EARLIEST RECORD OF THE ANOMIID BIVALVE PODODESMUS - A NEW SPECIES FROM THE LOWER EOCENE OF WESTERN WASHINGTON

An anomiid bivalve, Pododesmus (Pododesmus) dunhamorum sp. nov., from lower Eocene shallow-marine strata in the upper part of the Crescent Formation on the west side of Dabob Bay, Jefferson County, eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington, is the earliest known species of this genus and subgenus. The new species is one of two Eocene species of Pododesmus s.s. that inhabited hard substrate in nearshore waters along the Pacific coast of North America. The other species is P. (P.) inornatus (Gabb, 1864) from the middle Eocene of central California and southwestern Washington.