Also known as Saxonian Amber

Where: Halle, Germany (51.6° N, 12.4° E: paleocoordinates 50.4° N, 8.0° E)

When: Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• Bitterfeld amber occurs in the "Bernsteinschluff" Horizon, i.e. a part of the Upper "Bitterfelder Glimmersand" in the upper part of the Cottbus Formation. Detailed biostratigraphic investigations favor an uppermost Chattian age for the unit. Originally assigned a Miocene age, and then thought to be redeposited Baltic amber. The chemical composition of Bitterfeld amber is distinct from true Baltic amber (e.g., Sodhi et al., 2013). Hydrogen isotopes indicate that Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers have distinct geographic sources, but carbon isotopes and insects suggest Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers are coeval in age (Wolfe et al., 2016).

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithified amber

Size class: mesofossils

Preservation: soft parts, original chitin, amber

Collection methods: Repository: Private collection of O. Paulsen

Primary reference: B. V. Brown. 2007. A further new genus of primitive phorid fly (Diptera: Phoridae) from Baltic amber and its phylogenetic implications. Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 513:1-14 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 124775: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 23.02.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)