Montousse 3 (Pleistocene of France)

Where: Midi-Pyrenees, France (43.3° N, 0.8° E: paleocoordinates 43.3° N, 0.8° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Middle Pleistocene (0.8 - 0.1 Ma)

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; lithology not reported

• Emys orbicularis indicates the presence of a permanent, low energy body of water with ample aquatic vegetation. The other species indicate a moist terrestrial habitat nearby (e.g., Rana temporaria and Natrix cf. Natrix natrix) that perhaps gave way to a somewhat dryer terrestrial situation (e.g., Bufo bufo and Lacerta sp.).

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: J. A. Holman. 1998. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles in Britain and Europe. Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics 1-265 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 195222: authorized by Evangelos Vlachos, entered by Evangelos Vlachos on 28.07.2018

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• the faunal assemblage indicates the change from a cold to warm phase at the end of the Tiglian.
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Reptilia
 Squamata - Lacertidae
Lacerta sp.
Lacerta sp. Linnaeus 1758 squamates
 Squamata - Colubridae
cf. Elaphe sp., Coronella sp., Natrix cf. natrix
cf. Elaphe sp. Wagler 1833 colubrid snake
Coronella sp. Laurenti 1768 colubrid snake
Natrix cf. natrix Linnaeus 1758 water snake
 Testudines - Emydidae
Emys orbicularis
Emys orbicularis Linnaeus 1758 European pond turtle
Amphibia
 Salientia - Pelobatidae
Pelobates sp.
Pelobates sp. Wagler 1830 spadefoot toad
 Salientia - Bufonidae
Bufo bufo
Bufo bufo Linnaeus 1758 toad
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana sp., Rana temporaria
Rana sp. Linnaeus 1758 frog
Rana temporaria Linnaeus 1758 common frog
 Caudata - Urodela
Salamandra sp.
Salamandra sp. Laurenti 1768 salamander