other groups (forams, ostracods, brachiopods) are present and were studied by respective authorities though publications with this data have not been found yet.
unclassified
  -
Coccolithophyceae
 Isochrysidales - Noelaerhabdaceae
 Prymnesiophycidae - Prymnesiophycidae
Micrantholithus sp., Braarudosphaera bigelow, Braarudosphaera discula, Discoaster tani, Discoaster deftandrei, "Coccolithus bisectus" = Coccolithus, "Coccolithus eopelagicus" = Coccolithus, "Coccolithus scissurus" = Coccolithus, "Cyclococcolithus lusitanicus" = Coccolithus, "Cyclococcolithus neogrammation" = Coccolithus, Zygrhablithus bijugatus
Micrantholithus sp. Deflandre 1954
"Coccolithus bisectus" = Coccolithus
"Coccolithus eopelagicus" = Coccolithus
"Coccolithus scissurus" = Coccolithus
"Cyclococcolithus lusitanicus" = Coccolithus
"Cyclococcolithus neogrammation" = Coccolithus
Zygrhablithus bijugatus Deflandre and Fert 1954
  -
 Coccolithales - Coccolithaceae
Helicosphaera
  -
Foraminifera
 Buliminoidea - Buliminidae
Nodosariata
 Nodosariida - Nodosariidae
 Nodosariida - Stilostomellidae
 Vaginulinida - Lagenidae
 Vaginulinida - Vaginulinidae
 Polymorphinida - Polymorphinidae
Polymorphina tongaensis n. sp. Todd 1970
? Sigmomorphina sp. Cushman and Ozawa 1928
 Polymorphinida - Ellipsoidinidae
Foraminifera
 Globigerinina - Hedbergellidae
"Globigerina ampliapertura" = Turborotalia ampliapertura
"Globigerina ampliapertura" = Turborotalia ampliapertura Bolli 1957
Globothalamea
 Rotaliida - Discorbidae
 Rotaliida - Cibicididae
 Rotaliida - Heronalleniidae
Heronallenia sp. Chapman and Parr 1931
 Rotaliida - Nonionidae
Nonion maoricum Stache 1864
 Rotaliida - Gavelinellidae
 Rotaliida - Alabaminidae
 Loftusiida - Acervulinidae
Foraminifera
  -
 Lituolida - Lituolidae
  -
"Marginulina aff. nuttalli" = Cristellaria (Marginulina), Marginulina subbullata
"Marginulina aff. nuttalli" = Cristellaria (Marginulina)
Marginulina subbullata Hantken 1875
  - Chilostomellidae
Pullenia eocenica Cushman and Siegfus 1939
 Globigerinoidea - Globigerinidae
"Globigerina conglomerata" = Globoquadrina conglomerata Schwager 1866
"Globigerina hexagona" = Globorotaloides hexagonus Natland 1938
  -
Patellina gigantea n. sp. Todd 1970
  - Camerinidae
Pellatispira madaraszi1 Hantken 1876
Camerina pengaronensis1 Verbeek 1871
  -
 Ammodiscoidea - Ammodiscidae
Tubothalamea
 Miliolida - Hauerinidae
Foraminifera
 Rotaliina - Cassidulinidae
Cassidulina mene n. sp. Todd 1970
 Planorbulinacea - Planorbulinidae
"Planorbulinella larvata" = Planorbulina larvata
"Planorbulinella larvata" = Planorbulina larvata Parker and Jones 1865
 Asterigerinacea - Asterigerinidae
 Asterigerinacea - Epistomariidae
Nuttallides rudis n. sp. Todd 1970
 Asterigerinacea - Amphisteginidae
Amphistegina euaensis n. sp. Todd 1970
 Rotaliina - Pleurostomellidae
 Rotaliina - Bolivinidae
 Acervulinacea - Homotrematidae
 Rotaliacea - Rotaliidae
 Nummulitacea - Discocyclinidae
 Nummulitacea - Nummulitidae
"Camerina pacifica" = Operculina pacifica1 Whipple 1932
  -
Gastropoda
 Trochoidea - Skeneidae
Munditiella euaensis4 Ladd 1970 snail
 Trochoidea - Turbinidae
Astraea (Bolma) stearnsi4 Ladd 1970 snail
 Trochoidea - Trochidae
Astele (Callistele) sp.4 Cotton and Godfrey 1935 top snail
 Seguenzioidea - Eucyclidae
? Bathybembix sp.4 Crosse 1892 snail
Turcica (Perrinia) blowi4 Ladd 1970 snail
 Seguenzioidea - Ancistrobasidae
 Lepetellida - Scissurellidae
Sinezona kondoi4 Ladd 1970 snail
 Lepetellida - Anatomidae
 Epitonioidea - Epitoniidae
Epitonium (? Boreoscala) sp.4 Kobelt 1905 wentletrap
 Neogastropoda - Fasciolariidae
Latirus sp.4 Monfort 1810 snail
