The University of Notre Dame
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The University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame Platygonus compressus and Associated Fauna from the Laubach Cave of Texas Author(s): Bob H. Slaughter Source: American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Apr., 1966), pp. 475-494 Published by: The University of Notre Dame Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2423406 . Accessed: 23/03/2011 14:20 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=notredame. . 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SLAUGHTER Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southern Methodist University,Dallas, Texas 75222 ABSTRACT: Exploration of a sealed cave discovered in the process of highway construction in Georgetown, Texas, produced remains of a number of individuals of the extinct peccary, Platygonus compressus. Measurements of this material average larger than that of the series of the species previously reported and this extended size range overlaps with several other species. The associated fauna include.s jaguar, bobcat, elephant, camel, -and a coyote that is probably extinct. The age of the material is estimated at 45,000 to 25,000 B.P. INTRODUCTION In the fall of 1963 the Texas HighwayDepartmentwas drilling 4" core holes in the Edwards Limestoneof Lower Cretaceousage in forthe footingof a proposed Texas, seekinginformation Georgetown, overpass,when theyencounteredhollowsat a depth of about 30 feet. A 24-inchcore was drilledto allow engineersto descendand investithe Dallasgate what appearedto be a sealed cave. Shortlythereafter Fort Worth Grotto (a speleologicalsociety) and the Universityof Texas SpeleologicalSocietywent into the cave for explorationand mapping. Pete Lindsley and Norman Robinson of the Dallas-Fort Worthgrouplocatedsomefossilbones (Fig. 1) near the sealed original entranceand the Universityof Texas group found anothergroup of bones in a nearby area. Realizing how fragilethe material was, Lindsley photographedthe specimensand reportedto the Shuler Museum. The other bone deposit was broughtto the attentionof the Departmentof Paleontologyat the Universityof Texas. As Dr; ErnestLundelius of that departmentwas out of the countryat the time and the recoveryhad to be made immediatelydue to construction schedules,the, Shuler Museum was allowed to collect both deposits. The rubble cone that had filled the original sinkholeentrance was located; a fewisolatedbones of elephant,camel, and Platygonus were recoveredfromits base. For the mostpart,however, compressus the bones were scatteredin pocketsand tunnelsadjacent to the cone (Figs. 2-3). Most of the bones seem to have reached theirposition as a resultof water transport;in only two cases were any bones of the same individualfoundin positiveassociation.The fossilslocated were located at a cave level by the Universityof Texas speleologists lower than those found by the Dallas-Fort Worth group and were of chimneys, apparentlywashed in from largelycontainedin infillings above. Among these, the associated bones of a single individual suggestthat the animal had foundits way to thispoint of the cave 475 476 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 75(2) small numberof postcranialelementswere in life. A surprisingly recoveredrelativeto the numberof skull and jaw fragments.Probably manyof the smallerbones workedtheirway down betweenthe largerbouldersof the rubblewhen waterwas floodingthe thenopen sinkentrance. Fig. 1.-View Fig. 2.-Laubach of bone bed near the blocked original entrance of Laubach Cave. Cave. Map modified from Russell et al., (1964). Bone area framed. 1966 477 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVE Areas away from the entrance produced only the bones of animals known to frequent caves- peccaries, jaguars, wolves, coyotes, and batsor animals often brought into, caves by carnivorous mammals and birds: rabbits, prairie dogs, and wood rats. Unless the elephant and camel were brought into the mouth of the cave by a jaguar, these animals must have fa.llen into the almost vertical cave entrance; the latter is believed to be the case as, their bones were found only in the cone of rubble. The lack of stratigra.phiccontrol within the cave precludes absolute proof that the animals,repre-sented inhabited the area contemporaneously. However, the size range of the peccary remains is consistentlylarger than other known series of the same species and thereforeprobably representsa population separated . I I . _T__T_ I T II I I IT T . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . T TT . . T I . .. I T Ak + . T . 6 T T . I T 10 I I I I T I I I T I T rI II r T I 09 I I I T I I C) 12 I I 3 E_ I I T I I T I I I T T I I . . T T & I... T I I I I I I T T I I I I I I I I I I I T I T I I I T I T F_ I T I I I T T I T T I T T I I I I T I . I T I I T I T I I I I T T I I I . I . . T I I . I I I I I I I T . I I . . -T T I I T T . I I T I I T I.I.II I . I I I I I I I I I T I T T I T I I I T I I T . T 8 I + I I I T I . I I I I T I I 1 T T 2 I I I I Te I T I 1. I.. OF T TT I I T I I I T I T T I. I T- I I 1. I I.. I I... I I . I I I I I I II I T I I I I I . . T I I I . . I T T- TrT I I T 1. I .II.IIITI I . . I I I T I I T T T I I IIIII T T T 2 I T I I I . T I I T T I T I. I I 12 T T 5 I t Fi,:,-. map of bone area showing rubble-filled 0 3.