Felsőtárkány 2 (Miocene of Hungary)

Also known as FT 2, Felsotarkany 2

Where: Heves, Hungary (48.0° N, 20.4° E: paleocoordinates 47.6° N, 20.2° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: MN 9 (11.1 - 9.7 Ma)

• Felsőtárkány 2 occupies an intermediate stratigraphic position among the localities reported by Venczel & Hír (2013). Hutchinson & Begun (2006, Geophys. Res. Abstr. 8) assign the lower beds of the fossiliferous Miocene succession above the tuff bed of the Galgavölgi Fm. (dated 13.7±0.8 Ma) to the Kozárd Fm. and the upper beds to the Sajóvölgi Fm., but Vencel & Hír (2013) do not give a stratigraphic column and do not mention any lithostratigraphic unit.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial-deltaic; green claystone

• "The sedimentary succession [of the late Middle and early Upper Miocene in the Felsőtárkány area] is considered likely to correspond to a river-dominated delta-top, with the basal association marking an interdistributary bay environment, which becomes paludal as water level falls. Initial distal floodplain deposition is followed by more proximal sandstone deposits due to progradation of the delta southwards from the uplifted Bükk Mountains, and possible channel avulsion on the delta-top.

•Felsőtárkány is effectively situated on a palaeo-coastline during the late middle Miocene and early late Miocene. The transition from Sarmatian near-shore, shallow water and nearby upper Badenian to Sarmatian reef facies to younger delta-top floodplain facies may indicate the initiation of the final Miocene regression from this area of the Pannonian Basin." (Hutchinson & Begun, 2006).

• "reworked green clays" Venczel & Hír (2013)

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: original phosphate

Collected by Janos Hír in 1999–20??

Collection methods: peroxide, sieve,

• "The fossils resulted from about 21 tones [sic!] of fossiliferous sediments processed from the Felsőtárkány-Felnémet and Felsőtárkány localities (see Hír 2006). In the field, the samples were air dried and soaked in water with H2O2 and washed repetitively using a series of screens with mashes [sic!] of 0.8 and 0.6 or 0.5 mm. [...] The finds are stored at the Municipal Museum of Pásztó (MMP)." (Venczel & Hír, 2013).

Primary reference: M. Venczel and J. Hír. 2013. Amphibians and Squamates from the Miocene of Felsőtárkány Basin, N-Hungary. Palaeontographica, Abteilung A: Paleozoology – Stratigraphy 300(1–6):117-158 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 168187: authorized by Johannes Mueller, entered by Torsten Liebrecht on 17.04.2015

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Amphibia
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo cf. viridis Laurenti 1768 European green toad
1 fragmentary frontoparietal-exoccipital-prootic complex (MMP 2009.588), 1 scapula (MMP 2009.589), 3 ilia (MMP 2009.590 and 2009.591/1 and 2)
 Salientia - Ranidae
Pelophylax sp. Fitzinger 1843 frog
1 angulosplenial (MMP 2009.594), 2 ilia (MMP 2009.595/1 and 2)
 Salientia - Hylidae
Hyla cf. arborea Linnaeus 1758 tree frog
1 angulosplenial (MMP 2009.592), 4 ilia (MMP 2009.593/1 to 4)
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates cf. sanchizi spadefoot toad
2 maxillae (MMP 2009.584/1 and 2), 2 squamosals (MMP 2009.585/1 and 2), 1 sacral vertebra (MMP 2009.586), 1 ilium (MMP 2009.587)
 Salientia -
Latonia gigantea Lartet 1851 frog
5 maxillae (MMP 2009.577/1 to 5), 5 angulosplenials (MMP 2009.578/1 to 5), 2 atlases (MMP 2009.579/1 and 2), 1 sacral vertebra (MMP 2009.580), 2 urostyles (MMP 2009.581/1 and 2), 8 fragmentary ilia (MMP 2009.582/1 to 8), 1 scapula (MMP 2009.583)
 Caudata - Urodela
Lissotriton cf. rohrsi newt
1 parasphenoid (MMP 2009.575), 4 precaudal vertebrae (MMP 2009.576/1 to 4)
Reptilia
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emydidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 turtle
 Squamata -
Scolecophidia indet. Duméril and Bibron 1844 snake
1 trunk vertebra (MMP 2009.607)
 Squamata - Boidae
Albaneryx cf. volynicus Zerova 1989 sand boa
1 mid-trunk vertebra (MMP 2009.601/1), 1 ?anterior caudal vertebra (MMP 2009.608/2)
 Squamata - Elapidae
Elapidae indet. Boié 1827 snake
1 vertebra (MMP 2009.613)
 Squamata - Viperidae
Viperidae indet. Oppel 1811 viper
6 venom fangs (MMP 2009.615/1 to 6)
 Squamata - Crotalidae
Vipera "sp. (Vipera berus complex)" Laurenti 1768 pit viper
1 vertebra (MMP 2009.614)
 Squamata - Colubridae
Colubrinae "indet. sp. 1" Oppel 1811 colubrid snake
10 (fragmentary) vertebrae (MMP 2009.609/1 to 10); "somewhat resembling those assigned to H. hungaricus"
Natrix cf. rudabanyaensis water snake
1 basioccipital (MMP 2009.610), 2 prootics (MMP 2009.611/1 and 2), 4 vertebrae (MMP 2009.612/1 to 4)
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacertidae "indet. sp. 1" Bonaparte 1831 squamates
5 maxillae (MMP 2009.598/1 to 5), 15 dentaries (MMP 2009.599/1 to 15)
 Squamata - Scincidae
Scincidae indet. Gray 1825 skink
3 dentaries (MMP 2009.600/1 to 3)
 Squamata - Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae indet. Gray 1825 gecko
1 dentary (MMP 2009.596), 1 vertebra (MMP 2009.597)
 Squamata - Anguidae
Ophisaurus cf. spinari Klembara 1979 glass lizard
70 osteoderms (MMP 2009.601/1 to 70), 3 maxillae (MMP 2009.602)/1 to 3), 4 dentaries (MMP 2009.603/1 to 4), 4 vertebrae (MMP 2009.604/1 to 4)
Anguis cf. fragilis Linneaus 1758 Slow worm
10 osteoderms (MMP 2009.605/1 to 10), 1 vertebra (MMP 2009.606)