Ashley Formation

Ashley Formation
Stratigraphic range: Lower Oligocene (Rupelian)
TypeGeological formation
Sub-unitsGettysville Member, Runnymeade Marl Member and Givhans Ferry Member.
Location
RegionSouth Carolina
CountryUnited States

The Ashley Formation is a geologic formation in South Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period.

Vertebrate fauna

Mammals

Carnivorans
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Phocidae Gen. et. sp. indeterminate Proximal portion of a right femur (ChM PV5713). "A taxon closely comparable to the most specialized phocid, the modern genus Cystophora".
Cetaceans
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Agorophius A. pygmaeus Underwater cliff face from the base of the formation. A skull.
Albertocetus A. meffordorum Givhans Ferry Member and Runnymede Marl Member. A partial skeleton and an isolated braincase. A xenorophid.
Ankylorhiza A. tiedemani AMNH 10445 (partial rostrum) and CCNHM 220 (partial skull and associated vertebrae). An odontocete.
Ashleycetus A. planicapitis Near Charleston, South Carolina. A partial skull.
Coronodon C. havensteini "Wando River near Highway 41 Bridge, Berkeley County, South Carolina". A basal mysticete.
Ediscetus E. osbornei "Slightly outside the odontocete crown group".
Micromysticetus M. rothauseni 2 braincases without rostra.
Saurocetus S. gibbesi A cheek tooth (MCZ 8760).
Xenorophus X. sloanii Incomplete skull. A xenorophid.
Sirenians
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Crenatosiren C. olseni A dugongid also found in the Chandler Bridge and Parachucla formations.
Stegosiren S. macei A dugongid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.

Reptiles

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text
crossed out taxa are discredited.

Crocodilians
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Gavialosuchus G. carolinensis Dorchester County, South Carolina. ChM PV 4282 (mandible). Now moved to the genus Thecachampsa.
Thecachampsa T. carolinensis Dorchester County, South Carolina. ChM PV 4282 (mandible). A gavialoid.
Turtles
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Ashleychelys A. palmeri East bank of Limehouse Branch, Berkeley County, South Carolina. A cheloniid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.
Carolinochelys C. wilsoni MCZ 1005-A (a nearly complete skull) and ChM PV8309. A cheloniid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.
Natemys N. sp. 1 Givhan's Ferry Member. CCNHM 4288 (a non-ridged carapacial ossicle). A dermochelyid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.
N. sp. 2 ?Givhan's Ferry Member and ?Runnymede Marl Member. CCNHM 4287.1 and 4287.2 (a pair of associated non-ridged carapacial ossicles) and CCNHM

4910 (a non-ridged ossicle).

 A dermochelyid.
Procolpochelys P. charlestonensis A humerus (MCZ 1005-B). A cheloniid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.
cf. Psephophorus cf. P. sp. Givhan's Ferry Member. CCNHM 5460 (an isolated non-ridged carapacial ossicle). A dermochelyid also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.

