Oberleichtersbach (Oligocene of Germany)

Where: Bavaria, Germany (50.3° N, 9.8° E: paleocoordinates 50.1° N, 6.9° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: MP 30 (28.4 - 23.0 Ma)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: sinkhole; unlithified siliciclastic sediments

• "The geology of the locality indicates that the sediments belong to a doline filling, developed due to karstification of the Middle Triassic anhydrites of the Middle Muschelkalk." (Böhme, 2008).

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

• The Palaeorutilus spp. and Gobioninae spp. are primarily represented by dentigerous pharyngeal bones and isolated teeth.

•Turtles are represented by isolated plastron/carapax elements or limb bones only.

Collected in 1999; reposited in the SMF

Collection methods: sieve,

• The fossil locality was discovered by a private collector in 1998 and one year later larger amounts of sediment for screenwashing have been recovered.

Primary reference: B. Engesser and G. Storch. 2008. Latest Oligocene Didelphimorpha, Lipotyphla, Rodentia and Lagomorpha (Mammalia) from Oberleichtersbach, Rhön Mountains, Germany. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 260:185-251 [L. van den Hoek Ostende/L. van den Hoek Ostende/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 84364: authorized by Lars van den Hoek Ostende, entered by Lars van den Hoek Ostende on 12.10.2008, edited by Torsten Liebrecht and Matthew Carrano

