Aix-en-Provence (Zurich Museum collection) (Oligocene of France)

Where: Bouches-Du-Rhone, France (43.5° N, 5.5° E: paleocoordinates 43.3° N, 2.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Niveau du gypse d'Aix Formation, Chattian (28.1 - 23.0 Ma)

• "The ‘insect formation’ is 2.5 m thick, divided in two parts that correspond to two very different environmental conditions. The first (lower) episode is remarkable by its lateral monotony of facies on a distance of 6 km at least, in the outcrops observed on the northwest of Aix-en-Provence. This lower episode is distinguished from the rest of the ‘insect formation’ and from the whole formation of Aix-en-Provence by the presence of a very numerous thin limestone laminae. The second (upper) episode is remarkable by the presence of many silici- fied laminae. The fauna in this level is also very well preserved"….This collection consists of unspecified layers

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified limestone

• This lacustrine formation was deposited in a very large but shallow-water lake, with variable salinity and near the marine coast (Nury 1990, Nury & Thomassin 1994). Irregular basins formed during extension of the European platform in the Oligocene resulting from the formation of the West-European rift system.
• The deposit presents an alternation of limestone and marls with gypsum.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: mold/impression, adpression

Primary reference: O. Heer. 1853. Die Insektenfauna der Tertiärgebilde von Oeningen und von Radoboj in Croatien. Dritte Theil: Rhynchoten 1-138 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Uhen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 122876: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 06.01.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Diptera - Bibionidae
Plecia ? macilenta6, "Protomyia elegans" = Plecia bucklandi1, "Protomyia gracilis" = Plecia bucklandi1, Bibio curtisii1, Penthetria nervisinuata5
Plecia ? macilenta6 Skartveit and Pika 2014 love bug
ETHZ S.N. 186; Pl. I. 872
"Protomyia elegans" = Plecia bucklandi1 Heer 1849 love bug
"Protomyia gracilis" = Plecia bucklandi1 Heer 1849 love bug
Z.U.S. collection (possibly Zurich University?)
Bibio curtisii1 Heer 1856 march fly
Penthetria nervisinuata5 Theobald 1937 march fly
ETHZ 164 (Bibiopsis funerata Heer in Heer & Gaudin, 1861 - nomen nudum)
 Diptera - Empididae
Hilarites bellus n. gen. n. sp.1
Hilarites bellus n. gen. n. sp.1 Heer 1856 dagger fly
Z.U.S. collection (possibly Zurich University?)
 Hemiptera - Rhyparochromidae
"Pachymerus murchisoni" = Aphanus murchisonae, "Pachymerus bojeri" = Aphanus murchisonae, "Pachymerus pulchellus" = Aphanus pulchellus1
"Pachymerus murchisoni" = Aphanus murchisonae Heer 1853 seed bug
"Pachymerus bojeri" = Aphanus murchisonae Heer 1853 seed bug
"Pachymerus pulchellus" = Aphanus pulchellus1 Heer 1853 seed bug
 Hemiptera - Pentatomidae
Eurydema impudica n. sp. Heer 1853 stink bug
 Hemiptera - Aphrophoridae
Aphrophora pinguicula n. sp. Heer 1853 froghopper
 Hemiptera - Cicadellidae
Bythoscopus muscarius n. sp. Heer 1853 leafhopper
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
"Formica capito" = Lasius globularis2, Formica oculata2
"Formica capito" = Lasius globularis2 Heer 1849 ant
Formica oculata2 Heer 1849 ant
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
Stenus prodromus n. sp.1 Heer 1856 rove beetle
Z.U.S. collection (possibly Zurich University?)
 Coleoptera - Curculionidae
Hipporhinus heerii1 Germar 1849 snout beetle
Hipporhinus schaumii n. sp.1 Heer 1856 snout beetle
Cleonus leucosiae4 Heer 1847 snout beetle
 Trichoptera - Phryganeidae
Phryganea aquensis n. sp.3 Heer 1883 large caddisfly
Collection not given
 Lepidoptera -
Pyralites obscurus n. gen. n. sp.1
Pyralites obscurus n. gen. n. sp.1 Heer 1856 moth