CRETACEOUS CONFLUENCE IN THE COON CREEK FORMATION (MAASTRICHTIAN) OF MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE, USA: TAPHONOMY AND SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY OF A DECAPOD KONSENTRAT- LAGERSTÄTTE A thesis submitted to Kent State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Masters of Science By Krystyna M. Kornecki December 2014 Thesis written by Krystyna M. Kornecki B.S., St. Lawrence University, 2012 M.S., Kent State University, 2014 Approved by ____________________________Dr. Rodney Feldmann, Advisor ____________________________Dr. Daniel Holm, Chair, Department of Geology ____________________________James Blank, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................. 4 List of Tables .............................................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... 7 Abstract……………………………….………………………………………………8 Localities……………………………….…………………………………………….10 Institutional abbreviations..…………….…………………………………………….12 Introduction…………………………….……………………………………………13 i. Tectonic setting…………………………………………………………14 ii. Stratigraphy……………………………………………………………..14 Methods……………………………………………………………………………17 Results……………………………………………………………………….18 i. Sedimentology……………………………………………………18 ii. Systematic paleontology……………………………………………20 Discussion……………………………..…………………………………………….97 i. Taphonomy…………………………………………………………97 ii. Paleoecology………………………………………………………..100 3 iii. Paleobiogeographic comparisons…………………………………103 Conclusions……..…………………………………………………………………106 References…………………………………………………………………………108 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. – Maastrichtian outcrops of North America, black. Intercontinental seaway outlined, gray (Schuchert, 1955)……………………………………………160 Figure 2. – Late Cretaceous facies along the Mississippi Embayment, with dominantly siliciclastic sediments in the Selmer – Tupelo area (Mancini et al., 1995)…161 Figure 3. – Regional Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy (C.C. Smith, 1989)…………162 Figure 4. – Interpretation of stratigraphic context of the Coon Creek beds (Mancini et al., 1995) …………………………………………………………………….163 Figure 5. – Blue Springs Locality of the Coon Creek Formation near New Albany, Mississippi (Google Earth)………………………..……………………………164 Figure 6. – Thin section images, magnification 10 X 0.4. ………………………….165 Figure 7. – Thin section images, magnification 10 X 20.………………………….166 Figure 8. – Thin section images, magnification 10 X 40.……………………………167 Figure 9. – Illustrations of Hoploparia tennesseensis and Hoploparia georgeana…168 4 Figure 10. – Illustrations of Mesostylus mortoni, New genus new species, Bournelyridus n. sp., Prehepatus harrisi, and majid fragments………………………..169 Figure 11. – Illustrations of Linuparus n sp.……………………………………………170 Figure 12. – Illustrations of Tetracarcinus subquadratus and Dakoticancer australis..171 Figure 13. – Ratios of Dakoticancer australis and Tetracarcinus subquadratus measurements………………………………………….………………………..172 Figure 14. – Number of male and female specimens of Dakoticancer australis………173 Figure 15. – Male vs. female ratios of Dakoticancer australis width to frontal width...174 Figure 16. – Male vs. female ratios of Dakoticancer australis frontal width to fronto- orbital width…………………………………………………………………….175 Figure 17. – vs. female ratios of Dakoticancer australis width to frontal orbital width………………………………………………………………………………...……176 Figure 18. – Dakoticancer australis claw height vs. granule size………….………….177 Figure 19. – Tetracarcinus subquadratus measurements of width against ontogenetic ratios………………..……………………………………….…………………………..178 Figure 20. – Illustrations of Cretacoranina testacea, Cristipluma mississippiensis, Letheticocarcinus atlanticus……………………………………………………179 Figure 21. – Elemental maps of cuticle thin section of Tetracarcinus subquadratus….180 Figure 22. – Elemental maps of cuticle thin section of Linuparus sp..……………..…..181 5 Figure 23. – Elemental maps of cuticle thin section of Bournelyridus n. sp.……….…182 Figure 24. – Elemental maps of cuticle in thin section of Hoploparia tennesseensis….183 Figure 25. – Elemental maps of cuticle in thin section of Linuparus n. sp……………184 Figure 26. – Thin section of Tetracarcinus subquadratus carapace cuticle…………..185 Figure 27. – Thin section of Dakoticancer australis carapace cuticle…………………186 Figure 28. – SEM images of Dakoticancer australis claw………………….………….187 Figure 29. – Number of species in common with Coon Creek fauna………………..…188 Figure 30. – Distribution of species in common with the Coon Creek fauna in North and Central America……………………………………………………………..….189 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. – Percent composition of lithology…………………………...