Schmiedrued-Pfyffrüti (SP) 640 (Miocene of Switzerland)

Where: Aargau, Switzerland (47.3° N, 8.1° E)

• Paleocoordinates: 44.7° N, 10.0° E (Wright 2013)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Upper Freshwater Molasse Group, Middle Miocene (16.0 - 11.6 Ma)

• "SP 640 and 642 are c. 15.7–15.8 m.y. old (early Middle Miocene); SP 640 corresponds to

•the small-mammal unit (lower) MN 5 and to the otolith zone OT-M5b (Reichenbacher et al., 2013)."

Environment/lithology: lacustrine - small; fine-grained, medium sandstone and paleosol/pedogenic, gray, green siltstone

• A rich and well-preserved fish fauna (otoliths, teeth) characterizes the biota of this level. Charophytes and shells of freshwater gastropods are also abundant, but gastropod shells are usually fragmented. The presence of a crocodile confirms the aquatic environment indicated by the aforementioned taxa. Shells of land snails, fragments of eggshells of a turtle, and teeth of small-bodied mammals are the main representatives of the terrestrial biota. The co-occurrence of aquatic and terrestrial taxa suggests a freshwater pond or lake and shoreline vicinity.
• The OSM sediments of SP consist of fine to medium-grained sandstones and grey to greenishmottled silts and clayswith pedogenetic overprint.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: J. Jost, D. Kälin, S. Börner, D. Vasilyan, D. Lawver and B. Reichenbacher. 2015. Vertebrate microfossils from the Upper Freshwater Molasse in the Swiss Molasse Basin: Implications for the evolution of the North Alpine Foreland Basin during the Miocene Climate Optimum. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 426:22-33 [T. Cleary/T. Cleary]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 201975: authorized by Terri Cleary, entered by Terri Cleary on 13.06.2019

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
Aphanolebias konradi
 Charales - Characeae
Stephanochara rhabdocharoides
 Charales - Feistiellaceae
Nitellopsis (Tectochara) ginsburgi
Nitellopsis (Tectochara) ginsburgi
very abundant, >20 specimens
Gastropoda
 Sorbeoconcha - Bithyniidae
Bithynia sp.
Bithynia sp. Leach 1818 snail
very abundant, >20 specimens
 Heterostropha - Planorbidae
Gyraulus sp., Planorbarius sp., Ferrissia sp.
Gyraulus sp. Charpentier 1837 snail
Planorbarius sp. Dumeril 1806 snail
Ferrissia sp. Walker 1903 snail
 Heterostropha - Lymnaeidae
Stagnicola sp.
Stagnicola sp. Jeffreys 1830 snail
 Stylommatophora - Valloniidae
Vallonia sp.
Vallonia sp. Risso 1826 slug
 Stylommatophora - Oxychilidae
Oxychilidae indet.
Oxychilidae indet. Hesse 1927 slug
Actinopteri
 Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
Cyprinidae indet., Leuciscinae indet., Palaeocarassius sp.
Cyprinidae indet. Rafinesque 1815 carp-like fish
>200
Leuciscinae indet. Howes 1991 carp-like fish
Palaeocarassius sp. Obrhelová 1970 carp-like fish
very abundant, >20 specimens
 Gobiiformes - Gobiidae
"Gobius" brevis, "Gobius" aff. brevis, Gobius gregori, Gobius helvetiae, Gobius longus, Gobius sp.
Gobius sp. Linnaeus 1758 goby
>200
 Anabantiformes - Channidae
Channa sp., Channa elliptica
Channa sp. Scopoli 1770 snakehead
fragments
Channa elliptica von Salis 1967 snakehead
Reptilia
 Testudinata - Testudoolithidae
Testudoolithidae indet.
Testudoolithidae indet. Hirsch 1996 turtle
 Squamata - Anguidae
Anguidae indet.
Anguidae indet. Gray 1825 squamates
 Crocodylia -
Crocodylia indet.
Crocodylia indet. Owen 1842 crocodilian
Mammalia
 Placentalia -
"Lipotyphla indet." = Eulipotyphla
"Lipotyphla indet." = Eulipotyphla placental
 Tribosphenida - Erinaceidae
Galerix sp.
Galerix sp. Pomel 1848 hedgehog
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Megacricetodon bavaricus
Megacricetodon bavaricus Fahlbusch 1964 rodent
 Rodentia - Gliridae
Miodyromys aff. aegercii
Miodyromys aff. aegercii Baudelot 1972 dormouse
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Prolagus oeningensis
Prolagus oeningensis König 1825 pika
Amphibia
 Caudata - Urodela
Proteidae indet.
Proteidae indet. Hogg 1838 mudpuppy