-Enlarged original entrance. indicate Numerals Plus-marks indicate lo-cations of fossils. ceiling height. 478 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 75(2) in time or space from other reported finds. One tiny sink that has been re-excavated by a small animal burrow in a distant portion of the cave produced modern small animal bones. These are easily recognized by their preservation and the fact that they smoke and emit an odor when heated. None of the bones in the other bone area react in that way when subjected to the same test. The fact that the slopes and edge of the rubble cone blocking the original entrance contain bones of the same extinct species as those represented by fossilsadjacent to the cone indicates the same animals were living in the area when the entrance was blocked. In addition, the almost total lack of sedimentation adjacent to the cone suggests the opening was closed shortlyafter the sink collapsed. Catalog numbers are those of the Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southem Methodist University. AGE OF THE FOSSILS There are no faunal elements that aid in assigning an age to, the is known to range assemblage. The peccary, Platygonus comnpressus, throughout the late Pleistocene at least as far back as the Sangamon and up to the end of the Wisconsin. I know of no, reports of this species fromdeposits predating the Illinoian. Brown (1908), Slaughter (1961), and Lundelius (1960) have pointed out that Platygonus was probably a prairie-plains type of peccary during the Pleistocene, while Mylohyus preferredmore wooded areas. Mylohyus is largely restricted to the eastern part of the country,whereas Platygonus is found all the way to the West Coast. In areas near the present woodland-prairie boundary, as in this part of Texas, Mylohyus is more common in Pleistocene assemblages of glacial age (Freishahn Cave, Ben Franklin and Conrad Fissure local faunas) and Platygonus is the more common in deposits known to represent interglacials or interstadials (Lewisville, Moore Pit, and Ingleside local faunas). Considering the growing evidence that much of our present topography was produced after 25,000 B.P., I am not inclined to ascribe great antiquity to the cave assemblage, and suspect the fauna belongs to the last major interglacial or interstadial, i.e., 25,000-45,000 B.P. This, of course, is purely conjectural. FAUNAL LIST Myotis sp. Neotoma sp. Cynomysludovicianus (Ord) Sylvilagus sp. Canis latrans Say Canis cf. C. dirus Leidy Lynx rufus (Schreber) Panthera onca augusta (Leidy) Platygonus compressusLe Conte Camelops sp. Proboscidean Extinct mouse-eared bat Wood rat Black-tailed prairie dog Rabbit Coyote Dire wolf Bobcat Jaguar Peccary Extinct camel 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVE 479 Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord) The black-tailed prairie dog is represented in the collection by numerous specimens associated with bones of Platygonus cormpressus. The eastern edge of the prairie dog's currentrange is almost 100 miles west of Laubach Cave. It has generally been considered that eastward extension of its range is restricted by moisture. The species occurs in some fossil faunas, however, where such arid climates are not necessarily indicated. The reason for the decreased range may be something other than available moisture. 'The soil mantle of the surrounding countryside is now rather rocky, not an ideal prairie dog environment. Perhaps during the period of fossil accumulation in Laubach Cave the soil was sandier and deeper, better suited for support of prairie dog burrows. Lundelius (personal communication) suggests that a lower water table may be more favorable to such burrowingrodents. Even so, if Platygonus was a prairie-plains animal, as suggested above, the association of the prairie dog with this prairieplains peccary may indicate that there was then at least no more moisture than is now available in the area. Sylvilagus sp. A small rabbit is represented in the collection by a single left lower jaw containing P4-M3 (61356). It is comparable in size to an adult specimen of S. auduboni but also falls just within the size range of S. floridanus. No characters present were found with which to distinguishthe two. S. floridanus lives in the area today and S. auduboni is present a short distance to the west. Canis latrans Say (Fig. 5) A fine skull of a medium-sized coyote is in the Laubach Cave! collection (no. 61269). It differsfrom all Recent specimens I have examined in that the face is relatively wider. All measurements fall within the range of the Recent series at hand except for the width across the maxillary at the posterior edge of the carnassial (P4) and this too doubtless would be within the range