Ripplemead
Basic information
Sample name: Ripplemead
Reference: R. E. Weems and B. B. Higgins. 1977. Post-Wisconsinan vertebrate remains from a deposit near Ripplemead, Virginia. NSS Bulletin 39:106-108 [ER 3128]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Virginia
County: Giles
Coordinate: 37° 20' N, 81° 41' W
Latlng basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Geography comments: "in an abandoned limestone quarry adjacent to the old U.S. 460 bridge on the south bank of New River" (coordinate based on Ripplemead)
thought to be "post-Wisconsinan" based on the vertebrate assemblage, but the large mammal fauna is actually Pleistocene
radiocarbon dating was attempted but "carbon-14 in the sample was insufficient"
thought to be "post-Wisconsinan" based on the vertebrate assemblage, but the large mammal fauna is actually Pleistocene
radiocarbon dating was attempted but "carbon-14 in the sample was insufficient"
Environment
Lithology: claystone
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation, cave, rodent accumulation
Habitat comments: "The fissures... contain red clay, limestone breccia, New River stream gravels, landsnail shells, and vertebrate remains... Bones scattered on surrounding slopes were gnawed by rodents and then were washed or fell into the fissures. Much small mammal material, as well as the fish scraps and salamander vertebrae, were probably introduced as meal remnants dropped on the slopes above the river by predatory mammals and/or birds, most probably owls"
Methods
Life forms: bats, carnivores, rodents, ungulates, other small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, salamanders, fishes
Sampling methods: quarry, surface
Sample size: 286 specimens
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "Remains were collected by surficial examination of both the fissure and the fissure outwash, as well as by acid preparation of fallen, calcite-cemented blocks from the northernmost fissure"
Metadata
Sample no: 3416
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2019-08-31 14:29:06
Modified: 2023-02-25 11:40:37
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
33 species
13 singletons
total count 286
geometric series index: 74.8
Fisher's α: 9.64
geometric series k: 0.8639
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.799
Shannon's H: 2.242
Good's u: 0.9547
Register
| Osteichthyes indet. | 9 | |
| Anaxyrus sp. | 4 | |
| "Bufo fowleri" or "Bufo woodhousei" | ||
| Cryptobranchus alleganiensis | 5 | |
| "Cryptobranchus allegheniensis" | ||
| Squamata indet. | 1 | |
| "lizard" | ||
| Colubridae indet. | 5 | |
| Crotalus horridus | 108 | |
| Strigidae indet. | 1 | |
| Parascalops breweri | 2 | |
| Blarina brevicauda | 3 | 15.1 g |
| Sorex fumeus | 1 | 8.5 g |
| Lasionycteris noctivagans | 1 | |
| Leporidae indet. | 9 | |
| Lepus or Sylvilagus | ||
| Tamias striatus | 2 | 113.0 g |
| Castor canadensis | 1 | 11.0 kg |
| Marmota monax | 1 | 4.5 kg |
| Erethizon dorsatum | 1 | |
| Microtus sp. | 4 | |
| "Pitymys sp." | ||
| Myodes sp. | 1 | |
| "Clethrionomys sp." | ||
| Synaptomys cooperi | 6 | 29.0 g |
| one specimen tentatively referred | ||
| Microtus pennsylvanicus | 1 | 35.7 g |
| may include two indeterminate Microtus specimens | ||
| Neotoma floridana | 53 | 252.0 g |
| Ondatra zibethicus | 1 | |
| Peromyscus sp. | 11 | |
| leucopus or maniculatus | ||
| Procyon lotor (raccoon) | 2 | 5.5 kg |
| Spilogale putorius (eastern spotted skunk) | 1 | |
| Pekania pennanti (fisher) | 1 | |
| "Martes pennanti" | ||
| Canis lupus (gray wolf) | 2 | 43.0 kg |
| Urocyon cinereoargenteus (gray fox) | 1 | 4.1 kg |
| Ursus americanus (American black bear) | 2 | 115.0 kg |
| Tapirus sp. | 3 | |
| Equus sp. | 3 | |
| Mylohyus sp. | 2 | |
| Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) | 38 | |