Bitterfeld amber, Kutscher collection (Eocene of Germany)

Also known as Saxonian amber

Where: Halle, Germany (51.6° N, 12.4° E: paleocoordinates 50.4° N, 8.0° E)

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Priabonian (38.0 - 33.9 Ma)

• Bitterfeld amber occurs in the "Bernsteinschluff" Horizon, i.e. a part of the Upper "Bitterfelder Glimmersand" in the upper part of the Cottbus Formation. Detailed biostratigraphic investigations favor an uppermost Chattian age for the unit. Originally assigned a Miocene age, and then thought to be redeposited Baltic amber. The chemical composition of Bitterfeld amber is distinct from true Baltic amber (e.g., Sodhi et al., 2013). Hydrogen isotopes indicate that Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers have distinct geographic sources, but carbon isotopes and insects suggest Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers are coeval in age (Wolfe et al., 2016).

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; amber

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Preservation: amber

Collected by Manfred Kutscher

Collection methods: surface (float)

• Specimens in private collection of Manfred Kutscher, Sassnitz (Germany). Some possibly at Gottingen or GPIH (Hamburg).

Primary reference: M. Kotrba. 2009. Prosphyracephala kerneggeri spec. nov. – a new stalk-eyed fly from Baltic amber. Spixiana 32:187-192 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 123910: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 02.02.2012, edited by Arram Noshirvan

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Hymenoptera - Formicidae
Eocenomyrma rugosostriata1 Mayr 1868 ant
F-170
Myrmica paradoxa n. sp.3 Radchenko et al. 2007 ant
GPMHU No. F-199
 Phasmatodea - Archipseudophasmatidae
Sucinophasmatinae "indet. 2"7 Zompro 2004 stick insect
 Diptera - Limoniidae
Antohelia stanislawi2 Kania 2015 crane fly
Nr. 56
 Diptera - Diopsidae
Prosphyracephala succini Loew 1873 stalk-eyed fly
Assumed to be from Bitterfeld amber
Arachnida
 Araneae - Zodariidae
Eocydrele mortua5, "Adorator brevipes" = Adorator hispidus5
Eocydrele mortua5 Petrunkevitch 1958 spider
Kutscher K/AR/9
"Adorator brevipes" = Adorator hispidus5 Koch and Berendt 1854 spider
Kutscher K/AR/8
 Araneae - Salticidae
Almolinus bitterfeldensis6 Wunderlich 2004 spider
Kutscher K/AR/16
 Araneae - Trechaleidae
"Linoptes" "sp. 5"4 Menge 1854 spider
Kutscher K/AR/1