……………….190 Table 2. – Table of Linuparus species characters of the most similar species to Linuparus n. sp. …………………………………………………………………………191 Table 3. – Dakoticancer australis measurements…………………..…………………..192 Table 4. – Tests of normality…………………………………….……………………..199 Table 5. – Tests of similarity between males and females of Dakoticancer australis…200 Table 6. – Tetracarcinus subquadratus measurements……………..………………….201 6 Table 7. – Cretoranina testacea measurements………………………………………..202 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For providing access to the Bishop Collection of the Blue Springs Locality of the Coon Creek Formation, I thank Sally Shelton of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Museum and likewise the Memphis Pink Palace Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, Mississippi for providing material through loan for study. I am in great gratitude to Richard Keyes for his generosity, help in the field, and loan of an excellent specimen as well as Kendal, Nancy, and other members of the North Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society. Robert Langford also aided in the field and provided innovative field collecting tools. I could not have completed this research without the time and generosity of George Phillips and his correspondence and help in the field. I thank Amanda Millhouse, Daniel Levin, John Pojeta, and others at the National Museum of History in Washington, D.C. for access to collections for comparison and Merida Keatts for her help using the XRF, SEM, EDX, and all other technical troubleshooting. I also greatly appreciate Drs. Ovidiu and Adina Franţescu for help and instruction in the lab and helpful discussion as well as Dr. J. Mark Erickson, Dr. Joseph Ortiz, Nidal Atallah, AnnMarie Jones, Jessica Tashman, Wade Jones, Samantha Yost, Evin Maguire, Andrew Gerwitz, Kevin Engle, and Ashleigh Stepp for helpful conversation and for sharing their enthusiasm. I also thank Eric Sload for help using the SEM, carbon coating, and gold coating specimens. I sincerely appreciate Dr. Feldmann, Dr. Schweitzer, and Dr. 7 Wells for their help as my committee members, their support, their patience, and their passion. I also could not have pursued my joy of paleontology without my family and their love and support. ABSTRACT The Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Coon Creek Formation of Mississippi and Tennessee possesses a diverse and abundant assemblage of decapods including lobsters, ghost shrimp, and crabs. The formation lies in a temporally and paleogeographically significant location, situated between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Western Interior Seaway, shortly before the closing of the seaway and the K-Pg mass extinction. Coon Creek decapods have been little studied since the fauna was first described in the 1920’s. A large collection of specimens, ranging in preservation from poor to excellent, has recently become available for study. Because of the visible variation in preservation, the abundant material, and the paucity of cuticular data of this type of preservation, an investigative study of elemental composition of the sediment and cuticle of six species of decapod from six families (Palinuridae, Nephropidae, Callianassidae, Dakoticancridae, Raninidae, and Retroplumidae) is conducted using material collected at the Blue Springs Locality in Mississippi. Cuticle, concretions, decapod burrow, and sediment from the site are analyzed with X-Ray Florescence and Elemental Reflectance for preliminary elemental composition and subsequent mineral composition. Concretions and the burrow were observed in thin section and were mapped for elemental distribution using Energy- 8 dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy and dot mapping. The six species of decapod were analyzed using the same techniques. Taphonomic data supports preservation ranging from well preserved phosphatization to secondary alteration to silica-rich exterior and weathering clay minerals. Because the silica is not replacing the phosphatized exocuticle and microscopic structure of cuticle in cross section is not preserved in the silica layer, the cause of this alteration is uncertain. This preservation is un-like the decapod cuticle preservation of the concretions of the Bearpaw Shale Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Montana. Species of the Coon Creek Formation were re-assessed and assigned to modern taxonomic schemes. Sixteen species are identified and two new species are described including Hoploparia tennesseensis, Hoploparia mcnairyensis, Linuparus new species, Linuparus sp., Palaeopetrochirus enigmus, Seorsus wadei, Bournelyreidus new species, Cristipluma mississippiensis, Hoploparia georgeana, Mesostylus mortoni, Tetracarcinus subquadratus, Avitelmessus grapsoideus, Cretacoranina testacea,