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Diamond Valley Lake Local Fauna

CA: Riverside Co

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Location of Diamond Valley LakeAge Mid/Late Wisconsin (Springer et al. 2009) Two suites of fossils were present. Radiocarbon dates from the deeper depths of Diamond Valley (but not from Domenigoni Valley) are 41,490 ± 1380 and 41,200 ± 2100 BP. Fossils from shallower depths of Domenigoni and Diamond valleys indicate deposition between about 12.5 and 13.5 ka based on a number of dates. A single specimen of Equus conversidens from a depth of 2166 m gave an electron spin resonance date estimated as 230 ± 60 ka (Springer et al. 2009).

The Diamond Valley Lake Local Fauna consists of fossils from 2646 localities within the Domenigoni and Diamond valleys (Springer et al. 2009) recovered during excavations for Diamond Valley Lake Reservoir.

This is the type locality of Mammut pacificus, which is shown by Dooley et al. (2019) to be the species of Mammut present in the late Pleistocene of California.

It's unclear in some cases whether Spring et al. (2009) is using "cf." to include the genus as well as the specific epithet; for example, cf. Sturnella neglecta. I have listed such cases as "cf. gen."

The site is listed in the taxon accounts as Diamond Valley.

Fauna

Amphibia

Anaxyrus boreas—Western toad (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)

Bufo boreas

Pseudacris cadaverina—California Treefrog (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)

Hyla cadaverina

Rana sp.—True Frogs (Springer et al. 2009)
Spea hammondii—Western Spadefoot Toad (Springer et al. 2009)

Scaphiopus hammondi

Chelonia

Actinemys pallida—Southern Western Pond Turtle (Springer et al. 2009)

Clemmys marmorata

Gopherus agassizii—Agassiz's Desert Tortoise (Springer et al. 2009)

Reptilia

Elgaria sp.—Alligator Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)

Gerrhonotus sp.

Crotaphytus collaris—Eastern Collared Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)
Phrynosoma coronatum—Coast Horned Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)
Sceloporus graciosus—Sagebrush Lizard (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)
Sceloporus occidentalis—Western Fence Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)
Uta stansburiana—Side-blotched Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)
Aspidoscelis tigris—Western Whiptail Lizard (Springer et al. 2009)

Cnemidophorus tigris

Lampropeltis sp.—Kingsnakes (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)
Masticophis sp.—Coachwhips (Springer et al. 2009)
Pituophis catenifer—Gopher Snake (Springer et al. 2009)

Pituophis melanoleucus

Tantilla sp.—Black-headed Snakes (Springer et al. 2009)
Crotalus cerastes—Sidewinder (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)
Thamnophis sp.—Garter Snakes (Springer et al. 2009)

Aves

Anas sp.—Ducks (Springer et al. 2009)
Aquila chrysaetos—Golden Eagle (Springer et al. 2009)
Callipepla californica—California Quail (Springer et al. 2009)
Meleagris californica—California Turkey (Springer et al. 2009: ? gen.)
Accipiter cooperii—Cooper's Hawk (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)
Asio flammeus—Short-eared Owl (Springer et al. 2009: ?)
Colaptes auratus—Northern Flicker (Springer et al. 2009)
Falco sp.—Falcons (Springer et al. 2009)
Hirundo sp.—Swallows (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)
Corvus corax—Raven (Springer et al. 2009)
Cyanocitta stelleri—Steller’s Jay (Springer et al. 2009)
Turdus migratorius—American Robin (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)
Sturnella neglecta—Western Meadowlark (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)

Mammalia

Mammuthus columbi—Columbian Mammoth (Springer et al. 2009)
Mammut pacificus—Pacific Mastodont (Springer et al. 2009)
Megalonyx jeffersonii—Jefferson's Ground Sloth (Springer et al. 2009)
Nothrotheriops shastensis—Shasta Ground Sloth (Springer et al. 2009)
Paramylodon harlani—Harlan's Ground Sloth (Springer et al. 2009)
Ammospermophilus sp.—Antelope Ground squirrel (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)
Otospermophilus beecheyi—California Ground Squirrel (Springer et al. 2009)

Spermophilus beecheyi

Spermophilus sp.—Small Ground Squirrel (Springer et al. 2009)
Tamias sp.—Chipmunks (Springer et al. 2009)

Eutamias sp.

Chaetodipus/Perognathus sp.—Large Spiny or Silky Pocket Mouse (Springer et al. 2009)

Perognathus sp.

Dipodomys sp.—Kangaroo Rats (Springer et al. 2009)
Thomomys bottae—Botta's Pocket Gopher (Springer et al. 2009)
Microtus californicus—California Vole (Springer et al. 2009)
Neotoma fuscipes—Dusky-footed Woodrat (Springer et al. 2009)
Neotoma lepida—Desert Woodrat (Springer et al. 2009)
Peromyscus crinitus—Canyon Mouse (Springer et al. 2009: cf.)
Reithrodontomys sp.—Harvest Mouse (Springer et al. 2009)
Lepus californicus—Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Springer et al. 2009)
Sylvilagus audubonii—Desert Cottontail (Springer et al. 2009)
Sorex ornatus—Ornate Shrew (Springer et al. 2009)
Scapanus latimanus—Broad-footed Mole (Springer et al. 2009)
Myotis sp.—Myotis bats (Springer et al. 2009)
Lynx rufus—Bobcat (Springer et al. 2009)
Panthera atrox—North American Lion (Springer et al. 2009)
Smilodon fatalis—Sabertooth (Springer et al. 2009)
Canis dirus—Dire Wolf (Springer et al. 2009)
Canis latrans—Coyote (Springer et al. 2009)
Urocyon cinereoargenteus—Gray Fox (Springer et al. 2009)
Arctodus sp.— Short-faced Bears (Springer et al. 2009: cf. gen.)
Ursus americanus—American Black Bear (Springer et al. 2009)
Mustela frenata—Long-tailed Weasel (Springer et al. 2009)
Taxidea taxus—American Badger (Springer et al. 2009)
Mephitis macroura/mephitis—Hooded or Striped skunk (Springer et al. 2009)
Equus conversidens—Mexican Horse (Springer et al. 2009)
Equus occidentalis—Western Horse (Springer et al. 2009)
Platygonus compressus—Flat-headed Peccary (Springer et al. 2009)
Camelops hesternus—Yesterday's Camel (Springer et al. 2009)
Hemiauchenia macrocephala—Big-headed Llama (Springer et al. 2009)
Odocoileus hemionus—Mule Deer (Springer et al. 2009)
Antilocapra americana—Pronghorn (Springer et al. 2009)
Capromeryx furcifer—Matthew's Pronghorn (Springer et al. 2009)

Capromeryx minor

Bison antiquus—Ancient Bison (Springer et al. 2009)
Bison latifrons—Giant Bison (Springer et al. 2009)

Literature. Springer et al. 2009.

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Last Update: 6 April 2019