Meyer Cave
Basic information
Sample name: Meyer Cave

Reference: P. W. Parmalee. 1967. A recent cave bone deposit in southwestern Illinois. Bulletin of the National Speleological Society 29(4):119-147 [ER 3209]
Geography
Country: United States

State: Illinois


County: Monroe


Coordinate: 38.40° N, -90.26° W
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Ma: 0.00104

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "in the limestone bluff of the Mississippi River four miles south-southwest of Columbia... N.W. 1/4 Sec. 6, T. 2 S., R. 10 W."
there is a radiocarbon date of "1040 +/- 150 B.P." on charcoal (presumed to be uncalibrated because the error is symmetrically distributed)

Environment
Lithology: limestone

Taphonomic context: cave,pitfall trap

Archaeology: ceramics,hearths,stone tools

Habitat comments: "debris fill, composed of pieces of limestone, soil and bone... some predators probably used the small room above the lower fissure" where the fossil were found, but this is "one basic, although probably not major, source of the bone deposits. In all probability, the majority of the bone accumulated as a result of animals entering through openings from the outside and accidentally falling into the fissure"
"artifacts, as well as human (Indian?) remains" were present and artifacts include a projectile point, 30 Late Woodland sherds, flakes and small fragments of charcoal that "may have resulted from a man-made fire"

Methods
Life forms: bats,carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,birds,lizards,snakes,turtles,frogs,salamanders,fishes,snails

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash,surface

Sample size: 78407 specimens

Years: 1959 - 1961

Sampling comments: "Surface bone was recovered during the first visit" but most bone was excavated and "washed"
beetles and other arthropods are listed but not counted

Metadata
Sample number: 3520

Contributor: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2019-09-11 11:06:21