if a larger sample representing all North American subspecies were available. Even so, a face-width to length-of-the-palateratio exists that I have not found in Recent coyotes (Fig. 4). This same character was used in distinguishingCanus andersoni Merriam of the Rancho La Brea deposits. Giles (1960) compared the holotype (the only known specimen) of C. andersoni with several living subspecies of C. latrans. He found it most similar to a Recent series of C. latrans eclipticus from the San Diego, California area, but, assuming that the fossil represented a rather young individual, he withheld any suggestion of affinities. I feel that Giles' reluctance to assign affinitiesto C. andersoni on the basis of the wider face, because of the youth of the individual, was justified. Of the Recent specimens I measured, the younger animals rather consistentlyhad relativelywider faces due to the greater speed 480 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND 75(2) NATURALIST of lateral growth of the skull. Even so, C. andersoni falls outside of the range of the Recent sample from Texas with regard to this ratio. C. caneloensis Skinner from the Papago Springs Cave in Arizona (late Pleistocene) also is said to have a relativelygreater face-width. However, when compared with ratios found in my Recent sample, it was found to fall just within the range of variation (Fig. 4). If the Arizona specimen also representsa rather young animal, its wider face-widthloses importance. An additional character of C. caneloensis, the weaker development of the hypocone of M2, was not observed in my Recent sample. Another late Pleistocene coyote that may be considered is C. latrans harriscrookiSlaughter. This fossil race is represented by a lower jaw from the Lewisville Site in Denton County, Texas, with an age in excess of 40,000 years B.P. The skull is unknown and thereforenot directly comparable with the Laubach Cave coyote. However, C. andersoni, C. caneloensis and the Laubach skull are all rather wolflike in the greaterwidth of the face. Several verywolflikecharactersare also present in the lower jaw of C. latrans harriscrooki- the presence of posterior accessory cusps on all lower premolars other than P1 and a more vertically ascending ramus. Although the face length-width ratio of C. andersoni is comparable to that of the Laubach skull the e5 86 87 Se 89 90 91 92 PALATE LENGTH 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 4 5 94 95 92 90 I 59 I- 9 * a ~59 * 55 *9. 54 53 * * * 9 * * 52 501 Fig. 4.-Scatter diagram demonstratinglength-widthratio of the face of coyotes. Length measurement taken from anterior edge of premaxillary to posterioredge of palate. Width measurementtaken across maxillary at the posterior edge of P4. Solid circles - Canis latrans texensis; solid triangle Canis latrans caneloensis; open square - Canis andersoni; double square Canis latrans from Laubach Cave. 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVE 481 overall size is decidedly smaller and so, assignment to that species is not considered seriously for this Texas fossil. The face length-width ratio in C. caneloenis is, within the range of Recent subspecies of C. latrans, but the formerdiffersin the possession of a less well-developed hypocone on M2. An isolated M2 in a collection from the Moore Pit local fauna from Dallas County, Texas, can be duplicated in Recent specimens. The Moore Pit locality is in the same terrace of the Trinity River as the type locality of C. latrans harriscrooki,but 40 miles downstream. It is from a slightly lower horizon, but the age differenceis slight, and it seems probable that both the Moore Pit and Lewisville Site specimens represent the same form. Therefore, C. latrans harriscrookiis distinct from C. caneloensis. The Laubach Cave coyote cannot be deifinitelyassigned to any of the known subspecies, living or extinct, but may belong to C. latrans harriscrooki. Only a similar skull associated with lower jaws can verifyits affinities. Measurements of Laubach Cave coyote skull (in mm) are as follows: Basal length measured from anterior edge of premaxilla to inferiornotch between condyles Maxillary width at posterioredge of P4 Length of palate Anteroposteriordiameter of P4 Transversediameterof P4 Anteroposteriordiameter of M2 Transverse diameter of M2 171.5 63.2 96.0 21.6 9.7 7.7 13.0 Canis cf. C. dirus Leidy A large wolf is represented in the Laubach Cave local fauna bv a left humerus (61173) and left femur (61172). The specimens were found together and are assumed to represent a single individual. Merriam (1912 ), when describing Canis dirus specimens from Rancho La Brea, said that the humeri were more massive than those of the gray wolf and commonly the deltoid ridge and tuberositieswere more strongly developed. Our fossils are slightly larger than comparable material of the living species but are doubtless within its size range; no other characters were noted that might distinguish them. Galbreath (1964) recently reported a partial skeleton of a large wolf from the Powder Mill Creek Cave in