Chesapecten, a New Genus of Pectinidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the Miocene and Pliocene of Eastern North America
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Chesapecten, a New Genus of Pectinidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) From the Miocene and Pliocene of Eastern North America GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 861 Chesapecten) a New Genus of Pectinidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) From the Miocene and Pliocene of Eastern North America By LAUCK W. WARD and BLAKE W. BLACKWELDER GEOLOGIC.AL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 861 A study of a stratigraphically important group of Pectinidae with recognition of the earliest described and figured Anzerican fossil UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1975 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Ward, Lauck W Chesapecten, a new genus of Pectinidae (Mollusca, Bivalvia) from the Miocene and Pliocene of eastern North America. (Geological Survey professional paper ; 861) Includes bibliography and index. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.16:861 1. Chesapecten. 2. Paleontology-Tertiary. 3. Paleontology-North America. I. Blackwelder, Blake W., joint author. II. Title III. Series: United States. Geological Survey. Professional paper : 861. QE812.P4W37 564'.11 74-26694 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402- Price $1.45 (paper cover) Stock Number 2401-02574 CONTENTS Page Abstract --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------.----------------------------- 1 Acknowledgments ______________________________ --------__________________________ ------_ _ _ 3 Summary of past work __________________________________ -.- ________ --------------_ ___ _ __ _ _ _ 3 Stratigraphic ·succession of Chesapecten ___ _ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ _ 4 R·emarks ________________________________________ ---.-______________ ----------_ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ 6 Systematic descriptions ________________________________________________________ --------_ _ _ 7 Genus Chesapecten Ward and Blackwelder, new genus ------------------------------------ 7 Chesapecten coccymelus (Da.ll) ---------------------------------------------------- 8 C. nefrens Ward and Blackwelder n. sp --------------------------------------------- 9 C. santamaria (Tucker) ----------------------------------------------------------- 11 C. middlesexensis (Mansfield) ------------------------------------------------------ 12 C. jeffersonius (S.ay) ------------------------------------------------------------- 13 C. septenarius (Say) ____ __ _ __ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _____ _ _____ ______ _ ____ _ ___ __ ___ _ ____ _ __ _ __ 15 C. madisonius (Say) -------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Locality register _______________ -------------__________________ --------____ __ ____ _ ___ _ __ _ __ 18 References cited _________________________ -----_____________________ --------_ ____ ___ _ _ ___ _ _ 2:0 Index ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index] PLATE 1. Chesapecten jeffersonius (Say). 2. Chesapecten jeffersonius (Say) and C. nefrens n. sp. 3. Chesapecten c,occymelus (Dall), C. s.p., and C. nefrens n. sp. 4. Chesapecten nefrens n. sp. and C. santamaria (Tucker). 5. Chesapecten middlesexensis (Mans.field) and C. jeffersonius (Say). 6. C hesapecten madisornius (Say) and C. septenarius ( Say) . 7. Chesapecten madisonius, C. septenarius, C. jeffersonius, C. middlesexensis, C. santa maria, C. nefrens, and C. coccymelus. Pasre FIGURE 1. Map showing localities where specimens of Chesapecten were obtained in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina ---------------------------------------------- 2: 2. Stratigraphic succession of Chesapecten ------------------------------------------ 5 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Specific and subs.pecific names applied to Miocene and Pliocene species of Chesapecten - 4 2. Stratigraphic succe·ssion of different species of Chesapecten in Maryland and Virginia 4 3. Morphological feature abbreviations us.ed in the measurement of specimens --------- 9 III CHESAPECTEN, A NEW GENUS OF PECTINIDAE (MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA) FROM THE MIOCENE AND PLIOCENE OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA By LAUCK W. WARD and BLAKE "\V. BLACKWELDER ABSTRACT Miocene and Pliocene marine deposits are ex The genus Chesapecten (type species, Chesapec,ten nefrens posed discontinuously from New Jersey to Florida Ward and Blackwelder n. sp.) is proposed for an important in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Historically, forma group of eastern North American Pectinid.ae. Chesapecten tional names applied to these deposits more often species are distinguished by