List of the prehistoric life of West Virginia
Appearance
(Redirected from Draft:List of the prehistoric life of West Virginia)
This list of the prehistoric life of West Virginia contains the various prehistoric life-forms whose fossilized remains have been reported from within the US state of West Virginia.
Precambrian
[edit]The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Precambrian fossils in West Virginia.
Paleozoic
[edit]Selected Paleozoic taxa of West Virginia
[edit] †AlethopterisFossilized fronds of the Carboniferous-Early Cretaceous seed fern Alethopteris - †Aneurophyton – or unidentified related form
- †Annularia
†ArchaeopterisRestoration of the Late Devonian-Carboniferous tree Archaeopteris with insets detailing its anatomy - †Artisia
- †Athyris
- †Atrypa
- †Atrypa reticularis – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Aulopora
- †Aviculopecten
- †Aviculopecten batesvillensis
- †Aviculopecten crenistriatus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Baiera
- †Barinophyton
- †Bassipterus
- †Calamites
†CallipteridiumFossilized fronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Callipteridium - †Callipteris
- †Callixylon
- †Calymene
- †Calymene camerata
- †Calymene cresapensis
†Calymene niagarensisFossils in enrolled posture of the Silurian trilobite Calymene niagarensis
- †Camarotoechia
- †Cardiocarpus
- †Carniodus
- †Chonetes
- †Cordaites
- †Cornulites
- †Crassigyrinus
- †Cyclopteris
- †Dalmanites
- †Diploceraspis
- †Distomodus
- †Drepanopterus
†EdaphosaurusLife restoration of the Permian synapsid (mammal precursor) Edaphosaurus - †Edaphosaurus colohistion – type locality for species
- †Edmondia
- †Eucalyptocrinites
- †Eurypterus
- †Favosites
- †Greererpeton
- †Gyracanthus
- †Holopea
- †Hughmilleria
†LepidodendronRestoration of the Carboniferous-Late Triassic club moss relative Lepidodendron. Eli Heimans (1911). - †Limnopus
- †Lingula
- †Lithostrotion
- †Lyginopteris
- †Modiolus
- †Mucrospirifer
- †Murchisonia
†NeuropterisFronds of the Carboniferous seed fern Neuropteris †OnychodusLife restoration of the Middle-Late Devonian lobe-finned fish Onychodus - †Orthacanthus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Orthoceras – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclature
- †Parahughmilleria
- †Pecopteris
- †Pecopteris arborescens
- †Pecopteris elliptica
- †Pecopteris feminaeformis
- †Pecopteris hemitelioides
- †Pecopteris hemiteloides
- †Pecopteris pennaeformis – or unidentified comparable form
- †Pecopteris unita
- †Periechocrinus
- †Petalodus
- †Phacops
- †Pinna
- †Platyceras
- †Proterogyrinus
†Protorothyris – type locality for genusLife restoration of the Permian reptile Protorothyris - †Protorothyris morani – type locality for species
- †Rhodea
- †Sagenodus – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sigillaria
- †Solenomorpha
- †Sphenophyllum
- †Sphenopteris
†Spirifer – report made of unidentified related form or using admittedly obsolete nomenclatureFossilized shell of the Late Ordovician-Late Triassic brachiopod Spirifer - †Stigmaria
- †Tentaculites
- †Tetracystis
- †Tetrameroceras
- †Trimerus
- †Waeringopterus
- †Wilkingia
- †Wurmiella
†ZatrachysLife restoration of the Permian amphibian Zatrachys
Mesozoic
[edit]The Paleobiology Database records no known occurrences of Mesozoic fossils in West Virginia.
