Cenozoic Fossil Mollusks from Western Pacific Islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae Through Harpidae)
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Cenozoic Fossil Mollusks From Western Pacific Islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae Through Harpidae) GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 533 Cenozoic Fossil Mollusks From Western Pacific Islands; Gastropods (Eratoidae Through Harpidae) By HARRY S. LADD GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 533 Descriptions or citations of 195 representatives of 21 gastropod families from 7 island groups UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1977 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Ladd, Harry Stephen, 1899- Cenozoic fossil mollusks from western Pacific islands. (Geological Survey professional paper ; 533) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.16:533 1. Gastropoda, Fossil. 2. Paleontology Cenozoic. 3. Paleontology Islands of the Pacific. I. Title. II. Series: United States. Geological Survey. Professional paper ; 533. QE75.P9 no. 533 [QE808] 557.3'08s [564'.3'091646] 75-619274 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-001-02975-8 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ 1 Paleontology Continued Introduction ____ _ _ __ 1 Systematic paleontology Continued 1 Families covered in the present paper Continued Stratigraphy and correlation _ _ _ q Cymatiidae 33 6 35 Tonnidae __ _______ 36 6 Ficidae _ - _ _ _ _ ___ 37 Fiji _ __ __ __ _____ __ ____ __ _ 6 37 New Hebrides 7 Thaididae __ _ _ _ _ _ 39 14 41 14 Columbellidae - 44 14 Buccinidae _ - - 49 51 (1966, 1972) 14 Nassariidae _ - 51 "P1 ?} TYllllPQ. f^nVAVpH 1TI i"VlP nVPdPTTJ" TIJ3TIPT* 17 Fasciolariidae _ 55 Eratoidae 17 58 Cypraeidae 18 59 25 Harpidae _ 67 A+layi^lHail 9fi Localities _ _ _ _ 68 "^Jsii'lf lHsi<X 97 73 31 77 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates follow index] PLATE 1. Neritidae, Cerithiidae, Xenophoridae, Eratoidae, and Cypraeidae. 2-5. Cypraeidae. 6. Cypraeidae, Ovulidae, and Atlantidae. 7. Atlantidae and Naticidae. 8,9. Naticidae. 10. Cassidae. 11. Cassidae and Cymatiidae. 12. Cymatiidae, Bursidae, and Tonnidae. 13. Ficidae, Muricidae, and Cymatiidae. 14. Muricidae, Thaididae, and Magilidae. 15. Magilidae and Columbellidae. 16. Columbellidae and Buccinidae. 17. Buccinidae, Melongenidae, Nassariidae, and Thaididae. 18. Nassariidae, Fasciolariidae, and Olividae. 19. Olividae and Mitridae. 20. Mitridae. 21. Mitridae, Harpidae, Buccinidae, Cerithiidae, Nassariidae, and Xenophoridae. 221. Xenophoridae and Cyclophoridae. 23. Cypraeidae. m IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 1. Index map showing location of island groups _. 2-6. Maps showing fossil localities on 2. Guam, Mariana Islands ____________. 69 3. Saipan, Mariana Islands ____________ 70 4. Santo, New Hebrides ________ __ __. 71 5. Viti Levu and adjoining islands, Fiji __. 72 6. Vanua Levu and adjoining islands, Fiji 72 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Correlation chart of Cenozoic units in the island area _____ ____ 4 2. Distribution of species in families ___________________ _______ 7 3. Geographic distribution of Cenozoic fossil mollusk species in the island area _________________ __ ___________ ______ 8 4. Geologic distribution of Cenozoic mollusk species in the island area 11 CENOZOIC FOSSIL MOLLUSKS FROM WESTERN PACIFIC ISLANDS; GASTROPODS (ERATOIDAE THROUGH HARPIDAE) By HARRY S. LADD ABSTRACT pages 3-5 of Ladd (1966) and page 1 of Ladd Descriptions and citations of Cenozoic fossil mollusks from (1972). seven island groups in the western Pacific, started in U.S. 1967 Warden, A. J., The geology of the central Geological Survey Professional Papers 531 and 532, are con islands: New Hebrides Condominium Geol. tinued in the present report, which deals with 195 species Survey Kept. 5, 108 p. Includes (p. 23) the and subspecies. These include representatives of 21 gastropod families Eratoidae through Harpidae additions to three names of a dozen gastropods identified by families previously covered, and a representative of one family Hedley (1905) from beds below the mas (Cyclophoridae) not previously treated. One new genus, sive limestone at the Foreland on island of Nawenia in the Buccinidae, and 25 new species and 2 new sub Epi; one pelecypod from the overlying reef species are described. More than half the new forms were found in Fiji, the rest in the Marshall Islands and Palau. is cited. Most of the new forms occur in upper Miocene or Pliocene 1968 Band, R. B., The geology of southern Viti sediments. Levu and Mbengga: Fiji Geol. Survey Most of the mollusks described appear to be reef associated. Dept. Bull. 15, 49 p. Includes (p. 22) the Many are from lagoonal beds, but the most diversified fossil names of three pelecypods from the Lami assemblage yet collected in Fiji was obtained from Pliocene Limestone determined by H. S. Ladd. marls that accumulated on an offshore shelf at moderate depths. An even richer assemblage of