PBDB Collection

Sand pit at Maurerkopf hill near Edelbeuren (Miocene of Germany)

Where: Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany (48.1° N, 10.0° E: paleocoordinates 48.4° N, 8.6° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Upper Freshwater Molasse Formation (Molasse Group), MN 5 (16.0 - 13.7 Ma)

• Middle Miocene, mammal zone MN 5, latest Orleanien (Sach, 2010)

•there are several fossiliferous horizons which occupy a relatively narrow stratigraphic interval of about 4 m (Sach, 2010)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - small; poorly lithified, fine-grained, micaceous, quartzose sandstone

• “Insgesamt kann der ehemalige Lebensraum an der Fundstelle am besten rekonstruiert werden als zeitweise durchströmtes Stillgewässer in einer dynamischen Flusslandschaft” [In summary, the ancient environment in the locality can be best interpreted as a temporarily fluvially affected body of standing water within a dynamic river plain] (Sach, 2010).

•The depth of the small lake is said to have been about 4 m (Sach, 2010).

• “Die heute aufgelassene Sandgrube am Maurerkopf bei Edelbeuren (Landkreis Biberach/Riss) erschließt eine Sedimentabfolge der Oberen Süßwassermolasse mit feinkörnigen, schräggeschichteten Quarzglimmersanden in Wechsellagerung mit Ton- und Mergeleinschaltungen sowie fossilführenden Aufarbeitungslagen. Das in der Grube anstehende Feinsediment (‚Pfohsande‘) ist stark verdichtet, sehr standfest und bildet deshalb eine nahezu senkrechte Grubenwand. Durch Kalk verfestigte Sandpartien wittern bankartig aus der Wand heraus” [The abandoned sand pit at the Maurerkopf hill near Edelbeuren (Biberach/Riss county) exposes a sedimentary succession of the Upper Freshwater Molasse with fine-grained, cross-bedded quartzose and micaceous sands intercalated by clay and marl beds as well as fossiliferous beds with pieces of reworked sedimentary rocks. The exposed fines (locally called ‘Pfohsande’) are strongly compacted and very firm and thus form an almost vertical pit wall. Intervals which are cemented by calcium carbonate are weathering out of the pit wall as thick beds] (Sach, 2010).

•Die Grundmasse der Aufarbeitungslagen besteht aus muskovitreichem Feinsand und kleinen Sandsteinkonkretionen, in die Ton- und Mergelgerölle (Durchschnittsgröße 1-5 Zentimeter, Einzelstücke bis etwa 15 Zentimeter) sowie vereinzelte Fossilreste eingelagert sind. Bei den aufgefundenen Fossilien handelt es sich zumeist um verkieselte Holzreste, Schneckengehäuse, Bruchstücke von Muschelschalen oder um Reste von Wirbeltieren” [The matrix of the fossiliferous beds consists of muscovite-rich fine sand and small sandstone concretions that contain clay and marl pebbles (mean size 1-5 cm, maximum 15 cm) and, sporadicly, fossils. The fossils encountered are mainly silicified wood, gastropod shells, bivalve debris or vertebrate remains] (Sach, 2010).

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Preservation: original aragonite

Collected by V. Sach in 1987 and later; reposited in the SMNS

Collection methods: surface (in situ), sieve,

• Because the abandoned sand pit is in a natural reserve, collecting mainly was restricted to specimens that were weathering out of the pit wall. Only in 1996 some samples were recovered for screenwashing (Sach, 2010).

Primary reference: V. Sach. 2010. Einmal Miozän und zurück – Zeitreise am Maurerkopf bei Edelbeuren. Oberschwaben Naturnah 2010:41-45 [J. Mueller/T. Liebrecht]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 175727: authorized by Johannes Mueller, entered by Torsten Liebrecht on 06.01.2016, edited by Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Very abundant are teeth and jaws of cricetids (more than 50% of the small mammal material). Among the large mammals the most abundant taxa are rhinocerotids, Procervulus and Dorcatherium (Sach, 2010).

Show authors, comments, and common names

unclassified
-	Pseudocandona sp., Strandesia sp., Mediocypris candonaeformis Pseudocandona sp. Strandesia sp. Mediocypris candonaeformis

