Bitterfeld amber (Ludwig collection) (Eocene of Germany)

Also known as Saxonian amber

Where: Halle, Germany (51.6° N, 12.4° E: paleocoordinates 50.4° N, 8.0° E)

When: Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• Bitterfeld amber occurs in the "Bernsteinschluff" Horizon, i.e. a part of the Upper "Bitterfelder Glimmersand" in the upper part of the Cottbus Formation. Detailed biostratigraphic investigations favor an uppermost Chattian age for the unit. Originally assigned a Miocene age, and then thought to be redeposited Baltic amber. The chemical composition of Bitterfeld amber is distinct from true Baltic amber (e.g., Sodhi et al., 2013). Hydrogen isotopes indicate that Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers have distinct geographic sources, but carbon isotopes and insects suggest Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers are coeval in age (Wolfe et al., 2016).

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithified amber

Size class: mesofossils

Preservation: soft parts, original chitin, amber

Collection methods: Repository: Private collection of W. Ludwig (Berlin)

Primary reference: J. Wunderlich. 2004. The fossil Theridiosomatidae (Araneae) in Baltic and Dominican amber. In J. Wunderlich (ed.), Beiträge zur Araneologie 3:998-1019 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 149477: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 06.08.2013

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Odonata - Platycnemididae
? Platycnemis antiqua1 Pictet 1848 white-legged damselfly
 Coleoptera - Cerambycidae
Palaeotetropium saxonicum n. gen. n. sp.2, Europsimus germanicus n. gen. n. sp.2
Palaeotetropium saxonicum n. gen. n. sp.2 Vitali 2011 longhorned beetle
Bi 1002
Europsimus germanicus n. gen. n. sp.2 Vitali 2011 longhorned beetle
Bi 1001
Arachnida
 Araneae - Anapidae
Balticonopsis bitterfeldensis n. sp.3 Wunderlich 2004 spider
 Araneae - Theridiosomatidae
Eotheridiosoma sp. Wunderlich 2004 ray spider
 Araneae - Cyatholipidae
Balticolipus kruemmeri4 Wunderlich 2004 spider