Grube Messel Pit (Museum Darmstadt Collection): MP 11, Germany

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Apodiformes - Jungornithidae
Parargornis messelensis n. gen., n. sp. Mayr 2003
Mayr 2003
from "Messel": HLMD collection
Reptilia
Perplexicervix microcephalon Mayr 2010
Mayr 2010 1 specimen
referred specimen in the HLMD
Baryphracta deponiae Frey et al. 1987
Frey et al. 1987 2 specimens
recombined as Diplocynodon deponiae
HLMD Me 7496 (exposing the dorsal side); HLMD Me 8080 (exposing the right lateral [slightly] and ventral sides);
Alligator darwini n. sp. Ludwig 1877
Brochu 1999 1 specimen
HLMD-Me 7492 - holotype (complete skeleton)
Hassiacosuchus haupti n. gen., n. sp. Weitzel 1935
Weitzel 1935 1 specimen
Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Nr. 4415
Reptilia - Tomistomidae
Tomistomidae indet. (Eastman 1902)
Rossmann 2002 1 specimen
spelled with current rank as Tomistominae
HLMD-Me 5589 (fragment of right mandible), 5591+5592 (partial left mandible) & 5593 (fragment of right mandible)
Reptilia
Pristichampsus rollinatii
Rossman 2000 1 specimen
nomen dubium belonging to Eusuchia
HLMD-Me 5671
Bergisuchus dietrichbergi n. gen., n. sp. Kuhn 1968
Montefeltro et al. 2011 1 specimen
HLMD-Me 7003 - holotype (anterior part of a left lower jaw and a snout fragment, both from one individual)
Reptilia - Testudines
Anosteira crassesculpta n. sp. Harrassowitz 1922
Harrassowitz 1922 1 specimen
recombined as Allaeochelys crassesculpta
HLMD 1461
Ocadia messeliana n. sp. Staesche 1928
Hervet 2004 4 specimens
recombined as Francellia messeliana
Type HLD-Me-1444. Additional material HLD-Me 10477, 7960, 15011
Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
? Juvemys sp. Hervet 2003
Hervet 2004 1 specimen
HLD Me 7448
Reptilia - Testudines
Ocadia kehreri Staesche 1928
Hervet 2004 11 specimens
recombined as Euroemys kehreri
coll. HLD-Me : 15033, 148, 7229, 8877, 8051, Be-139, Be-142, 15562, 14749, Be-157; HLD-Me-1452 originally referred to Ocadia messeliana by Staesche 1928
Insecta
Gymnopleurus eocaenicus n. sp. Meunier 1921
1 specimen
nomen dubium belonging to Insecta
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Hemiptera
Fulgoroidea indet. Latreille 1807
Szwedo and Wappler 2006 1 specimen
HLMD-Me-13412 (1 measurement)
Insecta - Hemiptera - Eurybrachidae
Amalaberga ostrogothiorum n. gen., n. sp. Szwedo and Wappler 2006
Szwedo and Wappler 2006 1 specimen
HLMD-Me-13193 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Hemiptera - Lophopidae
Baninus thuringiorum n. gen., n. sp. Szwedo and Wappler 2006
Szwedo and Wappler 2006 1 specimen
HLMD-Me-13162 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Hemiptera - Lygaeidae
Lygaeidae indet. Schilling 1829
Kinzelbach 1970 2 specimens
HLMD Me 7425, 7410 (1 measurement)
Insecta - Hemiptera - Cydnidae
Cydnopsis informal sp. 2 Heer 1853
6 specimens
(2 measurements)
    = Cydnopsis nana n. sp. Kinzelbach 1970
Kinzelbach 1970
HLMD Me 874, 1275, 7423, 7420, 7421, 7422
Cydnopsis informal sp. 1 Heer 1853
11 specimens
(1 measurement)
    = Cydnopsis meunieri n. sp. Kinzelbach 1970
Kinzelbach 1970
HLMD Me 7416, 1001, 818, 7418/7409, 7411, 7412, 7413, 7414, 7415, 7417, 7419
Insecta - Hemiptera - Reduviidae
Amphibolus disponsi n. sp. Kinzelbach 1970
Kinzelbach 1970 1 specimen
HLMD Me 7424 (1 measurement)
Insecta - Blattodea - Blattidae
