Cuzal (Quercy Phosphorites) (Eocene to of France)

Where: Quercy, France (44.5° N, 1.5° E: paleocoordinates 41.3° N, 1.9° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: MP 13 to MP 13 (48.6 - 40.4 Ma)

• The fossiliferous fissure fill of Cuzal is found in a section of a

•shaft a few meters in diameter whose base connects with an

•larger empty cavity. The sediment in the upper

•part of the fissure fill within the shaft is composed of a yellow ochre clay

•rich in iron pisolites, fine quartzose elements, and phosphate nodules

•up to a decimeter size. The base of the fissure fill is composed of a

•redder clay, relatively homogenous and finely "litée".

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fissure fill; yellow mudstone and concretionary phosphorite

• Yellow ochre and red clay - see above.

Size class: mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, sieve,

• The fossils etudies in this work were obtained by the washing-sifting of about 500 kg of sediment. Most of the mammal fossils are teeth.

•Laboratoire de Paléontologie de l'USTL à Montpellier.

Primary reference: B. Marandat, J.-Y. Crochet, M. Godinot, J.-L. Hartenberger, S. Legendre, J. A. Remy, B. Sigé, J. Sudre, and M. Vianey-Liaud. 1993. Une Nouvelle faune à mammifères d'âge Éocène moyen (Lutétien supérieur) dans les phosphorites du Quercy. [A new middle Eocene (upper Lutetian) mammalian fauna from the Quercy phosphorite.]. Géobios 26(5):617-623 [J. Alroy/R. Whatley/O. Alfaro]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 36875: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Robin Whatley on 18.02.2004

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Gastropoda
  -
Gastropoda indet. Cuvier 1795 snail
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
Microparamyinae indet. Wood 1962 rodent
? Gliridae or Ischyromyidae
 Rodentia - Pseudosciuridae
Protadelomys indet. Hartenberger 1968 rodent
 Primates - Notharctidae
Buxella sp. Godinot 1988 primate
 Primates - Omomyidae
Nannopithex cf. filholi, "Pivetonia cf. isabenae" = Pseudoloris isabenae
Nannopithex cf. filholi Chantre and Gaillard 1897 tarsier
"Pivetonia cf. isabenae" = Pseudoloris isabenae Crusafont Pairó 1967 tarsier
 Theriamorpha - Nyctitheriidae
Saturninia mamertensis Sigé 1976 placental
 Chiroptera - Necromantidae
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
 Chiroptera - Emballonuridae
Emballonuridae indet. n. gen. Dobson 1875 sac-winged bat
 Perissodactyla - Palaeotheriidae
Pachynolophus sp. Pomel 1847 odd-toed ungulate
 Condylarthra - Paroxyclaenidae
Paroxyclaenus lemuroides Teilhard de Chardin 1922 placental
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
Amphiperatherium bastbergense Crochet 1979 marsupial
Amphiperatherium giselense Heller 1936 marsupial
Reptilia
 Squamata -
Squamata indet. squamates