The Tuscahoma Formation or Tuscahoma Sand is a geologic formation in Mississippi and Alabama, United States. It preserves fossils dating back to the early Paleogene period, from the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene. It was primarily deposited in a marine habitat, but one Wasatchian-aged locality near Meridian, Mississippi was deposited in an estuarine habitat that preserves a significant terrestrial vertebrate fauna, known as the "Red Hot local fauna". It preserves one of the most diverse early Eocene mammalian faunas from eastern North America, roughly contemporaneous with the Willwood Formation of Wyoming.

Vertebrate paleofauna

Cartilaginous fishes Based on the Paleobiology Database: Cartilaginous fishes of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesAbdouniaA. beaugeiA requiem shark.A. subulidensAetomylaeusA. dixoniAn eagle ray.AnomotodonA. sp.A goblin shark.BrachycarchariasB. mississippiensisA sand shark, type locality of species.CarchariasC. hoperiA sand shark.C. robustusC. teretidensChaenogaleusC. affinisA relative of the hooktooth shark.CoupateziaC. woutersiA stingray of uncertain affinities.CretalamnaC. aschersoniA megatooth shark.C. lericheiDasyatisD. jaekeliA whiptail stingray.D. tricuspidatusEotorpedoE. jaekeliA torpedo ray.GaleorhinusG. minorA relative of the school shark.G. ypresiensisGinglymostomaG. subafricanumA nurse shark.HypotodusH. verticalisA sand shark.?JaekelotodusJ. sp.A sand shark.MustelusM. rogersiA smooth-hound.NebriusN. thielensisA nurse shark.OdontaspisO. borodiniA sand shark, type locality of O. borodini and O. hynei.O. hyneiO. speyeriO. substriatus?O. winkleriPachygaleusP. lefevreiA houndshark.PhysogaleusP. americanusA requiem shark. Type locality of P. americanus.P. tertiusPristisP. sp.Late PaleoceneA sawfish.PseudodontaspisP. lauderdalensisA sand shark, type locality of species.RhinobatosR. sp.A guitarfish.StriatolamiaS. macrotaA sand shark.

Ray-finned fishes Based on the Paleobiology Database: Ray-finned fishes of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesAlbulaA. eppsiLauderdale County, MississippiEarly EoceneA bonefish.A. oweniBrychaetusB. muelleriA bonytongue.EgertoniaE. isodontaA phyllodontid.LepisosteusL. sp.A gar. Assigned to the European species L. suessionensis (itself a junior synonym of L. fimbriatus), but this is unlikely due to their differing ranges.PalaeocybiumP. proostiA mackerel.PhyllodusP. toliapicusA phyllodontid.PycnodusP. bowerbankiA pycnodont.TrichiuridesT. sagittidensA cutlassfish.

Reptiles Based on the Paleobiology Database: +Reptiles of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesPalaeophisP. caseiMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA marine palaeophiid snake.P. littoralisP. virginianusTuscahomaophisT. leggettiLate PaleoceneAn alethinophidian snake.

Mammals The Tuscahoma Formation preserves a diversity of earliest Eocene-aged mammals. Almost all mammals are known only from isolated teeth. There appear to be significant differences in the faunal composition between the Tuscahoma Formation and the contemporaneous Bighorn Basin of the western US, indicating some level of provincialism in North American mammal species assemblages of the time. The formation appears to have been biased against the preservation of large-sized mammals, meaning that the majority of mammal remains from the formation are of smaller taxa.

Based on the Paleobiology Database and Dawson & Beard (2009):

Metatheria Metatherians of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesMimoperadectesM. sowasheensisMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA peradectid.PeratheriumP. mcgrewiA herpetotheriid.

Cimolesta Cimolestans of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesCoryphodonC. sp.Meridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA pantodont.NaraniusN. americanusA cimolestid. Type locality of species.PalaeosinopaP. aestuariumA pantolestid. Type locality of species.

Macroscelidea Macroscelideans of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesHaplomylusH. meridionalisMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn apheliscid.

Ungulates Ungulates of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesDiacodexisD. sp.Meridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn even-toed ungulate.EctocionE. nanabeensisA phenacodont. Type locality of species.HyracotheriumH. sp.An odd-toed ungulate.

Pan-Carnivorans Ungulates of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesEogaleE. parydrosMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneA miacid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species.GracilocyonG. igniculusA carnivoraform."Miacis""M." sp.A carnivoramorph.PrototomusP. sp.A sinopid hyaenodont.UintacyonU. sp.A carnivoraform.VassacyonV. sp.A carnivoraform.ViverravusV. laytoniA viverravid carnivoramorph.ViverriscusV. omnivorusA viverravid carnivoramorph. Type locality of genus and species.

Eulipotyphlans Eulipotyphlans of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesColpocherusC. mississippiensisA sespedectid. Type locality of genus and species.DiacocherusD. dockeryiAn erinaceoid. Type localiy of species.PlagioctenodonP. dormaalensisA nyctitheriid.TalpavoidesT. dartoniA stem-erinaceid.WyonycterisW. primitivusA nyctitheriid. Type locality of species.

Apatotherians Apatotherians of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesApatemysA. pygmaeusMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn apatemyid. Type locality of species.

Rodents Rodents of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesCorbarimysC. nomadusMeridian, MississippiEarly EoceneAn ischyromyoid.FranimysF. actitesAn ischyromyid.ParamysP. disparAn ischyromyid.TuscahomysT. majorA cylindrodontid. Type locality of genus and species.T. mediusT. minor

Primates Primates of the Tuscahoma FormationGenusSpeciesLocationStratigraphic positionMaterialNotesImagesChoctawiusC. foxiMeridian, MississippiAn omomyid. Type locality of genus and species.TeilhardinaT. magnolianaAn omomyid.

See also

List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Mississippi Paleontology in Mississippi

References