Sabanita [lower Gatun Fm] (Miocene of Panama)

Where: Panama (9.3° N, 79.8° W: paleocoordinates 9.1° N, 78.4° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: lower Gatun Member (Gatun Formation), Tortonian (11.6 - 7.2 Ma)

• thought to be "basal" in section. AGE: Late/Upper Hemingfordian-Early/Lower Barstovian in Gillete (1984). Emended to Tortonian based on more recent dating (Hendy, 2012). Sr dating for nearby sections indicates an age of approximately 11.5 Ma (Hendy, unpublished data)

Environment/lithology: marine; argillaceous claystone

• formation is primarily "sandstone and siltstone" but fossiliferous horizon is a clay

•environment not discussed but clearly marine

• "marly clay"

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, salvage, surface (float), chemical, sieve,

• "site had been exposed by heavy-equipment excavations for a housing development and had lain bare to erosion for several years. Fossil teeth and bones were exposed there along with abundant molluscan remains... Approximately one English ton... of sediment was collected and screen-washed by traditional wet-sieving methods... 25-mesh screen... heavy-liquid sorting" was used

Primary reference: D. D. Gillette. 1984. A marine ichthyofauna from the Miocene of Panama, and the Tertiary Caribbean faunal province. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 4(2):172-186 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 24237: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 02.08.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Chondrichthyes
 Myliobatiformes - Myliobatidae
Myliobatis sp. Cuvier 1816 eagle ray
Rhinoptera sp. Cuvier 1829 cownose ray
 Myliobatiformes - Aetobatidae
Aetobatus arcuatus Agassiz 1843 stingray
 Myliobatiformes - Dasyatidae
Dasyatis sp. Rafinesque 1810 whiptail stingray
 Squaliformes - Dalatiidae
cf. Isistius sp. Gill 1864 shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae
"Galeocerdo cf. contortus" = Physogaleus contortus, cf. Carcharhinus sp.
"Galeocerdo cf. contortus" = Physogaleus contortus Gibbes 1847 requiem shark
cf. Carcharhinus sp. de Blainville 1816 requiem shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Hemigaleidae
Hemipristis serra Agassiz 1835 ground shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Sphyrnidae
Sphyrna arambourgi hammerhead shark
Sphyrna zygaena Linnaeus 1758 hammerhead shark
 Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdidae
Galeocerdo cf. aduncus Agassiz 1835 tiger shark
 Orectolobiformes - Ginglymostomatidae
Ginglymostoma delfortriei Daimeries 1889 nurse shark
 Lamniformes - Lamnidae
Carcharodon carcharias Linnaeus 1758 great white shark
 Lamniformes - Otodontidae
"Procarcharodon megalodon" = Otodus megalodon
"Procarcharodon megalodon" = Otodus megalodon Agassiz 1835 megalodon
"P. megalodon megalodon"
Osteichthyes
 Acipenseriformes - Acipenseridae
Acipenser sp. Linnaeus 1758 sturgeon
Mammalia
  -
Mammalia indet. Linnaeus 1758 mammal
rib fragments
Reptilia
 Testudines -
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines Batsch 1788 turtle
one carapace piece
 Loricata -
"Crocodilia indet." = Crocodylia
"Crocodilia indet." = Crocodylia Owen 1842 crocodilian
SMU 76452 (8 teeth) (see Hastings et al. 2013)
Actinopteri
 Lepisosteiformes - Lepisosteidae
Lepisosteus sp. Agassiz 1843 gar
 Ophidiiformes - Ophidiidae
Ophidiidae indet. Rafinesque 1810
otoliths
 Gobiiformes - Gobiidae
Gobiidae indet. Bonaparte 1832 goby
otoliths; three forms
 Acanthomorphata - Haemulidae
Haemulon sp. Cuvier 1829
otoliths; two forms
Pomadasys sp. Lacépède 1802
otoliths; two forms
 Acanthomorphata - Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae indet. Cuvier 1828
otoliths; "extinct" form
? Equetus sp. Rafinesque 1815
otoliths; two forms
Larimus sp. Cuvier and Valenciennes 1830
otoliths
Cynoscion sp. Gill 1861
otoliths
Umbrina sp. Cuvier 1817
otoliths
 Spariformes - Sparidae
Sparidae indet. Cuvier 1817
otoliths
 Perciformes -
Bairdiella sp. Gill 1861 perch-like fish
otoliths
 Acanthomorphata - Percichthyidae
Percichthyidae indet. Jordan and Eigenman 1890
otoliths; "Synagrops-like"
 Scombriformes - Trichiuridae
 Istiophoriformes - Istiophoridae
Makaira cf. nigricans Lacépède 1802
"true localition" uncertain but "presumably" the same as that of Gillette 1984
 Pleuronectiformes - Soleidae
? Soleidae indet. flatfish
otoliths
 Pleuronectiformes - Bothidae
Bothidae indet. flatfish
otoliths; three forms
 Myctophiformes - Myctophidae
Myctophidae indet. Gill 1893 lanternfish
otoliths; two forms
 Siluriformes - Ariidae
Cathorops sp. Jordan and Gilbert 1883 Ariid catfish
otoliths
Bagre sp. Mitchill 1815 Ariid catfish
otoliths
 Acanthopteri - Sphyraenidae
Sphyraena barracuda Edwards 1771 barracuda