Art. XXXVII.—Localities for Fossils near Oamaru.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 46, 1913, Page 279

Art. XXXVII.—Localities for Fossils near Oamaru. By P. Marshall M.A., D.Sc., F.R.G.S., Professor of Geology, Otago University, and G. H. Uttley, M.A., M.Sc., F.G.S., Waitaki High School. [Read before the Otago Institute, 2nd December, 1913.] In a paper read before the Otago Institute last year we gave lists of fossils that we had collected at different localities near Oamaru. Since that time we have had further opportunities of collecting, and we now place before the Institute the results of this further work. The list previously given from the Target Gully beds has required much alteration in view of the more perfect specimens that we have obtained, and consequently more satisfactory and exact identification has been possible. Many additional species have also been obtained, especially of the more diminutive molluscs. Mr. H. Suter, of Christchurch, again has most kindly identified the great majority of our specimens, and has also corrected a few of the identifications that we had made previously. Without making special mention of the additions and alterations the list now becomes as follows:— Emarginula striatula Q, & G. Schismope n. sp. Trochustiaratus Q. & G. — n. sp. Turritellacarlottae Watson. — concava Hutton. — rosea Q. & G. — murrayana Tate. Monilea n. sp. Struthiolariapapulosa Martyn. — alta Hutton. Lissospira n. sp. Calyptraeamaculata Q. & G. — alta Hutton. — maccoyi Suter. Crepidulacrepidula L. — densistriata Suter. — striata Hutton. — costata Sowerby. — incurva Zittel. Circulus n. sp. Cerithiopsis n. sp. Erato n. sp. Eglisia n. sp. Turbonilla n. sp. Odostomia n. sp. Leptothyra fluctuata Hutton. Natica zelandica Q. & G. Polinicessuturalis Hutton. — gibbosus Hutton. Epitoniumbrowni Zittel. — lyrata Zittel. Ringicula uniplicata Hutton. Siphonaliaconoidea Hutton. — turrita Hutton. Siphonaliadilatata Q. & G. —costata Hutton. — n. sp. CominellaIurida Phil. — n. sp. Volvulella reflexa Hutton. Cymatium cfr. minimum Hutton. Murex octogonus Q. & G. Trophon cfr. plebeius Hutton. — paivae Crosse. Typhis maccoyi T.-Woods. Alectrionsocialis Hutton. — n. sp. Latirusbrevirostris Hutton. — n. sp. Fulguraria arabica Hutton. — elongata Swainson. Lapparia corrugata Hutton. Mitra n. sp. Vexillum n. sp. Ancillaaustralis Sowerby. — pseudaustralis Tate. — bicolor Gray. — hebera Hutton. — n. sp. Bathytomasulcata Hutton. — n. sp. Marginellaharrisi Cossmann. — conica Harris. Surculafusiformis Hutton. — awamoaensis Hutton. Drillia n. sp. Turris altus Harris. Admete sp. Daphnella n. sp.

Mangilia n. sp. Borsonia n. sp. Terebra orycta Suter. Cylichnellastriata Hutton. — enysi Hutton. —n. sp. Dentaliummantelli Hutton. — solidum Hutton. —n. sp. Nucula hartvigiana Phil. Malletia australis Q. & G. Placunanomia incisura Hutton. zelandica Gray. Anomia huttoni Suter. Arcadecussata Q. & G. — australis Hutton. — n. sp. Limopsis zitteli Ihering. Glycymerislaticostata Q. & G. — globosa Hutton. — n. sp. Cucullaea alta Sowerby. Pectenzelandiae Gray. — burnetti Hutton. Pseudamusium huttoni Park. Lima colorata Hutton. Mytilus striatus Hutton. Ostrea angasi Hutton. Ostrea nelsoniana Zittel. Crassatellitesobesus A. Ad. — attenutus Hutton. — amplus Zittel. Venericardiadifficilis Deshayes. — pseutes Suter. Diplodonta globularis Lam. Tellina globrella Deshayes. Zenatia acinaces Q. & G. Dosinia magna Hutton. Macrocallista n. sp. Chionemeridionalis Sowerby. — mesodesma Q. & G. — yatei Gray. Paphiacuria Hutton. — n. sp. Cythereaoblonga Hanley. — subsulcata Hutton. — subsulcata Suter. Psammobia lineolata Gray. Corbulapumila Hutton. — canaliculata Hutton. — humerosa Hutton. — caiparaensis Suter. Myodora subrostrata E. A. Smith. Panopea sp. Chama huttoni Hector. Chamostrea albida Lam. Of these 126 species, Mr. Suter is good enough to inform me, forty-six are Recent. The percentage of Recent species is therefore 36·3. Mr. Suter informs me that 50 per cent. of the species listed in the paper published last year are Recent. This shows how very greatly this percentage may change as the collection from a locality becomes more complete. It is hoped that during the ensuing year we may be able to excavate the bed to such an extent as to make the collection still more complete. At the present time greensands are exposed in a small cutting about 50 ft. below the actual shell-bed. The fact that this list of 126 species includes some thirty species that Mr Suter considers to be new shows how very imperfectly the Tertiary beds of New Zealand have been scrutinized. Under these circumstances, it is obviously quite unsatisfactory to attempt to classify the Tertiary strata on the basis of the absence of any species in some strata or because of their presence in others. Several of the genera recorded here have not previously been found in the fossil state in strata below the Wanganui beds, of Pliocene age, and Hutton even states* Macleay Memorial Volume. that the Pliocene is distinguished from the Miocene by the occurrence of such genera as Trophon. I can find no record of species of Circulus, Schismope, and Cerithiopsis being found in the fossil state in New Zealand. Mr. Suter has kindly undertaken to describe the new species in Palaeonto-logical Bulletin No. 3 of the Geological Survey, which will be published shortly.