1917] Nomland: The Etchegoin Pliocene of Middle California 217 



Vertebrate Fauna 



Perhaps the most interesting and valuable material for purposes 

 of correlation found in the Etchegoin is represented by the remains 

 of land mammals occurring at many widely separated localities. This 

 material has been found at several horizons in both the upper and 

 lower divisions of this group. 



The most important of these occurrences is about ten miles north- 

 east of Coalinga. In that area in both the upper and lower Etchegoin 

 vertebrates are found in zones with invertebrate zones or alternating 

 with them. The vertebrates from this area have already been de- 

 scribed by Professor J. C. Merriam. 31 A description of the zonal 

 distribution and the occurrence of the invertebrates and vertebrates 

 accompanied by faunal lists has been given in another paper by the 

 writer. 32 



A short distance north of Cantua Creek remains of fossil land 

 mammals have also been found. These occur in highly colored, pos- 

 sibly land-laid beds which probably correspond to the lower Etchegoin 

 near Oilfields. The whole Etchegoin in this area is without inverte- 

 brate fossils, so that the age determination must be based on the verte- 

 brate fossils, lithology, and tracing the beds into those of known age 

 to the south. The fauna found in this region is comprised essentially 

 of the teeth of Pliohippus coalingensis (Merriam), found also in the 

 middle Etchegoin near Oilfields. 



South of Coalinga vertebrate material has been found in the Etche- 

 goin in the Kreyenhagen Hills and in the Kettleman Hills. The so- 

 called bulbous fish growths are found at several horizons in both the 

 lower and upper Etchegoin in the Kreyenhagen Hills. Besides nu- 

 merous fragments of marine vertebrates from various zones of the 

 formation, a camel tooth has been found at locality 2991 with a large 

 invertebrate fauna of the Pecten coalingensis zone. In the Kettleman 

 Hills numerous bulbous fish growths have been found at several hori- 

 zons of the upper Etchegoin. A fossil beaver tooth has been described 

 by Miss Louise Kellogg 33 from this area. Fragments of a fossil horse 

 have also been reported from the northern end of the Kettleman Hills. 



si Merriam, .J. C, Tertiary vertebrate faunas of the North Coalinga Region of 

 California, Trans. Am. Philo's. Soc, vol. 22, pt. 3, 1915. 



32 Nomland, J. O., The relation of the invertebrate to the vertebrate faunal 

 zones of the Jaealitos and Etchegoin Formations of the Coalinga District, Cali- 

 fornia, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bull. Dept. Geol., vol. 9, no. C, 1916. 



33 Kellogg, Louise, A fossil beaver from the Kettleman Hills, California, 

 Univ. Calif. Publ. Bull. Dept. Geol., vol. 6, no. 17, 1911. 



