Aix-en-Provence (collection of Professor Heer) (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

Collected by Oswald Heer

• Acquired by M. de Saporta in a gypsum quarry in the vicinity of Aix.

Primary reference: S. H. Scudder. 1875. Fossil butterflies. Memoirs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1:1-99 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 123944: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 02.02.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Thysanoptera - Thripidae
Thrips formicoides n. sp.1 Oustalet 1873 thrips
Thrips obsoleta n. sp.1 Oustalet 1873 thrips
 Hemiptera - Cydnidae
"Cydnopsis heerii n. sp." = Cydnus heeri3
"Cydnopsis heerii n. sp." = Cydnus heeri3 Oustalet 1874 burrowing bug
 Lepidoptera - Papilionidae
Thaites ruminiana n. gen. n. sp.
Thaites ruminiana n. gen. n. sp. Scudder 1875 swallowtail butterfly
 Coleoptera - Mycetophagidae
"Triphyllus heerii n. sp." = Triphyllus heeri2
"Triphyllus heerii n. sp." = Triphyllus heeri2 Oustalet 1874 hairy fungus beetle
 Coleoptera - Curculionidae
Cleonus inflexus2, "Cleonus asperulus" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2, "Brachyderes longipes" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2, Hipporhinus heerii2, "Phytonomus annosus n. sp." = Rhytidoderes sexsulcatus2, Plinthus heerii n. sp.2
Cleonus inflexus2 Oustalet 1874 snout beetle
"Cleonus asperulus" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2 Heer 1856 snout beetle
"Brachyderes longipes" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2 Heer 1856 snout beetle
Hipporhinus heerii2 Germar 1849 snout beetle
"Phytonomus annosus n. sp." = Rhytidoderes sexsulcatus2 Heer 1856 snout beetle
Plinthus heerii n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 snout beetle
 Coleoptera - Brentidae
Coeliodes primigenius n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 weevil
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
Staphylinus prodromus n. sp.2, "Scydmaenus heerii n. sp." = Scydmaenus heeri2
Staphylinus prodromus n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 rove beetle
"Scydmaenus heerii n. sp." = Scydmaenus heeri2 Oustalet 1874 antlike stone beetle
 Coleoptera - Hydrophilidae
Laccobius vetustus n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 water scavenger beetle
Hydrophilus antiquus n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 water scavenger beetle
 Coleoptera - Carabidae
Bembidium saportanum n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 ground beetle
Panagaeus dryadum n. sp.2 Oustalet 1874 ground beetle