 Neogastropoda - Conidae
Conus sp.4 Linnaeus 1758 cone shell
 Neogastropoda - Terebridae
Hastula sp.4 Adams and Adams 1853 auger snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Cypraeidae
Pedicularia (Pedicularia) sp.4 Swainson 1840 cowry
 Sorbeoconcha - Xenophoridae
Xenophora sp.4 Fischer von Waldheim 1807 carrier shell
 Sorbeoconcha - Naticidae
? Neverita sp.4 Risso 1826 moon snail
 Sorbeoconcha - Adeorbidae
 Sorbeoconcha - Cerithiopsidae
Cerithiopsis sp.4 Hanley 1849 snail
 Heterostropha - Mathildidae
"Mathilda (Fimbriatella) sp." = Fimbriatella4, Gegania whipplei4
"Mathilda (Fimbriatella) sp." = Fimbriatella4 Sacco 1895 snail
 Opisthobranchia - Haminoeidae
? Atys sp.4 Montfort 1810 snail
Bivalvia
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
? Pecten sp.4 Müller 1776 scallop
 Ostreida - Ostreidae
Crassostrea sp.4 Sacco 1897 oyster
 Pholadida - Corbulidae
"Corbula (? Cuneocorbula) sp." = Cuneocorbula4
"Corbula (? Cuneocorbula) sp." = Cuneocorbula4 Cossmann 1886 clam
Rhynchonellata
 Thecideida - Thecidellinidae
 Terebratulida -
Terebratulida indet.2 Waagen 1883
 Terebratulida - Cancellothyrididae
? Terebratulina sp.2 d'Orbigny 1847
 Terebratulida - Dyscoliidae
Aenigmathyris stearnsi n. sp.2 Cooper 1971
 Terebratulida - Terebratulidae
 Terebratulida - Megathyrididae
Argyrotheca anomala2 Cooper 1979
Malacostraca
 Decapoda - Callianassidae
Callianassidae indet. Dana 1852 decapod
 Decapoda - Porcellanidae
Porcellanidae indet. Haworth 1825 decapod
 Decapoda - Paguridae
Paguridae indet. Latreille 1802 hermit crab
 Decapoda - Xanthidae
Xanthidae indet. MacLeay 1838 stone crab
Ostracoda
 Myodocopida - Polycopidae
Polycope sp.3 ostracod
 Platycopida - Cytherellidae
Cytherella sp.3 Jones 1849 ostracod
 Podocopida - Bythocytheridae
Bythocytheremorpha pacifica n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
 Podocopida - Cytherideidae
Krithe sp.3 Brady et al. 1874 ostracod
 Podocopida - Cytheruridae
Cytheropteron sp.3 Sars 1866 ostracod
sp. 1, 2, 3, 4
Paracytheridea sp.3 Muller 1894 ostracod
 Podocopida - Hemicytheridae
Pokornyella sp.3 Oertil 1956 ostracod
Tongacythere kondoi n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
 Podocopida - Paradoxostomatidae
Sclerochilus sp.3 ostracod
 Podocopida - Bairdiidae
Paranesidea sp.3 Maddocks 1969 ostracod
sp. 1, 2, 3
Neonesidea sp.3 Maddocks 1962 ostracod
sp. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Havanardia sp.3 Pokorny 1968 ostracod
 Podocopida - Bythocyprididae
Bythocypris vainganaensis n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
Bythocypris proreniformis n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
 Podocopida - Pontocyprididae
Argilloecia sp.3 ostracod
 Podocopida - Macrocyprididae
Macrocypris sp.3 ostracod
? Macrocypris dimorpha n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
 Podocopida - Thaerocytheridae
Bradleya tongaensis n. sp.3 Hazel and Holden 1971 ostracod
Crinoidea
  -
Crinoidea indet. Miller 1821 Sea lily
Echinoidea
  -
Echinoidea indet. Leske 1778 sea urchin
Chondrichthyes
 Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
Carcharhinidae indet. Jordan and Evermann 1896 requiem shark
 Lamniformes - Carchariidae
Carchariidae indet. Muller and Henle mackerel shark
 Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Lamnidae indet. Müller and Henle 1838 mackerel shark
Actinopteri
 Gadiformes - Macrouridae
Macrouridae indet.2 Jordan and Evermann 1898 grenadiers
 Myctophiformes - Myctophidae
Myctophidae indet.2 Gill 1893 lanternfish
 Anguilliformes -
? Parechelus sp.4 Casier 1967 eel
Dinophyceae
 Thoracosphaerales -
Thoracosphaera sp. Kamptner 1927