mollusks has recently 1971 Colley, H., and Ash, R. P., The geology of been found in shallow-water Pleistocene marls on the island Erromango: New Hebrides Condominium of Santo in the New Hebrides. Geol. Survey Regional Rept., 112 p. In The mollusks are clearly Indo-Pacific in general aspect cludes (p. 49) the names of 28 mollusks and are most closely related to fossil and living forms from identified by Abrard (1946) in assigning a tropical Indonesia and northern Australia. Quaternary age to limestones from Erro mango. INTRODUCTION 1972 Richards, H. G., Quaternary mollusks from The descriptions of Cenozoic fossil mollusks from Fiji: Nautilus, v. 86, p. 81-82. Includes the seven island groups in the western Pacific started by names of 21 mollusks collected from north Ladd (1966, 1972) are continued in the present re western Viti Levu. port. The island groups form a broad and somewhat irregular belt spreading 4,000 miles across the tropi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS cal Pacific from the Marianas and Palau on the I am indebted to Dr. Derek Green, Director of northwest to Fiji and Tonga on the southeast (fig. Mineral Developments, Fiji, for assistance in a con 1). In the present report, 195 species and subspecies tinuation of my paleontological studies. Under his representing 21 families of gastropods (Eratoidae direction, I have received samples containing fossil through Harpidae) are described or recorded along mollusks from several members of the geological with additions to 3 families previously covered and staff: Peter Rodda, Senior Geologist, who collected a representative of one family (Cyclophoridae) not in several parts of Viti Levu and on smaller islands previously reported. The fossils treated range in age to the west and northwest; F. I. E. Coulson, who from late Eocene to Holocene. found fossils on several supposedly all-volcanic The following references, containing identifica islands in Lomaiviti, who made additional collections tions of fossil mollusks, supplement those listed on in Lau and who accompanied me to Tonga where we CENOZOIC FOSSIL MOLLUSKS FROM WESTERN PACIFIC ISLANDS; GASTROPODS FIGURE 1. Location of island groups from which fossil mollusks have been obtained. Dashed line marks structural boundary of Pacific basin (andesite line). Islands shown include the surrounding reefs. collected Eocene mollusks. William Hindle and P. G. Levu and collected many fossil mollusks on both Viti Woodrow made additional collections from Vanua Levu and Vanua Levu. I am also indebted to Dr. Levu and from nearby islands; Andrew Strasfogel, Horace G. Richards of the Academy of Natural Sci Peace Corps Volunteer Geologist with the Fiji Sur ences of Philadelphia, who loaned fossils that he and vey, submitted fossiliferous drill cores from Viti his associates collected in Fiji. Dr. C. P. Nuttall of STRATIGRAPHY AJ D CORRELATION the British Museum (Natural History) loaned fos laceous volcanoclastic rocks but did not reach the sils collected some years ago by Ronald Bartholomew Eocene limestone. of the Fiji Geological Survey. During recent years, the surface of the entire Dr. D. I. J. Mallick, Senior Geologist of the New earth has been studied in the light of plate tectonics, Hebrides Condominium Geological Survey, and Mr. and the island area, as defined in the present report, K. A. Liggett, of the same organization, submitted has been the subject of much interesting speculation. collections of fossils from several islands in the New This area includes the island arcs that play an im Hebrides. portant part in all theories involving mountain build Warren Blow of the U.S. Geological Survey aided ing, continental drift, and sea-floor spreading. The in the preparation of much of the material. A few of several deeps (trenches) that form parts of the the photographs were made by W. M. Briggs, Jr., island area have been mapped, some have been sam while a member of the U.S. Geological Survey. All pled, and drill holes have been put down in the deep the remaining pictures were taken by Robert M. waters near the trenches and between the various McKinney of the Geological Survey, and several of groups of islands. the photographs have been retouched by Eleanor In 1969, during the course of Leg 6 of the cruises Stromberg of the Survey. of the drilling ship Glomar Challenger (California I am indebted to Drs. H. A. Render and J. P. E. Univ., Scripps Inst. Oceanography, 1971), four holes Morrison of the National Museum of Natural His (nos. 55-58) were drilled on the Caroline Ridge be tory, Smithsonian Institution; Druid Wilson of the tween Palau and the Marshall Islands in water rang Geological Survey; Walter 0. Cernohorsky of the ing in depth from 2,500 to 4,500 m. Drilled sections Auckland Institute and Museum, New Zealand; Dr. were from 130 to more than 560 m, mostly in oozes Robert Robertson of the Academy of Natural Sci and chalks of late Oligocene and early Miocene age, ences of Philadelphia; and Dr. Winston Ponder of resting, in some places at least, on basalt. A hole (no.