The macrofauna of the Tehuacana Limestone Member (Danian, Kincaid Formation) of central Texas, with the description of a few new taxa from the Pisgah Member - BAP #399-400
Field work in Texas has led to the discovery of the most diverse marine fossil site yet known in the U.S. Paleogene. This fauna is within the Tehuacana Limestone, a member of the Kincaid Formation, and is of Danian age. The fauna lived on and within a hard substrate environment, allowing much more diversity than in soft-bottom environments. The fauna differs from that of all other known Paleocene sites, in which just a handful of species occur in both the soft and hard substrate environments. Also surprising is the existence of several taxa, previously known to date only from the Cretaceous, surviving past the K-Pg boundary event. The non-molluscan faunal content is treated here, but not to the same level as the Mollusca.
A new family (Nodolargenidae) is proposed, as well as new genera and subgenera. The species Holospira fallsensis is the first land snail recorded from marine sediments in the Paleogene of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains. In addition, the Fasciolariidae and Melongenidae of the U.S. Paleocene and Eocene are revised and a new division of genera is proposed.
Christopher L. Garvie
Pages: 292
Issue: BAP 399-400
Year published: 2021