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Geology and Paleontology Of Canal Zone and Adjoining Parts of Panama Description of Tertiary Mollusks (Gastropods: Vermetidae to Thaididae) GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 306-B Geology and Paleontology Of Canal Zone and Adjoining Parts of Panama Description of Tertiary Mollusks (Gastropods: Vermetidae to Thaididae) By W. P. WOODRING GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 306-B A contribution to the history of the Panama land bridge UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1959 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Description of Tertiary mollusks Continued Abstract_________________________________________ 147 Gastropods Continued Page Introduction. ______________________________________ 147 Additional descriptions of species in families Additions to annotated bibliography __________________ 148 covered in chapter A____________ 156 Additions to localities at which fossils were collected...- 148 Family Trochidae________-_. 156 Faunal summaries of species.________________________ 148 Family Thiaridae. ____. 157 Eocene series__________ _________________________ 148 Family Naticidae___. _______ 158 Gatuncillo formation._______________________ 148 Family Turritellidae____ __. 160 Eocene or Oligocene series.______________________ 149 Families not covered in chapter A__. 160 Marine member of Bohio(?) formation_______ 149 Family Vermetidae___________ 160 Oligocene series_________________________________ 149 Family Caecidae____________ 162 Bohio formation____________________________ 149 Family Architectonicidae ______ 163 Caimito formation, exclusive of Madden basin__ 150 Family Heliacidae______ ___ 168 Oligocene and Miocene series_________________ 150 Family Cerithiidae....... .. 170 Caimito formation of Madden basin_______ 150 Family Epitoniidae___________ 182 Miocene series_______________________________ 150 Family Strombidae___________ 188 Culebra formation, including Emperador lime­ Family Cypraeidae__________ 193 stone member. _____________________ 150 Family Ovulidae____________ 196 Cucaracha formation________________________ 150 Family Atlantidae____________ 197 La Boca marine member of Panamd formation. _ 154 Family Cassididae.___________ 197 Gatun formation___________________ 154 Family Cassididae?.__________ 202 Pliocene series__________________________________ 154 Family Cymatiidae___________ 203 Chagres sandstone, including Toro limestone Family Bursidae____________ 207 member _________________________________ 154 Family Tonnidae.____________ 208 Description of Tertiary mollusks continued from chapter Family Ficidae_--_-____ ___ 210 A_-_____._______________________________._ 154 Family Muricidae__________ 214 Gastropods continued from chapter A____________ 154 Family Thaididae___________ 222 Types and other specimens of Toula's gastropods References cited._________________________ 224 from Gatun formation___________________ 154 Index.__________________________________ 229 ILLUSTRATIONS [All plates follow index] 28. Early Miocene mollusks from Culebra formation, middle Miocene mollusks from Gatun forma­ PLATE 24. Middle Eocene mollusks from Gatuncillo forma­ tion and early Pliocene mollusk from Chagres tion and Texas, late Eocene or early Oligocene sandstone. mollusk from marine member of Bohio (?) 29. Middle and late Miocene mollusks from Gatun formation and late Oligocene mollusk from formation and early Pliocene mollusks from Bohio formation. Chagres sandstone. 25. Middle and late Eocene mollusks from Gatuncillo 30. Middle Miocene mollusks from Gatun formation formation, late Eocene or early Oligocene and early Pliocene mollusk from Chagres mollusk from marine member of Bohio (?) sandstone. formation and late Oligocene mollusks from 31, 33, 36, 38. Middle and late Miocene mollusks from Gatun Bohio formation. formation. 32, 35. Middle Miocene mollusks from Gatun formation. 26. Late Oligocene mollusks from Bohio formation 34. Middle Miocene mollusks from Gatun formation and middle member of Caimito formation in and early Pliocene mollusk from Toro limestone Gatun Lake area. member of Chagres sandstone. 