Scott et al.—New diminutive species of Catopsalis from Alberta


suggests that the evolutionary history of Catopsalis is sig- nificantly more complicated than previously thought, and that much of this history remains unknown. We report here on the discovery of a new species of Catopsalis from the middle and late Torrejonian of southwestern Alberta that complicates matters further. Catopsalis kakwa new species is the second species of Catopsalis to be documented in the province, and represents not only the smallest species of Catopsalis, but ranks as the smallest taeniolabidoid so far discovered, with an estimated body mass that is one half to two thirds that of Valenopsalis joyneri (Sloan and Van Valen, 1965), the next smallest taeniolabidoid.


Geological setting


Regional geology.—Strata of Paleocene age crop out exten- sively in and around the city of Calgary in southern Alberta, and are generally referred to one of two largely time-equivalent units, the Porcupine Hills and Paskapoo formations (Jerzykiewicz, 1997; Lerbekmo and Sweet, 2000; Scott et al., 2013). These units occur in the Alberta Syncline, a geographically extensive depocenter developed along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. Lerbekmo and Sweet (2000) identified both formations within Calgary and suggested that the city represented an area of formational transition, with strata of the Porcupine Hills Formation generally being found in areas south of the Bow River, and those of the Paskapoo Formation occurring north of the river and extending as far west as Cochrane (also see Rutherford, 1927; Russell, 1929). Recently discovered fossil mammals in strata of the Porcupine Hills For- mation at localities at the westernmost edge of Calgary suggest that these exposures are middle to late Torrejonian in age (To2– To3), slightly older than localities in the Paskapoo Formation occurring near Cochrane, which are thought to be earliest Tiffa- nian in age (Ti1) (Youzwyshyn, 1988; Scott et al., 2002, 2013). Strata of the Porcupine Hills Formation consist of large-scale cross-bedded sandstones of channel-fill complexes, recessive mudstone units, sparse coal, and the presence of significant amounts of caliche, lithological features that are suggestive of deposition in semiarid climates (Jerzykiewicz and Sweet, 1988; Jerzykiewicz, 1997). In contrast, strata of the Paskapoo Formation are characterized by the presence of significant coal units that suggest deposition in wetter and more humid conditions (Dem- chuk, 1990; Demchuk and Hills, 1991; Jerzykiewicz, 1997).


Locality information.—The fossils described in this paper occur in the Porcupine Hills Formation at relatively recently dis- covered localities in and near the City of Calgary, and near the town of Cochrane (Fig. 1). Legal land descriptions for each of the localities are provided here; more precise coordinates can be made available to qualified investigators through the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Zagas Quarry.—Zagas Quarry (TMP locality L2391) was


discovered in 2007 during construction of an interchange at Centre Street and Stoney Trail in the northeastern quadrant of Calgary, west of Alberta Highway No. 2 (Lsd5, S34, T25, R1, W5), at ~1110m above sea level. The mammalian fossils occur in greenish to somber gray, fine-grained siltstone with abundant caliche, clay clasts, molluscan shells and steinkerns, and thin,


897


laterally discontinuous lignite beds. The mammalian fauna from Zagas Quarry is largely unstudied, but the presence of several fossil mammals—including the multituberculates Ptilodus wyomingensis Jepsen, 1940 and Baiotomeus cf. B. russelli Scott, Fox, and Youzwyshyn 2002, the hyopsodontid Promioclaenus thnetus Scott, Spivak, and Sweet, 2013, and the eutherian Eudaemonema bohachae Scott, Spivak, and Sweet, 2013— suggests correlation with the Bearspaw and Nordic Ski Quarry localities (see below), and hence a middle or late Torrejonian (To2 or To3) age for the local fauna. Narcissus locality.—The Narcissus locality (TMP locality


L2395) occurs on the southern side of Bow River near the western limits of the city of Calgary (SE1/4 Lsd7, S1, T25, R3, W5), at ~1113m above sea level. The fossils occur in channel lags containing caliche debris, clay rip ups, and fragmentary molluscan shells. The occurrence of several fossil mammals (e.g., the multituberculate Ptilodus wyomingensis and the eutherian Elpidophorus minor Simpson, 1937) suggest a middle Torrejonian (To2) age for the local fauna; a projection of the locality onto a composite regional stratigraphic section suggests that the fossils are preserved in sediments occurring in reversed polarity, which has been interpreted as representing chron 27r (Lerbekmo and Sweet, 2000; Scott et al., 2013). Nordic Ski Quarry.—Nordic Ski Quarry (TMP locality


L2383) occurs in Canada Olympic Park (COP), a high- performance athletic training facility in the southwestern quad- rant of Calgary that was built for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Fossiliferous strata were exposed in COP during con- struction of ski jumps and a spectator bowl. The locality is south of Bow River and the Trans-Canada (No. 1) Highway (SE1/4 Lsd13, S27, T24, R2,W5), at ~1113m above sea level. Two superposed fossil-bearing horizons have been discovered at Nordic Ski Quarry, the lower of which has produced the fossils discussed in this paper. The fossils at Nordic Ski Quarry occur in yellow to rusty orange, fine-grained siltstone in association with abundant gastropod and bivalve shells and steinkerns, clay clasts, and caliche debris. Nonmammalian vertebrate fossils are abundant and include the teeth and bones of actinopterygians (primarily amiids and gar), lissamphibians, crocodylians, choristoderes, and lizards. Age-diagnostic mammalian taxa have yet to be identified at this locality, but the presence of the multituberculate Baiotomeus sp., and the eutherians Elpidophorus cf. E. elegans Simpson, 1927 and Pararyctes cf. P. pattersoni VanValen, 1966argue foralate Torrejonian age (To3) for the local fauna.Alate Torrejonian age is further suggested by the work of Lerbekmo and Sweet (2000), who determined that Nordic Ski Quarry occurs in an interval of mixed polarity interpreted by them as magnetochron 27n, corre- lative with strata containing fossil mammal localities of late Torrejonian age in the Crazy Mountains Basin of Montana, and the San Juan Basin of New Mexico (Butler et al., 1987; Williamson, 1996; Lofgren et al., 2004). Jumpingpound Creek Site 1.—The Jumpingpound Creek


locality (TMP locality L2404) was discovered in 2013. The locality occurs at outcrops along the southern bank of Jumpingpound Creek south of Cochrane, ~1km upstream of its confluence with Bow River (SE1/4 Lsd11, S33, T25, R4, W5). The rock exposed on Jumpingpound Creek is referable to the Porcupine Hills Formation, demonstrating that the formation extends a significant distance west of Calgary. Fossils occur in


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