Terapa (Pleistocene of Mexico)

Also known as Térapa; Río Moctezuma; Camel Bill

Where: Sonora, Mexico (29.7° N, 109.7° W: paleocoordinates 29.7° N, 109.7° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Rancholabrean (0.3 - 0.0 Ma)

• said to be Irvingtonian by Mead et al. 2001, but Rancholabrean by Mead et al. 2006

•overlays the Tonibabi flow, dated at 0.44 +/- 0.13 (2 sigma) Ma using 40Ar-39Ar (i.e., early Rancholabrean)

•most material is from a ~2m thick bed ("As3"), but some is from beds immediately above and below

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial; sandstone and silty claystone

• most aquatic material from a "well-sorted medium-to-find-grained sand wedge... [that] represents a flowing stream possibly 2 to 3 m wide" within a "massive, silty-clay layer... representing over-bank flow" that is "up to 1.5 m thick" and also is somewhat fossiliferous; most terrestrial vertebrates from an overlying "organic-rich silt and clays... This paludal deposit is 1.5 to 1.8 m thick and is rich in fossils, especially microfaunal remains." Fossils also are found higher in the section in "fluvial deposits."

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (float), sieve

Primary reference: J. I. Mead, A. Baez, S. L. Swift, M. C. Carpenter, M. Hollenshead, N. J. Czaplewski, D. W. Steadman, J. Bright, and J. Arroyo-Cabrales. 2006. Tropical marsh and savanna of the late Pleistocene in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 51(2):226-239 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 20495: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 15.05.2002, edited by Richard Hulbert, Matthew Clapham and Nicholas Famoso