Missouri which he also had difficultyassigning to C. dirus or C. lupus. He found no characters in individual bones that he felt could be relied on in distinguishing the two species. He did refer his specimens to the extinct species, however, on the basis of relative sizes of differentelements. Although he considered his specimen a female, it is just within the upper size range of the Rancho La Brea series of C. dirus. This might suggest males of the Missouri population were outside the size range of the West Coast population. This in turn may be a reflectionof temporal or geographic subspecific differences. Galbreath hastened, however, to add that he considered the material available inadequate to pursue the problem further. Dire woilfmaterial from Texas does not aid the 482 THE AMERICANMIDLAND NATURALIST 75(2) solution- ratherit complicatesit. The humeruslength (233 mm) and femurlength (256 mm) of the Laubach Cave wolf is between the one Rancho La Brea specimenI have examined (humerus227; femurlength255) and the measurements given by Merriamfor anotherRancho La Brea specimen(humerus240; femur260). On the otherhand our fossilhumerusis smallerthan one in the Ingleside local fauna (San PatricioCo., Texas) which has an overall length of 251 mm. An ulna reportedby Slaughteret al., (1962), fromthe Moore Pit local fauna in Texas is well withinthe size range forthis elementin the Rancho La Brea series,but somewhatsmallerthan the Missourispecimens.The Moore Pit local fauna dates to approximately45,000 B.P. and the Inglesidelocal fauna is probablyslightly younger.A radiocarbontestmade on ribsof the Missouriwolfindicates an age of 13,170-+- 600 B.P. Therefore,wolf bones occur in Texas thatare closerin age to each otherthan to eitherthe Rancho La Brea or Powder Mill Cave occurrences,but, nonetheless, have a greatersize range. As Galbreath warned, material known at this timeis inadequateforformalproposalsof the geographicaland temporal races that doubtlessexist. It is hoped that futurediscoveries Fig. 5.-Canis latrans (61269). Ventral view of skull showing relativelywide face. x'/2. 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUSFROM LAUBACH CAVE 483 of samples adequate for a statistical approach will clarify the relationships of these fossilpopulations. Lynx rufus (Schreber) A humerus of a medium-sized cat (61174) from the cave was compared with several modern specimens of the bobcat from Texas. It is slightlylarger than any of these but doubtless within the size range of the living species. It may also be within the size range of Lynx canadensis with which it was not compared, but the southern limit of the range of this species is far to the north, and in the absence of other northern species!, our specimen is referred to the bobcat with confidence. Panthera onca augusta (Leidy) A large feline is represented by various skull fragmentsand limb elements in the collection of the Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas (BEG-UT 40673-45 to 40673-80). This material differsfrom pumas and is like the modern jaguar in the following characters: the mastoid is larger, especially in its outward projection; the bulla is less elongate and not ridged anteroposteriorly;the anterointernal process of the entotympanic is flattened; and the fringe of the ectotympanicextends fartherforward. The juncture of the bicipital crest and the deltoid ridge is lower on the humerus shaft (about midlength). All of these characters are shared with P. atrox but our material is below the size range for that species; the ulna olecranon in our specimen rises higher above the sigmoid notch and is straighter along its posterioredge. There is one character, however, that does not fit the published data on jaguars; p4 is smaller relative to M1 than in P. atrox and modern jaguars. This differenceis not considered important enough to outweigh the many other totally jaguar-like characters, however, and referenceto the living species is made with confidence. Simpson (1941), when reviewing the large Pleistocene felines from North America, demonstrated that much of the material is indistinguishable from the living species, P. onca. Like the Laubach Cave specimen and one described by Semkem (1961) from Longhorn Cavern in Texas, most of Simpson's specimens are slightlylarger than modern specimens of P. onca milleri, the subspecies currentlyliving closest to the United States, but probably within the size range of P. onca palustrus of South America. Even so, Simpson felt it convenient and justifiable to refer these large jaguars to an extinct race, P. o. augusta (Leidy). Measurements of Panthera onca augusta. from Laubach Cave are: Dentition Anteroposteriordiameter of I Anteroposteriordiameter of J2 Anteroposteriordiameter of J3 Anteroposteriordiameter of C1 Anteroposteriordiameter of P3 Transverse diameter of P3 Left 8.1 8.6 12.5 21.0 Right 8.7 12.3 21.8 21.7 11.2 484 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND Anteroposteriordiameter of P4 Transverse diameter of P4 Anteroposteriordiameter of 13 Anteroposteriordiameter