Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg, 1961

Remarks

• Collection:   Lee Garrison
• Formation:  Montana Group, Hell Creek Formation
• Location:     Montana

• Data compiled by Lee Garrison
• Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg is an interesting taxon because it actually survived the K-T event at the end of the Maastrichtian.

General Info

Synonyms

• 1961 Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg

• 1964 Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg; Estes

• 1989 Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg; Bryant

• 2001 Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg; Peng, Russell & Brinkman

Stratigraphic Occurrence

• Montana Group, Hell Creek Formation of Montana

• Montana Group, Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota

• Montana Group, Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota

• Montana Group, Lance Formation of Wyoming

• Judith River Group, Judith River Formation of Montana

• Fort Union Group, Tullock Formation of Montana (Paleocene)

Age

• Opisthotriton kayi Auffenberg is a Late Maastrichtian to Early Paleocene salamander (67-63 mya).

Geographic Occurrence (not an all-inclusive list)

• Carter County, Montana

• Harding County, South Dakota

• Niobrara County, WyomingAlberta, Canada

Remarks

        For more information and drawings, see:

• Auffenberg, W. 1961. A new genus of fossil salamander from North America. American Midland Naturalist 66 (2), 456-465, fig's 1-5.

• Bryant, L. J. 1989. Non-dinosaurian lower vertebrates across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in northeastern Montana. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 134, 1-107.

• Estes, R. 1964. Fossil vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous Lance Formation, eastern Wyoming. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 49, 1-180.

• Peng, J.; Russell, A.P., and Brinkman, D. B. 2001. Vertebrate microsite assemblages (exclusive of mammals) from the Foremost and Oldman Formations of the Judith River Group (Campanian) of southeastern Alberta: an Illustrated Guide. Provincial Museum of Alberta, Natural History Occasional Paper 25, 1-54.