Arrisdrift
Basic information
Sample name: Arrisdrift
Reference: Q. B. Hendey. 1978. Preliminary report on the Miocene vertebrates from Arrisdrift, South West Africa. Annals of the South African Museum 76(1):1-41 [ER 4046]
Geography
Country: Namibia
Coordinate: -28.56° S, 16.50° E
Coordinate basis: estimated from map
Time interval: Middle Miocene
Zone: Langhian
Geography comments: "in terrace deposits at Arrisdrift on the Orange River"
coordinate estimated using the map in Fig. 1
"early middle Miocene (c. 16 m.y. old)" meaning Langhian
coordinate estimated using the map in Fig. 1
"early middle Miocene (c. 16 m.y. old)" meaning Langhian
Environment
Lithology: conglomerate
Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit
Habitat comments: "a poorly sorted fluvial gravel" with the fossils having been "transported by water in a high-energy environment. Only one instance is recorded of skeletal elements occurring in articulation"
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,snakes,turtles,other reptiles,frogs,fishes
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 129 specimens
Sampling comments: "The fossils were discovered in a prospect pit (Pit 2 of Drill-line AD 8) in deposits being investigated by the Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (Pty) Ltd."
specimens are "in the Department of Cenozoic Palaeontology at the South African Museum, Cape Town"
specimens are "in the Department of Cenozoic Palaeontology at the South African Museum, Cape Town"
Metadata
Sample number: 4461
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2024-11-14 06:35:26
Modified: 2024-11-14 06:35:26
Abundance distribution
26 species
8 singletons
total count 129
geometric series index: 55.2
Fisher's α: 9.814
geometric series k: 0.8628
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8473
Shannon's H: 2.4844
Good's u: 0.9388
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Clariidae indet. | 2 | |
| minimum count: plus indeterminate, isolated fish vertebrate | ||
| Anura indet. | 1 | |
| "frog or toad" | ||
| Serpentes indet. | 2 | |
| "snake vertebrae" | ||
| Crocodylus ? niloticus | 6 | |
| minimum count | ||
| Testudines indet. | 2 | |
| "Chelonia": minimum count | ||
| Aves indet. | 2 | |
| minimum count: "more than one species" | ||
| †Myohyrax cf. oswaldi | 3 | |
| minimum count: "many" are present | ||
| Amphicyon cf. steinheimensis = †Pseudocyon cf. steinheimensis | 1 | |
| possibly also including "several" postcrania | ||
| Canoidea indet. | 1 | |
| "very large" | ||
| Hemicyoninae indet. | 1 | |
| ? | ||
| Metailurus sp. | 1 | |
| ? | ||
| Ischyrictis sp. | 1 | |
| ? | ||
| Carnivora indet. | 1 | |
| small canine: several other indeterminate carnivore fossils are present | ||
| Prohyrax sp. | 40 | |
| said to be new: minimum count of "individuals" | ||
| Gomphotheriidae indet. | 5 | |
| †Prodeinotherium hobleyi | 3 | |
| plu9s "many" indeterminate proboscideans | ||
| Dicerorhinus sp. | 8 | |
| minimum count | ||
| Suidae indet. | 1 | |
| small | ||
| Lopholistriodon moruoroti = †Namachoerus moruoroti | 3 | |
| †Dorcatherium cf. pigotti | 5 | |
| including "a few" postcrania (assumed to mean three plus) | ||
| Climacoceras sp. | 26 | |
| said to be new: includes "less numerous maxillae and upper teeth" (assumed to mean four plus) | ||
| Bovidae indet. | 4 | |
| "several mandible fragments... and postcranial bones" of which three are specified: minimum of four inferred | ||
| Pecora indet. | 4 | |
| large | ||
| Kenyalagomys sp. | 2 | |
| said to be new | ||
| Bathyergoides sp. | 2 | |
| ? | ||
| †Paraphiomys pigotti | 2 | |
| plus "many" rodent incisors | ||