Fish

Cartilaginous fish

Rays
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Dasyatis "D." sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A stingray.
Mobula "M." sp. Givhans Ferry Member. A devil ray.
Plinthicus P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. A tooth (SC2007.36.48).
Raja R. mccollumi Givhans Ferry Member. Abundant teeth. A skate also found in the Chandler Bridge Formation.
"R." sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A skate, appears to be conspecific with R. sp. from the Chandler Bridge Formation.
Rhinoptera "R." sp. Givhans Ferry Member. A broken symphyseal tooth (SC2015.29.30). A cownose ray.
Rhynchobatus R. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth (SC2007.36.39, SC2015.29.13, SC2015.29.32). A wedgefish.
Taeniurops "T." cavernosus Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A stingray.
Sharks
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Araloselachus A. sp. May be derived from the Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth.
Carcharhinus C. gibbesi Givhans Ferry Member. A large number of teeth. The most common shark in the Ashley Formation sample.
Galeocerdo G. aduncus Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth. A ground shark.
Ginglymostomatidae Gen. et. sp. indeterminate Givhans Ferry Member. A partial tooth (SC2007.36.208). A nurse shark.
Hemipristis H. cf. H. serra Givhans Ferry Member. 4 teeth (SC2007.36.7, SC2007.36.8, SC2007.36.9). A weasel shark.
Otodus O. angustidens Ashley River, in the Givhans Ferry Member. Ablated specimens. A megatoothed shark.
Pachyscyllium P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. A tooth (SC2007.36.5). A catshark.
Physogaleus P. cf. P. contortus Givhans Ferry Member. SC2007.36.19, SC2007.36.20 (four teeth), SC2015.29.27. A ground shark.
P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. SC2007.36.21 and SC2007.36.22. A ground shark.
Pristiophorus P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. An incomplete tooth crown (SC2015.29.20). A sawshark.
Scyliorhinus S. weemsi Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A catshark.
Sphyrnidae Gen. et. sp. indeterminate Givhans Ferry Member. SC2007.36.23, SC2007.36.24, SC2007.36.25 (11 teeth), SC2007.36.26, SC2007.36.27, SC2007.36.28 (five teeth). A hammerhead shark.
Squalus S. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth. A spurdog.
Squatina S. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth (SC2007.36.4, SC2007.36.126, SC2007.36.149, SC2007.36.227, SC2015.29.18, SC2015.29.19, SC2015.33.2). An angelshark.
Trigonotodus T. alteri Teeth. A thresher shark.

