PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 96(4), 1983, pp. 658-663 TELEOSTEAN OTOLITHS FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (MAESTRICHTIAN AGE) SEVERN FORMATION OF MARYLAND Richard W. Huddleston and Kurt M. Savoie ^Zj^s^rac?.— Approximately 1000 teleostean fish otoliths were recovered fi*om the Severn Formation, Late Cretaceous (Early-Middle Maestrichtian) of Mary-land. These otoliths represent at least 14 kinds of fishes belonging to eight families (Pterothrissidae, Argentinidae, Ariidae, Ophidiidae, Polymixiidae, Trachichthyi-dae, ?Pempheridae, and Apogonidae) and three unidentified families, suborders Albuloidei, Stomioidei, and Anguilloidei. Otoliths of Vorhisia sp. dominated the fauna, representing approximately 54 percent of the total identified otoliths. The next dominant form, represented by the Apogonidae, comprised 27 percent of the identified fauna. Previous description of teleostean otoliths from the Late Cretaceous of North America are limited. Frizzell (1965a) described Prealbula weileri and Protalbula sohli, based on isolated sagittae from the Earliest Campanian, Eutaw Formation of Alabama. Frizzell (1965b) described Vorhisia vulpes, based on isolated lapilli from the Maestrichtian, Fox Hills Sandstone Formation of South Dakota. Frizzell and Koenig (1973) described asterisci from the same formation and assigned them to V. vulpes. These asterisci, however, do not belong to Vorhisia (J. E. Fitch, pers. comm.). Huddleston (1981) described Bernardichthys zorraquinosi, based on sa-gittae from the Early Cenomanian, Bernard Formation of Oregon. The present study is based on approximately 1000 otoliths recovered from about 100 kg of fossiliferous matrix collected from an exposure at the base of the Severn Formation by one of us (KMS). All field samples were collected from LACM (Los Angeles County Museum, section of Vertebrate Paleontology) locality 4425; Beltway exit 34W, Central Avenue, Prince George County, Maryland. The locality was initially exposed by the cutting action of a small unnamed creek. Construction activities have increased the exposure. Samples were taken from a 30 cm thick section of scattered shell and small lenses of dark gray shell marl, mixed with broken shell. The term Severn Formation was first proposed by Denton (1891) for a variety of lithologic units. Clark, Bagg and Shattuck (1897) later proposed the term Mon-mouth Formation for certain lithologic units occurring in New Jersey. This term also was applied to Late Cretaceous marine strata in Maryland. Recently Minard, Shol, and Owens (1978) reintroduced the term Severn Formation to replace the term Monmouth Formation in Maryland. The Severn Formation is Late Creta-ceous, Early-Middle Maestrichtian and corresponds to the Navarroan Provincial stage (Brouwers and Hazal 1978).
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