Blattidae indet. Latreille 1810
6 specimens
(1 measurement)
Periplaneta relicta n. sp. Meunier 1921
39 specimens
(2 measurements)
Periplaneta eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921
5 specimens
(1 measurement)
Insecta - Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Formicium giganteum Lutz 1986
Lutz 1986 1 specimen
recombined as Titanomyrma gigantea
Me 7194
Formicium simillimum Lutz 1986
Lutz 1986 1 specimen
recombined as Titanomyrma simillima
Me 590
Insecta - Coleoptera - Hydrophilidae
Hydrobiomorpha eopalpalis Fikáček et al. 2010
Fikáček et al. 2010 1 specimen
HLMD Me 14729 (2 measurements)
Hydrophilus sp. Geoffroy 1762
Fikáček et al. 2010 1 specimen
HLMD Me 11596 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Coleoptera - Geotrupidae
Geotrupes messelensis n. sp. Meunier 1921
3 specimens
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Coleoptera - Trogossitidae
Trogossita eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921
2 specimens
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Coleoptera - Chrysomelidae
Lina titana n. sp. Meunier 1921
10 specimens
recombined as Chrysomela titana
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Coleoptera - Buprestidae
Ancylochira eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921
10 specimens
HLMD Me 1082, 937, 1225, 1338, 593, 1182, 4090, 1393, 925, 927 (2 measurements)
Ancylochira agilis n. sp. Meunier 1921
20 specimens
(2 measurements)
Eurythyrea sp. Dejean 1833
1 specimen
(1 measurement)
Sphenoptera metallica n. sp. Meunier 1921
1 specimen
(2 measurements)
Sphenoptera eocaenica n. sp. Meunier 1921
1 specimen
(2 measurements)
Perotis messelensis n. sp. Meunier 1921
7 specimens
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Coleoptera - Elateridae
Ancylochira prompta n. sp. Meunier 1921
10 specimens
recombined as Macropunctum promptum
(4 measurements)
Ancylochira minuta n. sp. Meunier 1921
15 specimens
recombined as Macropunctum minutum
HLMD Me 1206, 1276, 1124 (2 measurements)
see common names

Geography
Country:Germany State/province:Hessen
Coordinates: 49.9° North, 8.8° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:46.9° North, 4.8° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period:Paleogene Epoch:Eocene
Stage:Lutetian 10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 2
Key time interval:MP 11
Age range of interval:47.80000 - 41.20000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Messel
Stratigraphic resolution:bed
Stratigraphy comments: "lower Middle Eocene, lower-most Geiseltalian, Mammal Paleogene level 11… .575 to .77 m above local stratigraphic marker Alpha."
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:planar lamination lithified claystone
Lithology description: "The fossils are embedded in darkly coloured, finely laminated claystone sediments rich in organic substances (‘oil shale’), which were deposited in a meromictic lake (e.g. Goth, 1990)."
Environment:crater lake Tectonic setting:volcanic basin
Geology comments: "A drilling project conducted in 2001 showed that the former Lake Messel was a maar lake, which is a small deep lake that had its origin in an explosive volcanic eruption. The former lake basin had an original diameter of about 1.5 km, and a depth of about 300–400 m (Harms, 2002; Felder & Harms, 2004)."
