Martin Canyon Quarry A
Basic information
Sample name: Martin Canyon Quarry A
Reference: R. W. Wilson. 1960. Early Miocene rodents and insectivores from northeastern Colorado. University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions 7:1-92 [ER 4189]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Colorado
County: Logan
Coordinate: 40.90° N, -104.52° W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Scale: quarry
Formation: Pawnee Creek
Time interval: Early Miocene
Zone: Hemingfordian
Ma: 19.4
Age basis: AEO
Geography comments: "NE1/4 sec. 27, T. 11 N., R. 64 W."
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit
Habitat comments: "Silt, noncalcareous" with "three layers of nodular concretions" (Galbreath 1953, p. 26) or "impure (clay and silt) fine-grained sandstone... This sandstone is evidently fluviatile, and represents a channel fill... the fossils are rather thinly scattered through several feed of sediment" (Wilson 1960)
there is a disassociated single rhinoceros skeleton plus one oreodont skull, but all other specimens are "jaws, isolated teeth, and post-cranial elements... No marks of the activities of rodents or mammalian carnivores were observed... Transportation was generally not for any long distance"
there is a disassociated single rhinoceros skeleton plus one oreodont skull, but all other specimens are "jaws, isolated teeth, and post-cranial elements... No marks of the activities of rodents or mammalian carnivores were observed... Transportation was generally not for any long distance"
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 353 specimens
Years: 1950 - 1952
Museum: University of Kansas
Sampling comments: collections were made by University of Kansas (Museum of Natural History) field parties in 1950, 1951, and 1952
the 1950 material only was described by Galbreath (1953): Wilson describes all of the insectivore and rodent material
specimens were found "during quarry operations" and "in the laboratory by careful searching of matrix" after "preliminary washing and drying" that "eliminated the finest material" (presumably with screening)
"approximately 75 cubic yards" were excavated
there are also "fish remains... a large salamander... both testudinates and lizards... birds"
"?Macrotherium matthewi" of Galbreath (1953) is omitted by Wilson (1960), presumably because Galbreath was uncertain about its provenance
additional mammals mentioned by later authors include:
"? Peratherium sp.": Hutchison (1968)
Cynarctoides acridens was listed by Martin and Mengel (1984) and mentioned by Wang et al. 1999
the 1950 material only was described by Galbreath (1953): Wilson describes all of the insectivore and rodent material
specimens were found "during quarry operations" and "in the laboratory by careful searching of matrix" after "preliminary washing and drying" that "eliminated the finest material" (presumably with screening)
"approximately 75 cubic yards" were excavated
there are also "fish remains... a large salamander... both testudinates and lizards... birds"
"?Macrotherium matthewi" of Galbreath (1953) is omitted by Wilson (1960), presumably because Galbreath was uncertain about its provenance
additional mammals mentioned by later authors include:
"? Peratherium sp.": Hutchison (1968)
Cynarctoides acridens was listed by Martin and Mengel (1984) and mentioned by Wang et al. 1999
Metadata
Sample number: 4654
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2025-01-12 11:34:14
Modified: 2025-01-12 11:34:14
Abundance distribution
35 species
7 singletons
total count 353
geometric series index: 53.4
Fisher's α: 9.652
geometric series k: 0.8888
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.9300
Shannon's H: 2.9952
Good's u: 0.9802
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Erinaceidae indet. | 1 | |
| Rich (1981): "Metechinus cf. marslandensis" | ||
| †Plesiosorex coloradensis | 14 | |
| type | ||
| Plesiosorex sp. | 2 | |
| ? | ||
| Heterosorex roperi = †Pseudotrimylus roperi | 28 | |
| type | ||
| †Wilsonosorex conulatus | 3 | |
| Martin (1978): "? Heterosorex sp." | ||
| Sorex vireti = †Angustidens vireti | 13 | |
| type | ||
| Sorex compressus = †Antesorex compressus | 7 | |
| type | ||
| Mydecodon martini = †Mystipterus martini | 7 | |
| type | ||
| †Scalopoides isodens | 25 | |
| type | ||
| †Proscalops cf. secundus | 11 | |
| Proscalops sp. | 4 | |
| ? | ||
| Soricoidea indet. | 1 | |
| †Oreolagus wilsoni | 19 | |
| Dawson (1965): type; "Oreolagus nr. nebrascensis; 12 specimens of Galbreath (1953) and 7 new ones | ||
| Archaeolaginae indet. | 3 | |
| "? Hypolagus sp.": "several" teeth | ||
| †Mesogaulus paniensis | 36 | |
| Palaeoarctomys bryanti = †Miospermophilus bryanti | 15 | |
| type | ||
| Protospermophilus sp. | 7 | |
| Black (1963): "Sciurus sp. A" | ||
| Marmotini indet. | 3 | |
| "Sciurus sp. B": "Tamias sp." of Black (1963) | ||
| Hystricops sp. | 3 | |
| Korth (1998): "? Anchitheriomys sp."; "Amblycastor sp." of Korth (1994); "Agnotocastorinae indet." of Korth and Emry (1997) | ||
| Euroxenomys sp. | 55 | |
| Sutton and Korth (1995): "Monosaulax sp." said to be new | ||
| †Pseudotheridomys hesperus | 8 | |
| type | ||
| †Proheteromys sulculus | 34 | |
| type: may or may not include Stratimus strobeli of Korth et al. (1990); presumed to include "Mookomys cf. formicorum" (NISP 5) based on Black (1963) and Gawne (1975); presumed to include "? Florentiamys sp." (NISP 1) based on Black (1963) | ||
| Pleurolicus sp. | 5 | |
| Gawne (1975): "Proheteromys cf. magnus" | ||
| †Plesiosminthus clivosus | 8 | |
| Plesiosminthus galbreathi = †Schaubeumys galbreathi | 17 | |
| type | ||
| †Prototomarctus optatus | 1 | |
| Wang et al. (1999): "Cynodesmus?": presumably the one specimen of "Tomarctus sp." of Galbreath (1953) | ||
| Amphicyonidae indet. | 1 | |
| "Amphicyonine sp.": not discussed by Galbreath (1953) | ||
| †Parahippus pawniensis | 5 | |
| NISP based on Galbreath (1953) | ||
| Merychippus sp. | 1 | |
| Galbreath (1953): questioned ID; compared to paniensis (possibly this genus) and sphenodus (currently in this this genus) | ||
| †Brachypotherium americanum | 1 | |
| Yatkola and Tanner (1978): "Dicerathere?" skeleton of Wilson (1960); the only rhinocerotid specimen from the quarry per se according to Wilson (1993), although Galbreath (1953) describes one "Aphelops spp." specimen and one "Teleoceras spp." specimen discovered previously | ||
| Hesperhys sp. | 2 | |
| †Merycochoerus magnus | 3 | |
| "Merycochoerus proprius magnus" | ||
| Merychyus sp. | 3 | |
| Merychyus elegans according to Galbreath (1953) | ||
| Camelidae indet. | 1 | |
| "Oxydactylus sp.": possibly Michenia or Miotylopus; specimen not known to Galbreath (1953) | ||
| Barbouromeryx sp. | 6 | |
| presumably assumes five specimens of "Blastomeryx cf. elegans" and one of "Blastomeryx cf. medius" of Galbreath (1953) | ||