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Bay Point Formation Bivalve ID


Thecosmilia Trichitoma

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I found this bivalve eroding out of the Pleistocene Bay Point Formation of Point Loma near Sunset Cliffs in San Diego CA. Does anyone know the ID or have a good resource for Bay Point Formation Mollusks that isn’t paywalled.

 

IMG_0314.thumb.jpeg.afb85ad232f6d6ccd566d9faa4f25b24.jpeg

 

This isn’t important for the ID, but the matrix filling in the shell is full of original aragonite shell material! It’s common at the site, but still really amazing!IMG_0317.thumb.jpeg.693ed4195a0259cb6e8756ab65cfd8db.jpeg

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It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

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Looks like Opis rosarioensis to me. I will try to find some resources, if you promise to let me win the contest... Joking! ;)

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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I found this.

It may be referring to the Cretaceous, but, hey, who said 60 odd million years makes a difference!? Jokes aside, it talks about Opinae, the subfamily, which could be useful, if my identification is anything near correct!

 

CRETACEOUS OPINE BIVALVES FROM THE PACIFIC SLOPE OF NORTH AMERICA AND PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY OF SUBFAMILY OPINAE.pdf

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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Opis went extinct in the Cretaceous so it's a pretty big difference. It doesn't really match Opis anyway. It seems similar to Semele decisa which is also reported from the type locality of the Bay Point Formation.

 

 

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Attacking this from a more general perspective, Astarte sp. comes to mind. So does Tellina sp., although this seems a bit too spherical for Tellina.

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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2 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Opis went extinct in the Cretaceous so it's a pretty big difference. It doesn't really match Opis anyway. It seems similar to Semele decisa which is also reported from the type locality of the Bay Point Formation.

Opis went extinct in the Palaeocene. :)

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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1 minute ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Opis went extinct in the Palaeocene. :)

During the KT extinction, so Cretaceous really.

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1 minute ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

During the KT extinction, so Cretaceous really.

Last recorded appearance was 56mya, so, pretty much K, I agree. I've just realised I got my times all messed up... I read 60mya, as 60tya... I think I'm a bit tired...

 

Anyways, yes, it does seem reminiscent of Semele. Could you send me the resource to it being reported there? I'm not disagreeing with you, I just would like to read it to get more of a feel for the area. :)

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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1 minute ago, IsaacTheFossilMan said:

Last recorded appearance was 56mya, so, pretty much K, I agree. I've just realised I got my times all messed up... I read 60mya, as 60tya... I think I'm a bit tired...

 

Anyways, yes, it does seem reminiscent of Semele. Could you send me the resource to it being reported there? I'm not disagreeing with you, I just would like to read it to get more of a feel for the area. :)

Do you have the reference for the last recorded appearance for me to read? The source I read listed last appearance at the literal KT boundary, 66.043 mya.

 

Here's the Bay Point reference. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1300903
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11 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Do you have the reference for the last recorded appearance for me to read? The source I read listed last appearance at the literal KT boundary, 66.043 mya.

 

Here's the Bay Point reference. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1300903

Thank you!

 

Opis virginalis has been reported up to the Palaeocene. 

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16341130#page/69/mode/1up

I believe it's on page 78. On Mindat.org | Opis virginalis, it is referenced. (I find Mindat.org to be much easier to digest!)

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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Im getting some papers on the subject now.

 

Aditional tip- there is an addon for Chrome and Brave browser called "Unpaywall" which makes it super easy to see if your paper is available from a different source. It is perfectly legit as it does not bypass anything, just points out open sources for the same title.

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1 minute ago, LabRatKing said:

Im getting some papers on the subject now.

 

Aditional tip- there is an addon for Chrome and Brave browser called "Unpaywall" which makes it super easy to see if your paper is available from a different source. It is perfectly legit as it does not bypass anything, just points out open sources for the same title.

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

~ Isaac; www.isaactfm.com 

 

"Don't move! He can't see us if we don't move!" - Alan Grant

 

Come to the spring that is The Fossil Forum, where the stream of warmth and knowledge never runs dry.