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,adpression,soft parts
Lagerst�tten type:conservation
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,survey of museum collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Metadata
Database number:120036
Authorizer:M. Clapham, M. Carrano Enterer:J. Karr, M. Clapham, M. Carrano
Modifier:M. Clapham Research group:paleoentomology
Created:2011-11-06 12:16:03 Last modified:2014-08-06 22:47:49
Access level:the public Released:2011-11-06 12:16:03
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
38439. F. Meunier. 1921. Die Insektenreste aus dem Lutetien von Messel bei Darmstadt. Abhandlungen der Hessischen geologischen Landesanstalt zu Darmstadt 7:2-15 [M. Clapham/J. Karr]

Secondary references:

54633 C. A. Brochu. 1999. Phylogenetics, Taxonomy, and Historical Biogeography of Alligatoroidea. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19(S2):9-100 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
54108 M. Fikáček, S. Wedmann, and H. Schmied. 2010. Diversification of the greater hydrophilines clade of giant water scavenger beetles dated back to the Middle Eocene (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Hydrophilina). Invertebrate Systematics 24:9-22 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
47631 E. Frey, A. Laemmert, and J. Riess. 1987. Baryphracta deponiae n. g. n. sp. (Reptilia, Crocodylia), ein neues Krokodil aus der Grube Messel bey Darmstadt (Hessen, Bundesrepublik Deutschland). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatschefte 1987:15-26 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
60520 H. Harrassowitz. 1922. Die Schildkrötengattung Anosteira von Messel bei Darmstadt und ihre stammesgeschichtliche Bedeutung. Abhandlungen der Hessischen Geologischen Landesanstalt 6:132-239 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd]
58591 S. Hervet. 2004. Systématique du groupe "Palaeochelys sensu lato – Mauremys" (Chelonii, Testudinoidea) du Tertiaire d'Europe occidentale: principaux résultats [Systematic of the "Palaeochelys sensu lato – Mauremys" group (Chelonii, Testudinoidea) from the Tertiary of Western Europe: principal results. Annales de Paléontologie 90(1):13-78 [D. Nicholson/D. Nicholson/D. Nicholson]
52813 R. K. Kinzelbach. 1970. Wanzen aus dem eozänen Ölschiefer von Messel (Insecta: Heteroptera). Notizblatt des Hessischen Landesamtes für Bodenfoschung zu Wiesbaden 98:9-18 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
44589 H. Lutz. 1986. Eine neue Unterfamilie der Formicidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) aus dem mittel-eozänen Ölschiefer der "Grube Messel" bei Darmstadt (Deutschland, S-Hessen). Senckenbergiana Lethaea 67:177-218 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
25151 G. Mayr. 2003. A new Eocene swift-like bird with a peculiar feathering. Ibis 145(3):382-391 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
38572 G. Mayr. 2010. A new avian species with tubercle-bearing cervical vertebrae from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany). Records of the Australian Museum 62:21-28 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
36690 F. C. Montefeltro, H. C. E. Larsson, and M. C. Langer. 2011. A New Baurusuchid (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and the Phylogeny of Baurusuchidae. PLoS One 6(7):e21916 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
82795 D. S. Peters. 1999. Selmes absurdipes, new genus, new species, a sandcoleiform bird from the oil shale of Messel (Germany, middle Eocene). In S. L. Storrs, P. Wellnhofer, C. Mourer-Chauviré, D. W. Steadman, L. D. Martin (eds.), Avian Paleontology at the Close of the 20th Century: Proceedings of the 4th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, Washington, D.C, 4-7 June 1996. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 89:217-222 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
81413 T. Rossman. 2000. Skelettanatomische Beschreibung von Pristichampsus rollinatii (Gray) (Crocodilia, Eusuchia) aus dem Paläogen von Europa, Nordamerika and Ostasien. Courier Forschunginstitut Senckenberg 221:1-107 [P. Holroyd/P. Holroyd]
47641 T. Rossmann. 2002. Studies on Cenozoic crocodiles: 10. First evidence of a tomistomid crocodilian (Eusuchia: Tomistomidae) from the Middle Eocene (Geiseltalian, MP 11) of Grube Messel, Germany. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte 2002(3):129-146 [P. Mannion/P. Mannion]
51161 J. Szwedo and T. Wappler. 2006. New planthoppers (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) from the middle Eocene Messel maar. Annales Zoologici 56:555-566 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
108765% 49080K. Weitzel. 1935. Hassiacosuchus haupti n. g. n. sp., ein durophages Krokodil aus dem Mitteleozän von Messel. Notizblatt des Vereins für Erdkunde und der Hessischen Geologischen Landesanstalt Darmstadt 16:40-49 [J. Alroy/S. Kuemmell/M. Uhen]