Blancan Carnivore Trigonictis 
9 
km) southeast of Canyon, Randall Co., Texas (Fig. 1, loc. 11); Schultz 
(1977:126, 129). The Cita Canyon local fauna is thought to be slightly 
older than the Blanco on the basis of magnetic stratigraphy (Lindsay et 
al. 1975:1 16), but not on the basis of the faunas (Schultz 1977:123). 
Sminthosinis bowleri Bjork, 1970, was described from Hagerman (Fig. 
1, loc. 3), and Kurt^n and Anderson (1980:156) cited it from the Broad- 
water fauna (Fig. 1, loc. 4). This small mustelid is closely related to 
Trigonictis and may be only subgenerically distinct from it (Bjork 1970). 
Canimartes cumminsii Cope, 1892, a possible galictine, known only 
from a single specimen, was described from the Blanco fauna, northeast- 
ern Crosby County, some 40 miles (64 km) east northeast of Lubbock, 
northwestern Texas (Fig. 1, loc. 12); Schultz (1977: 105, 126, fig. 20). The 
Blanco local fauna is between 1.4 and 2.4 mybp in age on the basis of 
fission track dating and magnetic stratigraphy (Lindsay et al. 1975:1 14). 
A galictine mustelid is recorded apparently from both the Arroyo Seco 
and Vallecito Creek faunas, in the Palm Spring Formation, Anza Bor- 
rego State Park, eastern San Diego County, southern California (Fig. 1, 
loc. 13). These faunas are late Blancan in age, and the latter may extend 
into the Irvingtonian (Opdyke et al. 1977:323, 325). 
Geologic Age. — Trigonictis is thought to have reached North Amer- 
ica as an immigrant from Eurasia in the early Blancan (Repenning 
1967:296-297), or perhaps somewhat earlier. Tedford and Gustafson 
(1977) suggested that dispersal from oriental temperate woodlands 
resulted in the simultaneous appearance of Trigonictis in North Ameri- 
ca and of closely related forms in Europe. However, Schultz et al. (1972) 
believed that Trigonictis migrated from North America to Eurasia at this 
time. 
The biostratigraphic significance of Trigonictis is based entirely on its 
western occurrences where it is found only in faunas of Blancan Land 
Mammal Age. The western early to late Blancan local faunas including 
Trigonictis may be arranged tentatively in order of decreasing age as 
follows: White Bluffs, Rexroad, Hagerman, Broadwater-Sand Draw- 
Deer Park-Cita Canyon-Arroyo Seco, Blanco, Grand View-Vallecito 
Creek. Many uncertainties exist in such a sequence; for example. Shot- 
well ( 1 970: 1 6) could see little faunal basis for a distinction in age between 
the Hagerman and Grand View local faunas, and Schultz et al. (1978:60) 
proposed a somewhat different sequence of faunas. Radiometric ages and 
magnetic stratigraphy bracket the age of these faunas from somewhat less 
than 4 mybp to somewhat more than 1.4 mybp. 
In the east only the occurrence at Santa Fe VHI A in Florida is in 
demonstrably Blancan association. The records from North Carolina and 
Maryland are regarded as Blancan only by extrapolation, but they do 
serve to suggest the possibility of correlation of nonmarine and nearshore 
