Forreria, JOUSSEAUME, 1880

Charles L. Powell, Ii, Clites, Erica C. & Poust, Ashley W., 2022, Miocene marine macropaleontology of the fourth bore Caldecott Tunnel excavation, Berkeley Hills, Oakland, California, USA, PaleoBios 36, pp. 1-34 : 13

FORRERIA JOUSSEAUME, 1880

FIG. 23

Eocene to middle Miocene age before the genus became extinct. A review of the genus by Vendetti (2009) recognized seven, possibly eight, valid species from the 20 available taxonomic names for western American specimens. A single specimen, UCMP 218695, was recovered from the Caldecott Tunnel excavation. It is decorticated

Fossil Forreria occurs from central California south to Baja California, Mexico, in rocks from the lower Miocene, possibly upper Oligocene, to Holocene. Powell (2005) recognized 29 names used for fossil Forreria , including two new species, from the California Neogene of which 10 to possibly 12 species are valid. The single Caldecott Tunnel specimen UCMP 412181 is incomplete and mostly decorticated making identification beyond genus impossible. The single modern species, F. belcheri ( Hinds, 1843) occurs from Mugu Lagoon, Ventura County, California south to Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon’s Lagoon), Baja California Sur, Mexico, at water depths from the low intertidal to about 30 m (McLean 1978). However, the genus was more widespread geographically during the Neogene in western North America (Powell 2005).

Figures

Figure 23. An indeterminate Forreria from the Tsm Caldecott Tunnel fauna, probably adaperical view. Hypotype from UCMP locality IP13004, UCMP 412181.