Rott (Von Dechen Bonn coll.) (Oligocene of Germany)

Where: Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (50.7° N, 7.3° E: paleocoordinates 50.6° N, 4.3° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: MP 30 (28.4 - 23.0 Ma)

• "MP30"

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified, fine-grained, brown lignite

• According to the reconstruction of the sedimentation history. the limnic sediments of the Rott Fonnation were deposited in a single, relatively small and shallow lake (Mors, 1995). This lake was at least 3 km in diameter, and was encircled by a large accretion zone, which passed into an alluvial forest. Many small rivulets are expected to have flown into the Rott Lake, but no large river could be evidenced (MOn, 1995). The estimated mean aunual temperature (MAT) in this area at the accumulation time of lake sediments was17.5±1.2°C, based on the leaf margin analysis (Winterscheid, 2006).
• "fine layered brown coal" also called "lignites": figure of specimen indicates complete lithification

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: adpression

Reposited in the AMNH, BMNH

• Repository: Formerly (and possibly partly still) Institut für Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, collection of Dr. von Dechen. Specimens are now distributed in a number of museums (Selden, 2002). Presumably Argyroneta antiqua mentioned by Petrunkevitch (1946) is one of Bertkau's specimens.

Primary reference: C. Von Heyden. 1859. Fossile Insekten aus der Rheinischen Braunkhohle. Palaeontographica 8:1-15 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 127628: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Amy Delelli on 19.05.2012, edited by Jered Karr and Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Myriapoda
 Julida - Julidae
"Julus antiquus" = Bertkaupolypus antiquus1
"Julus antiquus" = Bertkaupolypus antiquus1 Bertkau 1878 millipede
Arachnida
 Araneae - Araneidae
"Epeira troschelii n. sp." = Araneus troschelii1
"Epeira troschelii n. sp." = Araneus troschelii1 Bertkau 1878 orb-weaving spider
in Blätterkohle (coal)
 Araneae - Linyphiidae
? Erigone dechenii n. sp.1, Linyphia andraei n. sp.1, Linyphia rottensis n. sp.1
? Erigone dechenii n. sp.1 Bertkau 1878 money spider/sheet weaver
in Stückchen Schiefer (slate)
Linyphia andraei n. sp.1 Bertkau 1878 money spider/sheet weaver
in Kieselschiefer (chert)
Linyphia rottensis n. sp.1 Bertkau 1878 money spider/sheet weaver
in Kieselschiefer (chert)
 Araneae - Agelenidae
? Histopona anthracina n. sp.1
? Histopona anthracina n. sp.1 Bertkau 1878 spider
in Stückchen Blätterkohle (cherty coal)
 Araneae - Thomisidae
? Xysticus annulipes n. sp.1
? Xysticus annulipes n. sp.1 Bertkau 1878 crab spider
in Stückchen thonigen Kieselschiefers (argillaceous chert)
 Araneae - Dictynidae
Argyroneta sp.3
Argyroneta sp.3 Latreille 1804 spider
9 on Blätterkohle (coal), 9 on Kieselschiefer (chert)
Insecta
 Diptera - Tipulidae
Ctenophora decheni n. sp.
Ctenophora decheni n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 crane fly
 Diptera - Bibionidae
Bibio sp.4, "Bibiopsis volgeri n. sp." = Plecia volgeri
Bibio sp.4 Geoffroy 1762 march fly
"Bibiopsis volgeri n. sp." = Plecia volgeri Von Heyden 1859 love bug
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Prionomyrmex wappleri n. sp.2, ? Formica sp.
Prionomyrmex wappleri n. sp.2 Dlussky 2012 bulldog ant
Ro A-712
? Formica sp. Linnaeus 1758 ant
 Hymenoptera - Apidae
Bombus antiquus n. sp.
Bombus antiquus n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 bee
 Coleoptera - Anthribidae
"Tophoderes depontanus n. sp." = Syntophoderes depontanus
"Tophoderes depontanus n. sp." = Syntophoderes depontanus Von Heyden 1859 fungus weevil
 Coleoptera - Chrysomelidae
Caryoborus ruinosus n. sp.
Caryoborus ruinosus n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 palm bruchid
 Coleoptera - Cerambycidae
Hylotrupes senex n. sp.
Hylotrupes senex n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 longhorned beetle
 Coleoptera - Tenebrionidae
? Tenebrio senex n. sp.
? Tenebrio senex n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 darkling beetle
 Coleoptera - Hydrophilidae
"Hydrophilus fraternus n. sp." = Hydrobiomorpha fraterna, "Hydrous miserandus n. sp." = Hydrobiomorpha fraterna
"Hydrophilus fraternus n. sp." = Hydrobiomorpha fraterna Von Heyden 1859 water scavenger beetle
"Hydrous miserandus n. sp." = Hydrobiomorpha fraterna Von Heyden 1859 water scavenger beetle
 Coleoptera - Elateridae
Silicernius spectabilis n. gen. n. sp.
Silicernius spectabilis n. gen. n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 click beetle
 Coleoptera - Buprestidae
"Ancylochira redempta n. sp." = Buprestis redempta, Buprestis tradita n. sp., Dicerca bronni n. sp.
"Ancylochira redempta n. sp." = Buprestis redempta Von Heyden 1859 jewel beetle
Buprestis tradita n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 jewel beetle
Dicerca bronni n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 jewel beetle
 Coleoptera - Byrrhidae
Byrrhus lucae n. sp.
Byrrhus lucae n. sp. Von Heyden 1859 pill beetle
1Bertkau 1878; 2Dlussky 2012; 3Selden 2002; 4Skartveit and Wedmann 2021