of C, Anteroposteriordiameter of P4 Transverse diameter of P4 Anteroposteriordiameter of M1 Transverse diameter of M1 100 x P4 = P4 -ML 75(2) NATURALIST 33.0 16.2 8.0 20.8 23.1 11.9 25.5 12.2 index 21.4 23.4 12.0 25.3 12.4 90 Ml Humerus Length Transverse diameter at midlength Anteroposteriordiameter at midlength Greatest transversediameter at distal end Least anteroposteriordiameter of articulating surface for ulna Ulna Length Greatest width of olecranon Greatest width of sigmoid cavity Anteroposteriordiameter measured at coronoid Anteroposteriordiameter at upper end of tendon scar Metacarpal IV Length Transverse diameter at proximal end Anteroposteriordiameter at midlength Transverse diameter at midlength Transverse diameter at distal end Femur Length Transverse diameter-outer face of greater trochanterto inner edge of head Anteroposteriordiameter of head Transverse diameter at midlength Anteroposteriordiameter at midlength Greatest width at distal end Greatest anteroposteriordiameter at distal end Greatest width of rotular surface Greatest width of intercondylarnotch Greatest width of articular surface of inner condyle 271.1+ 28.8 40.0 79.9 24.5 290.0 28.0 41.4 54.4 18.2 89.0 17.5 12.2 11.9 19.9 311.3 80.4 37.2 29.2 27.7 67.5 62.9 31.4 15.0 25.2 80.1 36.0 Platygonus compressusLe Conte (Fig. 7) Peccary remains are by far the most abundant in the cave collection. Comparison with the better inaterial referredto P. compressus shows no differencesother than a larger average size; the Laubach 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVE 485 Cave material is referredto this species with confidence. When Simpson (1949) described a series of remains from a cave near St. Louis, Missouri, he referredthem to P. compressus and gave a short review of the genus. Measurements of his specimens averaged slightlylarger than those of material previously referred to this species. The new material from Laubach Cave extends the size range even farther. Considering the significance of this size range extension as regards the creation of additional synonymies,it seems well to brieflyreview the more pertinent literature once again. Soon after Le Conte's description of P. compressus, the generotype, several other formswere proposed in rapid succession. Le Conte himself added Hyops depressifrons (1848a), Prochoerus prismatica (1848b), and Dicotyles costatus (1852). Leidy (1853) recognized all of Le Conte's forms and proposed the name Euchoerus macrops for a fine skull collected in Kentucky. Upon studying variation in peccaries, Leidy (1857) believed all of these belonged to the living genus Dicotyles (= Tayassu) but later recognized Platygonus as a distinctgenus containing but a single species. Almost all later workers have followed Leidy in this although Simpson (1949) preferred to retain Prochoerus as a nomen vanumrstating that from the fragmentary type specimen he could not be certain of synonymy. Williston (1894) described a series of associated specimens from Kansas, assigning the name P. leptorhinus, but admitted uncertainty as to whetherit was trulydistinctfromP. compressus. Wagner (1903) referreda skull from Michigan to P. compressus,discussed the Kansas material, and considered P. leptorhinus a synonym of that species. Peterson (1914) preferredto keep the two separate, stating that the Kansas form differedfromP. compressus in having more robust lower jaws, greater mandible depth, a more protruding chin, and a wider face. Measurements of Simpson's St. Louis cave sample, presumably representinga single population of P. compressus, not only included the range of variation of all previously refelred P. compressus specimens, including the type, but also overlapped considerably with the Kansas measurements and extended the size range beyond what had been known. Although he supported Wagner's proposal of synonomy of P. leptorhinuswith P. compressus,he demonstrated that there were Kansas specimens with mandibles of a depth greater than any in his collection while the St. Louis dentition averaged somewhat larger. He attributed this to variation between two populations of the same species and suggested that it may reflectsubspecific rank, either temporal or geographical. As the intermediate specimens of both localities could not be readily distinguished, he declined to propose a trinomial nomenclature. Measurements of the Laubach Cave specimens average even greater than those of the St. Louis sample, and several measurements of teeth do not overlap with those of the Kansas fossils. Even so, the size range demonstrated by the St. Louis material adequately bridges the gap, giving a constant size gradient when all of the material is con- 486 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND 75(2) NATURALIST sidered (Fig. 6). The development of the zygoma below the orbit of Williston's male specimen exceeds that of Simpson's illustrated specimens, or any of the specimens from Laubach Cave. However, there is no assurance that we have recovered skulls of any mature males at Laubach Cave. P. vetus was proposed