Walbeck (Weferlingen) (Paleocene of Germany)

Where: Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (52.3° N, 11.1° E: paleocoordinates 46.5° N, 8.0° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Selandian (61.6 - 59.2 Ma)

• "?upper Middle Paleocene (?MP 5, BiochroM'97, 1997)" = ? Selandian

•thought by Gingerich (1976) on the basis of Plesiadapis walbeckensis to be "correlated somewhere between the Ples. anceps and Ples. rex zones" (i.e., middle Tiffanian)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; unlithified, calcareous sandstone and unlithified, calcareous mudstone

• Infill of 14 m deep, N-S trending karstic fissure in late Early Triassic marly limestones (Lower Muschelkalk), consisting of mud (weathering remnant of the limestones) in the upper part and Early Oligocene marly sand including reworked Paleocene fossils in the lower part (Bachmann, 2008).

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: The fissure was discovered in 1939. Subsequently it has completeley been mined out. Screenwashing of 16.5 m3 (33 t) of sediment revealed about 10,000 specimens (Bachmann, 2008). Most specimens are in the Geiseltal Museum in Halle, but some are in the BMNH (Gingerich 1976).

Primary reference: G. Mayr. 2007. The birds from the Paleocene fissure filling of Walbeck (Germany). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(2):394-408 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 74643: authorized by Mark Uhen, entered by Mark Uhen on 21.08.2007, edited by Philip Mannion, John Alroy and Torsten Liebrecht

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Pseudorhyncocyonidae
Diaphyodectes prolatus n. gen. n. sp.7
Diaphyodectes prolatus n. gen. n. sp.7 eutherian
 Primates - Plesiadapidae
Plesiadapis walbeckensis n. sp.6 Russell 1964 primate
 Primates - Saxonellidae
Saxonella crepaturae n. gen. n. sp.3
Saxonella crepaturae n. gen. n. sp.3 Russell 1964 primate
 Procreodi - Arctocyonidae
Arctocyonides weigelti2 Russell 1964 condylarth
 Condylarthra - Hyopsodontidae
Paratricuspiodon krumbiegeli n. gen. n. sp.9 Russell 1964 condylarth
Wa 193 and 410
 Macroscelidea - Adapisoricidae
Adapisorex abundans2 elephant shrew
 Macroscelidea - Louisinidae
Walbeckodon krumbiegeli n. gen. n. sp.8, "Louisina atavella n. sp." = Prolouisina atavella8
Walbeckodon krumbiegeli n. gen. n. sp.8 Hooker and Russell 2012 elephant shrew
MLU.Wa104.2011 - holotype (left dentary with P4–M3); paratypes: L maxillary fragment with P3 and alveoli of P4, MLU.Wa/363; L maxillary fragment with P4, MLU.Wa/364; L upper composite DP4–M1, MLU.Wa/ 362; L DP4, MLU.Wa/416; L upper composite P4–M3, MLU.Wa/386; L dentary with P3–4, MLU.Wa/417; L dentary with P4–M2, MLU.Wa/387; L dentary with M1–3, MLU.Wa/365; L dentary with M2–3, alveoli for P3–M1, MLU.WB25; L dentary with P4–M3 (M2 with broken crown) and alveoli for P3, MLU.WB28; R dentary with P4 and alveoli for I2–P3, MLU.Wa/AC; R dentary with M2–3 and ascending ramus, MLU.Wa/Aa; R dentary with M3, alveoli for M2 and part of M1, MLU.WB26; composite RM1–3, MLU.Wa/420.
"Louisina atavella n. sp." = Prolouisina atavella8 Russell 1964 elephant shrew
MLU.Wa/356 - type (right dentary with P4–M3 and alveoli for P2–3); numerous paratypes listed by Russell (1964); referred material: Composite upper dentition (LP4–M2, two RP4, RM1–3), MLU.Wa/418; composite lower dentition (LP4, two LM3, RP3, P4, M3), MLU.Wa/419; L dentary with P4–M3, MLU.Wa103.2011
 Theriamorpha - Adapisoriculidae
Adapisoriculidae indet.10, Bustylus cf. cernaysi5, "? Adapisoriculus germanicus n. sp." = Bustylus germanicus4, "Afrodon germanicus" = Bustylus germanicus4
Adapisoriculidae indet.10 Van Valen 1967 eutherian
Remains of a small-bodied adult: right humerus, lacking the proximal end and being slightly damaged distolaterally (MLU.Wa101.2008); distal part of right and left humerus (MLU.Wa102-103.2008); two left femora, lacking the distal epiphysis (MLU.Wa104-105.2008)
Bustylus cf. cernaysi5 Gheerbrant and Russell 1991 eutherian
e.g. Wa/385
"? Adapisoriculus germanicus n. sp." = Bustylus germanicus4 Russell 1964 eutherian
Wa/358 - type (left dentary with m/2-3)
"Afrodon germanicus" = Bustylus germanicus4 Russell 1964 eutherian
Upper dentition: Wa/384 b (left M2), Wa/16122-1 (right M1), Wa/16122-2 (right M2); lower dentition: WA/359 (dentary with P/4), Wa/360 (dentary with M/3), Wa/361 (dentary with a broken M/3), Wa/383 (composite right P/4-M/2), Wa/35 (right dentary with P/4- M/1), Wa/16118 B (right M/l?), Wa/16119 (left dentary with M/2-3) and WB 9 (left dentary with P/4-M/3)
Reptilia
 Squamata - Boidae
Boidae indet.11 Gray 1825 boa
jaw fragment; first reported by Kuhn (1940, Zbl. Min. Geol. Paläont.)
 Squamata -
Glyptosaurus walbeckensis n. sp.1 Kuhn 1940 worm lizard
 Squamata - Iguanidae
 Crocodylia - Planocraniidae
"Weigeltisuchus sp." = Boverisuchus12
"Weigeltisuchus sp." = Boverisuchus12 Kuhn 1938 crocodilian
 Crocodylia -
Diplocynodon sp.12 Pomel 1847 crocodilian
Aves
 Strigiformes -
Berruornis halbedeli n. sp. Mayr 2007 owl
WAL01.2001 (incomplete right tarsometatarsus)
Berruornis halbedeli Mayr 2007 owl
WAL02.2001 (premaxilla, lacking the tip)
 Gruiformes - Messelornithidae
? Walbeckornis "sp. A" Mayr 2007 bird
WAL406.2007 (eft tarsometatarsus, lacking proximal and distal ends)
? Walbeckornis "sp. B" Mayr 2007 bird
WAL100.2007 and WAL101.2007 (right coracoid); tentatively referred specimens: Right scapula, cranial end: WAL450.2007 (Fig. 5D). Left humerus, lacking proximal end: WAL408.2007 (Fig. 5E). Right tarsometatarsus, distal end: WAL415.2007
Walbeckornis creber n. gen. n. sp. Mayr 2007 bird
WAL472.2007 - holotype (right tarsometatarsus); numerous referred specimens (WAL)
 Gruiformes -
Gradiornis walbeckensis n. gen. n. sp.
Gradiornis walbeckensis n. gen. n. sp. Mayr 2007 bird
WAL349.2007 - holotype (left coracoid, lacking tuberculum brachiale and medial portion of extremitas sternalis); numerous referred specimens (WAL)
 Gastornithiformes - Gastornithidae
? Gastornis sp. Hébert 1855 bird
WAL347.2007 (right coracoid)
 Neornithes - Lithornithidae
Fissuravis weigelti n. gen. n. sp.
Fissuravis weigelti n. gen. n. sp. Mayr 2007 bird
WAL346.2007 - holotype (incomplete left coracoid)