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My vote is for Lucinoma sp.   Perhaps L. annulatum one of the indicator species in the area?

https://archive.org/details/biostor-232490/page/n1/mode/2up

 

Though Epilucina sp. is very highly likely also...perhaps even californica

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.964.7036&rep=rep1&type=pdf

 

 

 

 

 

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If this helps, I have exposed the underside so that the muscle scars are visible. Thank you so much for all fo the responses, they are really helpful! 

 

 

 

IMG_0359.thumb.jpeg.6b3b026922f30814e5fd5622a21f7411.jpeg

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

-Mark Twain

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16 minutes ago, LabRatKing said:

My vote is for Lucinoma sp.   Perhaps L. annulatum one of the indicator species in the area?

https://archive.org/details/biostor-232490/page/n1/mode/2up

 

Though Epilucina sp. is very highly likely also...perhaps even californica

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.964.7036&rep=rep1&type=pdf

I did think it looked similar to Lucina and other Lucinids. This is something I can get behind now that I took a closer look at the hingement which is more like Lucinids and that it is reported from the area. For what it's worth a good generic character of Epilucina sp. over other Lucinids are the medium sized, strongly asymmetric lunule. Although we're working off of one valve a picture of the lunule with the valve sitting flat might help. Examination of other generic characteristics will require more preparation of the specimen. I'm not sure what the generic characteristics of Lucinoma are.

 

Table from "Kurihara Yukito, April 2007. Occurrence of Epilucina californica (Conrad) (Bivalvia: Lucinidae) from the Neogene of Japan, with notes on the biogeographic history of Epilucina. Paleontological Research 11(Apr 2007):29-39"

 

Lucinids.png.7f1ce19c5d9eaca9f7afcf05fb44cf2b.png

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

I did think it looked similar to Lucina and other Lucinids. This is something I can get behind now that I took a closer look at the hingement which is more like Lucinids and that it is reported from the area. For what it's worth a good generic character of Epilucina sp. over other Lucinids are the medium sized, strongly asymmetric lunule. Although we're working off of one valve a picture of the lunule with the valve sitting flat might help. Examination of other generic characteristics will require more preparation of the specimen. I'm not sure what the generic characteristics of Lucinoma are.

 

Table from "Kurihara Yukito, April 2007. Occurrence of Epilucina californica (Conrad) (Bivalvia: Lucinidae) from the Neogene of Japan, with notes on the biogeographic history of Epilucina. Paleontological Research 11(Apr 2007):29-39"

 

Lucinids.png.7f1ce19c5d9eaca9f7afcf05fb44cf2b.png

 

 

Agreed. This specimen might benefit from some careful scratch and peck to expose more of the diagnostic structures. I haven't hunted this site in years and years, but I remember the matrix being fairly soft.

 

EDIT...just noticed the exposed version. WIll follow up shortly.

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From  Occurrence of Epilucina californica (Conrad) (Bivalvia: Lucinidae) from the Neogene of Japan, with notes on the biogeographic history of Epilucina

 

i1342-8144-11-1-29-f02.gif

 

i1342-8144-11-1-29-f03.gif

 

In particular 3a, both 3b, and 4b being pretty diagnostic to this specimen. Particularly fun as this critter is basically still around!

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IMG_0362.thumb.jpeg.f5292824c7e7b23024624bf043dadc81.jpeg

 

Here is a better image of the lunule.

  • I found this Informative 1

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

-Mark Twain

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And another image of the the underside with all of the last dirt cleaned off.

IMG_0370.jpeg

  • I found this Informative 1

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

-Mark Twain

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1 hour ago, LabRatKing said:

In particular 3a, both 3b, and 4b being pretty diagnostic to this specimen. Particularly fun as this critter is basically still around!

Agreed.

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So, is Epilucina californica confirmed as the ID? Thanks for all of the help!

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt

 

-Mark Twain

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1 hour ago, Thecosmilia Trichitoma said:

So, is Epilucina californica confirmed as the ID? Thanks for all of the help!

I’d not go so far as to say confirmed for species, but I’m confident of the genus.

we have a few bivalve folks around here that might be able to dial it in.

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