by Leidy (1882) for upper and lower jaw fragmentsfrom P'ennsylvania,the distinguishingcharacters being lack of intermediarylophs between the anterior and posterior lobes of the molars, and somewhat greater size (a length of 97 mm for upper cheek-tooth row). Gidley (1921) based P. cumberlandensis and P. zntermediatuson material recovered from the Cumberland Cave in Pennsylvania. P. cumberlandensis has dentition slightlysmaller than that of P. vetus (length of 87-94 mm for upper cheek-tooth rows) and was said to be larger than P. cormpressus. This measurement now overlaps that of P. cornpressus as extended by the Texas material. One very striking difference,however, is the extreme development of the zygoma below the orbit. In males it is two or more times deeper than the diameter of the orbit. P. intermediatusalso has this curious development. Gidley and Gazin (1938) belieived the differences between P. cumberlandensis and P. intermediatus were not 25 24 / 22 20 18 16/ 14 6 .......... . MISSWRI $StE E g p2 KS5^$ ......... p3 p4 KANSS SAPLE M'1 M2 M3 p2 ISSOJRISAMPLE t p3 $ p4 4TEXAS -.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ $<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... MI M2 M3 SAMPLE Fig. 6.-Graph comparing the size;range of cheek-toothlength for series of Platygonus compressus. Kansas sample; Williston (1894). Missouri sample; Simpson (1949). Texas sample; Laubach Cave. 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAV1E 487 Fig. 7.-Platygonus compressusLe Conte (SMP-SMU 61266). A. Lateral view of skull and jaws. B. - Dorsal view of skull. C. - Ventral view of skull. All x slightlyunder 1/3. 488 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 75(2) great enough to warrant specific separation and proposed synonomy for the two Cumberland Cave species. There is one specimen in the Cumberland Cave assemblage which has an M2 transverse diameter greater than any of the other material. Gidley (1921) had referred this specimen to P. vetus. Later Gidley and Gazin (1938) discussed the possibilityof its actually belonging to the same species represented by the other material in the cave, but nonetheless retained the assignment tentatively. If the Cumberland Cave material does represent a single species, the extended size range may reach the size of P. vetus, possibly indicating synonymy of P. cumberlandensis (including P. intermediatus) with P. vetus. The lack of intermediarylophs in the molars, said to distinguishP. vetus, seems less important now that we know both types of molars occuLrin the earlier species, P. bicalcara:tus Cope of Blancan and Rexroad faunas. Whether or not P. cumberlandensis eventually becomes a synonymof P. vetus, it is now evident that there are at least two well-distinguishedtypes of Platygonus in the last half of the Pleistocene in the United States; P. compressus, a highly variable type with little more than normal development of the zygoma; and the other distinguished by the extreme development of the zygoma. P. alemanii Duges (1887) is based on partial upper and lower jaws from Mexico. Leidy (1889) considered it a synonymof P. vetus but this has not been followed by many workers. Skinner (1942) referred several skulls from the Papago Springs Cave in Arizona to P. alernanii, stating that his material was smaller than P. cumberlandensis or P. leptorhinus. The Arizona specimens do not have the extreme zygoma development of P. cumberlandensis, but the tooth row is somewhat smaller than that of P. alemanii and well within the range of P. compressus. There seems to be no reason for considering the Papago Cave peccaries anythingother than average individuals of P. compressus. Simpson (1949) felt that published comparisons of P. vetus, P. cumberlandensis, and P. alemanii had not excluded synonomyof any or all of these species. If future discoveries should extend the size range of the dentition of P. vetus down to that of P. alemanii it would also overlap with P. cumberlandensis and P. compressus, and unless it was then distinguished by characters not now used to separate species of the genus, it would either become a synonymof P. compressus or incorporate P. cumberlandensis,depending on the development of the zygoma. For the present, it seems best to compare the fossilsaccording to known size. P. alemanii falls within the size range of both P. cumberlandensis and P. compressus, but is distinguished from the former by its short diastema and wider face, demonstrated by the width between the posterior edge of the M3's. This same face width and diastema length, as well as length of the tooth row of the type of P. alemanii, can be almost duplicated by several specimens in the Laubach Cave collection. I therefore am inclined to equate the Mexican species with P. compressus. However, if the three overlapping size ranges of P. compressus material (repre- 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVE 489 sented by the Kansas sample P. leptorhinus), the smallest (the St. Louis sample) and the largest (Laubach Cave sample), should come to be considered differentsubspecies, the largest size should be known as P. compressus alemanii. Tooth measurements of the Laubach Cave and other series of P. compressus are given in Tables 1-3. Camelops sp. A single anterior cervical vertebra (61171) was recovered fromn the rubble at the base of the cone. It is fairly small for the genus but the same may be said for Camelops material collected in Dallas County, Texas, referredto C. huerfanensisdallasi Lull. 