191(3] 



Merriam: Fauna of Cedar Mountain Region 



167 



Leuciscus turneri Lucas, is not certainly known from localities outside 

 the Silver Peak region, but pharyngeal teeth of cyprinoid fishes are 

 found in the Tertiary beds of the Cedar Mountain region. The fish 

 remains suggested to Dr. Lucas comparatively late age of the Es- 

 meralda, presumably Pliocene rather than Miocene. 



Molluscan remains obtained by Turner were examined by J. C. 

 Merriam 7 who did not regard the species as definitely determinative. 

 One of the species was recognized as near Ancylus undulatus Meek 

 from the Truekee beds of the Kawsoh Mountains of Nevada. Other 

 species approached the characters of forms referred to the Eocene. 

 The Esmeralda was considered as possibly early Miocene or late Eocene. 



As nearly as can be determined from available evidence the Esmer- 

 alda formation, and with it the deposits of the Cedar Mountain 

 region, should be correlated approximately with the Truekee beds 

 described by King from the region of the Kawsoh Mountains near 

 the western border of Nevada some distance to the north. As has 

 been shown by Buwalda, the molluscan forms of the Cedar Mountain 

 beds are in part identical with those of the type section of the 

 Esmeralda. There are also elements of similarity between the mollus- 

 can fauna of the Cedar Mountain beds and the small fauna listed 

 by King from Truekee. Additional evidence of contemporaneity of 

 the Truekee and Esmeralda is furnished by recent studies of Dr. 

 F. H. Knowlton on a collection of plants obtained by the University 

 of California from Truekee beds near Verdi, Nevada. Dr. Knowlton 

 reports that the strongest affinity of the Verdi flora is with that of 

 the Esmeralda formation. Of twelve species which Dr. Knowlton lists 

 from the Verdi flora, six are apparently identical with or closely 

 related to forms from the Esmeralda flora. The species common to 

 the Truekee and the Esmeralda are the following : 



Salix angusta Al. Braun Cereis ? nevadensis? Knowlton, smaller 



Salix, sp. Ficus lacustris? Knowlton, much smaller 



Rhus! nevadensis Knowlton Chrysobalanus pollardiana Knowlton 



Of these the last four species are known only from the Esmeralda 

 and Truekee beds. 



7 Merriam, J. C. See Turner, H. W., U. S. Geol. Surv. 21st Ann. Rep. part 

 II, p. 203, 1900 