27. Late Oligocene mollusks from middle member of 37. Middle Miocene mollusk from Gatun formation Caimito formation in Gatun Lake area and and early Pliocene mollusks from Chagres early Miocene mollusk from Culebra formation. sandstone and its Toro limestone member. nz GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF CANAL ZONE AND ADJOINING PARTS OF PANAMA DESCRIPTION OF TERTIARY MOLLUSKS (GASTROPODS: VERMETIDAE TO THAIDIDAE) By W. P. WOODRING ABSTRACT and minute oogonia of a cnarophyte (Tectochara aff. T. The description of the mollusks found in the Tertiary de­ escheri). posits of the Canal Zone and adjoining parts of Panama Almost half of the fossils described in the present chapter ranging in age from middle and late Eocene to early Pliocene (44 species and subspecies) are from the richly fossiliferous started in chapter A, is continued in the present chapter. middle and upper Miocene Gatun formation. They include A total of 104 species and subspecies in 17 families of gastro­ two species now living in both the Caribbean Sea and the pods (and seven additional species in four families already eastern Pacific Ocean (Architectonica nobilis and Murear re- covered in chapter A) is considered. Ninety-three are for­ curvirostris) ; genera, subgenera and an unnamed species group mally described under separate headings; the other 18, all that are no longer in the Caribbean Sea but survive in the represented by inadequate material, are briefly described or eastern Pacific Ocean (Astronacus, Ochetoclava, Moled, group merely mentioned. of Ficus ventricosa and Cymia) ; and a genus (Sconsia) that Notable fossils from the Gatuncillo formation, of middle and formerly lived in both the eastern and the western Pacific Ocean late Eocene age, include Dirocerithium ame (a species of a new but survives in the Caribbean Sea. Eupleura thompsoni is the genus, evidently of Tethyan affinities, that reached southeastern first Caribbean species of the genus to be described. United States during middle Eocene time), Oostrombus aff. The Chagres sandstone proper, of early Pliocene age, is note­ O. chiraensis, Tere'bellum (Terebellum) procerumf, T. worthy for its relatively large number of epitonids: species of (Seraphs) ~belemnitumf, EctinocMlus cf. E. gaudichaudi, Epitonium, Sthenorytis and Scalina. The fossils of the Cha­ Morum ("Onisddid") sp. (the earliest known American gres also include Bathygalea hadra, a species of a recently species of "Oniscidia"), and Tasila aff. Y. paytensis. described moderately deepwater and deepwater cassid genus. The late Eocene or early Oligocene marine member of the The 202 forms covered in chapters A and B are estimated to Bohio(?) formation has both Eocene and Oligocene faunal be less than a third of the total available molluscan fauna to affinities, as shown by Architectonica aff. A. alveata, A. cf. A. be described. fungina, Morum cf. M. antiquum, and Typhis aff. T. INTRODUCTION curvirostratus. The description of the mollusks found in the Ter­ The Bohio formation of Barro Colorado Island, where only tiary deposits of the Canal Zone and adjoining parts of the upper part of the formation is exposed, yielded fossils of late Oligocene age, including Hemisinus oeciscus, Turritella Panama ranging in age from middle and late Eocene Ustrota (which seems to be the earliest known species of the to early Pliocene started in chapter A, is continued T. ocoyana group), Orthaulax cf. 0. pugnax, and Gonosycon in the present chapter. One hundred and eleven spe­ epomis (the type of a new ficid genus). Orthaulax is an ex­ cies and subspecies, including seven species in families tinct endemic American genus that has an age range of late covered in chapter A, are considered. Ninety-three Oligocene to early Miocene. Orthaulax cf. 0. pugnax also occurs in deposits of late Oligocene age in the Caimito forma­ are formally described and the other 18, represented tion of the Gatun Lake area and in the late Oligocene part of by inadequate material, are briefly described or merely the Caimito formation of Madden basin, as well as in the upper mentioned. The 202 forms so far covered in chapters part of the Bohio. Orthaulax cf. 0. aguadillensis is found in A and B are estimated to be less than a third of the the Culebra formation proper and in its Emperador limestone total available molluscan fauna to be described. member, both of early Miocene age. The upper Oligocene Caimito formation of the Gatun Lake The arrangement of gastropod families adopted in area contains Ampullinopsis spenceri. Ampullinopsis is widely chapter A, based on a combination of Pelseneer's classi­ distributed in the Oligocene of western Europe, southeastern fication and Pilsbry's arrangement for "Biological United States, the Caribbean region, Central America, and Abstracts," differs considerably from the arrangement northern South America, but recently has been found in the in the Thiele-Wenz classification. The arrangement middle or upper Eocene of Florida. Potamides suprasulcatus, which occurs in the lower Miocene in the present chapter more closely follows the Thiele- Culebra formation, is found in the Dominican Republic, along Wenz classification. Though that classification is the south border of the Caribbean Sea from Trinidad to Colom­ widely used, it has some unsatisfactory features.

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