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• 29*20' N 109* 43' W according to GEOnet
suspected to be between 0.5 and 1.7 Ma
unclassified
  -
 Charales - Characea
Chara sp. Linnaeus 1753 stonewort
Gastropoda
 Heterostropha - Planorbidae
Planorbidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 snail
 Pulmonata -
Pulmonata indet. Cuvier 1817 pulmonate
"Plumonata"
Bivalvia
 Cardiida - Sphaeriidae
Sphaeriidae indet. Deshayes 1855 clam
 Unionida - Unionidae
Unionidae indet. Rafinesque 1820 freshwater mussel
Ostracoda
 Podocopida - Darwinulidae
Darwinula sp. Brady and Robertson 1885 ostracod
 Podocopida - Candonidae
 Podocopida - Cyprididae
Physocypria sp. Vavra 1898 ostracod
 Podocopida - Ilyocyprididae
Ilyocypris bradyi Sars 1890 ostracod
Amphibia
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo sp. Laurenti 1768 toad
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana sp. Linnaeus 1758 frog
 Salientia - Hylidae
Hylidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 tree frog
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Hydrochoeridae
Hydrochoeridae indet.1 Gill 1872 caviomorph
omitted by Mead et al. 2006
 Rodentia - Caviidae
Hydrochoerus sp. Brisson 1762 capybara
"Hydrochaeris"
 Rodentia - Geomyidae
Geomyidae indet. Bonaparte 1845 pocket gopher
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Sigmodon sp. Say and Ord 1825 cotton rat
Peromyscini indet. mouse
"Peromyscine"
Neotoma sp. Say and Ord 1825 pack rat
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
cf. Sylvilagus sp. Gray 1867 cottontail rabbit
leporid reported by Mead et al. 2001
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Soricidae indet. Fischer 1814 shrew
 Placentalia -
Chiroptera indet. Blumenbach 1779 bat
"various families"
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus sp., Equus sp.4, "Equus scotti" = Equus mexicanus4, "Equus cf. scotti" = Equus mexicanus4
Equus sp. Linnaeus 1758 horse
Equus sp.4 Linnaeus 1758 horse
"Equus scotti" = Equus mexicanus4 Hibbard 1955 horse
"Equus cf. scotti" = Equus mexicanus4 Hibbard 1955 horse
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
cf. Platygonus sp. Leconte 1848 peccary
Platygonus compressus4 Leconte 1848 peccary
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelidae indet. Gray 1821 camel
two forms, one Camelops-sized and one Hemiauchenia-sized: one camelid reported by Mead et al. 2001
Camelops hesternus4 Leidy 1873 camel
Palaeolama mirifica4 Simpson 1929 stout-legged llama
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
cf. Odocoileus sp. Rafinesque 1832 New World deer
two cervids reported by Mead et al. 2001
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bison sp. Hamilton-Smith 1827 bison
 Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae
Stockoceros sp. Skinner 1942 pronghorn
Capromeryx sp. Matthew 1902 pronghorn
probably small antilocaprid of Mead et al. 2001
 Carnivora - Felidae
Smilodon cf. fatalis4 Leidy 1868 saber-toothed cat
Lynx rufus Schreber 1777 bobcat
 Carnivora - Procyonidae
Procyon sp. Storr 1780 raccoon
Procyon lotor4 Linnaeus 1758 raccoon
 Carnivora - Canidae
"Canis dirus" = Aenocyon dirus
"Canis dirus" = Aenocyon dirus Leidy 1858 dire wolf
 Cingulata - Glyptodontidae
Glyptotherium cylindricum2 Brown 1912 glyptodon
 Cingulata - Pampatheriidae
Pampatherium cf. mexicanum2 Edmund 1996 edentate
probably Holmesina sp. of Mead et al. 2001
  - Mylodontidae
Paramylodon sp. Brown 1903 edentate
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Cuvieronius sp. Osborn 1923 gomphothere
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus sp. Brookes 1828 mammoth
Reptilia
 Testudinata -
Testudinata indet. Oppel 1811 turtle
 Squamata -
Squamata indet. squamates
"lizards and snakes"
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
cf. Crocodylus acutus Cuvier 1807 American crocodile
Aves
 Falconiformes - Falconidae
Caracara cheriway Jacquin 1784 crested caracara
 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Circus hudsonius Linnaeus 1766 Northern harrier
listed as Circus cyaneus but described as northern harrier
Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus 1758 golden eagle
Ictinia sp. Vieillot 1816 kite
"undescribed species"
Buteogallus (Wetmoregyps) daggetti5 Miller 1915 black-hawks
"Unknown A: eagle"
 Passeriformes - Icteridae
Pandanaris convexa3 Miller 1947 cowbird
Molothrus ater3 Boddaert 1783 brown-headed cowbird
Molothrus aeneus3 Wagler 1829 bronzed cowbird
Icterus spurius3 Linnaeus 1766 orchard oriole
Quiscalus mexicanus3 Gmelin 1788 great-tailed grackle
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus3 Bonaparte 1826 yellow-headed blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus3 Linnaeus 1766 red-winged blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus3 Wagler 1829 Brewer's blackbird
 Podicipediformes - Podicipedidae
Podiceps nigricollis Brehm 1831 black-necked grebe
Podilymbus podiceps5 Linnaeus 1758 pied-billed grebe
 Strigiformes - Strigidae
"Strix brea" = Oraristrix brea
"Strix brea" = Oraristrix brea Howard 1933 Brea owl
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
Porzana carolina Linnaeus 1758 sora
Porphyrio martinicus Linnaeus 1766 purple gallinule
Fulica cf. americana Gmelin 1789 American coot
Gallinula chloropus5 Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian moorhen
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Aythya collaris5 Donovan 1809 ring-necked duck
Anabernicula cf. oregonensis5 Howard 1964 dabbling duck
Anas sp. Linnaeus 1758 dabbling duck
16 as Anas platyrhynchos/diazi; 7 as Anas discors/cyanoptera; 6 as Anas sp. crecca/discors/cyanoptera
Anas crecca5 Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian teal
Anas acuta Linnaeus 1758 northern pintail
Oxyura jamaicensis5 Gmelin 1789 Ruddy duck
"Anas strepera" = Mareca strepera5 Linnaeus 1758 gadwall
Branta canadensis Linnaeus 1758 Canada goose
Anser sp. Linnaeus 1758 goose
"snow or white-fronted goose"
"Anas clypeata" = Spatula clypeata Linnaeus 1758 northern shoveler
 Suliformes - Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocorax auritus Lesson 1831 double-crested cormorant
 Ciconiiformes - Ciconiidae
Ciconiidae indet. Sundevall 1836 stork
 Pelecaniformes - Threskiornithidae
Plegadis cf. chihi5 Vieillot 1817 white-faced ibis
 Pelecaniformes - Ardeidae
Ardea herodias Linnaeus 1758 great blue heron
Ardea alba Linnaeus 1758 great egret
 Pelecaniformes - Pelecanidae
"Pelecanus erythrorhynchus" = Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
"Pelecanus erythrorhynchus" = Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmelin 1789 American white pelican
 Galliformes - Odontophoridae
Callipepla douglasii5 Vigors 1829 elegant quail
Actinopteri
 Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 carp-like fish
 Cypriniformes - Catostomidae
Catostomidae indet. carp-like fish
 Siluriformes - Ictaluridae
Ictaluridae indet. Gill 1861 catfish