'The specimen is hardly adequate for specific assignment. mm Length of centrum Dorsoventral diameter of centrum at posterior end Transverse diameter of centrum at posteriorend 198.9 51.1 65.1 Proboscidean Several metacarpals (61176) of a single elephant were collected scattered at the base of the rubble cone. These are smaller but in every other detail match metacarpals from Dallas County, Texas, belonging to Elephas columbi. Considering the smaller size, however, the possibilityremains that the Laubach Cave material belongs to a mastodon. SUMMARY A sealed cave was opened for a short time in the process of highway construction in the town of Georgetown, 'Texas. The cave was explored by speleological groups from Austin. Dallas, and Fort Worth, Texas, and fossil bones were reported. All of the fossils recovered were in and adjacent to the rubble cone that blocked the original entrance and are believed to represent a single local fauna; the same species were found in the rubble representingthe final blocking of the cave and the lack of sedimentation within the cave indicates the sink entrance was not open for a long period. Most of the fossil material represents the extinct peccary, Platygonus compressus, and averages slightly larger than specimens previously referred to this species. The extended size range for the species overlaps with almost all other proposed species in the genus but can be separated from P. cumberlandensison characters of the skull. One species, P. alemanii cannot be distinguishedfromthe new material, however, and synonymy of this species with P. compressus is proposed. A coyote skull in the collection is referred to the living species, Canis latrans but probably belongs to an extinct race, possibly C. latrans harriscrooki. A humerus and femur are referred provisionally to Canis dirus and fall within the size range of both fossilsof this species fromRancho La Brea and material of the living species C. lupus. 490 0 4 THE AMERICAN . . .0 . MIDLAND . . . . uz~~~~~~~r L ds) 75(2) NATURALIST 00 . C::::::::?D dOO: : 0 oo t- co : : r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~r 3 2\ a) L) ?0 00 C, ; _o : : C; c\F : o:0 : cl 'n a; : :- Lr C3 I :I co :- c: . . . . . . ~c o:dzcso :mce :o?dzc Lr)o b o b : Z dZ ~~~~~~~~~Ccs 00 d0 CI ? Lr t- o : c z:o : o - :4o > ?:::::::::::=. : o m::t css:: scsc 0 : : c\F:\ :\ E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ cl r : o; : r CIO co c) s eo. o *D Y zO X uz d 4 Yr d6 CO d CO CO oc r, o~~~~r 00 dZ; 00 o) Cj dz; Lr dZd , M d) dZ d\z :- : co ::dZ , t o) 00 CO : Lr Zn o:00 Zn cl Z : : : : , oC\ oC\F 8~~~~~CF0 oov; 9 Lm >X ~~~~~~cir ,r s ?c co _c\i ~~~~c\F co : o: O m o0 :c c\F c\F c\ C\F c\ C\F C\F c\F c\F c\F :0 :) m oI m c0 :) r cr :0 :0 cr cr cr or d Zd : : : : ( * :\ c\r a) X- o\: o0 :0 -d d ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 q u =~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ u Lr cli ~o co dZ C co o\ ::::: :n ? : cr) 0 r- 0a)c 00 X;OcN 00 cr ) dz o0 Lr n d X CO 00 C) dz :c Lr r- a) ::o: r m,u r 0.,,l .l 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH 491 CAVE TABLE 2.-Lower tooth measurementsof Platygonus compressus fromLaubach Cave P2 L P2 Wa ---9.8 6.8 P2 Wp P3 L 12.1 10.7 61141 61142 7.2 61143 61145 9.1 6.9 7.9 11.5 61257 11.2 6.7 8.2 12.5 61258 10.9 5.6 8.0 11.9 61266 10.3 6.3 7.0 12.3 61303 11.0 61329 ---61359 11.0 61364 ----61366 ---11.0 61377 9.1 6.7 7.4 61381 -------8.8 61392 5.9 6.3 10.1 61395 10.8 61443 --------15.0 61450 9.0 7.9 8.5 11.1 61718 11.8 6.9 8.1 12.2 Wa 8.2 8.5 P3 P3 Wp 8.5 8.7 P4 L 12.2 12.0 P4 Wa 8.9 9.3 P4 Wp 9.8 10.2 M1 L 14.3 15.3 M1 Wa 10.5 11.0 7.9 8.3 7.4 7.5 8.5 9.0 10.0 9.2 9.0 9.0 11.6 13.1 11.9 11.5 9.3 9.6 9.6 9.0 10.3 11.3 10.5 10.1 14.5 15.5 15.9 14.6 11.1 10.5 10.2 9.8 9.4 8.8 9.9 --- 12.1 12.1 12.4 9.5 9.4 9.7 ---- 11.1 10.5 10.9 7.0 7.4 7.7 8.7 10.3 12.9 8.4 9.3 9.1 10.4 13.1 15.1 14.1 15.4 15.7 13.5 10.0 10.5 10.8 10.3 10.2 9.5 8.3 7.4 9.0 9.2 11.7 12.7 9.7 10.1 10.3 10.7 7.5 10.3 16.3 10.5 TABLE 2.