Kalk- und Dolomitbruch der Andreas Schorr GmbH: Kimmeridgian, Germany

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Metriorhynchidae
Cricosaurus bambergensis n. sp. Sachs et al. 2019
1 specimen
NKMB-P-Watt14/274
Dakosaurus maximus (Plieninger 1846)
Herrera et al. 2021
Reptilia
Thalassemys bruntrutana Puntener et al. 2015
Joyce et al. 2021 1 specimen
NKMB Watt18/211, a flattened, nearly complete skeleton
see common names

Geography
Country:Germany State/province:Bavaria
Coordinates: 50.0° North, 11.1° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:41.2° North, 19.2° East
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Time
Period:Jurassic Epoch:Late/Upper Jurassic
Stage:Kimmeridgian 10 m.y. bin:Jurassic 5
Key time interval:Kimmeridgian Ammonoid zone: Aulacostephanus eudoxus
Age range of interval:154.80000 - 149.20000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Torleite Member:Wattendorf
Stratigraphic resolution:member
Stratigraphy comments: Originally given as Aulacostephanus pseudomutabilis zone
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: lithified "carbonate"
Lithology description: NKMB-P-Watt14/274 is preserved in carbonate rocks of the Torleite Formation (late Kimmeridgian), which in Bavaria forms the lowermost formation of the Upper Weißjura Group of the Franconian Jura (Fig. 2). The Torleite Formation occurs in most parts of the Franconian Jura and can be subdivided into several geographically separated members (Niebuhr and Pürner 2014). The matrix of NKMB-P-Watt14/274 is a light ochre, micritic lithographic limestone of the Wattendorf Member, the northernmost member of the Torleite Formation (Fürsich et al. 2007; Niebuhr and Pürner 2014). The member exhibits one of the oldest known occurrences of lithographic limestone in southern Germany (upper Aulacostephanus pseudomutabilis Tethys Ammonite Zone; Schweigert 2007; Niebuhr and Pürner 2014). It differs from most other lithographic limestone of southern Germany by a higher abundance of coarse-grained facies and a lack of coccoliths and calcispheres (Fürsich et al. 2007).
Environment:lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal
Geology comments: As for all units of the Weißjura Group, the rocks of the Torleite Formation formed on a subtropical carbonate shelf in the northern part of the Tethys Sea (Schmid et al. 2005). At the base of the Torleite Formation, a transgression led to the formation of small basins on top and within the former sponge-microbial reefs of the Frankenalb Formation (Röper 2005; Niebuhr and Pürner 2014). These so called “Wannen” basins were lagoonal environments with repeatedly dysoxic and anoxic conditions at the seafloor, benefiting an often- articulated preservation of the deposited organisms. Still, the upper water layers remained habitable as evident by a rich diversity of nektonic and planktonic species (Fürsich et al. 2007).

The Wattendorf Member was formed in a laterally more restricted basin further north of the Solnhofen archipelago and its associated lagoons. Fossils of land plants and terrestrial vertebrates demonstrate a placement in the proximal realm, which is also evident by the intercalations of coarsegrained facies (Fürsich et al. 2007). Within the Solnhofen archipelago the Wattendorf “Wanne” is most similar to the Pfraundorf locality, both showing a similar faunal assemblage consisting of diverse osteichthyes and crustaceans as well as the specialized bivalve Aulacomyella (Fürsich et al. 2007). Other thalattosuchian records from the Wattendorf member comprise so-far undescribed skeletal remains and isolated teeth, indicating the presence of Dakosaurus and Geosaurus.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Metadata
Also known as:Wattendorf, Bamberg district; Wattendorf quarry, Wattendorf
Database number:207479
Authorizer:G. Lloyd, E. Vlachos, P. Mannion Enterer:G. Lloyd, E. Vlachos, G. Varnham
Modifier:J. Williams Research group:vertebrate
Created:2020-01-13 10:00:49 Last modified:2023-10-02 17:51:17
Access level:the public Released:2020-01-13 10:00:49
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
71490. S. Sachs, M. T. Young, P. Abel and H. Mallison. 2019. A new species of the metriorhynchid crocodylomorph Cricosaurus from the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 64(2): 343-356 [G. Lloyd/G. Lloyd]

Secondary references:

79044 Y. Herrera, M. Aiglstorfer, and M. Bronzati. 2021. A new species of Cricosaurus (Thalattosuchia: Crocodylomorpha) from southern Germany: the first three-dimensionally preserved Cricosaurus skull from the Solnhofen Archipelago. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 19(2):145-167 [P. Mannion/G. Varnham]
77051 W. G. Joyce, M. Mäuser, and S. W. Evers. 2021. Two turtles with soft tissue preservation from the platy limestones of Germany provide evidence for marine flipper adaptations in Late Jurassic thalassochelydians. PLoS ONE 16(6):e0252355:1-32 [E. Vlachos/E. Vlachos/P. Mannion]