Tuscahoma Formation

Last updated
Tuscahoma Formation
Stratigraphic range: Thanetian to earliest Ypresian, 57–55  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Type Formation
Unit of Wilcox Group
Sub-unitsBells Landing Member, Greggs Landing Member
Underlies Bashi Formation
Overlies Nanafalia Formation
Lithology
Primary Sandstone
Location
Region Mississippi, Alabama
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States

The Tuscahoma Formation or Tuscahoma Sand is a geologic formation in Mississippi and Alabama, USA. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Paleogene period, from the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene. [1] It was primarily deposited in a marine habitat, but one Wasatchian-aged locality near Meridian, Mississippi was deposited in an estuarine habitat that preserves a significant terrestrial vertebrate fauna, known as the "Red Hot local fauna". [2] [3] It preserves one of the most diverse early Eocene mammalian faunas from eastern North America, roughly contemporaneous with the Willwood Formation of Wyoming. [3] [4]

Contents

Vertebrate paleofauna

Ray-finned fishes

Based on the Paleobiology Database: [5]

Ray-finned fishes of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Albula A. eppsi Lauderdale County, MississippiEarly EoceneA bonefish. Bonefish.png
A. oweni
Brychaetus B. muelleriA bonytongue. +Brychaetus muelleri (BMNH P3898; holotype; scale bar = 5 cm).png
Egertonia E. isodontaA phyllodontid.
Lepisosteus L. sp.A gar. Assigned to the European species L. suessionensis (itself a junior synonym of L. fimbriatus ), but this is unlikely due to their differring ranges. [6] Lepisosteus platostomus drawing.jpg
Palaeocybium P. proostiA mackerel.
Phyllodus P. toliapicusA phyllodontid. FOS504.jpg
Pycnodus P. bowerbankiA pycnodont. Pycnodus platessus.jpg
Trichiurides T. sagittidensA cutlassfish.

Reptiles

Based on the Paleobiology Database: [4] [7]

Reptiles of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Palaeophis P. caseiMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA marine palaeophiid snake. Palaeophis maghrebianus life restoration cropped.jpg
P. littoralis
P. virginianus
Tuscahomaophis T. leggettiLate PaleoceneAn alethinophidian snake.

Mammals

The Tuscahoma Formation preserves a diversity of earliest Eocene-aged mammals. Almost all mammals are known only from isolated teeth. There appear to be significant differences in the faunal composition between the Tuscahoma Formation and the contemporaneous Bighorn Basin of the western US, indicating some level of provincialism in North American mammal species assemblages of the time. The formation appears to have been biased against the preservation of large-sized mammals, meaning that the majority of mammal remains from the formation are of smaller taxa. [3]

Based on the Paleobiology Database and Dawson & Beard (2009): [4] [3]

Metatheria

Metatherians of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Mimoperadectes M. sowasheensisMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA peradectid. Mimoperadectes.jpg
Peratherium P. mcgrewiA herpetotheriid. Peratherium skull.jpg

Cimolesta

Cimolestans of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Coryphodon C. sp.Meridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA pantodont. Coryphodon-Field Museum.jpg
Naranius N. americanusA cimolestid. Type locality of species.
Palaeosinopa P. aestuariumA pantolestid. Type locality of species. Palaeosinopa NT (without background).png

Macroscelidea

Macroscelideans of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Haplomylus H. meridionalisMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn apheliscid.

Ungulates

Ungulates of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Diacodexis D. sp.Meridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn even-toed ungulate. Diacodexis metsiacus (Cope).jpg
Ectocion E. nanabeensisA phenacodont. Type locality of species. Ectocion Ralstonensis.jpg
Hyracotherium H. sp.An odd-toed ungulate. FMNH Hyracotherium.jpg

Pan-Carnivorans

Ungulates of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Eogale E. parydrosMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA miacid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species.
Gracilocyon G. igniculusA carnivoraform. Gracilocyon winkleri.jpg
" Miacis ""M." sp.A carnivoramorph.
Prototomus P. sp.A sinopid hyaenodont. Prototomus secundarius Cope.jpg
Uintacyon U. sp.A carnivoraform. Uintacyon asodes Gazin.jpg
Vassacyon V. sp.A carnivoraform. Vassacyon promicrodon.jpg
Viverravus V. laytoniA viverravid carnivoramorph. Viverravus minutus 2.jpg
Viverriscus V. omnivorusA viverravid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species.

Eulipotyphlans

Eulipotyphlans of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Colpocherus C. mississippiensisA sespedectid. Type locality of genus and species.
Diacocherus D. dockeryiAn erinaceoid. Type localiy of species.
Plagioctenodon P. dormaalensisA nyctitheriid.
Talpavoides T. dartoniA stem-erinaceid. [8]
Wyonycteris W. primitivusA nyctitheriid. Type locality of species. Wyonycteris microtis.jpg

Apatotherians

Apatotherians of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Apatemys A. pygmaeusMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn apatemyid. Type locality of species. Apatemys hurzeleri Gazin, 1962.jpg

Rodents

Rodents of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Corbarimys C. nomadusMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn ischyromyoid. [9]
Franimys F. actitesAn ischyromyid.
Paramys P. disparAn ischyromyid. Paramys delicatus Leidy 1.jpg
Tuscahomys T. majorA cylindrodontid. Type locality of genus and species.
T. medius
T. minor

Primates

Primates of the Tuscahoma Formation
GenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImages
Choctawius C. foxiMeridian, MississippiAn omomyid. Type locality of genus and species.
Teilhardina T. magnolianaAn omomyid. TeilhardinaDB15.jpg

See also

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References

  1. "Geolex — Tuscahoma publications". ngmdb.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  2. "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Beard, K. Christopher; Dawson, Mary R. (2009). "Early Wasatchian Mammals of the Red Hot Local Fauna, Uppermost Tuscahoma Formation, Lauderdale County, Mississippi". Annals of Carnegie Museum. 78 (3): 193–243. doi:10.2992/007.078.0301. ISSN   0097-4463.
  4. 1 2 3 "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  5. "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  6. Weems, Robert E. (1998). "Actinopterygian Fish Remains from the Paleocene of South Carolina". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 88 (4): 147–164. doi:10.2307/1006672. ISSN   0065-9746.
  7. "PBDB Collection". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  8. Vitek, Natasha S.; Morse, Paul E.; Boyer, Doug M.; Strait, Suzanne G.; Bloch, Jonathan I. (2021). "Evaluating the responses of three closely related small mammal lineages to climate change across the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum". Paleobiology. 47 (3): 464–486. doi: 10.1017/pab.2021.12 . ISSN   0094-8373.
  9. Vianey-Liaud, Monique; Marivaux, Laurent (20 September 2021). "The beginning of the adaptive radiation of Theridomorpha (Rodentia) in Western Europe: morphological and phylogenetic analyses of early and middle Eocene taxa; implications for systematics". Palaeovertebrata. 44 (2): e2. doi:10.18563/pv.44.2.e2. ISSN   0031-0247. OCLC   9257882797 . Retrieved 26 July 2024.