- (continued) m1 61141 61142 61143 61145 61257 61258 61266 61303 61329 61359 61364 61366 61377 61381 61392 61395 61443 61450 61718 Wp 11.8 11.2 11.5 11.9 11.5 11.0 11.0 11.6 10.8 10.7 11.4 10.5 10.8 11.8 M2 L 18.3 17.2 17.5 19.2 18.5 18.5 18.4 17.5 19.4 16.9 17.3 17.2 17.8 19.6 16.9 18.3 17.6 16.9 18.2 M2 Wa 13.0 12.9 12.3 13.8 13.5 11.9 12.1 11.6 12.2 11.8 12.5 12.7 12.5 13.5 11.4 12.4 12.8 12.0 12.0 M2 Wp 13.6 12.9 13.0 13.9 14.5 12.6 12.9 12.2 13.6 12.8 13.5 12.8 12.8 13.8 12.2 12.6 14.1 12.7 12.9 M3 L 25.9 22.7 22.7 M3 M3 Wa 13.8 13.2 12.8 ---25.2 14.6 25.4 13.1 23.6 12.5 13.5 13.5 13.5 27.3 23.9 21.6 23.1 13.4 13.0 13.3 13.7 13.7 13.0 13.1 14.0 23.2 12.0 24.4 14.6 23.8 12.3 24.8 13.0 Wp 13.8 13.0 12.7 13.0 14.6 13.1 13.4 diast. MD P2-M3 48.8 48.1 43.1 37.7 50.5 50.1 45.7 52.5 43.0 41.6 43.8 42.8 54.9 44.2 39.4 84.4 83.9 86.2 44.1 41.2 43.0 44.5 80.1 82.5 51.2 53.5 89.0 86.9 83.2 92.9 91.5 86.5 84.9 492 THE AMERICAN C) C\ C) n 6 : O- cn - co co 4-j4 ~C l l 1414 - 6 'C6 o c/)-- cn cn n c or-.4 C~ 6(-c - - Lr5c6 C\C\ ~ 6 L ~ ~ 0 \ 6c -4 C6 C )L i(:;iL ; 4 - o~ o 75(2) NATURALIST )0 X-Ln V oCrC Cr ~ MIDLAND ~ ~ c)ci- o C\Cr 5;-~_;& 4-4Cr r r)L c c )CrI'l e liC ~ ~ ccIcc c 0 En~c" 4444)J t- - 666\ c\L) - 4C r )co0Lr)C\f L~~~~~~CrCr C L)L -4C( L cn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o 0 ) \ 0c n0 Cj- - \ ~ z \ nCr (~ n00t 0-0 \ -(~ M L C\r-41- 14-4-vI4-4C\ u, 0 1966 SLAUGHTER: PLATYGONUS FROM LAUBACH CAVFE 493 Skeletal material of a large jaguar is referredto the extinct rac.e, Panthera onca augusta. The age of the deposit is estimated at 25,000-45,000 B.P. Acknowledgments.-I should like to express my appreciation to Dr. W. W. Laubach, owner of the land, for allowing recovery of the fossil material and extending other courtesies. Among the Dallas-Fort Worth Grotto members who aided the recovery are Pete Lindsley, Norman Robinson and George Yeary. The most helpful of the University of Texas spelunkers were William Akerston, Jim Duke, Mike Erickson and Bud Frank. I am also grateful to Dewy Blackmon, Reed Hoover, George Nyland, Paul Frost and Ronald Ritchie for assistance in the recovery. Dr. Ernest Lundelius, University of Texas, kindly loaned the jaguar material recovered by spelunkers from that institution. Dr. Walter Dalquest, Midwestern University,and Drs. E. R. Hall and J. K. Jones, University of Kansas, loaned comparative material and offered helpful suggestions. Dr. Donald Savage, Universityof California, furnishedmeasurementsof the holotype of C. andersoni. Miss Kay McNulty and Mr. Julio Estrada, Southern Methodist University, prepared the specimen illustrations. REFERENCES B. 1908. The Conard Fissure, a Pleistocene Bone Deposit in Northern Arkansas: With Description of Two New Genera and Twenty New Species of Mammals. Amer. Mus. Natur. Hist., Mem., 9:157-208. DUGEs, A. 1887. Platygonus alemanii, Nobis, Fosil Quaternario. La Naturaleza (ser. 2), 1:16-18. GALBREATH, E. C. 1964. A dire wolf skeleton and Powder Mill Creek Cave, Missouri. Trans. Illinois Acad. Sci., 57:224-242. GIDLEY, J. W. 1921. Pleistocene peccaries from the Cumberland Cave deposit. Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 57:651-678. - AND C. L. GAZIN. 1938. The Pleistocene.vertebrate fauna from Cumberland Cave, Maryland. Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., no. 171. 99 p. GILES, E. 1960. Multivariate analysis of Pleistocene and Recent coyotes !(Canis latrans) from California. Univ. Calif. Publ. Geol. Sci., 36:369-390. LE CONTE, J. L. 1848a. Notice of five new species of Mammalia from Illinois. Amer. J. Sci., (ser. 2), 5:102-106. . 1848b. On Platygonus compressus: a new fossil pachyderm. Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, Sci., 3:257-274. . 1852. Notice of a fossil Dicotyles from Missouri. Proc. Acad. Natur. Sci. Phila., 6:5-6. LEIDY, J. 1853. A memoir on the extinct Dicotylinae of America. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., n. s., 10:223-243. . 1857. Observations on the extinct peccary of North America. Ibid., 11:97-105. . 1882. On an extinct peccary. Proc. Acad. Natur. Sci., Philadelphia, 1882:301. . 1889. On Platygonus, an extinct genus allied to the peccaries. Trans. Wagner Free Inst. Sci. Philadelphia, 2: 41-50. LUNDELIUS, E. L. 1960. Mylophus nasutus, Long-nosed Peccary of the Texas Pleistocene. Texas Memorial Mus., Bull., 1 :1-38. BROWN, 494 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND 75(2) NATURALIST J. C. 1912. The fauna of Rancho La Brea, Pt. II, Canidae. Mem. Univ. California, 1:215-272. 1932. Felidae of Rancho la Brea. Carnegie Inst. AND C. STOCK. Wash., Publ. no. 422. 231 p. PETERSON, 0. A. 1914. A mounted skeleton of Platygonus leptorhinus in the Carnegie Museum. Ann. Carnegie Mus., 9:114-117. H. A. 1961. Fossil vertebrates from Longhorn Cavern, Burnet SEMKEM, County, Texas. Texas J. Sci., 13:290-310. G. G. 1941. Large Pleistocene Felines of North America. Amer. SIMPSON, Mus. Novitates, no. 1136. 27 p. . 1949. A fossil deposit in a cave in St. Louis. Ibid., no. 1408. 48 p. M. F. 1942. The fauna of Papago Springs Cave, Arizona. Bull. SKINNER, Amer. Mus. Natur. Hist., 80:143-220. B. H. 1961. A new coyote in the Late Pleistocene of Texas. J. SLAUGHTER, Mammal., 42:503-509. 1962. , W. W. CROOK, R. K. HARRIS, D. C. ALLEN AND M. SEIFERT. The Hill-Shuler local faunas of the Upper Trinity River, Dallas, and Denton Counties, Texas. Bur. Econ. Geol., Univ. Texas, Rept. of Investigations,no. 48. 75 p. WAGNER, G. 1903. Observations on Platygonus compressusLe Conte. J. Geol., 1 1: 777-782. S. W. 1894. Restoration of Platygonus. Kansas Univ. Quart., 3: WILLISTON, 23-39. MERRIAM, SUBMITTED 8 MARCH 1965 ACCEPTED 29 APRIL 1965