Cenozoic
[edit]- Agkistrodon
†Agkistrodon contortrixA living Agkistrodon contortrix, or copperhead
- †Allophaiomys
- †Ambystoma
- †Atopomys
- Blarina
- †Blarina bravicauda
†Blarina brevicaudaA living Blarina brevicauda, or northern short-tailed shrew - †Blarina brevicuda
- †Blarine
- †Bootherium
- †Brachyprotoma
- Bufo
- Canis
†Canis dirusModern mounted skeleton of Canis lupus, the grey wolf, to scale with a fossilized skeleton of the Pleistocene wolf Canis dirus, or dire wolf - †Canis latrans
- Carphophis
- Castor
- †Cenis
- Cervus
- Clethrionomys
- Coluber
†Coluber constrictorA living Coluber constrictor, or eastern racer
- Condylura
- Crotalus
- Cryptobranchus
- Cryptotis
DesmodusA living Desmodus, or vampire bat - Desmognathus
- Dicrostonyx
- †Dipoides
- †Ectopistes
†Ectopistes migratoriusTaxidermied male Ectopistes migratorius, or passenger pigeon
- Elaphe
- Eptesicus
- Equus
- Erethizon
- Eumeces
- Eutamias
- †Eutamias minimus – or unidentified comparable form
- Geomys
- †Geomys bursarius – or unidentified comparable form
- Glaucomys
- Gyrinophilus
†Gyrinophilus porphyriticusA living Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, or Spring salamander
- Heterodon
- Hyla
- Ictalurus
- Lampropeltis
- Lasiopodomys
- Lasiurus
- Lepus
†Lepus americanusA living Lepus americanus, or snowshoe hare
- Lynx
- †Mammut
- †Mammuthus
- Marmota
- †Megalonyx
†Megalonyx jeffersoniiClaws of M. jeffersonii - †Megalonyx jerrersonii – or unidentified comparable form
- Mephitis
- Microtus
- †Microtus chrotorrhinus
- †Microtus hibbardi
- †Microtus llanensis
- †Microtus ochrogaster – or unidentified comparable form
- †Microtus paroperarius
- †Microtus pennsylvanicus
- †Microtus pinetorum
- †Microtus xanthognathus
- Mictomys
- †Mimomys
†MiracinonyxRestoration of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Miracinonyx, or American cheetah - Mustela
- †Mustela americana
- †Mustela armines
- †Mustela fenata – or unidentified comparable form
- †Mustela frenata – or unidentified comparable form
- †Mustela nivalis
- †Mustela vison
†MylohyusFossilized skeleton of the Pliocene-Holocene peccary Mylohyus - Myotis
- †Myotis grisescens – tentative report
- †Myotis keeni
- †Myotis keenii
- †Myotis leibi
- †Myotis leibii
- Napaeozapus
- Neofiber
- †Neofiber alleni – or unidentified comparable form
- †Neofiber leonardi
- Neotoma
†Neotoma floridanaClose-up of a Neotoma floridana, or eastern woodrat - †Neotoma spelaea
- Nerodia
- Notophthalmus
- Ochotona
- †Ochotone
- Odocoileus
- †Ondarta
- Ondatra
- Opheodrys
- Panthera
†Panthera oncaA living Panthera onca, or jaguar
- †Parascalopis
- Parascalops
- †Parascalopuis
- Pekania
- Peromyscus
- †Peromyscus cumberlandensis
- †Peromyscus maniculatus – or unidentified comparable form
- Phenacomys
- Pipistrellus
- Pitymys
†PlatygonusRestoration of a herd of alarmed Miocene-Pleistocene peccaries of the genus Platygonus. Charles R. Knight (1922). - Plecotus
- †Plesiothomomys
- Procyon
- †Rana
- Rangifer
†Rangifer tarandusA living Rangifer tarandus, or reindeer
- Salamandra
- Sceloporus
- Sciuropterus
- Sciurus
- †Sciurus carolinensis – or unidentified comparable form
- †Sciurus carolinensus
- †Sciurus corolinensis
- Sistrurus
†SmilodonLife restoration of the Pleistocene-Holocene saber-tooth cat Smilodon - Sorex
- Spermophilus
- Spilogale
†Spilogale putorius – or unidentified comparable formA living Spilogale putorius, or eastern spotted skunk
- Storeria
- Sylvilagus
- †Sylvilegus – or unidentified comparable form
- Synaptomys
- Tadarida
- †Tadarida brasiliensis – or unidentified comparable form
- Tamias
- Tamiasciurus
- †Tamies
TapirusA living Tapirus, or tapir - Taxidea
- Thamnophis
- Thomomys
- Urocyon
- Ursus
- Vulpes
†Vulpes vulpesA living Vulpes vulpes, or red fox
- Zapus
References
[edit]- Various Contributors to the Paleobiology Database. "Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 17 December 2021.