Page Contents: Section | Significance | Background | Location & Dates | Taxonomic Contents | Documentation | Description of Collection | Collection Inventory | Collection Assets
Glycymeridid bivalves, Cretaceous to Paleocene, Pacific Coast of North America
Section Responsible for Processing
Invertebrate Paleontology
Significance
The specimens of the bivalve family Glycymerididae from the Cretaceous to Paleocene strata along the Pacific margin of North America (Alaska to Baja California) have been studied to determine their stratigraphic and geologic ranges and geographic distribution and interpret their taxonomic relationships and paleoecology. This collection is the result of a study by Richard Squires, California State University Northridge (CSUN) and Research Associate in Invertebrate Paleontology.
Background
The specimens are located in the main Invertebrate Paleontology collections. Many of the specimens were collected in the 1990s and some of them originally belonged to other academic collections (UCLA, CIT, CSUN) prior to being transferred to the Natural History Museum. Numerous specimens have been selected to serve as new type specimens (holotype, paratype, and figured). See Documentation.
Collection Location and Dates
This collection includes glycymeridid specimens from many Cretaceous and Paleocene localities along the western margin of North America. Most of the localities are in California, but the entire geographic distribution of the collection extends from Alaska to Baja California. The assembled collection of specimens is derived from material collected by various collectors at various times over the last several decades. An example of one of the fossil localities is: LACMIP locality 28757, Thompson Canyon, Yolo County, California; Yolo Formation, Upper Cretaceous (Turonian), 38infinity31’11”N, 122infinity5’53”W.
Taxonomic Contents
The assembled collection of glycymeridid bivalves includes six species in two genera: Glycymeris pacifica (Anderson, 1902); Glycymeris yoloensis Squires, 2010; Glycymerita veatchii (Gabb, 1864); Glycymerita banosensis (Anderson, 1958); Glycymerita aleuta Squires, 2010; and Glycymerita major (Stanton, 1896).
Documentation
The majority of the specimens have reliable locality data and updated or new identifications. All of the material currently is housed in the collections at the Invertebrate Paleontology South Grand facility. The full citation for the published article on the specimens is: Squires, R. L., 2010, Northeast Pacific Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene glycymeridid bivalves, Journal of Paleontology, 84(5), p. 895-917.
Description of Collection
The specimens have been sorted into specimen lots and identified to species level. All of the specimens are stored in wooden drawers and presently located in the rock preparation laboratory room at the South Grand facility. The assembled collection needs to be re-housed, cataloged, labeled, sorted according to geologic age and locality, and incorporated into the main Invertebrate Paleontology collections. The newly designated type specimens will receive the same kind of curation care, but they will be incorporated into the Invertebrate Paleontology type collection.
Collection Inventory
There are 13 wooden drawers that contain ~1840 specimens in 240 lots that were collected from ~240 different fossil localities. The material includes ~40 type specimens.
Collection Assets
No collection assets available.