%0 Journal Article
%T The ˇ°Tamblaˇ± (Humuya) Gomphothere (Honduras): The first report of fossil vertebrates in Central America
%A Lucas
%A Spencer G
%A Bonta
%A Mark
%A Rogers
%A Robert
%A Alvarado
%A Guillermo E
%J Revista Geol¨®gica de Am¨¦rica Central
%D 2011
%I Universidad de Costa Rica
%X in 1858, american geologist joseph leconte published the first scientific report of vertebrate fossils (mastodon, bison and horse) from central america a brief record of a ˇ°mastodon bedˇ± near the old village of tamblain honduras. in 1859, american archaeologist ephraim george squier also mentioned these fossils, illustrating a lower jaw fragment with a molar and providing specific clues to the location of the bonebed. j. m. dow subsequently gave a gomphothere molar from the locality to joseph leidy at the academy of natural sciences in philadelphia , usa. leidy published on the fossil, which still remains in the collection of the academy, as mastodon ohioticusˇ± or as m. andium, and it was later referred to rhynchotherium by osborn and others. this molar is best identified as cuvieronius hyodon, and the bonebed from which it was derived is near the modern village of humuya (tambla in the 1800s), not near the village currently called tambla. the tambla ˇ°mastodon bedˇ± has never been relocated, though data provided here should make that possible. its discovery in the 1850s did not encourage further exploration for vertebrate fossils in honduras, probably because ˇ°mastodonˇ± fossils were already commonplace in the usa, so the tambla bonebed did not constitute a remarkable discovery.
%K honduras
%K tambla
%K humuya
%K gomphothere
%K mastodon.
%U http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0256-70242011000100009&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en