First record of Late Albian canaliculate rudist from northern California and re-assessment of Durania? californica Anderson, 1958

Rudist specimens of Late Albian age from the Upper Chickabally Mudstone Member of the Budden Canyon Formation, Great Valley Sequence, in northern California, are identified as a canaliculate rudist taxon based on shell morphology and mineralogy. Since they are incomplete right valves without cardinal and myophoral parts, their systematic placement is difficult, though their canal characters are similar to those of relatively derived caprinuloidinid rudists such as Texicaprina and Jalpania (Caprinidae) of the Caribbean/Gulf region. Re-assessement of the holotype specimen of Durania? californica from the Upper Albian of northern California reveals that it does not belong to the Radiolitidae, but is also a canaliculate rudist. The distribution of canaliculate rudists, probably caprinuloidinids, in the mid-latitudes of the Northeast Pacific suggest that this area belonged to the Tethyan Realm at that time, and a faunal connection existed between the Northeast Pacific and the Caribbean and/or the Central Pacific at least in the Late Albian. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.