Aix-en-Provence (Coquand collection) (Oligocene of France)

Where: Bouches-Du-Rhone, France (43.5° N, 5.5° E: paleocoordinates 43.3° N, 2.8° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Niveau du gypse d'Aix Formation, Chattian (28.1 - 23.0 Ma)

• "The ‘insect formation’ is 2.5 m thick, divided in two parts that correspond to two very different environmental conditions. The first (lower) episode is remarkable by its lateral mo- notony of facies on a distance of 6 km at least, in the outcrops observed on the northwest of Aix-en-Provence. This lower episode is distinguished from the rest of the ‘insect formation’ and from the whole formation of Aix-en-Provence by the presence of a very numerous thin limestone laminae. The second (upper) episode is remarkable by the presence of many silici- fied laminae. The fauna in this level is also very well preserved"….This collection consists of unspecified layers

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - large; lithified limestone

• This lacustrine formation was deposited in a very large but shallow-water lake, with variable salinity and near the marine coast (Nury 1990, Nury & Thomassin 1994). Irregular basins formed during extension of the European platform in the Oligocene resulting from the formation of the West-European rift system.
• The deposit presents an alternation of limestone and marls with gypsum.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Preservation: mold/impression, adpression

Collected by Coquand

• Repository: École des Mines de Paris, Université Claude Bernard à Lyon

Primary reference: F. Meunier. 1915. Nouvelles recherches sur quelques insectes des Plâtrières d'Aix en Provence. Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam 18(5):1-17 [M. Clapham/J. Karr/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 113712: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Jered Karr on 04.08.2011, edited by Matthew Clapham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Odonata - Libellulidae
Libellulidae "larva"2 Rambur 1842 common skimmer
22, 23
 Coleoptera - Carabidae
Calosoma agassizi2 Barthelemy-Lapommeraye 1846 ground beetle
Coll Coquand 6 (UCBL 230(6))
 Coleoptera - Buprestidae
Chalcophora oligocenica n. sp.2 Theobald 1937 jewel beetle
 Coleoptera - Curculionidae
"Brachyderes longipes" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2
"Brachyderes longipes" = Protainophthalmus asperulus2 Heer 1856 snout beetle
8, 9, 10
 Hymenoptera - Ichneumonidae
Pimpla aquensis n. sp.2 Theobald 1937 ichneumon wasp
Coll Coquand 1
Fintona cf. nigripalpis2 Cameron 1909 ichneumon wasp
Coll Coquand 2
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Formica sp.2 Linnaeus 1758 ant
Coll Coquand 25
 Hemiptera - Heterogastridae
Heterogaster pumilio2 Heer 1853 true bug
Coll Coquand 16
 Hemiptera - Rhyparochromidae
Aphanus pulchellus2 Heer 1853 seed bug
Coll Coquand 14
Aphanus murchisonae2 Heer 1853 seed bug
Coll Coquand 12, 15
 Hemiptera - Cydnidae
"Cydnopsis brevicollis" = Cydnus brevicollis
"Cydnopsis brevicollis" = Cydnus brevicollis Heer 1853 burrowing bug
 Hemiptera - Aphrophoridae
Aphrophora coquandi n. sp.2 Theobald 1937 froghopper
Coll Coquand 11
 Orthoptera - Acrididae
Oedipoda saussurei n. sp.2 Theobald 1937 short-horned grasshopper
Coll Coquand 21, 20
 Diptera - Bibionidae
Penthetria subterranea1 Theobald 1937 march fly
EM 70002, 70009, 70010, 70011, 70013, 70015, 70017, 70201 (A 10.9), 70202 (A 10.13), 70203 (A 10.70), 70204 (A 10.93)
Bibio baumbergeri1 Theobald 1937 march fly
EM 70207 (A 10.3), 70208 (A 10.6), 70209 (A 10.44), 70210 (301 gamma), 70211-70214
Bibio spectabilis1 Theobald 1937 march fly
EM 70215 (1.2.2
"Bibio painvini n. sp." = Plecia painvini Meunier 1915 love bug
"Plecia lapidaria" = Plecia pinguis1 von Heyden and von Heyden 1865 love bug
EM 70003, 70004, 70005, 70012, 70205 (A 10.95)
Plecia rhenana1 von Heyden and von Heyden 1865 love bug
EM 70007, 70016, 70018, 70206 (A 10.14)
 Diptera - Mycetophilidae
Mycetophila cf. morio2 Heer 1856 fungus gnat
Ecole des Mines 13
 Diptera - Tabanidae
Chrysops sp.2 Meigen 1803 deer fly
Coll Coquand 17
 Diptera -
Anthomyia ? pulcherrima Meunier 1915 fly
 Diptera - Syrphidae
Helophilus villeneuvi n. sp.2 Theobald 1937 hover fly
Coll Coquand 19
 Diptera - Empididae
Hilara heerii n. sp. Meunier 1915 dagger fly
 Diptera - Dixidae
"Eriopterites tertiaria n. gen. n. sp." = Dixa tertiaria
"Eriopterites tertiaria n. gen. n. sp." = Dixa tertiaria Meunier 1915 meniscus midge