Modified: 2023-04-03 08:56:35

Abundance distribution
129 species
20 singletons
total count 78407
geometric series index: 174.4
Fisher's α: 15.076
geometric series k: 0.9289
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.9050
Shannon's H: 2.7340
Good's u: 0.9997
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Stenotrema hirsutum16
Mesodon thyroidus1
Mesodon clausus1
Mesodon inflectus95
Triodopsis fosteri346
Triodopsis albolabris3
Haplotrema concavum13
Hawaiia minuscula1
Zonitoides nitidus182
Anguispira alternata18
Anguispira kochi17
Discus cronkhitei anthonyi1
Discus patulus53
Helicodiscus parallelus65
Physa gyrina1
Amia calva10
Lepisosteus sp.130
Ictiobus sp.4
Cyprinidae indet.2
Ictalurus melas8
Centrarchidae indet.4
Ambystoma cf. texanus13
Ambystoma cf. maculatus73
Ambystoma tigrinum1822
Plethodon glutinosus2
Eurycea sp.3
Siren cf. intermedia29
Scaphiopus cf. holbrooki566
Anaxyrus sp.413
"Bufo sp."
Hyla cf. versicolor11
Lithobates catesbeianus973
"Rana catesbeiana"
Lithobates pipiens10272
"Rana pipiens"
Gastrophryne carolinensis2
Chelydra serpentina2
Sternotherus odoratus2
Terrapene sp.80
Trachemys sp.9
"Pseudemys sp." ("slider")
Apalone sp.5
"Trionyx sp."
Sceloporus undulatus1
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus4
Eumeces laticeps9
Heterodon cf. platirhinos10
compared to "Heterodon platyrhinos"
Coluber constrictor1804
Masticophis ? flagellum4
Elaphe cf. guttata25
Elaphe obsoleta123
Pituophis melanoleucus14
Lampropeltis sp.14
Thamnophis spp.6
Nerodia erythrogaster26
"Natrix erythrogaster"
Nerodia rhombifer1
"Natrix rhombifera"
Nerodia sipedon2
"Natrix sipedon"
Agkistrodon contortix321
Crotalus horridus3894
Botaurus lentiginosus1706 g piscivore
Chen sp.2
Anas sp.1
Lophodytes cucullatus1554 g piscivore
Cathartes aura4110.7 g carnivore
Coragyps atratus940.5 g carnivore
Buteo cf. jamaicensis330.4 g carnivore
Falco sparverius112.7 g carnivore
Colinus virginianus3912.9 g granivore
Meleagris gallopavo37.8 kg omnivore
Porzana carolina7174.8 g granivore
Fulica americana3724 g
Ectopistes migratorius3
Colaptes cf. auratus2311.3 g insectivore-frugivore
Sayornis cf. phoebe119.7 g insectivore
Empidonax sp.1
Myiarchus crinitus132.1 g frugivore-insectivore
Troglodytes sp.3
Hylocichla sp.4
Sialia sialis127.5 g insectivore
Bombycilla cedrorum230.6 g insectivore-frugivore
Vireo cf. olivaceus12.6 g insectivore-frugivore
Setophaga sp.1
"Dendroica sp."
Seiurus cf. aurocapilla118.8 g insectivore
"Seiurus cf. aurocapillus"
Quiscalus quiscula9120 g insectivore-granivore
Cardinalis cardinalis443.5 g insectivore-granivore
"Richmondena cardinalis"
Passer domesticus14.9 g granivore
Loxia sp.3
Spiza ? americana15.3 g
Pipilo erythrophthalmus1741.3 g insectivore-granivore
Junco cf. hyemalis91.6 g insectivore-granivore
Didelphis virginiana58532.2 kg insectivore-carnivore
"Didelphis marsupialis"
Scalopus aquaticus27294.9 g
Sorex cf. longirostris514.2 g
Sorex hoyi22.8 g
"Microsorex hoyi"
Blarina brevicauda104715.1 g
Cryptotis parva26094.3 g
Myotis spp.124
Perimyotis subflavus225.6 g insectivore
"Pipistrellus subflavus"
Eptesicus fuscus15317.2 g insectivore
Plecotus sp.14
Procyon lotor5205.5 kg carnivore-granivore
Mustela nivalis377.5 g carnivore
"Mustela rixosa"
Neogale cf. frenata124144 g carnivore
"Mustela frenata"
Neogale vison433950 g
"Mustela vison"
Lontra canadensis2017.1 kg piscivore
"Lutra canadensis"
Spilogale putorius306633 g carnivore-invertivore
Mephitis mephitis48491.5 kg carnivore-insectivore
Taxidea taxus207.0 kg carnivore
Vulpes vulpes125.3 kg carnivore-insectivore
"Vulpes fulva"
Urocyon cinereoargenteus814.1 kg frugivore-carnivore
Canis lupus familiaris643 kg carnivore
"Canis familiaris"
Puma concolor449 kg carnivore
"Felis concolor"
Lynx cf. rufus1459.0 kg carnivore
Marmota monax126004.5 kg
Tamias striatus1573113 g frugivore-insectivore
Sciurus carolinensis55519 g frugivore
Glaucomys volans1067.4 g
Geomys bursarius29
Peromyscus spp.11922
Oryzomys palustris3042.4 g
Neotoma floridana6053252 g
Synaptomys cooperi21029.0 g
Myodes cf. gapperi324.1 g
"Clethrionomys cf. gapperi"
Microtus pennsylvanicus2135.7 g
Microtus xanthognathus1368.5 g
Microtus pinetorum2624.0 g
"Pitymys pinetorum"
Ondatra zibethicus841.1 kg
"Ondatra zibethica"
Mus musculus217.6 g
Zapus hudsonius115.6 g
Erethizon dorsatum849.9 kg herbivore
"Erethizon dorsatus"
Sylvilagus floridanus69471.1 kg herbivore
Odocoileus virginianus9975 kg herbivore
Sus scrofa454 kg herbivore
Homo sapiens1364 kg