Bony fish

Bony fish
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Albula A. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. SC2007.36.165, SC2007.36.228 (five teeth), SC2015.29.200 (66 teeth), SC2015.29.201, SC2015.29.204. A bonefish.
Archosargus A. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A sea bream.
?Calamus ?C. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth. A sea bream.
Diplodus D. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. SC2015.29.195 (13 teeth), SC2015.29.222, SC2015.29.223, SC2015.29.224. A sea bream.
?Labridae Gen. et. sp. indet. Givhans Ferry Member. Multiple teeth. A wrasse.
Osteoglossidae Gen. et. sp. indeterminate Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth.
Palaeocybium P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. A tooth (SC2007.36.122), a neurocranium and a left dentary. A scombrid.
Paralichthyidae Gen. et. sp. indeterminate Givhans Ferry Member. A tooth (SC2015.36.259). A flatfish.
?Pogonias ?P. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth. A croaker.
Scomberomorus S. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Teeth. A scombrid.
?Sciaenops ?S. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Many teeth. A croaker.
Sphyraena S. sp. Givhans Ferry Member. Many cheek and laniary teeth. A barracuda.
Trichiurides T. cf. T. sagittidens Givhans Ferry Member. 2 ablated laniary teeth. A cutlassfish.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 Cicimurri, David J.; Knight, James L.; Ebersole, Jun A. (2022). "Early Oligocene (Rupelian) fishes (Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes) from the Ashley Formation (Cooper Group) of South Carolina, USA". PaleoBios. 39 (1). doi:10.5070/P939056976. ISSN 0031-0298. S2CID 247912932.
  2. ↑ J., Ray, Clayton Edward. Emry, Robert (2002). Cenozoic mammals of land and sea: tributes to the career of Clayton E. Ray. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 179–183. OCLC 1035595001.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Godfrey, Stephen J.; Uhen, Mark D.; Osborne, Jason E.; Edwards, Lucy E. (January 2016). "A new specimen of Agorophius pygmaeus (Agorophiidae, Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the early Oligocene Ashley Formation of South Carolina, USA". Journal of Paleontology. 90 (1): 154–169. Bibcode:2016JPal...90..154G. doi:10.1017/jpa.2016.4. ISSN 0022-3360. S2CID 132593720.
  4. 1 2 Boessenecker, Robert W.; Ahmed, Erum; Geisler, Jonathan H. (2017-11-08). "New records of the dolphin Albertocetus meffordorum (Odontoceti: Xenorophidae) from the lower Oligocene of South Carolina: Encephalization, sensory anatomy, postcranial morphology, and ontogeny of early odontocetes". PLOS ONE. 12 (11) e0186476. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1286476B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0186476. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5695589. PMID 29117197.
  5. ↑ Boessenecker, Robert W.; Churchill, Morgan; Buchholtz, Emily A.; Beatty, Brian L.; Geisler, Jonathan H. (2020-08-17). "Convergent Evolution of Swimming Adaptations in Modern Whales Revealed by a Large Macrophagous Dolphin from the Oligocene of South Carolina". Current Biology. 30 (16): 3267–3273.e2. Bibcode:2020CBio...30E3267B. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.012. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 32649912. S2CID 220435400.
  6. 1 2 Sanders, Albert E.; Geisler, Jonathan H. (2015-01-02). "A new basal odontocete from the upper Rupelian of South Carolina, U.S.A., with contributions to the systematics of Xenorophus and Mirocetus (Mammalia, Cetacea)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (1) e890107. Bibcode:2015JVPal..35E0107S. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.890107. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 85040115.
  7. ↑ Geisler, Jonathan H.; Boessenecker, Robert W.; Brown, Mace; Beatty, Brian L. (2017-07-10). "The Origin of Filter Feeding in Whales". Current Biology. 27 (13): 2036–2042.e2. Bibcode:2017CBio...27E2036G. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.003. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 28669761. S2CID 36765725.
  8. ↑ Albright, L. Barry; Sanders, Albert E.; Geisler, Jonathan H. (April 2019). "An Unexpectedly Derived Odontocete from the Ashley Formation (Upper Rupelian) of South Carolina, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (4): (1)-(15). doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1482555. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 92830510.
  9. ↑ Sanders Albert, E.; Barnes Lawrence, G. (2002-11-21). "Paleontology of the late Oligocene Ashley and Chandler Bridge Formations of South Carolina; 2, Micromysticetus rothauseni, a primitive cetoteriid mysticete (Mammalia, Cetacea)". Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. 93: 271–293.
  10. ↑ L. Agassiz. 1848. [on the species Saurocetus gibbesii]. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 4:4-5
  11. ↑ Dooley, Alton C. Jr (2003). "A Review of the Eastern North American Squalodontidae (Mammalia: Cetacea)". Jeffersoniana (11): 1–26.
  12. ↑ Kellogg, Remington (1923). "Description of an apparently new toothed cetacean from South Carolina". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 76 (7): 1–7. hdl:10088/23638.
  13. ↑ Domning, Daryl P. (1997-06-19). "Fossil Sirenia of the west Atlantic and Caribbean region. VI. Crenatosiren olseni (Reinhart, 1976)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 17 (2): 397–412. Bibcode:1997JVPal..17..397D. doi:10.1080/02724634.1997.10010984. ISSN 0272-4634.
  14. ↑ Domning, Daryl P.; Beatty, Brian L. (2019-05-04). "Fossil Sirenia of the West Atlantic and Caribbean region. XII. Stegosiren macei, gen. et sp. nov". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (3) e1650369. Bibcode:2019JVPal..39E0369D. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1650369. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 203407242.
  15. 1 2 3 4 R.., Erickson, Bruce (1996). The estuarine crocodile Gavialosuchus Carolinensis n.sp. (Crocodylia: Eusuchia) from the late Oligocene of South Carolina, North America (PDF). Science Museum of Minnesota. OCLC 491733633.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. 1 2 3 Weems, Robert E.; Sanders, Albert E. (January 2014). "Oligocene pancheloniid sea turtles from the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (1): 80–99. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34...80W. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.792826. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 128543145.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Multispecies leatherback turtle assemblage from the Oligocene Chandler Bridge and Ashley formations of South Carolina, USA - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica". www.app.pan.pl. Retrieved 2022-09-11.

Further reading