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Amphibia
 Salientia - Palaeobatrachidae
Palaeobatrachus "sp. 1"1 Tschudi 1839 frog
"aff. P. robustus"
Palaeobatrachus "sp. 2"1 Tschudi 1839 frog
"aff. Albionbatrachus wightensis"
Palaeobatrachus "sp. 3"1 Tschudi 1839 frog
"aff. P. laubei vel diluvianus"; Walter Heck collection, Oberleichtersbach
 Salientia - Discoglossidae
Discoglossus sp.1 Otth 1837 painted frog
"cf. D. troscheli (Meyer 1852)"
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 frog
representatives of the R. ridibunda group
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates sp.1 Wagler 1830 spadefoot toad
Eopelobates sp.1 Parker 1929 spadefoot toad
 Caudata - Urodela
Andrias scheuchzeri1 Tschudi 1837 giant salamander
1 left maxilla, 1 right dentary, 43 isolated teeth
Salamandridae indet.1 Gray 1825 newt
2 vertebrae, "? aff. Brachycormus noachicus Goldfuss 1831"
Triturus sp.1 Rafinesque 1815 newt
a single vertebra
Triturus roehrsi1 Herre 1955 newt
40 trunk vertebrae + several postcrania
Chioglossa cf. meini1 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 newt
8 vertebrae
aff. Chelotriton sp.1 Pomel 1853 newt
skull bones and postcrania
 Temnospondyli - Albanerpetontidae
Albanerpeton sp.2 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 tetrapod
Albanerpeton inexpectatum1 Estes and Hoffstetter 1976 tetrapod
3 dentaries and 2 vertebrae
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Peridyromys cf. murinus Pomel 1853 dormouse
Bransatoglis fugax Hugueney 1967 dormouse
Microdyromys monspeliensis Aguilar 1977 dormouse
Glirudinus glirulus Dehm 1935 dormouse
 Rodentia - Theridomyidae
 Rodentia - Sciuridae
Palaeosciurus goti Vianey-Liaud 1974 squirrel
Blackia miocaenica Mein 1970 squirrel
 Rodentia - Eomyidae
Rhodanomys transiens Hugueney 1969 rodent
Rhodanomys aff. hugueneyae Engesser 1987 rodent
Eomyodon mayoi Engesser 1990 rodent
 Rodentia - Castoridae
 Rodentia - Zapodidae
Plesiosminthus winistoerferi Engesser 1987 jumping mouse
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Pseudocricetodon thaleri Hugueney 1969 mouse
Adelomyarion vireti Hugueney 1969 mouse
Eucricetodon longidens Hugueney 1969 mouse
Eucricetodon collatus Schaub 1925 mouse
Melissiodon cf. quercyi Schaub 1920 mouse
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
 Theriamorpha - Dimylidae
Dimyloides hecki n. sp. placental
 Theriamorpha - Erinaceidae
Galericinae indet. Pomel 1848 hedgehog
 Theriamorpha - Soricidae
Heterosoricinae indet. Viret and Zapfe 1951 shrew
Dinosorex pusillus n. sp. shrew
Quercysorex cf. ulmensis Ziegler 1998 shrew
Ulmensia cf. antecedens Ziegler 1998 shrew
 Theriamorpha - Plesiosoricidae
Plesiosorex martinii n. sp. placental
 Theriamorpha - Talpidae
Myxomygale cf. antiqua Filhol 1890 mole
"Myxomygale minor" = Percymygale minor Ziegler 1990 mole
Geotrypus "sp. 1" Pomel 1848 mole
Geotrypus "sp. 2" Pomel 1848 mole
Paratalpa micheli Lavocat 1951 mole
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
Amphiperatherium exile Gervais 1848 marsupial
Reptilia
 Testudines - Chelydridae
Chelydropsis cf. decheni1 Meyer 1852 turtle
most abundant turtle
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emydidae indet.1 Rafinesque 1815 turtle
 Testudines - Testudinidae
aff. Geochelone sp.1 Fitzinger 1835 turtle
Testudo sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 turtle
 Testudines -
"Palaeochelys mlynarskii" = Palaeomauremys mlynarskii1
"Palaeochelys mlynarskii" = Palaeomauremys mlynarskii1 Hervet and de Broin 2000 turtle
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Trionyx sp.1 Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809 softshell turtle
rarest turtle
 Squamata -
Eoanilius oligocenicus1 Szyndlar 1994 snake
a single vertebra (SMF R 5012)
 Squamata - Viperidae
? Viperidae indet.1 Oppel 1811 viper
2 badly preserved vertebrae
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubrinae indet.1 Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
6 vertebrae
Texasophis hecki n. sp.1 Böhme 2008 colubrid snake
holotype: a single trunk vertebra (SMF R 5014), paratypes: 8 further vertebrae (SMF R 5015-5022)
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta "sp. 1"1 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Lacerta "sp. 2"1 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Lacerta "sp. 3"1 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Lacerta "sp. 4"1 Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Miolacerta sp.1 Roček 1984 squamates
a single tiny dentary (SMF R 5001)
aff. Pseudeumeces sp.1 Hoffstetter 1944 squamates
a single molariform tooth (SMF R 5008)
 Squamata - Amphisbaenidae
Amphisbaenidae indet.1 worm lizard
a single vertebra (SMF R 4998)
 Squamata -
Merkurosaurus sp.1 Klembara 2008 squamates
fragments of dentigerous bone + osteoderms
 Squamata - Anguidae
Ophisaurus sp.1 Daudin 1803 glass lizard
cranial and postcranial remains as well as osteoderms
cf. Anguis sp.1 Linnaeus 1758 slow worm
vertebrae and osteoderms only
 Crocodylia -
Diplocynodon sp.1 Pomel 1847 crocodilian
28 isolated teeth
 Choristodera -
Lazarussuchus sp.1 Hecht 1992 choristodere
"sp. nov." represented by about 25 bones
Actinopteri
 Cypriniformes - Cobitidae
Cobitis primigenius n. sp.1 Böhme 2008 carp-like fish
holotype: left lateroethmoid (SMF P 9735), paratypes: 5 further lateroethmoids (SMF P 9748-9752)
 Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
Tarsichthys macrurus1 Agassiz 1839 carp-like fish
Palaeorutilus "sp. 1"1 Gaudant 1988 carp-like fish
Palaeorutilus "sp. 2"1 Gaudant 1988 carp-like fish
Gobioninae "sp. A"1 Bleeker 1863 carp-like fish
Gobioninae "sp. B"1 Bleeker 1863 carp-like fish
Gobioninae "sp. C"1 Bleeker 1863 carp-like fish
"large", "cf. Varhostichthys eurystomus (Troschel 1861)"