Charales - Characea	Chara sp. Chara sp. Linnaeus 1753 stonewort
Angiospermae
Rosales - Ulmaceae	Celtis sp. Celtis sp. Linnaeus 1753 hackberry
Reptilia
Squamata - Anguidae	Anguidae indet. Anguidae indet. Gray 1825 squamates
Squamata - Lacertidae	Lacerta sp. Lacerta sp. Linnaeus 1758 squamates
Squamata -	Serpentes indet. Serpentes indet. Linnaeus 1758 snake
Squamata - Crotalidae	Vipera sp. Vipera sp. Laurenti 1768 pit viper
Testudines - Geoemydidae	Mauremys sp., Ptychogaster sp. Mauremys sp. Gray 1870 pond turtle Ptychogaster sp. Pomel 1847 turtle
Testudines - Testudinidae	Geochelone sp., Testudo sp. Geochelone sp. Fitzinger 1835 turtle Testudo sp. Linnaeus 1758 turtle
Testudines - Trionychidae	Trionyx sp. Trionyx sp. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809 softshell turtle
Crocodylia -	Diplocynodon sp. Diplocynodon sp. Pomel 1847 crocodilian
Aves
Aves -	Aves indet. Aves indet. bird
Mammalia
Placentalia -	Carnivora sp., Carnivora indet. Carnivora sp. Bowdich 1821 carnivoran "Mustelidae vel Viverridae indet." Carnivora indet. Bowdich 1821 carnivoran
Carnivora - Viverridae	Semigenetta sansaniensis Semigenetta sansaniensis civet
Carnivora - Mustelidae	Trocharion albanense Trocharion albanense Forsyth-Major 1903 mustelid carnivore
Carnivora -	Proputorius sansaniensis Proputorius sansaniensis Filhol 1891 carnivoran
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	Rhinocerotidae indet. Rhinocerotidae indet. Gray 1821 rhinoceros
Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae	Chalicotherium grande Chalicotherium grande de Blainville 1849 chalicothere
Artiodactyla - Suidae	Hyotherium soemmeringi Hyotherium soemmeringi von Meyer 1834 pig
Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae	Palaeomeryx sp., Procervulus dichotomus Palaeomeryx sp. von Meyer 1834 ruminant Procervulus dichotomus Gervais 1849 ruminant
Artiodactyla - Tragulidae	Dorcatherium guntianum Dorcatherium guntianum von Meyer 1846 chevrotain
Artiodactyla - Cainotheriidae	Cainotherium huerzeleri Cainotherium huerzeleri Heizmann 1983 even-toed ungulate
Tribosphenida - Erinaceidae	Erinaceinae sp., Galerix symeonidisi Erinaceinae sp. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 hedgehog "Mioechinus vel Amphechinus sp." Galerix symeonidisi Doukas 1986 hedgehog
Tribosphenida - Erinaceoidae	Plesiodimylus sp. Plesiodimylus sp. Gaillard 1897 placental
Soricomorpha - Talpidae	Talpidae indet. Talpidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817 mole
Soricomorpha - Soricidae	Soricidae indet., Miosorex sp. Soricidae indet. Fischer 1814 shrew Miosorex sp. Kretzoi 1959 shrew
Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae	Prolagus oeningensis Prolagus oeningensis König 1825 pika
Rodentia - Sciuridae	Sciuridae indet. Sciuridae indet. Gray 1821 squirrel
Rodentia - Cricetidae	Eumyarion medius, Democricetodon mutilus, Cricetodon meini, Megacricetodon lappi, Megacricetodon minor Eumyarion medius Lartet 1851 rodent Democricetodon mutilus Fahlbusch 1964 rodent Cricetodon meini Freudenthal 1963 rodent Megacricetodon lappi Mein 1958 rodent Megacricetodon minor Lartet 1851 rodent
Rodentia - Gliridae	Paraglirulus werenfelsi, Miodyromys aegercii, Microdyromys miocaenicus Paraglirulus werenfelsi Engesser 1972 dormouse Miodyromys aegercii Baudelot 1972 dormouse Microdyromys miocaenicus dormouse
Rodentia - Eomyidae	Keramidomys thaleri Keramidomys thaleri Hugueney and Mein 1968 rodent
Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae	Gomphotherium angustidens Gomphotherium angustidens Burmeister 1837 gomphothere
Amphibia
Salientia - Discoglossidae	Latonia gigantea Latonia gigantea Lartet 1851 painted frog
Caudata - Urodela	Mioproteus caucasicus Mioproteus caucasicus Estes and Darevsky 1978 mudpuppy
Actinopteri
Teleostei -	Teleostei indet. Teleostei indet. Müller 1846
Acanthomorphata - Moronidae	? Moronidae indet. ? Moronidae indet. temperate bass "Percoidei indet. (?Wolfsbarsch)"
Anabantiformes - Channidae	Channidae indet. Channidae indet. Berg 1940 snakehead
Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae	Palaeoleuciscus sp., Palaeocarassius sp. Palaeoleuciscus sp. Obrhelová 1969 carp-like fish Palaeocarassius sp. Obrhelová 1970 carp-like fish
Malacostraca
Decapoda - Potamidae	Potamon sp. Potamon sp. Savigny 1816 crab
Ostracoda
Podocopida - Cyprididae	Eucypris hagni Eucypris hagni ostracod
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora - Subulinidae	Opeas minutum Opeas minutum Klein 1853 slug
Stylommatophora - Elonidae	Klikia sp., Pseudochloritis incrassata Klikia sp. Pilsbry 1895 slug Pseudochloritis incrassata Klein 1853 slug
Stylommatophora - Helicidae	"Megalotachea silvana" = Palaeotachea silvana, Palaeotachea renevieri "Megalotachea silvana" = Palaeotachea silvana Klein 1853 slug Palaeotachea renevieri Maillard 1892 slug Cepaea sp. in Sach, 1999/2014
Stylommatophora - Clausiliidae	Clausiliidae indet. Clausiliidae indet. Gray 1855 slug
Stylommatophora - Filholiidae	Triptychia sp. Triptychia sp. Sandberger 1876 slug
Stylommatophora - Zonitidae	Archaeozonites costatus Archaeozonites costatus Sandberger 1876 true glass snail Valvata sp. in Sach, 1999
Heterostropha - Lymnaeidae	Lymnaea dilatata, Lymnaea dilatata, Galba cf. dupuyiana Lymnaea dilatata Noulet 1854 snail Lymnaea dilatata Noulet 1854 snail Galba cf. dupuyiana Noulet 1845 snail
Heterostropha - Planorbidae	Planorbarius cornu Planorbarius cornu Brongniart 1810 snail
Sorbeoconcha - Bithyniidae	Bithynia sp. Bithynia sp. Leach 1818 snail
Bivalvia
Unionida - Margaritiferidae	Margaritifera flabellata Margaritifera flabellata Goldfuss 1837 clam "Unio vel Margaritifera sp."