Sheep Pass Formation

Sheep Pass Formation
Stratigraphic range: Latest Cretaceous to Paleogene
TypeGeological formation
Sub-units6 members (A to F)
Location
RegionNevada
CountryUnited States

The Sheep Pass Formation is a geologic formation in Nevada. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period.

Fossil content

Vertebrates

Mammals
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Apatemys A. bellus Near Ely, Nevada. An apatothere.
Elymys E. complexus Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent, possibly of the family Zapodidae.
Ischyromyidae Near Ely, Nevada.
Knightomys Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent represented by material not assignable to species.
Mattimys Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent represented by material not assignable to species.
Microparamys M. sambucus Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent.
Notharctus N. tenebrosus Near Ely, Nevada. Upper and lower jaws. A primate.
Nyctitheriidae Near Ely, Nevada. At least one nyctitheriid present.
Palaeochiropteryx P. sambuceus "Elderberry Canyon Quarry in the Egan Range near Ely, White Pine County". Partial skeleton (USNM PAL 417350) and left dentary (USNM PAL 706598). A palaeochiropterygid bat.
Pantolestes P. longicaudus Near Ely, Nevada. A pantolestid.
Pauromys P. exallos Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent.
Reithroparamys R. delicatissimus Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent.
cf. R. huerfanensis Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent.
Sciuravus S. sp. Near Ely, Nevada. A rodent represented by material not assignable to species.
Sonor S. handae "Elderberry Canyon Quarry in the Egan Range near Ely, White Pine County". Left dentary (USNM PAL 544091). A vespertilionid bat.
cf. Tetrapassalus cf. T. mckennai Near Ely, Nevada. An epoicotheriid.
Trogolemur T. myodes Near Ely, Nevada. An anaptomorphine primate.
Volactrix V. simmonsae "Elderberry Canyon Quarry in the Egan Range near Ely, White Pine County". Right and left dentaries. An onychonycterid bat.
Amphibians
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Eorubeta E. nevadensis Member C (south Egan Range). A frog.
Palaeobatrachus P. occidentalis Member B. A frog.

Invertebrates

Crustaceans
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Clinocypris? C.? sp. Member B. An ostracod.
Cypridea C. bicostata Member B. An ostracod.
Paracypridopsis? P.? sp. Member B. An ostracod.
Molluscs
GenusSpeciesPresence MaterialNotesImages
Hydrobia Member B. A snail.
Valvata Member B. A snail.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Emry, Robert J. (1990-01-01). "Mammals of the Bridgerian (middle Eocene) Elderberry Canyon Local Fauna of eastern Nevada". Dawn of the Age of Mammals in the northern part of the Rocky Mountain Interior, North America. Geological Society of America Special Papers. Vol. 243. pp. 187–210. doi:10.1130/SPE243-p187. ISBN 0-8137-2243-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Emry, Robert J.; Korth, William W. (1989). "Rodents of the Bridgerian (Middle Eocene) Elderberry Canyon Local Fauna of Eastern Nevada". Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology (67): 1–14. doi:10.5479/si.00810266.67.1. ISSN 0081-0266.
  3. ↑ Perry, Jonathan M. G.; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Emry, Robert J. (2017-07-04). "New cranial material of Notharctus (Mammalia, Primates, Notharctidae) from the Sheep Pass Formation, Elderberry Canyon, Nevada, with implications for incisor morphology and paleogeography of notharctine primates". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37 (4) e1331914. Bibcode:2017JVPal..37E1914P. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1331914. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 133982802.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Czaplewski, Nicholas J.; Morgan, Gary S.; Emry, Robert J.; Gignac, Paul M.; O'Brien, Haley D. (2022-05-25). "Three New Early Middle Eocene Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Elderberry Canyon, Nevada, USA". Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology (106): 2–25. doi:10.5479/si.19874677. ISSN 1943-6688. S2CID 249114343.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bonde, Joshua W.; Druschke, Peter A.; Hilton, Richard P.; Henrici, Amy C.; Rowland, Stephen M. (2020). "Preservation of latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)-Paleocene frogs (Eorubeta nevadensis) of the Sheep Pass Formation of east-central Nevada and implications for paleogeography of the Nevadaplano". PeerJ. 8 e9455. doi:10.7717/peerj.9455. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 7341540. PMID 32704447.
  6. 1 2 "Abstract: TWO DISTINCT FROG DEATH ASSEMBLAGES FROM THE SHEEP PASS FORMATION (MAASTRICHTIAN-EOCENE), EAST-CENTRAL NEVADA (2009 Portland GSA Annual Meeting (18-21 October 2009))". gsa.confex.com. Retrieved 2022-09-01.