Parschlug (Miocene of Austria)

Where: Steiermark, Austria (47.5° N, 15.3° E: paleocoordinates 47.0° N, 14.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Badenian (13.7 - 12.7 Ma)

• Considered to be late Karpatian to early Badenian (late Early to early Middle Miocene)

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: pond; lithified lithology not reported

• In the Parschlug basin, sands and sandstones overlie the basement. A 4-8 m thick coal seam ("Parschlug seam") follows in the section. Towards the east and northwest the seam thickness decreases, and the seam splits up and wedges out. Therefore, mining activity was focussed formerly on the southwestern part of the depression. Clays and marls with up to 10 cm thick marlstone-ironstone intercalations (German: Toneisensteinbänke) overlie the seam. At certain levels they bear plant remains known as the famous flora of Parschlug (and presumably the insects). The ash content of the coal is relatively high (up to 40 %). The sulphur content of 4 to 7 % and the preservation of gastropod shells (Planorbis aplanatis) in an inter-seam indicate a relatively high pH-value (around 7) of the mire.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: mold/impression, adpression

Primary reference: O. Heer. 1849. Die Insektenfauna der Tertiärgebilde von Oeningen und von Radoboj in Croatien. Zweiter Theil: Henschrecken, Florfliegen, Aderflügler, Schmetterlinge und Fliegen 1-264 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 115306: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 01.09.2011

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Insecta
 Blattodea -
Heterogamia antiqua n. sp.
Heterogamia antiqua n. sp. Heer 1849 cockroach
 Orthoptera - Gryllacrididae
Locustites maculata n. gen. n. sp.
Locustites maculata n. gen. n. sp. Heer 1849 grasshopper
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
"Ponera crassinervis n. sp." = Poneropsis crassinervis, "Formica occultata" = Lasius occultatus, Myrmica obsoleta n. sp., Myrmica aemula n. sp.
"Ponera crassinervis n. sp." = Poneropsis crassinervis Heer 1849 ant
"Formica occultata" = Lasius occultatus Heer 1849 ant
var. parschlugiana
Myrmica obsoleta n. sp. Heer 1849 ant
Myrmica aemula n. sp. Heer 1849 ant
 Hymenoptera - Vespidae
"Vespa attavina n. sp." = Polistes attavina
"Vespa attavina n. sp." = Polistes attavina Heer 1849 wasp
 Coleoptera - Hydrophilidae
Hydrophilus carbonarius n. sp.1
Hydrophilus carbonarius n. sp.1 Heer 1847 water scavenger beetle
 Coleoptera - Scarabaeidae
Melolonthites parschlugiana n. sp.1, Melolonthites kollari n. sp.1
Melolonthites parschlugiana n. sp.1 Heer 1847 scarab beetle
Melolonthites kollari n. sp.1 Heer 1847 scarab beetle
 Trichoptera - Phryganeidae
Phryganea parschlugiana n. sp.2
Phryganea parschlugiana n. sp.2 Heer 1883 large caddisfly
 Diptera - Mycetophilidae
"Sciophila vetusta n. sp." = Mycomya vetusta
"Sciophila vetusta n. sp." = Mycomya vetusta Heer 1849 fungus gnat
 Diptera - Bibionidae
"Protomyia parschlugiana n. sp." = Penthetria parschlugiana
"Protomyia parschlugiana n. sp." = Penthetria parschlugiana Heer 1849 march fly
Protomyia jucunda parschlugiana
1Heer 1847; 2Heer 1883