their strong ribbing, their large size (adul,ts often longer than 130 mm), the extreme reduc than not have been chosen on the basis of the con tion of cardinal crura, and the scabrous sculpture which tained invertebrate fauna and not strictly upon covers the entire exterior of both valves. Included in Chesa lithostratigraphic evidence. That is, formational pecten are the species Pecten ( Chlamys) coccymelus Dall names have been extended from type areas faunal 1898, Chesapecten nefrens Ward and Blackwelder n. sp., ly rather than lithicaUy. This has been a common Chlamys (Lyropecten) santamaria Tucker 1934, Pecten procedure at one time or another virtuaBy through ( Chlamys) santamaria middlesexensis Mansfi..eld 1936, Pecten jeffersonius Say 1824, Pecten septenarius Say 1824, and out the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal provinces, but Pecten madisonius Say 1824. Type specimens of these species the practice has lingered in the Atlantic Coastal are illustrated, including Say's specimens from the British Plain (Waller, 1969, p. 90-91; Murray, 1961). Museum. Say's 1824 publication entitled "An account of the A comparison of the correlation charts of Olsson fossil shells of Maryland" is shown to be based primarily (1917), Clark and Miller (1912), and Mansfield upon sp.ecimens from the Yorktown Formation in Virginia. Pecten madisonius is regarded as a senior synonym of the (1928, 1936, and 1943) indicates the difficulties North Carolina and Virginia upper Yorktown species, Pecten involved in using present formational terminology edgecombensis Conrad 1862. In 1687 one member of the in the study area (chiefly Maryland, Virginia, and Chesapecten group was described and figured by Martin North Carolina) . A particular problem is the St. Lister in his "Historiae Conchyliorum, Liber III" (pL 16,7); Marys Formation of Virginia. Mansfield (1936) this Chesapecten is the earliest illustrated and descibed American fossil. considered part of his St. Marys Formation in Vir ginia to be the same age as the St. Marys Forma INTRODUCTION tion (of Shattuck, 1904) in Maryland and part to A distinctive morphological complex of pectinid be younger. A very few localities in Virginia do species occurs in Miocene and Pliocene deposits of contain beds which correlate with the St. Marys the Atlantic Coastal Plain; the name Chesapecten Formation of Maryland, but Mansfield did not is proposed for these forms. The genus is distin recognize these beds as distinct from the rest of his guished from other taxa in that its right valve is formation, which is younger and separated from flatter than the left, the cardinal crura are ex these beds by an unconformity. Pending revision of tremely reduced, and the entire exterior of the valves formational terminology, we use "Virginia St. is covered with strong ribs and rows of scabrous Marys Formation" as an informal name for beds lirae. Chesapecten 1ived with the flatter right valve entirely younger than the St. Marys Formation of resting on the sediment in water depths of a few Shattuck. Within this Virginia St. Marys Forma meters to depths of more than 40 m (according to tion we recognize upper and lower units which are the biologic and lithologic characteristics of the separated by a distinct unconformity (as seen at deposits). The oldest species assigned to Chesa Cobham Wharf, Va .. at 5 feet (1.5 m) above beach pecten are found near the lower Miocene-middle level (fig. 1, loc. 42). Caution is called for when us Miocene boundary; in the upper part of the lower ing a formational name in Virginia because most Pliocene (3 to 4 million years ago), Chesapecten workers have been inconsistent in their applica apparently became extinct. tion of names. Consequently, in this paper strati- 1 2 MIOCENE AND PLIOCENE CHESAPECTEN OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA 20 MILES I Pamlico Sound FIGURE 1.-Localities where s.pecimens of Chesapecten were obtained in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Numbers keyed to the locality register. SUMMARY OF PAST WORK 3 graphic names are intended to be applied only to tremely reduced. Such differences had been previ the beds at localities discussed under "Occurrence" ously recognized by Mansfield (1936) and by Hert in the systematic section. Figure 1 shows localities lein and Grant (1972). where specimens were obtained in our sampling Description of the different species of Chesa area. Numbers in the figure are keyed to the locality pecten has had a long and complex history. In 1687 register. In addition, the locality register a1so con one member of the Chesapecten group was de tains numbers for localities which have been re scribed and figured, but not named, by Martin corded in the U.S. Geological Survey Cenozoic Locaf Lister in his "Historiae Conchyliorum, Liber III" ity Register. Figured specimens which have been (pl. 167). With the figured specimen